Correct My Mistake: Inscribe Rune

**cupkeyk** · 2007-01-25, 08:58 PM (ISO 8601)

My Wizard recently ran into a hurdle that leads to a cliff. I took Inscribe Rune as a Sixth Level Feat and Neglected to take note that it is available only to Divine casters. I am now Level Twelve and I took Craft Contingent Spell. However, my DM wants to Penalize me 15000 XP for misusing a feat, and I have to replace the feat with something else. But he says if there is a feat that almost basically replicates Inscribe Rune for Wizards then I can keep the 15000 XP and just swap feats like I have always had that one.

The quickest solution I have is taking the feat, Southern Magician from Shining South and keeping Inscribe Rune. Which means I will have to give up another feat. Is there an arcane equivalent for Inscribe Rune available at levels six(when I took it) or lower that I can swap it out with?

(I have been using Inscribe Rune to buff my party mates with touch trigger spells on their equipment, the DM is considering penalizing evryone else 500 XP, I will be so hated if I don't get this fixed.)

Thanks in advanced.

**Mewtarthio** · 2007-01-25, 09:59 PM (ISO 8601)

Fifteen thousand XP for one simple mistake that the DM missed as well?

**ExHunterEmerald** · 2007-01-25, 10:00 PM (ISO 8601)

15000 XP?! For an honest mistake?!
Ja-he-sus.
I know 'ditch the buggers' isn't a typically useful or feasible solution, but I would seriously consider it here.

**cupkeyk** · 2007-01-25, 10:08 PM (ISO 8601)

Considering how powerful the party got after getting touch trigger buffs from me. We were faster and more efficient due to Inscribe Rune. It's not so much me losing the 15000 XP but everyone will hate me for making them all lose 500 XP.

**Mewtarthio** · 2007-01-25, 10:34 PM (ISO 8601)

Really? I'd think that everyone should be hating the DM who sees fit to penalize everyone from his mistake. Yes, his mistake: The DM has the final say in all things, and by letting you take the Inscribe Runes feat, he not only missed such an apparently important distinction but also gave his own implicit permission for you to use it as an arcane caster since he apparently foresaw no problems.

Still, if he's fair otherwise, I'd hate to ruin that, and if he's your friend otherwise, I'd really hate to ruin that over something so trivial. You should defend your mistake, and don't forget to ask him why he let you take the feat in the first place (he either didn't check the balance of something not normally allowed--which can lead to far worse things--, didn't fully understand something he did allow--in which case he should have dobule-checked the balance anyway--, or initially thought the feat was balanced--in which case it should be adjucated as a homebrew feat). Still, you shouldn't offer any ultimatums, and try not to let things escalate to a screaming match. If he is totally adamant for whatever reason, then it looks like you don't have much of a choice; after all, it's his game, really. Unless, of course, you hate this guy anyway, in which case you should seriously reconsider gaming with him.

**Miles Invictus** · 2007-01-26, 12:29 AM (ISO 8601)

Your DM is a jerk for penalizing you at all for such an easy-to-fix mistake. He's also a jerk for penalizing everyone else in the group. His offer to remove the penalty if you can find a comparable feat doesn't redeem him in the slightest.

You know what a good DM would say? "That feat's turning out to be a lot stronger than I thought it would be, and I think it's unbalanced. Pick a new one." A good DM wouldn't feel the need to posture and threaten to dock his players XP for a mistake like this.

If he doesn't back down, you should consider finding another group.

**MrNexx** · 2007-01-26, 01:38 AM (ISO 8601)

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one to think that the onus was somewhat on the DM to catch that mistake.

**mikeejimbo** · 2007-01-26, 01:42 AM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by cupkeyk

Considering how powerful the party got after getting touch trigger buffs from me. We were faster and more efficient due to Inscribe Rune. It's not so much me losing the 15000 XP but everyone will hate me for making them all lose 500 XP.

If I were in your group, I would gladly pay 500 XP for handy buffs like that. And I'd loan you some XP to pay off the 15000 too.

**Were-Sandwich** · 2007-01-26, 04:45 AM (ISO 8601)

Your DM is doing this completely wrong. Firstly, he obviously must have looked over the feat when you took it. He should have easily noticed it was for divine spells (which is a very hard mistake to make. I count the word Divine twice in the first two sentences) but he didn't. He made a mistake, everyone does, he's only human.
But the key is he made the mistake. And he's punishing you. Thats bad DMing. Seconly, he's docking XP as a punishment. An in character (sort of) punishment for an OOC mistake (and a simpl one at that) is also bad DMing. And also, 15,000! For a small mistake. This man has serious control issues.
I have never had to deal with a situation like this, but if I were the DM, here's what I would do: Let you keep using the feat. Seriously, you've been using the feat for 6 levels. Its not exactly unreasonable to let you just keep it. If I had noticed the mistake the next session, fair enough, I would ask you to change it. But 6 levels after? Thats just...stupid.

**Deus Mortus** · 2007-01-26, 07:51 AM (ISO 8601)

Make a homebrewed feat, Divine becomes arcane and rune becomes arcane mark, yoink done!

**ExHunterEmerald** · 2007-01-26, 04:37 PM (ISO 8601)

I would suggest you print all this out and show him. Let him know the consensus.

**Telonius** · 2007-01-26, 04:54 PM (ISO 8601)

My online source says ... Etch Rune, from Dragon 324, p. 26, does the exact same thing for a wizard. Prereq: Scribe Scroll.

**ExHunterEmerald** · 2007-01-26, 05:03 PM (ISO 8601)

...that works too. See if he'll take Dragon material.

**Thomas** · 2007-01-26, 06:14 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by ExHunterEmerald

I would suggest you print all this out and show him. Let him know the consensus.

Nobody cares what a bunch of anonymous nerds say on teh internets.

... okay, so a lot of people care, but they all have LiveJournals. Who cares about their caring?

**ExHunterEmerald** · 2007-01-26, 06:26 PM (ISO 8601)

Well, if he has evidence to back himself up on this issue...

**squishycube** · 2007-01-26, 06:32 PM (ISO 8601)

If it counts for anything, I care what the people in this community say, because they are often good things.

Secondly, I whole-heartedly agree with the consensus that this DM is doing stuff seriously wrong. Penalizing your character for a small mistake is just stupid. Even if it was your mistake, which I think it wasn't, it was still just a mistake. Its a game, not a homicide...

**Missing Shoe** · 2007-01-26, 06:54 PM (ISO 8601)

Doesnt the forgotten realms setting have some runes rules for arcane spell casters? I believe there is a rune mage PRC, but I thought they also had a feat that arcaners could take. I'm trying to remember from when I read the FR players handbook.

Also, I agree with everyone else. Your DM is also at fault, therefore he shouldnt give a penalty...especially 15k XP. If he seriously goes through with knocking you down 15k XP, I would either leave or revolt. Thats just craziness.

Thread: Correct My Mistake: Inscribe Rune

Thread Tools

Spoilers