Runemaster Class Concept

[Davion Fuxa]

In addition to the changes to employ Unarmed Combat, I made a Rune flavored Unarmed Combat category.

[anonymous000]

Some more comments. I see the class concept is interesting, but there are a couple of issues that I hope could get addressed.

1. The class lacks cornerstone talents/mechanics that defines the class. The class can use runes better than other classes, in form of extra utility, higher power, enhanced effects, etc when using runes. But when we talk about USING runes, they are no different from normal spells except that using runes causes runic saturations. Using runes better doesn't necessarily create a class defining feature that differs from Alchemist/Archmage spells

However, how does runes work as a whole is what set runes apart from spells. Runes give you a special kind of flexibility which allows you to choose spells that you want to use on a recurrent basis from more than 10 spells, with no talent point investment. But this flexibility is limited by the number of inscription slots, and the cooldown that results from replacing inscriptions. Extending these features, if I am going to design a rune-oriented class I would say these would be the core features:

1) You have a huge pool of talents for you to use, and you do not need to spend a lot of talent points to gain access to these talents. Since runemaster already has runes for him to use active talents, the pool of talents I talk about here would lean towards more about passive stuff like on-hit effects, aura, etc.
2) This flexibility is limited by the number of inscription slots, and the inscriptions you take

From these features I would design a cornerstone tree as such:
Rune Inscriptions
This tree opens up a huge pool of special effect available to you according to the inscriptions you take. You can choose the inscriptions you already have to be inscribed to whatever part of your body, so that you gain extra effects from the inscriptions you have.

1) Arm Inscription: When you activate this talent you will be asked to choose an inscription to be inscribed to your arms, and you gain special effects when dealing unarmed attacks, e.g.
- Phase door: Your punches can travel through space and gain extra reach
- Invisible: Your enemies cannot see your arms and you can deal surprise attacks very easily, add a chance to daze/confuse enemy as you punch
- etc.

2) Torso Inscription: When you activate this talent you will be asked to choose an inscription to be inscribed to your torso. This would be about effect triggered when you take hit

3) Leg Inscription: Add an active talent, based on the inscription you inscribed to your legs You can channel the power of the rune to the ground and create a glyph-like effect

4) Face Inscription: Invoke great fear among your enemies as they see the inscriptions you have on your face, causes debuff in a passive way similar to aura in Diablo

So here would be a class that is highly flexible and offers a lot of different playstyles according to the runes you take. This is just a random idea from me, and of course this does not totally fit with what you have designed for the class. But I just want to illustrate the point to create a truly unique class that plays differently. I like the way you try to add talents that make use of runic saturations and this is something you could explore more

2. Rune Combat does not have anything to do with runes

[Davion Fuxa]

Generally I'm fine with their being a few passives here or sustains there, but to a limit. Looking at the Spell/Rune Knowledge and Spell/Rune Offensive categories I put in for example, they already feel extremely passive in their effects since they are centered around the use of Runes - Spell/Rune Offensive for Heat Beam, Biting Gale, Acid Wave, and Lightning and Spell/Rune Knowledge for the rest. I'm not really sure how to better do those specific talents though.

That said though, I'm not against mixing in other talents with them. Most likely what I might derive from your idea is that I might have it so that you can customize the inscriptions on your Hand with one talent - such as Arm Inscription does (Let's call it Customize Inscription). Then on top of it I might have an active talent after that - so say you put on the Phase Door Rune, the active talent lets you attack the enemy with a Blindside like attack; Controlled Phase Door does the reverse and you instead do a Shadow Leash attack; Invisibility let's you do a guaranteed critical strike; etc.

The above idea would help keep the suggested category from having all passives while still trying to keep the customization and flexibility that would be desired.

As for Rune Combat, you right in that it really doesn't have anything to do with Runes. It has everything to do with Unarmed Combat derived from Rune Power.

Edit: I renamed Rune Combat from Spell/Rune Combat to Technique/Rune Combat.

[Davion Fuxa]

I did some work on a category sort of stylized on the use of picking a Spell/Rune Specialization and made a category out of it. To be honest I think it's the most convoluted category of the bunch but the idea is that you take a specific Rune and use effects based on it.

[Davion Fuxa]

Some good ideas here.

However, I'd like to warn against adding any more than one extra inscription slot, as the way they are handled is a bit messy and the game only generates the code for 6 slots.
Also, those things normally cost a category point, don't give them out cheaply.

