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"Was that supposed to hurt?"
- Corack Stormblade, Human Rune Tank
Rune Tanks are powerful melee fighters that use arcane runes to add to their fighting prowess.
Becoming a Rune Tank
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Base Attack Bonus +5 Skills Spellcraft (4 ranks), Any crafting skill (6 ranks).
Class Skills Skills Points at Each Level: 4 + int
Spellcraft, all crafting skills, jump, climb, swim, concentration, knowledge (arcana).
Hit Dice: d10
Level
BAB
Fort Save
Reflex Save
Will Save
Special
1st
+1
+0
+2
+2
Weapon rune
2nd
+2
+0
+3
+3
Armor rune
3rd
+3
+1
+3
+3
Runic resistance
4th
+4
+1
+4
+4
Improved weapon rune
5th
+5
+1
+4
+4
Improved armor rune
6th
+6/+1
+5
+5
+5
Rune mantle
7th
+7/+2
+2
+5
+5
Greater weapon rune
8th
+8/+3
+2
+6
+6
Greater armor rune
9th
+9/+4
+3
+6
+6
Adaptable runes
10th
+10/+5
+3
+7
+7
Extra runes
Weapon rune (SP)
Spoiler
At the beginning of the day you may choose to enhance one of your weapons with a Weapon rune, if you do so your weapon gains one of the following benefits for the rest of the day:
(Note: a weapon can have up to 2 of runes on it at a time.)
Fire rune
Spoiler
On a hit the weapon deals an extra 1d6 fire damage.
Ice rune
Spoiler
On a hit the weapon deals an extra 1d6 cold damage.
Shock Rune
Spoiler
On a hit the target can choose to be pushed 1 square or take 1d8 extra damage.
Draining rune
Spoiler
On a hit the weapon deals 1 point of temporary damage to an ability score of your choice.
Shattering rune
Spoiler
On a hit the target takes a -2 penalty to AC until the end of your next turn.
Armor rune (SP)
Spoiler
At the beginning of the day you may choose to enhance one of your suits of armor or a shield with an armor rune, if you do so your armor or shield gains one of the following benefits for the rest of the day:
(Note: a suit of armor can have up to 2 of runes on it at a time, a shield can only have 1.)
Resistance rune
Spoiler
While wearing the armor you gain resist 5 to 2 energy types of your choice
Life rune
Spoiler
While wearing the armor you can ignore the first 2 points of ability damage each round and gain a +5 bonus to saves vs disease and poison. You also recover an amount of ability damage equal to your constitution modifier every hour.
Toughness rune
Spoiler
While wearing the armor you gain DR /- equal to your constitution modifier.
Healing rune
Spoiler
While wearing the armor you regain 5 hp every 10 rounds (1 min).
Improved weapon rune (SP)
Spoiler
Functions like weapon rune but uses different runes.
(Note: this does not replace weapon rune.)
Storm rune
Spoiler
On a hit the weapon deals an extra 1d6 lightning damage and you move the target 1 square in any direction.
Binding rune
Spoiler
On a hit if the target moves during their next turn they take 2d6 damage of a chosen energy type.
Bloodletting rune
Spoiler
On a hit the target must make a fortitude save (DC 10 + your Rune Tank level) or take 1d4 points of constitution damage.
Law rune (Rune Tank must be lawful)
Spoiler
On a hit chaotic targets take an extra 2d4 damage and take a -2 penalty to speed for 1 round.
Chaos rune (Rune Tank must be chaotic)
Spoiler
On a hit lawful targets take 1d10 extra damage and a -2 penalty to AC for 1 round.
Improved armor rune (SP):
Spoiler
Functions like armor rune but uses different runes.
(Note: this does not replace armor rune.)
Rune of storm control
Spoiler
While wearing the armor when an adjacent enemy moves they take 1d8 lightning damage.
Rune of hope
Spoiler
While wearing the armor the first time in an encounter you drop to 0 hp or fewer (as long as you don't die) you come back the next round with hp equal to you constitution modifier x2.
Corrosive rune
Spoiler
While wearing the armor when missed by a melee attack the attacker must drop their weapon or take 1d8 acid damage (if the attack was unarmed they just take 1d6 acid damage).
Reflective rune
Spoiler
While wearing the armor when hit by a melee attack the attacker takes 1d4 force damage +1 point of force damage for every 5 points of damage done by the attack.
Greater weapon rune (SP):
Spoiler
Well folks, you know how this works!
Shockwave rune
Spoiler
On a hit the target is pushed 1 square and and must make a fortitude save (DC 12 + your Rune Tank level.) or take 2d6 extra damage.
Elemental rune
Spoiler
On a hit the target takes 1d6 extra cold damage and 1d6 extra fire damage.
Portal rune
Spoiler
Your reach with this weapon increases by 2.
Lifedrinker rune
Spoiler
On a hit you regain hp equal to 1/4 of the damage dealt.
Greater armor runes (SP)
Spoiler
Needs no explanation.
Fortification rune
Spoiler
While wearing the armor and at more than half hit points you take half damage from melee and ranged attacks.
Heal enhancing rune
Spoiler
While wearing the armor you regain gain an extra number of hit points equal your Rune Tank level from magical healing.
Shielding rune
Spoiler
While wearing the armor you gain a +3 bonus to AC vs ranged attacks and gain resist 5 to attacks from more than 5 squares away.
Runic resistance (SP)
Spoiler
You gain SR equal to 10 + your Rune Tank level and resist 5 to fire and cold damage.
Rune mantle (SP)
Spoiler
While wearing rune armor and wielding a rune weapon you gain a +2 bonus to saving throws.
