Arcane Warrior

You learn two cantrips of your choice from the spell list. They count as spells for you, and Intelligence is your casting ability for them. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of these cantrips with another cantrip from the spell list.

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Elemental Warrior

When you make an attack with a weapon that deals damage of a type other than bludgeoning, force, piercing,

Runes

Your knowledge of the arcane is limited, but specialized: you are knowledgeable in the ways of imbuing weapons -- and sometimes armor -- with runes, which are intricately-woven patterns of arcane energy that imbue items with the power of the leys.

You know and can use a number of runes, as determined by the Runes column on the Runeblade class table. Rune descriptions are found at the end of the class description.

Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the runes you know and replace it with another rune that you could learn.

When you finish a long rest, you can imbue your runes into weapons. The number of runes you can imbue into weapons is equal to the number of runes you know, and you can imbue multiple copies of the same rune into a given weapon. A rune imbued into a ranged weapon passes its power into ammunition shot from it. You can imbue runes into magical weapons. Your rune remains on a weapon until you finish a long rest. Only a single rune is active at a time; as a bonus action, you can touch an item imbued with multiple runes, and choose a new rune it is imbued with to become active.

Once activated, the arcane energies in a rune lull for a

Arcane Archer

You have a preference for staying at range from your quarry, and have sought out lore specific to your fighting style. You have gleaned runes unique to ranged combat, and honed your senses with magical accuracy.

A piece of ammunition created through this feature dissipates into harmless aether at the end of your turn.

Spell Attack Modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Signature Rune

3rd-level Rune Fencer feature

You have found that a particular expression of runeblade magic resonates with you, and find it easy to rapidly translate other magics into it.

Choose a rune you know. That becomes your signature rune. If you lose knowledge of that rune, you can choose a new rune you know to become your signature rune.

As a bonus action, you can touch a weapon imbued with one of your runes that isn't your signature rune. That rune

transforms into your signature rune, and is not tapped. Until you finish a long rest, you no longer have access to the original rune.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Empowered Blade

7th-level Rune Fencer feature

The arcane energies of your runes can be used to further enhance your combat capabilities.

When you make an attack with a weapon imbued with a rune, you can tap a rune imbued in that weapon to gain advantage on that attack roll. The rune you tap for this effect does not have to be the active rune.

Dual Rune

10th-level Rune Fencer feature

Your intuitive understanding of runes allows you to keep multiple active on the same weapon.

When you imbue multiple runes into a weapon, you can choose two that are active, rather than one. When you tap one, if there are additional inactive runes imbued into the weapon, you can choose one of those additional runes to become active in place of the rune you tapped.

If your runes add additional damage to your weapon attacks, use half your runeblade level, rounded down, to determine the additional damage.

Rune Longevity

15th-level Rune Fencer feature

You have learned how to extend the power of your runes, making them more effective over time.

You can enjoy the passive benefits of a given rune twice each round, rather than only once.

Affinity Rune

Prerequisite: Mystic Knight

A suit of armor with this rune gives off an iridescent glow.

Resilience (3rd level). As an action, you can tap this rune. If you do, choose a damage type other than arcane, bludgeoning, force, piercing, or slashing. When you take damage of the selected type, reduce that damage by your proficiency bonus. This effect lasts for 1 minute.

At 9th level, this effect lasts for 1 hour.

Immunity (11th level). When you would take damage of a type other than arcane, bludgeoning, force, piercing, or slashing, you can use your reaction to tap this rune. If you do, you gain immunity to that damage type for 1 minute.

Absorption (17th level). When you would take damage of a type other than arcane, bludgeoning, force, piercing, or slashing, you can use your reaction to tap this rune. If you do, instead of taking damage, you regain hit points equal to half the damage you would have taken, rounded down.

Burning Rune

A weapon imbued with this rune is shrouded in flames, giving off an intense heat.

Oil. When a creature is dealt damage by this weapon, the creature must also make a Dexterity saving throw against your rune save DC. On a failure, it becomes covered in slick oil until the end of your next turn, and falls prone. On its turn, if it attempts to take an action involving an item (such as attacking with a weapon, using a spellcasting focus, using a tool, etc), it must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or drop the item, wasting that action. If it attempts to stand, it must make another Dexterity saving throw or else fall prone.

Fiery (3rd level). On a hit, this weapon deals an additional 1d6 fire damage, and you can tap this rune. If you do, all the damage dealt by this weapon is fire damage.

This weapon deals an additional 1d6 fire damage at 8th, 11th, and 17th level.

Blaze (9th level). As an action, you can tap this rune. If you do, you cast fire shield as a spell.

