Can a Sling have a +1 Potency rune?

[Grcles de Cross]

I was looking over my weapons for a character and noticed my trusty longish-range weapon, my Sling. I stopped and asked if I could put a +1 Potency rune on this weapon. Would this give my 10 leaden balls a + 1 bonus to hit or damage? Could these balls be ghost touched, etc? If I hung my potency crystal on the sling and activate it does this make the balls +1?

Thanks for the input.

[Cordell Kintner]

Yes, you can put +1 runes on ranged weapons. Runes will impart their effects on the ammunition it fires.

You can not put a ghost touch rune on a ranged weapon.

[Jared Walter 356]

As Cordell said, ranged weapons can be inscribed with runes, and impart their effects to the ammunition. The potency rune makes the attack magical and imparts a +1 to hit. You could also inscribe a striking rune to increase the damage.

[breithauptclan]

Cordell Kintner wrote:

You can not put a ghost touch rune on a ranged weapon.

And that is only because Ghost Touch rune specifies that it can only be put on melee weapons.

You could put other weapon property runes on a sling as long as they work with ranged weapons. Such as Merciful or Bane or Frost. Like with the other runes, the rune effect is transferred to the ammunition that it fires.

[The Doc CC]

Grcles de Cross wrote:

Would this give my 10 leaden balls a + 1 bonus to hit or damage?

I am guessing you're new to PF2e. Welcome aboard! Assuming you're coming from another engine, there is a common surprise for players. That +1 Potency rune does not increase the weapon damage. It only augments the weapon's attack rolls. This includes all attacks, not just Strike actions, so if you add it to a weapon that lets you do something else, it applies.

For example, if I have a +1 light mace, the +1 to attack rolls would also apply if I use it with my Athletics skill to Shove.

That +1 Potency rune is still adding to damage in a different way, however. Because of the Critical Success rule, it has not only increased the odds of a hit, but the odds of a critical hit.

A Striking rune will increase the number of weapon damage dice. A Potency Crystal, despite the name, acts as if it was Potency and Striking runes for that minute, much like the Magic Weapon spell. Higher level class abilities will often increase your flat damage, such as a Fighter's Weapon Specialization at level 7.

Jared Walter, above, said this, but I did want to make it clear for you.

[breithauptclan]

The Doc CC wrote:

For example, if I have a +1 light mace, the +1 to attack rolls would also apply if I use it with my Athletics skill to Shove.

That is correct.

I would also point out that the only reason that you can use the light mace to shove with is because the weapon has the 'Shove' trait.

You couldn't use the light mace to Trip with your Athletics skill because the weapon doesn't have the 'Trip' trait. You could still make the trip attempt if you have a hand free, but holding the weapon wouldn't apply its +1 bonus to the roll.

[Gisher]

I haven't updated them with the Treasure Vault runes, but here are my tables of armor and weapon runes that break down which types of items each rune can be applied to.

• Runes

[Errenor]

The Doc CC wrote:

A Potency Crystal, despite the name, acts as if it was Potency and Striking runes for that minute , much like the Magic Weapon spell.

Ehm, which minute? Just in case, Potency Crystal works "for the rest of the turn". So I guess around 4-5 Strikes at maximum if quickened?

[The Doc CC]

Errenor wrote:

The Doc CC wrote:

A Potency Crystal, despite the name, acts as if it was Potency and Striking runes for that minute , much like the Magic Weapon spell.

Ehm, which minute? Just in case, Potency Crystal works "for the rest of the turn". So I guess around 4-5 Strikes at maximum if quickened?

The minute that sneaked out of my brain when I was thinking of mentioning Magic Weapon when talking about a Potency Rune. Thank you for the correction.

[Errenor]

The Doc CC wrote:

Errenor wrote:

The Doc CC wrote:

A Potency Crystal, despite the name, acts as if it was Potency and Striking runes for that minute , much like the Magic Weapon spell.

Ehm, which minute? Just in case, Potency Crystal works "for the rest of the turn". So I guess around 4-5 Strikes at maximum if quickened?

The minute that sneaked out of my brain when I was thinking of mentioning Magic Weapon when talking about a Potency Rune. Thank you for the correction.

And now I'm not sure it was the correct correction :-D

"When you activate the crystal, the weapon becomes a +1 striking weapon for the rest of the turn , gaining a +1 item bonus to the attack roll and increasing the damage on a hit to two weapon damage dice."
The simplest item everybody knows.
So, is it all attacks until the end of the turn and the second part of the sentence just a reminder of what '+1 striking' means,
or is it just one triggering attack because of the one short article 'the'?
I'm tired of the 'common English' these rules are written in.

[Jared Walter 356]

Errenor wrote:

gaining a +1 item bonus to the attack roll and increasing the damage on a hit to two weapon damage dice."

Both of these statements are reminder text about what a +1 striking weapon does. It lasts until the end of the turn

[breithauptclan]

The duration is 'for the rest of the turn'.

It gets a +1 bonus to the attack roll of each Strike it makes for the rest of the turn. And it increases the damage die count to 2 for the same duration.

[Errenor]

Jared Walter 356 wrote:

Errenor wrote:

gaining a +1 item bonus to the attack roll and increasing the damage on a hit to two weapon damage dice."

Both of these statements are reminder text about what a +1 striking weapon does. It lasts until the end of the turn

Could be, but it's the attack roll, not attack rolls...

[breithauptclan]

If you want to argue that it is contradicting itself and is therefore ambiguous, I guess you can. But then be sure to apply the Ambiguous Rules rule.

[Errenor]

breithauptclan wrote:

If you want to argue that it is contradicting itself and is therefore ambiguous, I guess you can. But then be sure to apply the Ambiguous Rules rule.

Well, no, now I think you are all actually correct: if it were for just one attack, what is the reason to even write the duration? What exactly lasts until the end of turn? And if it's not the first attack, which one exactly?

So, yes, I overthinked that. (And also our group has been playing that item wrong all this time and made the item worse than it actually is...)

[Grcles de Cross]

This has been great. I really got the info I needed.