Explosive Rune Goodness

[Greenfield]

Explosive Runes
Abjuration [Force]
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: One touched object weighing no more than 10 lb.
Duration: Permanent until discharged (D)
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: Yes
You trace these mystic runes upon a book, map, scroll, or similar object bearing written information. The runes detonate when read, dealing 6d6 points of force damage. Anyone next to the runes (close enough to read them) takes the full damage with no saving throw; any other creature within 10 feet of the runes is entitled to a Reflex save for half damage. The object on which the runes were written also takes full damage (no saving throw).
You and any characters you specifically instruct can read the protected writing without triggering the runes. Likewise, you can remove the runes whenever desired. Another creature can remove them with a successful dispel magic or erase spell, but attempting to dispel or erase the runes and failing to do so triggers the explosion.
Note: Magic traps such as explosive runes are hard to detect and disable. A rogue (only) can use the Search skill to find the runes and Disable Device to thwart them. The DC in each case is 25 + spell level, or 28 for explosive runes.

As written, you can put as many on that sheet of paper as you like. No limit.

But if you look at Dispel Magic, you may want to pay the man the few coppers and buy the extra paper. The targeted version of Dispel always succeeds at dispelling your own spells, and the area version will only affect the first enchantment it finds on an object or creature, starting at the highest level spell. That means that only the first set of Runes will go off, destroying the rest in the explosion.

So oddly, the Boccob's Blessed Bomb trick will be a firecracker, not a mortar shell, if it works at all. By the RAW, the area Dispel doesn't affect magic items.

Better to wad a bunch of trapped pages together around a stone (to weight it for throwing), then throw it. When you light that baby up with your area Dispel, you get to trigger all the Runes at once, since each is a separate page.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

As written, you can put as many on that sheet of paper as you like. No limit.

Could this possibly fall under the various "Same Effect" rules on magic in the same place / on the same item?

 

[Greenfield]

I don't know, but it doesn't seem so.

When a Necklace of Missiles catches fire, the whole thing goes up and people in the area take the damage from all of the missiles left on it.

One could easily time several Delayed Blast Fireball spells to go off at the same time, and I doubt that anyone would try to use the stacking rules to cry foul. Instantaneous effects are generally excluded from it anyway.

Normally though it would be a moot point: If used as intended, the item goes up the moment the first Rune is read. That would destroy all the remaining Runes.

The spell description says that the caster can read the text without detonating the spell, and can instruct others on how to do it, but obviously it isn't a universal solution. Otherwise anyone who knows the spell or has ever been instructed in it would be able to bypass any Runes they encountered.

With this in mind, I could see some devious sort placing several sets of Runes on the same document, each with a different bypass key, as additional security.

So in that sense I'd see no problem in allowing several Runes on the same item, all within both the letter and the spirit of the rules. And, as seen in the example of the Necklace of Missiles, I don't see a problem with several castings of damage dealing spells stacking on an individual target. So long as they're instantaneous effects.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

As written, you can put as many on that sheet of paper as you like. No limit.

But if you look at Dispel Magic, you may want to pay the man the few coppers and buy the extra paper. The targeted version of Dispel always succeeds at dispelling your own spells, and the area version will only affect the first enchantment it finds on an object or creature, starting at the highest level spell. That means that only the first set of Runes will go off, destroying the rest in the explosion.

So oddly, the Boccob's Blessed Bomb trick will be a firecracker, not a mortar shell, if it works at all. By the RAW, the area Dispel doesn't affect magic items.

Better to wad a bunch of trapped pages together around a stone (to weight it for throwing), then throw it. When you light that baby up with your area Dispel, you get to trigger all the Runes at once, since each is a separate page.

However, if you look at the wording of the Erase spell, it says, "Erase removes writings of either magical or mundane nature from a scroll or from one or two pages of paper, parchment, or similar surfaces."
this means it removes all magical writing that exists on a single piece, or two pieces of paper. a failed Erase spell has the same triggering effect as Dispel, however is not limited to individual spells.

100 Explosive Runes on a single sheet of paper, Erased, triggers 600d6 Force damage.

Can this be done by RAW?

Yes, of course it's Broken.

 

[Gantros]

Don't forget this little rule though...

If one abjuration spell is active within 10 feet of another for 24 hours or more, the magical fields interfere with each other and create barely visible energy fluctuations. The DC to find such spells with the Search skill drops by 4.​

So once you have 3 or more Explosive Runes on a single object (or those in close proximity), the Search DC drops to 20 and even non-rogues become able to detect them. Once you get up to 8 Runes, the DC reaches 0... which could be interpreted as a big neon sign floating overhead flashing DANGER - EXPLOSIVE!!

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Don't forget this little rule though...

If one abjuration spell is active within 10 feet of another for 24 hours or more, the magical fields interfere with each other and create barely visible energy fluctuations. The DC to find such spells with the Search skill drops by 4.
​

So once you have 3 or more Explosive Runes on a single object (or those in close proximity), the Search DC drops to 20 and even non-rogues become able to detect them. Once you get up to 8 Runes, the DC reaches 0... which could be interpreted as a big neon sign floating overhead flashing DANGER - EXPLOSIVE!!

Thanks for that rule find, didn't know that.
However, I'm imagining taking my paper wad that screams "Danger!", sticking it into a dragon's throat, grappling it to an enemy, stuffing it into someone's pocket, etc.
Since this is for my Factotum, I plan to use Cunning Dodge if I need to detonate this while I'm within range.
So, if I spend a year appling 365 Explosive Runes into a handful of glowing DANGER, can I dive into the mouth of the Tarrasque, fail an Erase spell, deal 2190d6 damage, spend 4 Insipration points as a free action to be immune to it, and then wade out of the explody guts victorious?

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

It's still a magic trap, even if the DC's below 20, you should still need trapfinding to find it.

EDIT: Nope! Only a rogue can disarm it, anyone could find it. My mistake.

 

[anest1s]

Don't forget this little rule though...

If one abjuration spell is active within 10 feet of another for 24 hours or more, the magical fields interfere with each other and create barely visible energy fluctuations. The DC to find such spells with the Search skill drops by 4.​

So once you have 3 or more Explosive Runes on a single object (or those in close proximity), the Search DC drops to 20 and even non-rogues become able to detect them. Once you get up to 8 Runes, the DC reaches 0... which could be interpreted as a big neon sign floating overhead flashing DANGER - EXPLOSIVE!!

You still need to search it though-without reading it

 

[Greenfield]

Don't forget this little rule though...

If one abjuration spell is active within 10 feet of another for 24 hours or more, the magical fields interfere with each other and create barely visible energy fluctuations. The DC to find such spells with the Search skill drops by 4.​

So once you have 3 or more Explosive Runes on a single object (or those in close proximity), the Search DC drops to 20 and even non-rogues become able to detect them. Once you get up to 8 Runes, the DC reaches 0... which could be interpreted as a big neon sign floating overhead flashing DANGER - EXPLOSIVE!!

I'm curious: Where is that rule found? I have a few players I'd like to show it to.

 

[Gantros]

It's on pg. 81 of the PHB, under the Search skill description. It's also repeated on pg. 172 in the section describing Abjuration.

The meaning of a Search DC of 0 is open to interpretation, but I think it's fair to assume it would apply to something that is plainly obvious to anyone within 10 feet.