The Traveler's Guide to Aellorah

Runescribe

Runescribing is the most ancient form of magic on Aellorah, having been passed down over generations after the first seven runes were taught to the Dwarves by Aellor. While the mainland Dwarves of Reshyk have mostly forgotten about it, pursuing different more flexible forms of magic, the Ashenfolk and Deskarfolk still practice the old ways. Runescribing is the art of inscribing or invoking runes, physical manifestations of words of power that have the ability to produce spell-like effects, as well as modify the physical and metaphysical properties of objects and creatures they are inscribed onto. The Runescribe uses these runes to overwrite the fundamental properties of the physical world and shape it to their will. While modern magic may be more flexible, it requires far more study and is far more error-prone; whereas runes can do things a Wizard can only dream of with but a flick of the wrist and the quick tracing of an arcane symbol.

hit dice: 1d6
hit points at 1st level: 6 + your Constitution modifier
hit points at higher levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per level after 1st
armor proficiencies: None
weapon proficiencies: Simple Weapons
tools: None
saving throws: Intelligence, Dexterity
skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Arcana, History, Investigation, Perception, and Sleight of Hand
starting equipment:
spellcasting:
class features:

Rune Magic

At 1st-level, you have the ability to use runic magic, the oldest form of magic in Aellorah. You gain access to seven basic runes, and have a reserve of Flow that you can draw upon to scribe or invoke these runes. Every two levels, you learn an additional rune of your choice. Your spellcasting ability is Intelligence. The act of Invoking a rune involves drawing the rune in the air, which produces a spell-like effect; while Scribing a rune involves drawing the rune on an object or creature, which modifies the physical or metaphysical properties of that object or creature. You may also encounter a material called Tekrum which, when a rune is scribed upon its surface, can store the rune to be used later by you or someone else. If you scribe a rune onto Tekrum, you cannot scribe or invoke the rune that was scribed upon it until the talisman has been used. Similarly, a rune that has been scribed onto an object or creature cannot be scribed or invoked again until the effect wears off, or it is dispelled or dismissed by you, unless the rune's description says otherwise. Scribed runes without an explicit duration persist until they are dispelled or dismissed. When you scribe a rune onto a talisman, you pay the scribe cost, and the talisman can then be used with an action. All runes have only Somatic components, but to use a talisman, you must recite the name of the rune to activate it. Once a talisman has been used, the rune fades and the talisman crumbles to dust. Both scribed and invoked runes can be dismissed before their effects end.

Each rune has an associated cost to scribe or invoke it, though the cost to scribe and the cost to invoke may differ depending on the rune. This cost is deducted from your Flow Reserve, abbreviated 'FR'. Once your Flow Reserve is depleted, you cannot scribe or invoke runes with a cost until you have completed a long rest. Your Flow Reserve increases as you gain Runescribe levels, and is shown on the Runescribe class table in the 'FR' column. Your Flow Reserve is fully recovered at the end of a long rest. The potency of your runes is represented by the 'RP' (Rune Potency) column on the Runescribe class table, representing how much material your runes can affect, how strong the effects are, etc. The DC to dispel a rune with the 'Dispel Magic' spell, or to counter with 'Counterspell', is 10 + twice the base cost of the scribed or invoked rune. Runes with a cost of 1 or 0 are automatically dispelled or countered.

At 1st-level, you know seven runes of your choice. Some runes have level or vocation requirements.

 

Vocation

At 2nd-level, you choose your Runescribe vocation, which is your particular specialty in the craft. Your vocation gives you access to a limited list of additional runes not available to other vocations, as well as other subclass features. Your choice grants you features at 2nd level, and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

 

Runic Synthesis

At 5th-level, you gain the ability to combine runes, allowing you to create more complex effects. When you invoke or scribe a rune, you can combine it with another rune by paying its associated cost to modify the invoked or scribed rune's effects according to the Synthesis effect of the second rune. You can combine two other runes at first. You can combine a rune with itself if desired. All synthesized runes apply to the original invoked or scribed rune. You can synthesize the same rune multiple times, and their effects will stack. If synthesizing the same rune multiple times, the cost is paid each time. The number of runes you can combine with your scribed or invoked rune increases by 1 as you gain Runescribe levels: 5th level (2), 11th level (3), and 17th level (4).