Adaptable runes (EX)
Spoiler
At the beginning of an encounter (not the beginning of the day) you may enhance your arms and armor with runes, they instead wear off at the end of the encounter.
Extra runes (EX)
Spoiler
At the beginning of the encounter you may cast 1 extra rune of any kind.
a) you need to add more before people comment, and b) just too powerful. With a 1 level dip, they get to deal an extra 1d8+1d6 points of damage and damage to their constitution, which can drain alot of health quickly in a full attack.
Haven't read it all yet, but I love the concept. Elegant, and simple.
However, I think there may need to be more information about scribing runes.
Edit: Are the runes made from Arcane Mark-like magic, or are they painted using special paints? Can they be scrapped off/dispelled? How long do they last, what does it take to make them (time/money/exp?).
Further, It seems three runes on weapons and armor is... well it's overpowered. Compared to the Kensai this guy wins every day of the week, with more powerful weapons and Armor.
What about up to 3 runes, but it may not use 2 runes of the same 'quality' or 'level' on the same object? It would spread the class out and balance it a little more I think.
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Last edited by ChumpLump : 06-16-2010 at 09:57 PM.
2d6 points of damage of a type of your choice if they move? Well, 2d6 con damage isn't bad.
The rest of it is... eh. The people saying it's OP to get to add 1d8+1d6 to your weapon have no clue what they are talking about. Most of the abilities are just slightly better weapon enhancements, and in no way worth actual class features, while some of them (2d6 con damage) are very powerful. The armor abilities vary from also being meh to being... still meh.
2d6 points of damage of a type of your choice if they move? Well, 2d6 con damage isn't bad.
The rest of it is... eh. The people saying it's OP to get to add 1d8+1d6 to your weapon have no clue what they are talking about. Most of the abilities are just slightly better weapon enhancements, and in no way worth actual class features, while some of them (2d6 con damage) are very powerful. The armor abilities vary from also being meh to being... still meh.
Huh, you can only do 1 point of CON damage per round.
Dead levels are dead. Add a capstone and at the very least some filler/fluff abilities to the dead levels.
Maybe they can expend all of the energy from a rune, granting an instantaneous and powerful effect (based on the rune type) but rendering the rune useless for a few rounds?
More runes would also be nice but I think that goes without saying. I like the concept though.
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It seems to me that man has engaged in a blind and fearful struggle out of
a past he can't remember, into a future he can't foresee nor understand.
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He cannot win over himself.'"
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Dead levels are dead. Add a capstone and at the very least some filler/fluff abilities to the dead levels.
Maybe they can expend all of the energy from a rune, granting an instantaneous and powerful effect (based on the rune type) but rendering the rune useless for a few rounds?
More runes would also be nice but I think that goes without saying. I like the concept though.
I love the idea of a rune warrior, but this isn't it. It needs more flavor and differences to the abilities. Flat 1d6 of x type damage isn't interesting. Why not different effects for the different types of damage. You've already started that way with shock (which does more damage and is more versatile), why not with the others. Also why do they get two runes to start off with. Why not 1 weapon at every odd level and 1 armor at every even level. With the increases at the same place.
With regards to the dead levels you should really fill in with things this player can't do with runes. Even just adding bonus feats would at least make this a viable alternative to the fighter, and that would be the minimum that I would give this class. Your picture has the rune warrior with runes on his face and boots and everywhere else that they can be put. Why doesn't this class.
Also its ambiguous as to whether you can add runes to an already magical weapon. If you can than this could be a class is playable. If not than this class will only work in a low magic/money campaign.
That's all for now. I'll check back up on it when some changes are made.
Law and chaos have different effects, you might want to change that.
I made it to reflect the different alignments, chaos does more random damage and unravels your foe's defenses while law does more fixed damage and roots your foe in place.
Seeing as you need a +5 BAB, the earliest you can enter the class is at about ECL 5. You get Runic Resistance at level 3, so at that level your SR is 7 + 3 = 10 for an ECL 8 character. That seems a bit weak. Even level casters will bypass your SR on a 2 or better, and 1st level casters will bypass your resistance more than 50% of the time.
By level 20, you'll have a total SR of 17, meaning that a caster 4 levels lower than you succeeds even on a 1.
I'd suggest either raising the amount of SR this class receives, or giving the class a method of raising its SR in another manner (for example, have the amount of SR = 12 + 2x (number of runes invested)).
Seeing as you need a +5 BAB, the earliest you can enter the class is at about ECL 5. You get Runic Resistance at level 3, so at that level your SR is 7 + 3 = 10 for an ECL 8 character. That seems a bit weak. Even level casters will bypass your SR on a 2 or better, and 1st level casters will bypass your resistance more than 50% of the time.
By level 20, you'll have a total SR of 17, meaning that a caster 4 levels lower than you succeeds even on a 1.
I'd suggest either raising the amount of SR this class receives, or giving the class a method of raising its SR in another manner (for example, have the amount of SR = 12 + 2x (number of runes invested)).
Storm rune
On a hit the weapon deals an extra 1d6 lightning damage and you move the target 1 square in any direction. Shockwave rune
On a hit the target is pushed 1 square and and must make a fortitude save (DC 10 + your Rune Tank level.) or take 1d12 extra damage.
Why is the improved rune stronger than the greater rune (moving is almost always better than pushing because you choose the direction, and the first doesn't have a save) ?
Why is the improved rune stronger than the greater rune (moving is almost always better than pushing because you choose the direction, and the first doesn't have a save) ?
The greater one does more damage, I will make it better though.
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