Dwarven Runecaster

Dwarven Runecaster

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Ability Requirements: Intelligence 13
Wisdom 12
Constitution 12

Prime Requisites: Intelligence
Wisdom



Races Allowed: Dwarf (any subclass)



By nature dwarves cannot be arcane casters. By blood they are resistant to the Source, by birth; their faith overshadows any focus on the arcane arts. But there are some select sons of stone that find a path thought long lost by the Old Ones and reach the Source through their faith in the gods. These few dwarves are highly revered and even feared among the Stone People. These dwarves are known as Runecasters.


Runecaster are a special mage kit designed for dwarven casters. Their ability to tap into the Source to draw magic stems from the gift of access given to them by their faith. The gift is given by the dwarven pantheon, who seek to balance the fact their sons of stone classically cannot cast arcane magic.


A dwarven runecaster may be of any alignment. Most dwarven runecasters come from mason families or deeply religious cleric families. They are devout followers of a faith… any faith, as long as the runecaster has faith.


Runecasters can cast spells as a normal mage, but do so with the hindrance of the normal blood born dwarven resistance of magic. They suffer a percentage roll to spell failure, or worse, a roll upon the wild magic table. Where the dwarven runecasters truly shine is the mighty spell rune. Runecastrers cast their spells into carved runestones in which the spell is imbued into the stone, and used as the spell component when the spell is activated later, and cast as a normal spell, without failure.


Preferred Schools: The axis of Divination and Summoning are both preferred. Evocation and Alteration are both also preferred.


Barred Schools: Illusion and Necromancy


Role: The Dwarven Runecaster is one of calm resolution, open mindedness and even-tempered attitudes. No dwarven rage ever flows through the Runecaster. He is open to all ideas about faith and all ways people touch the Source. His role is one of arcane support. From divination spells being used to help aid his party, to summoning and evocation spells blasting the front ranks.


Secondary Skills: mason or stonecutter


Weapon Proficiencies: Required (choose one): Pickaxe, Staff, Hand axe, dagger, bola, sling, spear, warhammer


Non-weapon Proficiencies: Bonus: Stonemasonry, Writing,reading, Artistic Ability. Required: Religion,
Reccomended: Ancient History, Herbalism, Astrology, Languages


Equipment: Runecasters start with a set of stonecarving tools and mallet that is worth 1/4 of their starting funds. Everytime they level and gain access to the next level of spells, a runecaster must upgrade his carving tools to a higher quality.

Special Benefits: Runecasters have the ability to cast their spells into runes they carve beforehand and then can use these runestones to cast arcane spells without error. The spells may be used at any time as any normal mage could cast.

Runecasters can spot stone quality when presented. Any item made from stone, or precious gems, a runecaster can dermine the wealth of the object with no errors.

At 5th level, Runecasters can restudy spells cast into their stones to ‘rearm themselves’. Any 1st level spells may be ‘restudied, thereby doubling the spells of 1st level they can cast. This second set of spells cannot be put into runestones, and MUST be cast as normal arcane spells.

At 7th level, Runcaster gain the above abilitybut also 2nd level.

Special Hindrances: Runecasters must carve runestones during their 8 hours of studying. They prematurely cast their spells into the runes, activating he rune as a component. The runestones can either be broken, thrown, shattered or snapped in order to finish the spell cast. Spells cast in this way are cast without failure. A runecaster must have quality stones to carve while studying.

Runecasters may also cast spells as a normal mage. This means from studying a spellbook, memorizing spells and using components. These spells are inherently forigen to dwarves, and their natural resistance to magic makes the spells…unreliable, at best.

When spells like this are cast, the dwarven runecaster rolls a % die based on spell level and caster level to see if the spell fails. The runecaster’s level is the 10s place, and the level of the spell is the 1s place minus 10. So, a 1st level runecaster casting a 1st level spell with no rune has 10%+ 1stlevel-10=9. 10+9 = 19% chance of success. A fifth level caster, casting a 3rd level spell without a runestone has a 57% chance of success.

Wealth Options: Normal wizard starting wealth.