Immolate (11th level). When a creature is dealt damage by this weapon, you can tap this rune. If you do, the creature must also make a Dexterity saving throw against your rune save DC. On a failure, the creature bursts into flame, taking 2d10 fire damage at the start of each of its turns for 1 minute. The target or a creature adjacent to it can take an action to make a Dexterity check against your rune save DC to extinguish the flames.

This effect deals an additional 1d10 fire damage at 13th and 18th level.

Inferno (17th level). As an action, you can tap this rune. If you do, you cast incendiary cloud as a spell, but it deals 5d8 fire damage instead.

Caustic Rune

A weapon imbued with this rune has a sickly sheen and presents an acrid, sulfuric odor.

Melt. When a creature is dealt damage by this weapon, the creature must also make a Constitution saving throw against your rune save DC. On a failure, it suffers a penalty to AC equal to your proficiency bonus until the end of your next turn; this effect cannot stack with itself.

Corroding (3rd level). On a hit, this weapon deals an additional 1d6 acid damage, and you can tap this rune. If you do, all the damage dealt by this weapon is acid damage.

This weapon deals an additional 1d6 acid damage at 8th, 11th, and 17th level.

Soften (9th level). As an action, you can tap this rune. If you do, you cast soften earth and stone as a spell.

Dissolve (11th level). When a creature is dealt damage by this weapon, you can tap this rune. If you do, the creature must also make a Constitution saving throw against your rune save DC. On a failure, its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the amount of acid damage your attack dealt. This reduction lasts until you or the target finishes a long rest.

Liquefaction (17th level). As an action, you can tap this rune. If you do, you cast disintegrate as a spell, but it deals 8d6+30 acid damage instead. If the target is reduced to 0 hit points, it is reduced to a puddle of green slime, rather than a pile of gray dust.

Cleaving Rune

The edge of a weapon imbued with this rune is honed into a razor, supernaturally sharp, and when swung projects its blade to become considerably wider.

Special. This rune can only be imbued into a melee slashing weapon.

Cleave. When you make an attack with this weapon, you can also choose a creature adjacent to your target within your reach, which becomes an additional target of your melee attack.

At 11th level, you can choose up to two additional creatures adjacent to your target.

Sharp (3rd level). On a hit, this weapon deals an additional 1d6 slashing damage.

This weapon deals an additional 1d6 slashing damage at 8th, 11th, and 17th level.

Remove (9th level). As an action, you can tap this rune. If you do, you cast banishment as a spell.

Bleed (11th level). When a creature is dealt damage by this weapon, you can tap this rune. If you do, the creature must also make a Constitution save against your rune save DC. On a failure, at the start of each of its turns, the target takes 10 slashing damage. The target can make another Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending this effect on a successful save.

Blade (17th level). As an action, you can tap this rune. If you do, you cast arcane sword as a spell, but you use your rune attack modifier for attack rolls made with it.

Conductive Rune

A weapon imbued with this rune visibly crackles with electricity, and arcs dangerously when brought near metal.

Daze. When a creature is dealt damage by this weapon, the creature must also make a Constitution saving throw against your rune save DC. On a failure, it is dazed until the end of its next turn. (A dazed creature can only do one of the following on its turn: move; use an action; or use a bonus action. A dazed creature cannot use reactions.)

Shocking (3rd level). On a hit, this weapon deals an additional 1d6 lightning damage, and you can tap this rune. If you do, all the damage dealt by this weapon is lightning damage.

This weapon deals an additional 1d6 lightning damage at 8th, 11th, and 17th level.

Bolt (9th level). As an action, you can tap this rune. If you do, you cast dimension door as a spell. When you teleport with this spell, there is a momentary flash of lightning from your original location to your new one.

Paralysis (11th level). When a creature is dealt damage by this weapon, you can tap this rune. If you do, the creature must also make a Constitution saving throw against your rune save DC. On a failure, that creature becomes paralyzed for 1 minute.

Storm (17th level). As an action, you can tap this rune. If you do, you cast chain lightning as a spell, but it deals 5d8 lightning damage instead.

Regeneration (17th level). While you are wearing this armor, at the start of each of your turns, you regain hit points equal to 5 + your Intelligence modifier if you have no more than half of your hit points left.

Surging Rune

Prerequisite: Arcane Archer

Ammunition imbued with this rune give no obvious sign, but crackle with elemental power when fired.

Special. This rune can only be imbued into ammunition, and only has effect if the weapon it is fired from is imbued with a rune that deals additional damage on a hit. This overrides the general rule that a rune imbued into ammunition is inactive when fired from a weapon imbued

with a rune.

Burst (3rd level). When you hit a creature, or miss with an attack roll of at least 10, all creatures within 5 feet of the target must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, that creature takes the additional damage from the active rune of the weapon this ammunition was fired from.

The radius of this effect increases by 5 feet at 8th, 11th, and 17th level. You can choose to reduce the radius, to a minimum of 5 feet, when you benefit from this ability.

