Artificer Subclass
Runesmith
A Runesmith is an Artificer that has narrowed their focus to working a specific language of magic - powerful Runes that can channel long lasting power. These Runes come in many shapes and forms, the lore behind from many sources.
A Runesmith can be a knight, his runes splashed with gleaming power across his armor, or a scholar lending their power to the companions, marking potent runes on their weapons before standing back, or even a strange tatooed mystic, their runes tattooed across their very body.
Runesmiths are not inherently good or evil, though their rigorous attention to detail and patience tend to make them more inclined to a Lawful perspective.
Runesmith Proficiency
When you choose this specialization at 1st level, you gain proficiency with martial weapons as well as smith's tools or calligrapher's supplies. You learn one additional exotic language.
Runic Marks
Starting at 1st level, you can mark magical runes. It takes one minute to mark a Rune. These runes can go on willing creatures (C), weapons (W), or armor (A). If a Rune is placed on armor or a weapon. While an item can only have one Rune, a creature can benefit from the effect of as many Runes as it has marked on it, gaining the passive effect from multiple Runes. You learn the following three Runes:
Rune of Power C, W.
Passive: While marked with this Rune or wielding a weapon marked with this Rune, a creature deals an additional 1 damage on weapon attacks. If a creature is marked by this Rune, it can roll a d6 in place of the normal damage of for its unarmed strike.
Active: When activated, the next time the creature or weapon marked by this Rune deals damage before the start of your next turn, that damage is increased by 1d6 + your Intelligence modifier.
Rune of Warding C, A.
Passive: While marked with this Rune or wearing armor marked with this Rune, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage that a creature takes from non-magical weapons is reduced by 1.
Active: When activated, the creature marked with or wearing armor marked with this Rune gains 1d4 + your Intelligence modifier temporary hit points. Any remaining temporary hit points fade at the start your next turn.
Rune of Speed C, A.
Passive: A creature marked with or wearing armor marked with this rune has their movement speed increased by 5 feet.
Active: When activated, the creature marked with or wearing armor marked with this rune gains an additional action. The action can be used on that creatures turn to attack (one weapon attack with a light weapon or unarmed strike only), dash, disengage, hide, or use an object. This action is lost if not spent by the end of that creatures turn. If a creature is under the effect of haste, they gain no benefit from this Rune.
You can have 1 Rune marked at a time, and marking a second Rune causes any current Runes (and any effects it grants) to immediately fade. Glyphs do not count as marked Runes.
Runic Flare
At 1st level, as an action or an attack as part of the Attack action, you can flare a Rune or Glyph, activating its active effect.
Additional Runes
Starting at 3rd level, you can mark an a number of additional Runes equal to the number of Upgrades you have. For example, at level three you can have two marked Runes, and at level five you can can three marked Runes. Selecting Upgrades that grant a new Runes does not increase this number, just expands the range of Runes you can mark.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
You can use Runic Flare in place of either or both attacks.
Twin Flares
Starting at 14th level, when you use your Rune Flare feature, you can cause the Active effect of any two Runes or Glyphs
Runesmith Upgrades
Animate Inscription
You mark special inscription on yourself or an item in your position to represent a familiar. You can spend a hit die to give it life and cast find familiar using this rune. When you cast find familiar in this way it does not require a spell slot or require material components, and the casting time is one action.
Arcane Glyph
Learn how to translate a spell you know with a target of self into a Glyph that can marked on a creature or piece of armor. As a special 1 minute ritual your can expend a spell slot of the spells level and mark this Glyph on a creature. This Glyph has no passive effect, but when activated with Runic Flare, it casts the stored spell as if the creature the Glyph was marked on cast the spell. Alternatively, the a creature marked with this Glyph or wearing armor marked with this Glyph that is aware of it's presence can use this Glyph to cast the spell marked within as if they cast the spell stored using a magical item.
The Glyph immediately fades after the spell has been cast (the spell lasts as normal). The glyph fades when the Runesmith that marked it completes a long Rest.
