The Runeblade

Masters of Sword & Sorcery

Where there are warriors, training their body and technique to reach the pinnacle of martial superiority, and great magicians, unlocking the potential of mystical powers, runeblades are those who aim to walk both paths.

Runeblades aim to blend magical ability and martial prowess, both complementing the other, creating one harmonious style of combat. A runeblade's power is incomplete without one or the other.

Glyphs of Magic

At the center of the runeblade's magical ability are mystical glyphs etched onto their signature weapon. These symbols can imbue the runeblade's arms with great power, at the same time letting the runeblade use the weapon to channel their own magic and perform spells.

As the runeblade becomes stronger, they may study, create, or discover more glyphs to etch onto their weapon, further enhancing their abilities.

Design Goals (v0.10.0)

• My goal was not to create an entirely new archetype, but recreate one from scratch, with mechanics that are closer to my player fantasy when I think of a gish - a player fantasy that Eldritch Knights, Arcane Archers, or Bladesingers mechanically don't completely fulfil. Therefore, you may see very familiar features taken from various classes/published material, modified to serve the class.
• Balance and seamlessly fitting into 5e's ruleset are primary design goals.
• Questions about specific abilities or interactions? You can find a Sage Advice portion at the bottom of the document!
• Think a certain feature is OP as fuck? Detailed design notes can be found here! I go through each feature one by one, noting down my design for each of them. Hopefully it sheds light on the decisions and balancing I made for this class's features.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options: Archery, Defense, Dueling, Great Weapon Fighting, or Two-Weapon Fighting. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Arcane Strike

Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack using your rune weapon, you can expend one spell slot to deal force damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The extra damage is 2d6 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d6 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 6d6.

Runeblade Discipline

At 3rd level, you choose to emulate the ideals and training of a runeblade Discipline from the list of available Disciplines. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 15th, and 20th level. Those features include Discipline spells.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Glyph of Power

Starting at 6th level, when you attack using your rune weapon, it gains a +1 bonus to its attack and damage rolls, unless it already has a bonus to those rolls. The bonus increases to +2 when you reach 10th level in this class, and to +3 at 17th level.

Glyph of Mist

Starting at 10th level, when you take the Attack action, you can teleport up to 10 feet before each attack to an unoccupied space you can see if you’re holding your rune weapon.

Sword & Sorcery

Starting at 11th level, once on each of your turns when you take the Attack action, you can forego one of your attacks to instead cast a spell with a casting time of one action.

Glyph of Focus

Starting at 14th level, while holding your rune weapon, you can’t be disarmed, and your concentration can't be broken as a result of taking damage.

Glyph of Mastery

Starting at 18th level, you can use your Glyph of Protection an unlimited number of times. Additionally, once per round, you can use your Arcane Strike without spending a spell slot, as if you spent a 1st-level spell slot.

Runic Knight

The origins of this discipline can be traced back to ancient giant warrior tribes, but are now associated with goliaths, who have inherited the tradition, and to dwarves who learned it and made it their own. The Runic Knights are stalwart shieldbearers who learn magical glyphs to complement their martial abilities. Many go on treacherous expeditions to ruins deep underground to uncover ancient glyphs left by lost civilizations, bringing back knowledge to strengthen themselves and their homeland.

Rune Shield

At 3rd level, you can inscribe your runes onto a shield to make it into your rune weapon. When you do, it gains the following properties when you wield it:

• It’s considered a martial melee weapon that deals d8 bludgeoning damage on a hit and has the thrown (20/60) property.
• It returns to your hand immediately after it is used to make a ranged attack.

Glyph of the Aegis

At 3rd level, your weapon gains a protective rune to help defend your allies. You regain one expended use of your Glyph of Protection feature at the beginning of each combat. When another creature you can see within 20 feet of you is hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to expend a use of your Glyph of Protection feature to add your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1) to their AC against that attack.

When you reach 11th level in this class, you can also use this reaction to add the bonus to a target's roll when it makes a saving throw.

Glyph of the Resolute

At 7th level, you can use a bonus action on your turn to turn your rune shield’s bonus to attack and damage rolls from your Glyph of Power feature into a bonus to your AC and saving throws instead, or vice versa. If your rune weapon is a magical shield that already grants a bonus to AC, you don’t benefit from the bonus to AC from this feature.

Improved Glyph of Protection

At 15th level, you learn a glyph that channels magic into your runes, creating a resilient aura. Whenever you expend a use of your Glyph of Protection feature, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1). If you expend it to use your Glyph of the Aegis feature, your target gains the temporary hit points instead.

Glyph of the Ancients

At 20th level, you discover the inscription that lends you the tenacity and purpose of legendary heroes of old. You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage while holding your rune weapon.

Blade Dancer

The first Blade Dancers came from the secretive tribes of Zakhara, far south of Faerûn, although the exact origins are contested. Some believe that genies granted these runes to warriors of old, while others say the gods graced those who perform worship through dance. In any case, the tradition lives on and has spread - the discipline of following the flow of battle as water does through a stream - effortless and graceful.

