Runesmith Sorcerer

[Timballisto]

I'm creating a Runesmith Sorcerer for an upcoming game. Yes, a Dwarf Sorcerer. I'll be coming in at 6th level, so I was thinking Stalwart Battle Sorcerer 5 / Runesmith 1. I don't think the reduced spells per day from Battle Sorcerer will be a problem because I'll be casting from my runes for the most part. I was thinking Gold Dwarf wearing full plate wielding a heavy steel shield and a Dwarven Waraxe.

House Rules: Everyone has fighter feat progression for character feats; A feat at 1st and every even level after. Ability score increases at level 4, 8, etc are +1 to two abilities. Paragon classes are different too; at 5th level, I get the 1st level of Dwarf Paragon gestalted onto my 1st character level, ie level 6 looks like:
Stalwart Battle Sorcerer 1 // Dwarf Paragon 1
Stalwart Battle Sorcerer 2 // Dwarf Paragon 1
Stalwart Battle Sorcerer 3 // Dwarf Paragon 1
Stalwart Battle Sorcerer 4 // Dwarf Paragon 1
Stalwart Battle Sorcerer 5 // Dwarf Paragon 1
Stalwart Battle Sorcerer 5 / Runesmith 1 // Dwarf Paragon 1

Looking for advice on feats, spell selection, and which full-casting PrC I should take after I finish out five levels of Runesmith (and which permanent rune I should take). WotC articles, Dragon Magazine, and campaign setting stuff like Eberron and Forgotten Realms are allowed.

Thoughts?

[Fouredged Sword]

Ok, I have to say that the sorcerer 9 ACF for dwarven sorcerer should be a strong consideration. Adding your con to your charisma for spells per day is major. More spells = better. Add your ability increses to Con and Cha.

Be a gold dwarf for now cha penalty.

Abjurant Champion is great as another PRC to take. You could go Sorcerer 10 / Runesmith 5 / Abjurant Champion 5 and be set. Swift action abjurations are wonderful. It gets around the sorcerer quicken spell restriction and lets you throw dispel and greater dispel like candy.

[Keld Denar]

Yea, you'll want to try to get Gold Dwarf, its good.

If you are sufficiently gishy and use mostly PrCs, you'll want to avoid Battle/Stalwart Sorcerer. The benefits you gain are only for the duration of the levels you take it, but the penalties to your spellcasting last a lifetime. If you end up with all 5 levels of Runesmith and 5 levels of Abjurant Champion (which is FOOLISH not to take), that's 10 levels of full BAB, high HD, full casting progression where your Battle Sorc levels aren't giving you any benefit. If you tack on a level of Spellsword (because again, why not), that's 11 levels, plus maybe 4 levels of regular Sorc and 1-2 levels of Paladin or Fighter to get the proficiencies (or Dwarf Paragon, as you indicated above), you'll have nearly all of your levels filled. You only get 4 levels of benefit from Battle Sorc/Stalwart Sorc, but you take the penalties to casting for all 20. That's a bad trade.

[Timballisto]

Yea, you'll want to try to get Gold Dwarf, its good.

If you end up with all 5 levels of Runesmith and 5 levels of Abjurant Champion (which is FOOLISH not to take), that's 10 levels of full BAB, high HD, full casting progression

Runesmith gets full casting but only 1/2 BAB, and with it being a Dwarf PrC, you'd think it would get better than a d6 hit die.

I had a different idea for this character as well. I could be a Half-Elf with three levels in Stoneblessed to count as a Dwarf so I could qualify for Runesmith as well as Bladesinger. Eventually in my level progression I could get the first levels each of Dwarf, Elf, and Human Paragon. This route wouldn't get full casting progression, but it would be more melee focused anyway. I would be a short, fat Half-Elf that wears a helm that casts Silverbeard with a duration in hours so I could take it off and still appear to be an old Dwarf.

[Timballisto]

It turns out I overlooked something when choosing Sorcerer for this build, Runesmiths prepare their spells as runes. I need to be a non-spontaneous caster, I know I could take the Arcane Preparation feat but I won't because...

...I've decided I want to be a Wizard (or something similar). Spontaneous casting is nice and all, but I wouldn't be using it as a Runesmith in Mountain Plate. As a wizard, I have no limit on spells known, which really improves the utility of Runesmith imho.

I have a question about prepared runes:
Rune Magic (Ex): A runesmith learns to prepare his arcane spells as runes inscribed on solid objects (usually small tablets of stone, but other objects are possible). He prepares spells as normal, except that instead of readying the spells in his mind, he readies them in the form of runes. Preparing daily spells takes the same amount of time as normal preparation and requires the same amount of rest beforehand. A runesmith can leave spell slots unprepared to scribe runes at a later time, just as a wizard can leave spell slots unprepared and fill them later. A runesmith who casts a spell prepared in rune form can cast it with out any somatic component. However, all spells cast from rune form automatically have a material component (the rune itself). In casting the spell, the rune is erased from the tablet, just as a spell cast normally by a wizard is erased from his mind. A runesmith cannot get around the runic material component by means of an ability or feat such as Eschew Materials, although he can use such feats and abilities to waive any other material components for a spell he prepares in rune form, subject to the limitations of the ability. In all other ways, spells prepared in rune form are treated identically to spells prepared in the normal method. A runesmith can still prepare and cast his spells in the regular fashion if he so desires, subject to the normal arcane spell failure chances for any armor worn. IE: Could I prepare a rune of Magic Missile, not use said rune that day, and keep it to use on a later day? Basically, could I stockpile runes to always have a steady supply of spells available?

