Quote Originally Posted by Gnomes2169 View Post
Fluff wise, the rune mage is filling its runic grafts with magical power that remains relatively stable while bound to the rune. However, in times of crisis, the rune mage may "unleash the floodgates" if you will and temporarily break their rune/ drain their magical stores to make the next casting more powerful. It's basically a trump card or panic button, if you will, set ahead of time to give the "academic" sorc an edge in a future engagement.


That's what Metamagic Runes do. Instead of being something to spend sorc points on, though, they allow you to save them when casting certain spells (from your grafts), which in turn gives you a bit more leeway in how you can sprnd your sorc points. I don't see any need to give it another method of influencing its sorc points.


The rune mage doesn't have 2 level 8/ 9 spells to cast per long rest, actually. It has 2 of each level known with one of them being prepared and thus interchangable, but that's about it. If you are thinking that reckless power gives you an extra slot of a higher level, well... Read the end again. It still expends a spell slot, and it has the hefty price of not being able to prepare grafts of the level you just cast for a week (unless you are level 18... Then it's only 3 days).
1. This doesn't sound like you have a theme but just that you wanted it. What does runes have anything to do with a panic button or surging? Again Reckless Power seems to be the odd one out without some specific lore. I don't have any problems with the power as I know it is once a week or 3 days, but if an ability like that is really used so sparingly it begs the question should you have it in the first place.
2. No, the idea of this is that is they have an alternative spell-like ability. This only further expands the amount of spells they have or modified. This also brings up an issue is that currently it is the best metamagic user as well as the most spells.
3. This is what it says, "When he gains access to a new sorcerer spell level, he may select one spell from the wizard or cleric spell list (spells chosen are cast off of charisma) to write as a rune either on his body or an object in his possession....Effectively, this gives him one extra spell known and prepared of each spell level." What is the point of both known and prepared in the last phrase if they don't get another slot each level?