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Because I used to write academic papers, I will be justifying my ideas carefully. I apologize for taking so long to get to my point. The essence of the point is that runesmith's power fluctuates wildly based on outside constraints, but changing the timing of Invoke Rune can fix this. For this, I have to explain how the design of Pathfinder 2nd Edition balances classes and encourages tactics.
Pathfinder 2nd Edition has two common combat styles: martials making Strikes and spellcasters casting spells. A Strike takes one action but suffers a multiple attack penalty that makes second and especially third Strikes less valuable than the first Strike of each turn. Casting a Spell almost always takes two actions, so a spellcaster typically casts one spell and then has an action left.
The third action is poor for dealing damage in both combat styles. This is by design. In Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition and Pathfinder 1st Edition the ability to effectively devote all actions to dealing damage strongly encouraged devoting all actions to standing still and dealing damage. With PF2's spare third action (which is not necessary 3rd in order) the character could use that action tactically instead, such as for Demoralize, Stride, Step, Take Cover, Raise a Shield, cast a one-action Shield cantrip, etc. Combat became more dynamic.
Some classes have a different combat style. Alchemist draws alchemical bombs and throws them. Magus casts a spell through a Strike with Spellstrike. Kineticist uses Impulses mostly like spells but can also use Elemental Blast like a Strike. I reckon that Runesmith is meant to have a different combat style like them. The playtest version of Runesmith does not hint at any particular combat style--which I view as a flaw in its presentation--but one possible style is Trace, Trace, and Invoke against adjacent opponents with damage runes such as Atryl. In this style, Trace a Rune fills a niche similar to Strike.
The Invoke a Rune at the end is an action tax. Many classes have action taxes to activate their full combat abilities. Ranger has Hunt Prey, investigator has Devise a Stratagem, pre-Remastered barbarian had Rage (Remastered barbarian nullified the cost with Quick-Tempered), bard typically sustains a composition cantrip such as Courageous Anthem, swashbuckler has to gain panache, rogue maneuvers to catch a foe off-guard, etc. Sometimes a fighter or a monk will spend an action to take a Stance. The tax is a price paid for abilities that are more than the baseline martial proficiencies. The lose of an action balances that the other actions are more effective.
However, in the runesmith the action tax for Invoke Rune has another purpose. Invoked runes have no multiple attack penalty. If a runesmith could trace three damage runes in a turn--Atryl, Esvadir, and Ranshu--and invoke them, then they do three times the damage of a single rune. A martial character cannot do that with Strikes because the multiple attack penalty reduces the chance of a successful Strike.
Let me compare the math. A typical martial character has a 55% chance of a successful Strike against a typical opponent, which breaks down to 50% chance of regular damage and 5% chance of double damage, so it averages 0.6 hits. On three consecutive non-agile Strikes, the chances are 55%, 30%, and 5%, with 5% of each being double damage, so that sums to 1.05 hits. 1.05/0.6 = 1.75, a 75% improvement over a single Strike. For an agile weapon, the ratio is 1.20/0.6 = 2.00, a 100% improvement. On the other hand, invoking 3 damage runes deals three times the damage, a 200% improvement over a single rune. I don't need to compare double damage or half damage because every single rune behaves identically. A rune-damage runesmith is strongly incentivized to trace as many runes as possible.
For just two Strikes or two Traces compared to one, two non-agile Strikes are 0.95/0.6 = 1.58, two agile Strikes are 1.00/0.6 = 1.67, and two Traces are 2.00. That is not as different. Thus, the Traces can balance more like Strikes if the runesmith is limited to tracing just 2 damage runes per turn.
Unfortunately, the action tax has a significant downside that I observed in my playtest. My playtest runesmith was in battle against high-level rogues in which he had to both Stride and Raise a Shield each turn. This left only one action for Trace or Invoke. That meant the runesmith could deal damage only every other turn. Compare this to martial characters: one Strike rather than two deals less damage, but they do get to Strike every turn. Under those circumstances a runesmith would deal half the damage of a martial. Exorcist in Playtest of both classes at level 10 and 20 points out, "[The runesmith] still fell flat on its face when the enemy could disrupt it in literally any way (prone, slow, stun, swallow, etc.)."