I've been thinking about this post for a while from Housepet.

So, Runemasters are a class that focus on Runes, and I think it would make sense if instead of the usual 3 Inscription slots everyone starts out with, the Runemaster instead starts out for 4 Inscription slots. To make up for this, Runemasters have several categories locked, meaning their Category Points will be more focused on opening up categories then new Inscriptions.

I think this makes sens for the Runemaster.

[Davion Fuxa]

I folded Runic Armor and Runic Weapons into the same talent and made a new talent for the Runecraft categoy. I'm pretty sure the capstone talent I made for the Runecraft category is overpowered but the basic idea is that you can make special runes that only a master of Runecrafting can use.

[astralInferno]

I know the name says otherwise, but have you considered looking at infusions as well? There's only one base offense infusion that I recall; Insidious Poison, but there's also the Wild Growth one from the alchemist quest.

[Davion Fuxa]

Seeing as how Runes are Arcane based and Infusions are Nature based, I have to question how one could square this away thematically. With the exception of Dwarves, the races generally don't let Nature and Arcane techniques mix and match.

Outside of that though, I'd personally be happy if this sort of concept just stuck with Runes. Infusions are widely used while Runes aren't - this is a nice way to see Runes get some actual use.

[HousePet]

Eh? Any magic user can use an infusion, and any non Zigur wilder can use runes, so I don't see an issue.

[Davion Fuxa]

Just because any user 'CAN' do it, doesn't mean that any user 'WILL' do it. To take a line from the wiki regarding Stone Wardens:

"...other races are stuck in their belief that arcane forces and natural forces are meant to oppose..."

Thus, this is where I am coming from when I say that, Dwarves being the exception, it likely wouldn't work thematically.

[HousePet]

Maybe as a side category in the class then?
Just because most people believe it shouldn't work, doesn't mean we can't have something in the class. Most people aren't going to be Runemasters.

[Davion Fuxa]

If it is a Generic Category then that could work revolving around Infusions, then maybe. I put Runecraft on the Generic side because it could be something everyone could use. Having an Infusion Category that could be flavored in the same way could work as well.

But whatever, I don't have time at the moment to think up what that category might do as I'm off on a business trip soon.

[astralInferno]

Seeing as how Runes are Arcane based and Infusions are Nature based, I have to question how one could square this away thematically. With the exception of Dwarves, the races generally don't let Nature and Arcane techniques mix and match.

Outside of that though, I'd personally be happy if this sort of concept just stuck with Runes. Infusions are widely used while Runes aren't - this is a nice way to see Runes get some actual use.

Uh. Well. Ogres use both to live?

I'm pretty sure that Nature believers refuse to use magic, but magic users are completely willing to use natural techniques. I am fairly sure this isn't a lore conflict.

[Radon26]

or that piece of lore only applies to non adventurers.
i mean, i would assume that only small part of the population of eyal choses to be adventurers.
and when you are an adventurers you pick up everything you can, be it magical or nature's gift.

going by races:
thalore are an obvious example of tree huggers, where ONLY adventurers have anything to do with magic.
shalore, on the other hand, believe the nature's gifts to be outdated and unreliable, and embracing the more potent and reliable arcane forces.
higher, if i remember the lore correctly, were also created by the "conclave", by infusing base humans with magic, so they are obviously more inclined to the use of magic, rather than nature. while not as strong as with shalore, i would imagine the preference is still clear enough there.
not sure what to say about halflings
yeek don't count as they were separated from the mainland for a decent enough time, and ogres are a complete creation of conclave.

dwarves... are dwarves. they just don't give a f*** about such things as taking sides. if it fills their treasury and keeps the beer flowing, the will use either or both, as is convenient.

going by nations(which are not a single race basically):
Ziguranths are known fanatics.
Anglowyn, while not rejecting nature outright, is definitely dedicated to the growth of magic knowledge.
Rogues are rogues, and their position on it is similar to dwarves. whatever gives money.
Rhaloren and the other cultists are... basically the ones who give magic the bad name.
and then there is allied kingdom. also not sure what their stance is.

[astralInferno]

Well, Linaanil can spawn with infusions, and Angolwen has a shop for selling them.

...that said, I looked at the guard in Elvala, and none of them had infusions at all. So the inspiration agrees with you anyway.