Can you use arcane mark+runic detonation as effective traps?

[avakeiya]

My character is a bloodrager who obtained gloves that let him use arcane mark at will. He mostly uses it as a makers mark for his crafting and to claim his possesions. He also just got access to a few 3rd level spells, and aside from classics like fireball or lightning bolt, Runic Overload looks intriguing.

I picture him using it to lay traps similar to explosive runes, or even covertly placing one on a potential enemy as extra insurance. Or maybe even placing it on their weapon or some other item and waiting for the right time to detonate it. Maybe even placing some on rocks and debris to seed the battlefield so to speak.

My question is if this combination is a worthwhile use. Should this be used more for stealth type games or is it viable for other types of campaigns? If I place it on someone would it have to be on their skin or just their cloths? Would that require a slight of hand check or stealth check? Are there any pitfalls or other uses that I should be aware of?

[DreganHiregard]

This is an amazing idea! The runes are invisible, but they can be detect by effects like detect magic, and see invisibility and true sight and the like, so you might have to worry about that for putting it on creatures. But there's no reason not to put it on objects and scenery since it's at will. As long as you're reasonably sure the enemy won't detect it you're in the clear, and even then they might not immediately realize the mark represents you, or that it's any threat.

As an added bonus it can't be dispelled, just erased. And I don't see any reason you'd need a stealth or sleight of hand check as long as you have some reason for touching a person, which is pretty easy. This is totally viable whether touching the creature or ntheir clothes, but it's better on something like armor or boots that the foe will wear every day.

Even IF you're "Caught" all it proves is that you put a harmless mark on someone. And then even if the person catching you also knows that the mark can be overloaded with this specific uncommon spell, there's few ways to prove that was your intention or that you had the means. All that being said the only risk you pose is getting an in game reputation for using this tactic. Eventually people will catch on if you arn't discreet about this ability. Other than that this is 100% viable and I'm totally gonna use this in one of my games.