The action tax of Invoke is necessary for balance against Tracing damage runes but it becomes too burdensome when the runesmith loses actions or has to spend other actions tactically. This creates imbalance. Unfortunately, the action tax is also necessary to prevent Tracing three runes at turn. We cannot fix this by making Invoke Rune a free action.
One fix would be to create combined actions that combines together a tactical action and Invoke Rune yet cost only a single action. For example, we could invent Invoking Stride [One Action] that says, "Stride and Invoke Rune." Then a runesmith who seriously needs to Stride can also invoke the runes, and it still prevents three Traces a turn. Existing combined actions, such as Quick Draw, are typically purchased as feats. That won't work well for fixing a fundamental problem for the runesmith. Furthermore, we would need several such combined actions: one for Stride, one for Raise a Shield, one for drawing a weapon, and maybe more.
A blanket method of combining Invoke Rune with other actions would be more practical. Then it could be a class feature. Furthermore, Invoke Rune invokes many runes. My solution could limit the combined Invoke to Invoking a single rune, which would be more balanced. If a runesmith lacks the actions to Invoke, then the runesmith lacks the actions to Trace twice, so limiting the combined Invoke to a single rune covers most practical applications.
Invoking Runes is described as speaking aloud: "Magic on your lips, you can pronounce the true name of a rune you have applied, calling it to power using invocation actions." Actions with the auditory or linguistic trait might have the runesmith's voice otherwise occupied. Actions with the move trait should be fine. And I want Raise a Shield specifically allowed so that a shield-using runesmith is more feasible. I checked the List of Basic Actions and could see a few actions, such as Sense Motive that could also be problematic. Thus here is my rewriten section for Invoking Runes on page 15 of the Impossible Playtest document:
Invoking Runes
Magic on your lips, you speak the true name of a rune, calling it to power as you engage in other tasks. During an Avert Gaze, Fly, Interact, Leap, Raise a Shield, Stand, Step, Stride, or Take Cover action you may invoke one invokeable rune that you applied. You can invoke only runes within 30 feet. If you move during that action, you invoke from your choice of square in that movement. If the action gains the auditory, concentrate, or linquistic trait, you cannot invoke during it. Invoking a rune is auditory and subject to the limitations of auditory actions, but it does not grant the auditory trait to the containing action.
The invoked rune blazes with power, applying the effect in its Invocation entry. The rune fades away afterwards, its task completed.
You also gain the Invoke Runes action for invoking multiple runes at once.
INVOKE RUNES [one-action]
INVOCATION MAGICAL RUNESMITH
You utter the name of one or more of your runes. You invoke any number of your runes, Creatures that would be affected by multiple copies of the same specific rune are affected only once, as normal for duplicate effects.
This would allow a runesmith to Trace, Trace, Raise a Shield with Invoke, but this would invoke only one of the two traced runes. The other rune would be uninvoked, such as a support rune on another party member or a diacritic rune like Ur-, Diacritic Rune of Intensity. I will test this out on my playtest runesmith.
Now that I have a mechanism for more balanced damage runes, what should that damage be? About the same as a Strike.
Let me use a raging barbarian as a baseline. At 1st level the Str 18 raging barbarian wielding a battle axe (Tracing a Rune is one-handed, so I am comparing it to one-handed weapons) deals 1d8+6 slashing damage. He has +7 to his attack roll and 1st-level High AC in the GM Core Table 2–5: Armor Class is AC 16. That gives a 60% chance to hit, and 10% out of that 60% had double damage, so the average damage is (0.70)(4.5+6) = 7.35 damage. On the 2nd Strike, the odds of hitting are 35% with 5% of that 35% having double damage, so the average damage is (0.40)(4.5+6) = 4.2 damage.
For an invoked damage rune, a 1st-level Int 18 runesmith has DC 17. The 1st-level High saving throw in Table 2–6: Saving Throws is +10. That means the opponent Critically Succeeds for no damage on a roll of 17, Succeeds for half damage on a roll of 7, Fails for full damage on a roll of 2, and Critically Fails for double damage on a natural 1. The average multiplier on damage is (0.2)(0) + (0.5)(0.5) + (0.25)(1) + (0.05)(2) = 0.6. For once-per-turn rune damage, the proper amount would be 7.35/0.6 = 12.25. For twice-per-turn rune damage, the average of 7.35 and 4.2 damage is 5.775, and 5.775/0.6 = 9.625. The 2d6 damage on Atryl is only 7 damage, so that is low. Or, if the runesmith can find a +7 moderate saving throw to target, the multiplier would be (0.05)(0) + (0.5)(0.5) + (0.4)(1) + (0.05)(2) = 0.75. That would give once-per-turn rune damage of 9.8 and twice-per-turn rune damage of 7.7. The 2d6 is closer to that, but still short.
