Rune Arm (3.5e Equipment)
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Low - Moderate - High - Rune Arm[edit]
| Price: | 12,000 GP (Tier I), 18,000 GP (Tier II), 28,000 GP (Tier III), 42,000 GP (Tier IV), 60,000 GP (Tier V) |
|---|---|
| Body Slot: | Gauntlet/Glove |
| Caster Level: | 5th (Tier I), 8th (Tier II), 11th (Tier III), 14th (Tier IV), 17th (Tier V) |
| Aura: | Moderate Universal (Tiers I, II and III); Strong Universal (Tiers IV and V) |
| Activation: | Move, Swift; Standard (See Text) |
| Weight: | 3 lb. |
The Artificer reached over and spun a large disk-like ring on his left gauntlet, which whirred into life, spinning and crackling subtly with energy. Moments later, he planted his feet and pointed the gauntlet at the enemy, and arcane energy ripped through the air between.
Example Rune Arms: Force Lance, Artisan Hammer
The Rune Arm is an ancient relic in the form of a heavy magic gauntlet or spiked gauntlet worn on the arm, with a large gem-inlaid ring around the wrist. It is capable of firing blasts of magical energy. In order to do so, it must first be charged by reaching over with your other hand and starting the ring spinning (A Move action that doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity). Once it's spinning, it gains one charge immediately, then another charge at the beginning of the wielder's turn each round after that. Continuing to charge it requires a Swift action each round; If the user doesn't spend this action to charge it, it stops gaining charges, requiring another move action to start it charging again. Charges will fade over time; While not being charged, the Rune Arm loses 1 charge every X rounds, where X is the Rune Arm's Tier.
It can hold a number of charges at any time equal to twice its Tier. Because of the mechanic, the Rune Arm can gain one charge as a move action, then be fired as a standard action, thus being able to be fired once per round. The weapon has an Enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to its Tier. Some Rune Arms have a Stable Charge Tier, usually equal to half their maximum charge tier. When charged to this tier (Or below, but not above), the rune arm does not suffer from instability (see below).
Rune Arms require the Rune Arm Legacy feat to craft or use. Otherwise they are, if heavy and ornate, gauntlets or spiked gauntlets, as described above.
Once it has at least one charge, it can be fired as a Standard action, or as part of a full attack (If used in your mainhand, you can only make one blast attack with it, so most only use it as an off-hand attack). Rune Arms don't hinder your ability to use two-handed weapons, but they cannot be fired while using a shield in the hand wearing the Rune Arm (Doing so would just blast the shield), and if you make an offhand attack with a weapon in the hand wearing the Arm, you can't make an additional offhand attack with the Arm.
Firing it is a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 60 feet, plus an additional 10 feet per Tier beyond Tier I. This is a Force effect, thus hitting incorporeal creatures normally. Damage reduction does not apply, but spell/power resistance does. The weapon deals one dice of damage per charge it contains, but the dice size is determined by its Tier, as follows: Tier I: d4. Tier II: d6. Tier III: d8. Tier IV: d10. Tier V: d12. Other versions of the Rune Arm exist that are not Force-based; These have their damage dice increased by one size (Tier V being 2d8 in this case) and require different spells to create (Such as Flame Blade, Scorching Ray or Fireball to create a Rune Arm that releases blasts of fire), but otherwise function much the same.
Once fired, the weapon must charge again before it can be fired again. However, the weapon can become unstable. If it is charged past its Stable Charge Tier, fired, and then charged again within 1d4 rounds of being fired (or of being used for one of the spellcasting functions; See below), each round it is charged, the wielder must make a Will save (DC = 10 + The Rune Arm's Tier + the number of times during that encounter the character has had to make this save) or it deals damage equal to the damage it would currently deal if fired to all creatures in a 5-foot radius of the wielder, including the wielder, and everyone in that radius (except the wielder) gets a Reflex save (DC equal to the Save DC for the Will save) for half damage (Thus if a Tier III Rune Arm had 5 charges and the Wielder failed his Will save at the beginning of his turn when the Rune Arm gained its 6th charge, it would deal 6d8 Force damage in a 5-foot radius centered on the wielder).
If the wielder is a spellcaster and knows at least one metamagic feat, he can use the Rune Arm's energy to empower his spells. However, this ability can only affect spells of a spell level equal to or lower than the Rune Arm's Tier, so this can only affect up to 5th-level spells with a Tier V Rune Arm. Both of the following functions affect the casting time of the spell as if spontaneously applying metamagic to the spell, regardless of whether the spell is being cast spontaneously or not. If the spellcaster casts a spell that deals damage, he can expend the Rune Arm's current charge as part of the casting. In doing so, he can add the Rune Arm's damage to the spell in addition to the spell's normal damage. Second, if the spellcaster is attempting to apply metamagic to a spell he is casting spontaneously, he can expend the Rune Arm's charge as part of casting the spell, provided the Rune Arm contains at least two charges per spell level increase of the metamagic feat. In doing so, the spent charges reduce the spell level increase accordingly; If this negates the spell level increase, then the spell's casting time isn't increased by the application of the metamagic; And any additional charges Heighten the spell by one spell level for every two charges beyond the amount needed. Thus if a Sorcerer was casting an Empowered Acid Arrow with a fully-charged Tier V Rune Arm (10 charges), four of those charges would negate the spell level increase, and the other six would increase the spell's effective level to 5th, thus allowing it to pass through the Globe of Invulnerability protecting his enemy. The extra energy can be used to apply Heighten Spell in this manner, just like any other metamagic, but a spell can only be heightened to a maximum of 9th level.
In addition to the normal abilities, a Rune Arm can have weapon enhancements added to it as if it were a magic weapon, though some enchantments would not work (Like Defending, Keen, Throwing or Vorpal). For the purposes of determining enchanting cost, the Rune Arm is treated as a weapon with an Enhancement Bonus equal to its Tier. However, the Rune Arm's total special enchantments cannot exceed its Tier (Thus a Tier I Rune Arm could only have a +1 equivalent enchantment added to it, but a Tier III could have any combination of enchantments that add up to +3). The enchantments added to the Rune Arm only affect the blast it produces, not the wielder's unarmed attacks.
The cost of enchanting the Rune Arm is added separately to the item's normal cost. A pair of Gish Gauntlets cannot be used to further enhance the Rune Arm's blast, though a Rune Arm can be made into a Gish Gauntlet in addition to its normal powers.
A character can only utilize one Rune Arm per two arms they possess. A Marilith using Rune Arms is a dangerous foe indeed.
Rune Arms are normally only found in old ruins and cannot be bought like other magic items. However, they can be made by someone who possesses the Rune Arm Legacy feat.
Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, Rune Arm Legacy, Greater Magic Weapon and either Magic Missile or Spiritual Weapon.
Cost to Create: Tier I: 6,000 GP, 480 EXP, 12 days. Tier II: 9,000 GP, 720 EXP, 18 days. Tier III: 14,000 GP, 1,120 EXP, 28 days. Tier IV: 21,000, 1,680 EXP, 42 days. Tier V: 30,000, 2,400 EXP, 60 days.
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Equipment → Wondrous Items
| Article Balance | Very High + |
| Author | Zhenra-Khal + |
| Body Slot | Gauntlet/Glove + |
| Cost | 12,000 GP (Tier I), 18,000 GP (Tier II), 28,000 GP (Tier III), 42,000 GP (Tier IV), 60,000 GP (Tier V) + |
| Identifier | 3.5e Equipment + |
| Rating | Undiscussed + |
| Summary | A magical arm cannon that can be charged up and fired. + |
| Title | Rune Arm + |