Also, I've decided to make this as a backup character for an Epic-Level Gestalt game. DM rules being that one side of the gestalt has to be a single base class (Rogue, Wizard, Fighter, etc). We are currently level 21 and I'm playing a Marshal / Bard / Dread Pirate // Rogue. Our healer just left the group and my Pirate tends to die a lot, so this backup char could be coming in soon.

So far the specs I've hammered out with the DM are thus: I'll be a Half-Elf with three levels in Stoneblessed to count as a Dwarf so I can qualify for Runesmith and Deepwarden. One side of the gestalt will be Wizard (or similar). Since Runesmith can't progress Wizard casting from other side of gestalt, DM granted DR 10/Adamantine instead. I'll be wearing Illithidwrought Halfweight Mountain Plate with a helmet that bestows Silverbeard with a duration in hours. Also DM allowed a Greater Sylvan Cloak from Dragon Compendium, among other goodies, it gives Treestride 1/hour and Liveoak 1/day.

I know it would make more sense to be a Dwarf, but I like the idea a lot. Imagine a short, fat Half-Elf with a big silver "beard" running around in Mountain Plate like it was nothing.

Can anyone think of some more advantages for counting as a Human, Elf, and Dwarf at the same time? Certain items, feats, or prestige classes?

Also looking for general build ideas with the stipulations of being a Half-Elf with three levels of Stoneblessed, five levels in Runesmith, and (other side) twenty one levels of some prepared caster.

[Psyren]

Note that Gold Dwarf is the FR version, the setting-neutral version is the Dream Dwarf (RoS).

[Timballisto]

Note that Gold Dwarf is the FR version, the setting-neutral version is the Dream Dwarf (RoS).

My DM is pretty lax about setting-specific stuff. He once let me play a Nosamatic Chirurgeon/Walker in the Waste with a Lesser Dragonmark of Healing in a non-Eberron setting. He uses his own campaign world, so a lot of esoteric things fly.

Anyway, I'm not doing a Dwarf. I'm doing a Half-Elf that counts as a Dwarf.

I think I might want to do something with Rage Mage. Do I even need Spell Rage to use my runes since I'm not really casting?

[MirddinEmris]

Yes, runes are cool like that. You can make them every day and store up until you need them. It's like scrolls but better in every possible way, not to mention that you can give them to your party members, like a couple of Invisibility runes to rogue or a handful of a Wraithstrike runes to fighter. Also, you can sell them. And you can sell them much cheaper than other spellcasters sell scrolls, as you don't need to spend XP or gold for creation - it's called 'dumping' :smallbiggrin:

[BowStreetRunner]

It turns out I overlooked something when choosing Sorcerer for this build, Runesmiths prepare their spells as runes. I need to be a non-spontaneous caster, I know I could take the Arcane Preparation feat but I won't because...
There is nothing about the Runesmith class that requires you to be a non-spontaneous caster. A sorcerer who takes levels in Runesmith can prepare as many spells as he wants as runes (up to the limit of his spells per day) and leave the remaining slots open for spontaneous casting. You may still feel that wizard is a better choice, but that is entirely up to you.

[Fable Wright]

Could I prepare a rune of Magic Missile, not use said rune that day, and keep it to use on a later day? Basically, could I stockpile runes to always have a steady supply of spells available?


Allow me to answer your question with a question: if you prepare a magic missile normally and don't cast it, what happens to it at the end of the day? Because it's the exact same thing with those runes. They are prepared in a different form, but have the same mechanics as spells prepared normally, except in the ways described in the text. Nothing in the text indicates that the runes are still magically potent after you've failed to cast them after you prepare new spells per day. You could, however, not use the rune on the day you prepare it, hold onto it while it's inactive, and then 'prepare' the rune later on the same material instead of scribing an entirely new rune.

[Timballisto]

Allow me to answer your question with a question: if you prepare a magic missile normally and don't cast it, what happens to it at the end of the day? Because it's the exact same thing with those runes.Nothing in the text indicates that the runes are still magically potent after you've failed to cast them after you prepare new spells per day.
I haven't been able to find any rules clarifying what happens to uncast spells at the end of the day. It doesn't say I can't keep the spell prepared in my mind till I cast it, then again, there aren't any rules that say Humans need to blink either.


You could, however, not use the rune on the day you prepare it, hold onto it while it's inactive, and then 'prepare' the rune later on the same material instead of scribing an entirely new rune.
Doesn't the preparation of runes encompass scribing the rune and making it active at the same time? Say I use my Share Rune ability to make a rune of Magic Missile. I give the rune to the party Fighter, but for whatever reason, he doesn't use it that day. Does the rune just become a paperweight after 24 subjective hours have passed or can he use it on the following day?