Averaging 12.25, 9.625, 9.8, and 7.7 together gives 9.84. That is better modeled as 2d8 rather than 2d6.
But we also need to calculate how the rune damage would heighten. A 4th-level the barbarian has a +1 striking battle axe. It deals 2d8+6 damage, 43% more than 1d8+6. At 7th level he gains weapon specialization for an additional 2 damage, for 62% more damage than 1d8+6. At 8th level he adds a Flaming rune to his +1 striking battle axe for an additional 1d6 fire damage, for 95% more damage that 1d8+6. Those three data points are close to a 12.5% increase in damage per level. This would be represented by adding one additional damage die for every four levels, unlike the Atryl rune that adds 2 additional damage dice for every two levels. (I wonder why they did not write that as 1 additional damage die for every level.)
This would be the same as how the kineticist's damage from Elemental Blast increases, "Level(+4) The damage increases by one die." Likewise, Remastered damage cantrips typically have 2 dice of damage and "Heightened (+1) The initial damage increases by one die," where Heightened (+1) is the same as Level(+2).
I tested out these variant rules yesterday during our Strength of Thousands game session. The players cheered when Virgil Tibbs traced an Atryl run on a Giant Hermit Crab, traced an Ur- rune on the Atryl rune, and invoked the Atryl while Raising his Shield. Finally, for the first time during our playtest, Virgil had dealt damage with a rune! And he did it a few more times in that battle, even while grabbed in a giant crab claw.
Unfortunately, Giant Hermit Crabs have Fortitude +15, so it successfully saved and took only 8 damage. I might need to redo my damage calculations.
Virgil had AC 26 with his Holtrik-etched shield raised. But the dice were unfriendly to the party that day and twice the crabs rolled 27 with their Big Claw Strike on Virgil and then successfully grabbed him. It left me wondering whether Virgil could trace Zohk, rune of homecoming, on himself and invoke it to teleport adjacent to his current position in the crab's claw. I decided that that would be cheesy and did not attempt it.
I realized that maybe the rune Holtrik, rune of dwarven ramparts, was designed for the Raise a Shield with Invoke combination that I tested. With a Shield traced with Holtrik, the runesmith could Invoke Runes on their damage runes and the Holtrik to both invoke and Raise a Shield in one action. But that destroys the Holtrik, so the rune would have to be retraced. That offers no action-economy advantage in the long run.
I would like to see more Strike/Invoke pairings, with the lower damage, and w/o dissolving the Rune (and perhaps w/o a save).
I would like to see more Strike/Invoke pairings, with the lower damage, and w/o dissolving the Rune (and perhaps w/o a save).
I had decided that Strike would not be an action that allowed an Invoke during it, becuase (1) it has the attack trait and I was going for minimum traits, (2) it requires a dice roll and I did not want the saving throw from invoking to overlap with another dice roll, and (3) the timing of Engraving Strike would be annoying, because the Strike comes before the Trace a Rune; thus, Engraving Strike cannot invoke its own rune.
Why lower the damage for invoking during a Strike? It would discourage the runesmith from using that option.
On the other hand, lowering damage from a non-dissolving rune makes sense, because the rune is not fully tapped. But what would be a similar handicap on non-damage offensive runes, such as Oljinex, rune of coward's bane, and Zohk, rune of homecoming? Maybe a lower saving throw DC would be more appropriate than lower damage, since that would affect all offensive runes. Either way, this is an option that does not relate to the pacing of invocation.
The lower damage would apply to all Runes, not only those from Strikes, which hopefully would be balanced with more frequency because the Runes wouldn't dissolve so one could repeatedly Invoke. Perhaps the Invoke could be 1/round, w/ some ways around it, like via a Strike.
The Strike/Invoke wouldn't work with Engraving Rune, correct. But I'm talking about after Engraving Rune (or Trace), having the Strike detonate the Rune.
And I'd like to avoid relying on both an attack roll and a save if possible. Most creatures with low AC seem to have extraordinary Fort, and with bosses it'd doubly rough. There are various permutations available.