Devastation (9th level). When you hit a creature, or miss with an attack roll of at least 10, you can tap this rune. If you do, creatures that succeed on their saving throw against this rune's burst effect take half of the additional damage from the active rune of the weapon this ammunition was fired from.

At 17th level, you benefit from this ability without needing to tap the rune.

Critical (11th level). When you make a critical hit, you deal an additional 1d10 damage of the damage type of the additional damage from the rune of the weapon this ammunition was fired from, and creatures affected by devastation also take that damage.

This additional damage increases to 2d10 at 17th level.

Thundering Rune

A weapon imbued with this rune has the sounds it makes greatly amplified, echoing and reverberating as though in a cave or auditorium.

Silence. When a creature is dealt damage by this weapon, the creature must also make a Constitution saving throw against your rune save DC. On a failure, it is silenced until the end of your next turn. While silenced, it cannot cast spells that include a verbal component, or use other abilities that rely on speaking.

Reverberating (3rd level). On a hit, this weapon deals an additional 1d6 thunder damage, and you can tap this rune. If you do, all the damage dealt by this weapon is thunder damage.

This weapon deals an additional 1d6 thunder damage at 8th, 11th, and 17th level.

Speak (9th level). As an action, you can tap this rune. If you do, you cast sending as a spell, but the message length can be up to fifty words.

Migraine (11th level). When a creature is dealt damage by this weapon, you can tap this rune. If you do, the creature must also make a Constitution saving throw against your rune save DC. On a failure, that creature suffers from a migraine of immense magnitude, losing its concentration, if any, and cannot concentrate on new effects for 1 minute. The creature can make a new Constitution saving throw at the beginning of each of its turns, ending this effect early on a success.

Thunderclap (17th level). As an action, you can tap this rune. If you do, you cast thunderwave as a spell, but affects a 30-foot cube, pushes creatures 20 feet away from you, and deals 6d8 thunder damage instead.

Mana

When a spellcaster gains the ability to cast leveled spells, part of their soul admixes with the arcane leys, producing a well of power known as mana. This mana is used in place of spell slots when casting leveled spells.

However, unlike spell slots, mana is not always expended when casting: it is instead more of a threshold, a limit of how much access the spellcaster has to the unlimited arcane power of the leys.

Casting A Spell

A wielder of the arcane must learn how to tame the reckless and wild energies of the leys. Doing so with caution eliminates risk, but reduces her ability to wield spells over time – while opening oneself to the leys can result in greater staying power, but carries the risk of arcane overload.

When you cast a leveled spell, you can choose to spend 1 mana on that casting. If you do, reduce your remaining mana by 1, and nothing else happens.

However, if you opt not to spend mana when casting a leveled spell, you must check for arcane backlash. When this happens, roll a die, whose size is dependent upon both the maximum spell level you can access, and the spell level of the spell being cast, per the Arcane Backlash Die table. Note that you can have advantage or disadvantage on this roll: that means roll two dice of the same size and use the appropriate one.

If the result of the die is a 1 or a 2, you suffer arcane backlash.

Classic

You must have an Intelligence 13, and either Strength 13 or Dexterity 13, to multiclass into runeblade.

When you multiclass into runeblade, you gain proficiency with light armor, simple weapons, and martial weapons.

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Prime Ability: Strength or Dexterity, and Intelligence

Weapon Proficiencies: Martial weapons.

Armor Training: Light armor.

Spellcasting

3rd-level Gish alternate feature

You augment your martial prowess and rune usage with the ability to cast spells.

Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the bard and sorcerer spell lists. You learn an additional bard or sorcerer cantrip of your choice at 10th level.

Spell Slots. The Gish table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your runeblade spells. The table also shows the level of those slots, all of which are the same level. You regain all expended runeblade spell slots when you finish a short or long rest.

Prepared Spells. You prepare the list of level 1+ spells that are available for you to cast with this feature.

The number of spells on your list increases as you gain runeblade levels, as shown in the Prepared Spells column of the Gish: Core Spellcasting table. Whenever that number increases, choose additional runeblade spells from the bard and sorcerer spell lists until the number of spells on your list matches the number in the table. The chosen spells must be of a level no higher what what's shown in the table's Slot Level column for your level.

Changing Prepared Spells. Whenever you gain a runeblade level, you can replace one spell on your list with another runeblade spell taken from the bard or sorcerer spell list of an eligible level.

Gish: Core Spellcasting

Runeblade Level	Cantrips	Spells Prepared	Spell Slots	Spell Level
3rd	2	2	1	1
4th – 6th	2	3	2	1
7th – 9th	2	4	2	2
10th – 12th	3	5	2	2
13th – 15th	3	6	2	3
16th – 18th	3	7	2	3
19th – 20th	3	8	2	4