Amplify Prerequisite: 9th level Artificer
You can greatly increase the flare of a Runic activation by expending a spell slot. If the a Rune or Glyph deals damage or grants temporary hit points you can expend a spell slot when flaring it increasing the amount by 1d8 per spell level expended.
Compounding
The activate effects of your Rune of Power and Rune of Warding grow stronger with each additional Rune effecting the same item or creature. A Rune of Power deals 1 additional damage when activated for each other Rune of Power on the creature or weapon, and a Rune of Warding grants 1 additional temporary health for each other Rune of Warding on the creature or armor.
Channel Magic
You can cast a spell of range Touch on a creature marked by one of your Runes, wearing armor marked by one of your Runes, or wielding a weapon marked by one of your Runes, regardless of the distance between you.
Echo Flare Prerequisite: 9th level Artificer
When you use Runic Flare as an action, you can activate a second rune of Power or Warding as long as it is on a different creature or item within 30 feet of the first Rune they activate and of the same type.
Eldritch Markings
You use your mastery or Runic lore to mark eldritch protections across your body. While you are wearing no armor and are not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + the number of Runes of Warding effecting you + your Intelligence modifier.
Elemental Power
When you mark a Rune of Power, you can select the damage for it between fire, cold, lightning, thunder, acid, or poison damage instead of Force, and it's activated damage becomes 1d8 + your intelligence modifier of that damage type.
Glyph of Absorption
You can expend a 1st level or higher spell slot as bonus action to draw an ethereal mark in the air a point adjacent to you.
Passive: This glyph absorbs all damage dealt to creatures within 10 feet. The Glyph has 10 hit points, and 5 additional hit points for per level of spell slot used above 1st. If the glyph is destroyed before it is activated, it simply fades without detonating.
Active: Any creature within 15 feet of this glyph must make a Dexterity saving through, or take Force damage equal to the amount of damage the Glyph has absorbed.
Once drawn, this Glyph lasts for 1 minute, until you deactivate it with a bonus action, or until you activate it with Runic Flare.
Glyph of Fire
You can expend a 1st level spell slot as bonus action to draw an ethereal mark in the air a point adjacent to you.
Passive: Once drawn, any creature that starts their turn within 5 feet of this glyph takes 1 fire damage.
Active: Any creature within 15 feet of this glyph must make a Dexterity saving through, taking 3d6 fire damage on failure, or half as much on success.
Once drawn, this Glyph lasts for 1 minute, until you deactivate it with a bonus action, or until you activate it with Runic Flare.
Glyph of Frost
You can expend a 1st level spell slot as bonus action to draw an ethereal mark in the air at a point adjacent to you.
Passive: Once drawn, the area with 5 feet of this Rune is difficult terrain.
Active: Any creature within 15 feet of this glyph must make a Constitution saving through, taking 1d8 cold damage on failure and becoming restrained, or half as much damage on success.
Once drawn, this Glyph lasts for 1 minute, until you deactivate it with a bonus action, or until you activate it with Runic Flare.
Glyph of Gravity Prerequisite: 13th level Artificer.
You can expend a 4th level spell slot as a bonus action to draw an ethereal mark in the air at a point adjacent to you.
Passive: Within 30 feet of this Glyph, moving away from it is requires twice as much movement, and any creature that ends its turn within 30 feet of it is pulled 10 feet closer to it if there is space available.
Active: All creatures within 30 feet of this Glyph must make a Strength saving throw or flung 40 feet away from this Glyph, taking 4d6 damage and falling prone.
Glyph of Nullification Prerequisite: 9th level Artificer.
You can expend a 3rd level spell slot as a bonus action to draw an ethereal mark in the air at a point adjacent to you.
Passive: Creatures within 5 feet of this glyph have resistance to Force damage.
Active: A globe of invulnerability is cast centered on the glyph, which lasts until the start of your next turn.
