Reading Explosive Runes

[Persepolis]

I searched the forum and found lots and lots of threads about Explosive Runes, but I didn't see any that precisely addressed this question.

The spell description states, "You and any characters you specifically instruct can read the protected writing without triggering the explosive runes." To me, this suggests that there's a particular way of reading the runes without triggering them, and that method can be taught even to non-mages. So it seems to be something like a password, a specific gesture, reading them with your left eye closed, or something like that.

Which leads to the question: Can the caster, or someone else who knows how to read the runes safely, deliberately choose to set them off?

[blahpers]

Relevant points:

1. The runes explode when read.

2. As an exception, you (and characters you instruct) can read them without setting them off.

3. 2 grants you the ability to not set them off--hence, "you can read them". You don't have to use that ability.

I'd say you can definitely set them off, as can anybody you instruct.

Expect Table Variation, yadda yadda yadda.

[That Crazy Alchemist]

The words "can" and "may" in Pathfinder are remarkably powerful words, and should never be ignored. They give the one the word modifies the power of choice.

So yes, since they *can* read the runes without triggering them, they are given the binary choice to either trigger them or not when reading them.

[Azothath]

again, GM's will arbitrate the meaning. The easiest way to discover the rule is to create a couple of test cases and and see how it works in your game.

In this case GM's will probably add a few sensible physical conditions to the trigger (as the rune has to determine if it has been 'read') such as; distance of the reader, touching the symbol, tracing the symbol, pupils of sighted creatures aimed at the rune, etc. Triggers going off on interpretive or intuitive perceptions are never good. Review symbols or old FR Jem Magic.