| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Smirc |
Posted - 06 Jan 2006 : 05:03:14
I was just wondering about the Rune Caster PRC. One of my players seems to think that activating a rune is a free action (he is trying to put one on his dagger so that every time he draws it, it has Greater Magic Weapon cast on it via rune). What do all of you think about that logic…. Seems a little overpowered to me |
| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 12 Jan 2006 : 22:56:18
I don't think runes can be placed upon movable objects... at work so I can't confirm, but I believe so. |
| Nighthawk08 |
Posted - 10 Jan 2006 : 04:28:35
quote:
Originally posted by Smirc
This is exactly the problem I see. If a player can set it off by accident if he/she is not the runecaster then I dont think it should be a free action ot activate the rune. On the other hand this seems to be broken because a power gamer could abuse this badly. The could make a permanent blade barrier or something that would be over powered. I like to be a fair DM, and I encourage my players to think outside the box but this seems like its a little iffy...
The way i see it, he cant do ANYTHING without your approval. Like a couple of people that posted before me, i would make it at least a standard action to make sure it isnt to overpowering. that way, they can only prepare for a known fight, not the common around the corner surprises they will grow to hate. The idea to use quick draw to make it a free action is kinda nice, but also a bit to overpowering. maybe make it a immediate or swift action (the one that can only be used during yer own turn only once, cant remember which was which and books away from me at the moment). overall though, it does come to your decision, so you could even make him abandon the runecast prc if you felt like it. or just kill him off, wont need to worry about this problem at all then ^_^ (j/k.....or WAS i???) |
| warlockco |
Posted - 07 Jan 2006 : 02:13:05
Gem Magic can run into this same problem also. |
| Arivia |
Posted - 06 Jan 2006 : 16:30:46
quote:
Originally posted by Smirc
This is exactly the problem I see. If a player can set it off by accident if he/she is not the runecaster then I dont think it should be a free action ot activate the rune. On the other hand this seems to be broken because a power gamer could abuse this badly. The could make a permanent blade barrier or something that would be over powered. I like to be a fair DM, and I encourage my players to think outside the box but this seems like its a little iffy...
It isn't a free action-see my breakdown of the activation methods above. |
| Kajehase |
Posted - 06 Jan 2006 : 14:07:19
A permanent blade barrier...hmm...that dungeon I'm building just got a lot nastier *cackles evilly* |
| Smirc |
Posted - 06 Jan 2006 : 13:30:33
This is exactly the problem I see. If a player can set it off by accident if he/she is not the runecaster then I dont think it should be a free action ot activate the rune. On the other hand this seems to be broken because a power gamer could abuse this badly. The could make a permanent blade barrier or something that would be over powered. I like to be a fair DM, and I encourage my players to think outside the box but this seems like its a little iffy... |
| Gray Richardson |
Posted - 06 Jan 2006 : 12:21:06
You know, maybe I am reading the permanency feature of the rune caster ability wrong.
It says for a multiplier of 2000 gold you can make a rune permanent. I was reading that to mean a one time discharge that creates in effect a permanent spell.
But maybe I read that wrong. Maybe it means the rune is unlimited use.
Lets say a rune crafter makes a permanent rune of magic weapon. I suppose that means the rune has unlimited charges and can be used as many times as you care to activate it. For a multiplier of 2000 gold you could make everyone in the party's weapon magic right before a fight, every fight by touching their weapons to the rune. That is really a very cheap way to make a lot of magic weapons quickly. Their temporary but they last as long as you need them.
If so then it might be really handy to inscribe a rune of magic weapon on the battlements of a tower, so that archers can touch their arrows to it before they fire and have basically an unlimited supply of (temporary) magic arrows. Or they could keep touching their bows to the rune as the spell wears off (much like "firing off-screen" to reload).
Am I reading this right? Does this seem broken? |
| Gray Richardson |
Posted - 06 Jan 2006 : 12:10:27
If the Rune is intended for an object then per the FRCS: "If the spell only affects objects, then an object must trigger the rune."
Runes are usually a one-time use item, and only one rune can be placed on an object. A rune can be made permanent though. Or it can be imbued with charges by a rune caster.
Are we talking a permanent rune on the sword? If it is permanent then it doesn't have to be activated, it just persists forever or until dispelled. However, the cost is the same as enchanting a weapon. Although the weapon need not be mastework. The rune can however be dispelled.
Or are we talking a rune with charges on the scabbard that you have to touch the dagger to the rune in order to activate and expend a charge? That would probably be a standard action, unless the DM were to allow otherwise. With the quickdraw feat I would probably allow activation as a free action in tandem with drawing the weapon.
If he only intends to use the dagger a few times per day, he could get a slight savings in cost by crafting the rune using the charges per day option. At a multiple of 400 gp per charge, he could have a magic dagger at a discount from what a +1 magic dagger would cost. He could use it up to 4 times a day for only 1600 gold, a decent savings in cost.
Another advantage is that he could use the same rune to make any of his weapons into a temporary magic weapon. He could opt to use a charge on his arrow or bow or crossbow or sap or whip or morningstar or javelin. In essence, for a very cheap price he has the equivalent of a transforming weapon. It can temporarily make any ordinary weapon in your arsenal into a magic weapon for as many times a day as you put charges into your rune! |
| Arivia |
Posted - 06 Jan 2006 : 05:34:08
quote:
Originally posted by Smirc
I was just wondering about the Rune Caster PRC. One of my players seems to think that activating a rune is a free action (he is trying to put one on his dagger so that every time he draws it, it has Greater Magic Weapon cast on it via rune). What do all of you think about that logic…. Seems a little overpowered to me
Depending upon the rune and what it's set on, the activation time differs, from just a triggered effect(passing through an archway with a rune upon it) to what a rune activation actually is: use-activated(see page 213 of the DMG). In that case, an attack(touching a rune on an enemy's armor), or standard use-activated activation(touching a rune you are carrying)(which is a standard action) is appropriate. |
| scererar |
Posted - 06 Jan 2006 : 05:14:22
I would say that he could store the spell/ rune on the Dagger, but would still have to cast it in order to gain the spell effect
.... after posting, I pulled out the FRCS and the chart on page 52 shows a good way to handle different levels of runes, using caster level, number of uses or triggers "passes", and costs. I think this could be used to bring the rune caster back down to Toril, by means of placing some heavy costs on being able to place the rune on the dagger, as you described. |