Once drawn, this Glyph lasts for 10 minutes, until you deactivate it with a bonus action, or until you activate it with Runic Flare.
Glyph of Translocation Prerequisite: 5th level Artificer.
You can expend a 2nd level spell slot as a bonus action to draw an ethereal mark in the air a a point adjacent to you.
Passive: None.
Active: You instantly teleport a willing creature of your choice within 120 feet (of you) to the closest free space next to this Glyph (your choice if multiple free spaces are available). If you expend a higher level spell slot, the number of creatures you can teleport increased by 1 for each level above 2nd.
Once drawn, this Glyph lasts for 10 minutes, until you deactivate it with a bonus action, or until you activate it with Runic Flare.
Paired Effects.
You formulate a special method to apply two Runes to a single suit of armor or weapon.
Rebounding Force Prerequisite: 11th level.
When a creature with temporary health from Rune of Warding is hit by an attack from a creature within 5 feet, the attack creature takes damage equal to the Runesmith's intelligence modifier.
Reckless Flare Prerequisite: 15th level
As an action, you flare all of your marked runes and glyphs, after the active effect, all of your Runes fade and must be marked once again.
You cannot do this again until you complete a long rest.
Rune of Deflection C, A
Passive: A creature marked with this, or wearing armor marked with this has partial cover against ranged attacks.
Active: A creature marked with this, or wearing armor marked with this, has three-quarters cover against ranged attacks until the start of the Runesmith's next turn.
Rune of Ether C Prerequisite: 11th level.
Passive: A creature marked can pass through allied creatures without a movement penalty
Active: When activated, a creature marked with this Rune gains the effect of etherealness until the end of it's turn, or until it chooses to end the effect before then.
Rune of Proficiency W, A (Self Only)
Passive: A piece of armor (including a shield) or weapon marked can by worn or wielded by the Runesmith that marks this Rune regardless of Proficiency. This mark reduces any strength requirement of a piece of armor or weapon to 10 for the Runesmith that marked it, and removes the Loading, Heavy and Two-Handed properties of a weapon marked with it for the Runesmith that marked it.
Active: None.
Rune Resonance
You learn to tune a Rune to your own magical signature. When you are being effected by the passive effects your Rune of Warding or Rune of Power, the passive effect is doubled.
Runic Tattoo C (Self Only). You cannot benefit from this upgrade while wearing medium or heavy armor.
You tattoo a basic (Power, Warding or Speed) Rune on yourself that does not count toward your Marked Runes. You can activate the effect of this at the start of your turn without expending a Runic Flare a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, regaining all uses after completing a long rest.
In a special ritual, you can change any Rune you have marked on yourself during a long rest.
Tattooed Soul Prerequisite: Runic Tattoo.
Your your Runic Tattoo now regains all uses on a short or long rest.
Changelog
- Unarmed Strike die changed d6
- Power, Warding, and Speed Rune effects tweaked.
- Warding Passive now grants damage reduction instead of temp health; reduces overall tracking.
- Rune of Ether grants Etherealness on activiation.
- Removed restrictions from activating Runic Flare.
- Added level prerequisite to Rebounding Force
- Added Compounding
- Added Animate Inscription
- Added Elemental Power
- Amplify Rune changed to Amplify, can effect Rune or Glyphs.
- Glyph of Fire damage increased to 3d6 (from 2d8).
- Eldritch Markings changed to 10 + # of Runes of Warding effecting you + Intelligence modifier.
- Rune of Proficiency buffed to allow the Runesmith to do ludicrous things poorly.
- Allowed Arcane Glyph to be triggered by the creature it is marked on.
Art Credits:
- [Runesmith] Pathfinder Sorceress - Paizo
- [Runesmith] Emergency Powers [Magic the Gathering] - Wizards of the Coast
Supported By
Creation is made possible by generous patrons:
- Ara Enzeru
- Austin Fox
- Corgi B.
- Ethan Reinhart
- David Ramero
- Herd S.
- Spenser Birney
...and many more!
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