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<blockquote data-quote="DarkKestral" data-source="post: 3170918" data-attributes="member: 40100"><p>Runethanes at high levels (15+) can be incredibly potent, and if the DM's not careful about his game, can easily start doing damage in excess of 40d6 a round without expending much in the way of XP, gp, or spell slots. This makes runes incredibly deadly in the hands of someone looking for powergamer potential. Also, they also have 'free spells' in the form of runes... many of which emulate or are better than spells on the high end of the power curve for the spell level 'equivalents'. They also have decent skill access and tons of useful class skills, combined with Int-based spellcasting and 4+Int skill points a level means a Runethane can afford to max out a fairly high number of skills, since they're likely to have 16-18 Int as a starting Int score from level 1 on. (Concentration, Spellcraft, Spot, DD, and Search are recommended here. All of them are also class skills.) Loresongs also make excellent Runethanes, with bonuses to both Int and many useful class skills. </p><p></p><p>Furthermore, according to AE: Spell Treasury, they gain free access to the exotic spells Invest Rune and Heighten Spell, in addition to all of the other [Runic] spells, which is a descriptor initially found there with free spell access to all spells of the descriptor that is granted by the Runic Template feat. However, the Treasury erratas Runethane spell access to give similar access to runic spells starting at first level, so they get the full, expanded benefit of the feat anyway. Since the ability buffs (the standard +X to an ability score spells) are [Runic] spells, and Invest Rune (an exotic spell found in the main book) as a spell allows you to invest a rune starting at 4th level without runeslots being expended (and later, 2nd level spells are so far down the list a runethane is almost assuredly smart to always keep that one readied and in use if they want to use their higher power runes with any regularity.) their damage-add ability starts early and gets fierce late-game, beat out only by magisters concentrating on being blasty-mages and using a lot of [Force] spells and exotic energy/elemental spells that the runethane's not likely to have.</p><p></p><p>Personally, to slow down some of the runethane powercurve, I would probably switch Password Rune down a bit lower, and put Invest Rune where Password now is and bump up the equivalent spell a few spell levels if you're going to play a high level game. I'd also suggest limiting the number of 'freebie' rune slots oils and runic weapons give and raise Runic Weapon to be a +3 bonus or so, since at high levels, a rune can do 3d6-5d6 on a enemy's successful save, and far more on a enemy's failed one, making them at least roughly as powerful as a Bursting Energy or Raging Elemental weapon, even on a crit. (Yeah, it makes them a lot more costly, but as it is, the runic item quality is JUST TOO GOOD to have at high levels to make it worth a +1 bonus, maybe even +5, since they can act like nearly free 10th-equivalent level spells.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DarkKestral, post: 3170918, member: 40100"] Runethanes at high levels (15+) can be incredibly potent, and if the DM's not careful about his game, can easily start doing damage in excess of 40d6 a round without expending much in the way of XP, gp, or spell slots. This makes runes incredibly deadly in the hands of someone looking for powergamer potential. Also, they also have 'free spells' in the form of runes... many of which emulate or are better than spells on the high end of the power curve for the spell level 'equivalents'. They also have decent skill access and tons of useful class skills, combined with Int-based spellcasting and 4+Int skill points a level means a Runethane can afford to max out a fairly high number of skills, since they're likely to have 16-18 Int as a starting Int score from level 1 on. (Concentration, Spellcraft, Spot, DD, and Search are recommended here. All of them are also class skills.) Loresongs also make excellent Runethanes, with bonuses to both Int and many useful class skills. Furthermore, according to AE: Spell Treasury, they gain free access to the exotic spells Invest Rune and Heighten Spell, in addition to all of the other [Runic] spells, which is a descriptor initially found there with free spell access to all spells of the descriptor that is granted by the Runic Template feat. However, the Treasury erratas Runethane spell access to give similar access to runic spells starting at first level, so they get the full, expanded benefit of the feat anyway. Since the ability buffs (the standard +X to an ability score spells) are [Runic] spells, and Invest Rune (an exotic spell found in the main book) as a spell allows you to invest a rune starting at 4th level without runeslots being expended (and later, 2nd level spells are so far down the list a runethane is almost assuredly smart to always keep that one readied and in use if they want to use their higher power runes with any regularity.) their damage-add ability starts early and gets fierce late-game, beat out only by magisters concentrating on being blasty-mages and using a lot of [Force] spells and exotic energy/elemental spells that the runethane's not likely to have. Personally, to slow down some of the runethane powercurve, I would probably switch Password Rune down a bit lower, and put Invest Rune where Password now is and bump up the equivalent spell a few spell levels if you're going to play a high level game. I'd also suggest limiting the number of 'freebie' rune slots oils and runic weapons give and raise Runic Weapon to be a +3 bonus or so, since at high levels, a rune can do 3d6-5d6 on a enemy's successful save, and far more on a enemy's failed one, making them at least roughly as powerful as a Bursting Energy or Raging Elemental weapon, even on a crit. (Yeah, it makes them a lot more costly, but as it is, the runic item quality is JUST TOO GOOD to have at high levels to make it worth a +1 bonus, maybe even +5, since they can act like nearly free 10th-equivalent level spells.) [/QUOTE]
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