[GreenETC]

I believe a Wizard retains all spells he doesn't cast during a day in the next day, as you over-write spells that are left over that you want to change. In this way, as long as you didn't change the spell in that slot, you could keep a rune indefinitely.

[Timballisto]

I was making it more complicated than it needed to be. So, besides the Share Rune ability, I should really just think of the runes as normal spellcasting without the somatic components.


There is nothing about the Runesmith class that requires you to be a non-spontaneous caster. A sorcerer who takes levels in Runesmith can prepare as many spells as he wants as runes (up to the limit of his spells per day) and leave the remaining slots open for spontaneous casting. You may still feel that wizard is a better choice, but that is entirely up to you.
I think I will stick with Sorcerer because I would rather have charisma be my high stat, along with constitution. I'll be taking a one level dip in Witch Hunter (OA) for Kami's Grace, which is the only way I've found to get cha to saves without being a divine caster.

[Timballisto]

I've decided (and DM agreed to) Sorcerer 21//Crusader 3/Marshal 1/ Stoneblessed 3/Witch Hunter 1/Runesmith 5/Deepwarden 8.

Ability Scores (after leveling, tomes, equipment, etc): Str 24, Dex 12, Con 32, Int 17, Wis 10, Cha 31

I've chosen my known spells and most of my feats, now I need some advice.

For feats, I chose (recall my DM's different feat progression)
lvl 1 - Combat Reflexes
lvl 2 - Endurance
lvl 4 - Scribe Scroll
lvl 6 - Craft Magic Arms and Armor
lvl 8 - Craft Wondrous Item
lvl 10 - Dwarven Armor Prof
lvl 12 - Arcane Mastery
lvl 14 - Elven Spell Lore
lvl 16 - Spell Thematics
lvl 18 - Steadfast Determination
lvl 20 - Defensive Sweep

I was originally going for an AoO gish, but learned that the Marshal's aura doesn't affect the number of AoO per round; so I can get rid of Combat Reflexes and Defensive Sweep. I took Arcane Mastery for the take ten on caster level checks along with Elven Spell Lore for Greater Dispel, but learned the max caster level check caps at 20 (lvl 21 Sorc); so I can get rid of Arcane Mastery and Elven Spell Lore.

That frees up four feats!

My question is what should I replace them with? My schtick is casting in mountain plate while wielding an animated shield and a (possibly two-handed) weapon. With those leftover feats, I could perhaps focus on metamagic (taking MM Specialist from PHBII ?), or something to help round out my melee side. Damage-wise I have the Gauntlets of Heartfelt Blows to add fire damage equal to Cha mod to melee attacks and Hammer of Earth to add Con mod to damage (not a hammer per-se, but that quality on some type of weapon).

Now that I think about it, I don't need the three levels of Crusader. I took them to get Defensive Rebuke and Thicket of Blades, useless now that I'm not an AoO char. What else should I take? Maybe Half-Elf Paragon, Fighter, something to bolster my melee side?

Also, Runesmith's Permanent Rune:
Permanent Rune (Ex): A 5th-level runesmith knows the secret of inscribing a permanent rune of a single chosen spell into his flesh. To inscribe a permanent rune, a runesmith must permanently sacrifice an arcane spell slot of one level higher than the spell to be inscribed as a permanent rune, and spend 24 hours inscribing the rune. If the spell has a costly material component, he must expend resources equal to 20 times the gp cost of the material component. If it has a costly focus, he must expend resources equal to the cost of the focus. If the spell has an XP cost, he must spend XP as if he had cast the spell normally. Once he has inscribed a spell as a permanent rune, a runesmith can activate the chosen spell as a spell-like ability (using his arcane caster level as the caster level) twice per day. If I can get Improved Spell Capacity at char level 22, I could inscribe a 9th-level spell (Wish twice a day as a spell-like ability, anyone?). Barring that, what should my Permanent Rune be?

btw, here is my spell selection (subject to change).
0th Level
No Light
Mage Hand
Prestidigitation
Arcane Mark
Ghost Sound
Detect Magic
Read Magic
Cut
Mending

1st Level
Color Spray
Grease
Identify
Enlarge Person
Feather Fall

2nd Level
Baleful Transposition
Wraithstrike
Ray of Stupidity
Arcane Turmoil
Wings of Cover

3rd Level
Shivering Touch
Dispel Magic
Phantom Steed
Haste

4th Level
Thunderlance
Orb of Force
Mirror Image, Greater
Wings of Flurry

5th Level
fleshshiver
Contingent Energy Resistance
Fly, Mass
Wall of Stone

6th Level
Dispel Magic, Greater
Acid Fog
Wall of Iron

7th Level
Bite of the Werebear
Limited Wish
Teleport, Greater

8th Level
Polymorph Any Object
Chain Dispel
Otto's Irresistible Dance

9th Level
Elminster's Effulgent Epuration
Blinding Glory
Meteor Swarm