 

Runic Procedures

At 10th-level, you gain the ability to change the behavior of your runes with a short set of instructions, up to 10 words. You can designate triggers for your invoked runes, delay activation for scribed or invoked runes, and more. There are a number of keywords that can be used to modify a rune's behavior by specifying the parameters for these keywords. The keywords that can be used are:

  • Delay. By specifying a time period (ie: "5 minutes"), you can delay the activation of an invoked or scribed rune. You can delay a rune's activation for up to 1 hour. If combined with the TRIGGER keyword, this delay occurs after the TRIGGER is activated.
  • Trigger. By specifying something that should trigger the activation of the rune, you can ensure it is only activated by certain conditions; anything from specific people, races, even the weather. The trigger can be whatever you want, but a rune will expire after 24 hours if not triggered.
  • Range. By specifying a range for a trigger, you can designate a distance that the trigger must be from the rune for it to activate. Range must be specified in feet. The maximum range that can be specified is 100 ft.
  • Duration. By specifying a duration, you can control how long the rune's effects last before the rune is automatically dismissed.
  • Name/Link. Allows you to name a scribed or invoked rune, which can then be "linked" to another. The "linked" rune can only activate once the named rune has activated. If no other conditions are specified, the rune activates immediately once the named rune is activated. Linked runes can be activated from any distance and across planes.
  • Direction. Allows you to specify a direction for the invoked rune's effects.
  • Then. Specifies behavior that happens after the preceding condition/s are met.
  • While. Specifies that the rune should remain active while the specified condition is met.

An example of a procedure that can be used would be "DELAY 5 minutes OR TRIGGER human present RANGE 5 feet". These 7 words will ensure that the rune will only trigger after 5 minutes or if a Human comes within 5 feet of the rune. If you are not specific, undefined behavior can be observed; for example, if you specify "TRIGGER mara present", the rune will trigger when ANY person named 'Mara' is present.

 

Runic Perception

At 18th-level, you gain the ability to peer into the plane of Sara'lor to see magic given shape, and see the bonds and connections that form enchantments. Once per day as an action, you can activate this sight, allowing you to see Aurum runes on all objects and creatures that define their existence. This ability lasts for up to 1 minute and requires concentration. If you lose concentration, you become blinded for 1 minute. While this ability is active, you can:

  • See all magical properties of an object or creature, and all spells affecting them. You can identify magical traps, spells affecting a creature, enchantments on an item, curses, and Flowborne diseases. You can identify the school of magic, spell level, the exact effects, and even the spell if applicable. As an action, you can make an Arcana check with a DC equal to 10 + the spell's level, identifying its effects on a success. If there is no applicable spell level, your DM determines the DC.
  • See lingering magical effects of spells cast within the last hour. As an action, you can make an Arcana check at disadvantage with a DC equal to 10 + the spell's level to identify the spell and its effects, as identifying spells that are no longer active is more difficult. If there is no applicable spell level, your DM determines the DC.
  • See the location of creatures obscured by invisibility, darkness, or illusions. You do not gain the ability to see through these forms of concealment, but you know that they are there. You cannot see through the mask crafted by an illusory disguise, but you know that a disguise is being used. This ability negates disadvantage when making attack rolls.
  • See magical bonds and connections coming from other planes, appearing as wispy tethers to far off places. If you have a blade made of pure Zegroniten, you can even sever these bonds, causing enchantments and spells to malfunction.
subclass options:

Augmenter

 

Architect

 

Sculptor

LevelFRRPRunes KnownClass Features
1517Rune Magic
2617+?Runescribe Vocation, Vocation Feature
31128+?
41428+?Ability Score Improvement
51839+?Runic Synthesis (2)
62039+?Vocation Feature
723410+?
826410+?Ability Score Improvement
932511+?
1036511+?Runic Procedures
1140612+?Vocation Feature, Runic Synthesis (3)
1240612+?Ability Score Improvement
1344713+?
1444713+?Vocation Feature
1548814+?
1648814+?Ability Score Improvement
1753915+?Runic Synthesis (4)
1856915+?Runic Perception
19601016+?Ability Score Improvement
20641016+?

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packetpirate.

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