Glyph of Revolution

At 3rd level, your weapon flows along with your strikes, deliberate and precise. Before you make a weapon attack with a rune weapon you are holding, you can morph its form into a different kind of weapon. For example, you can morph your longsword rune weapon into a longbow. The weapon retains its magical properties. The weapon stays morphed as long as you are holding it. If you morph your rune weapon into a light melee weapon, you can also create a duplicate of it in your other hand. The duplicate is a nonmagical weapon that gains the benefits of your Rune Weapon feature, and it disappears when you are no longer holding it, or your original rune weapon.

When you would make an attack that requires a specific type of weapon to do (such as using a light melee weapon to make a two-weapon fighting attack), you can’t morph your weapon into something that would disqualify it for that attack.

Whenever you morph your rune weapon, you can change the Fighting Style you chose for your Runeblade class into another one from the choices available from the feature. When you change your Fighting Style into another before an attack, it gains an additional effect for that attack, as seen on the Glyph of Revolution Effects table.

Glyph of Revolution Effects

Fighting Style	Effect
Archery	You gain an additional +1 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
Defense	When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you gain 2 temporary hit points.
Dueling	When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain an additional +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Great Weapon Fighting	When you hit a creature with a weapon attack using a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can push the creature up to 5 feet away from you in a straight line. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
Two-Weapon Fighting	When you use a bonus action to engage in two-weapon fighting, your speed is increased by 15 feet until the end of the turn.

Discipline Spells

You gain Discipline spells at the runeblade levels listed.

Flair

At 3rd level, your swordsmanship allows you to gracefully finish your foes with flair.

Choose two Flair options to prepare from the Flair table below. Whenever you use an Arcane Strike with a melee weapon, you can choose to perform one of your prepared Flairs. The Flair determines the Arcane Strike’s damage type as well as its effect as detailed on the table below. Whenever you finish a short or long rest, you can change which two Flair options you have prepared. When you reach 17th level in this class, you have each option prepared at all times.

Foresight Slash

At 3rd level, when you use your Glyph of Protection against an attack to turn a hit into a miss, you can make one melee weapon attack as part of that reaction.

Wind Slash

At 7th level, you perform weapon strikes faster than the eye can see. Whenever you use an Arcane Strike with a melee weapon, the target takes an additional 1d6 magical slashing damage at the end of the turn. A target can only take this damage once per turn.

Glyph of Sacrifice

At 15th level, as an action, you can deal slashing damage to yourself equal to half your maximum hit points.

This damage can’t be prevented or reduced in any way. When you do, choose an effect:

• Unburden Soul. Each creature of your choice within 90 feet of you (other than yourself) regains 20 hit points and is cured of all effects making them poisoned, blinded, or deafened.
• Bloodlust Blade. For ten minutes, you deal additional necrotic damage with your rune weapon equal to half your level.

Lifethread Blade

At 20th level, your mastery over the blade lets you cut a life’s thread short. When you hit a creature with an attack on your turn, you can choose to doom the target for one minute. A doomed target dies whenever it has 100 hit points or fewer. Constructs and undead are immune to this effect. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until the end of a long rest. You also regain the use of this feature if a target immediately dies when you doom it.

Flair

Flair	Damage Type	Effect
Windstrike Blade	bludgeoning	You push your target 15 feet away from you.
Skyfury Blade	lightning	Until the start of your next turn, the target has disadvantage on attacks against creatures other than you.
Hoarfrost Blade	cold	Until the start of your next turn, the target’s speed is halved.
Shimmering Blade	fire	Until the end of your next turn, you have advantage on your next attack against the target, unless that target can’t be blinded.
Addling Blade	force	Until the start of your next turn, the target is deafened and can’t take reactions.
Venomdrench Blade	poison	Until the end of your next turn, the target has disadvantage on the next saving throw you force it to make.
Bloodthirst Blade	necrotic	You gain temporary hit points equal to half the Arcane Strike damage dealt.

Discipline Spells

You gain Discipline spells at the runeblade levels listed.

Conjure Ammunition

At 3rd level, when you make an attack with a rune weapon that has the ammunition property, you can choose to magically conjure a piece of ammunition (such as an arrow or crossbow bolt) to use with your weapon as part of the attack. The ammunition disappears at the end of the turn or after it hits or misses.

Spell Shot

At 3rd level, you can infuse your arrows with the magic of your spells. While holding a ranged rune weapon, the range of spells you cast is equal to the spell’s normal range, or your rune weapon’s normal range, whichever is higher. The spell must not be able to target each creature within its range and cannot have a range of self.

Take a Bead

At 7th level, your strikes leave a trace of magic that lets you aim at your target with ease. Whenever you use your Arcane Strike, until the end of your next turn, you gain advantage on your next attack against that creature.

Phasing Shots

At 15th level, spells you cast while holding a ranged rune weapon and attacks you make using a ranged rune weapon ignore cover.

Glyph of Hawks

At 20th level, if your rune weapon that has the ammunition or thrown property, both its normal range and long range are doubled. Additionally, when you miss with a ranged attack using your rune weapon, you can choose to hit instead. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all expended uses at the end of a long rest.

Blade Juggler

Blade Jugglers are performers and tricksters, using their runes on knives and daggers to captivate an audience. Their deadly precision with sharpened blades is fearsome. They can juggle and throw an astounding number of blades at once, as well as mystify and confound by creating doubles of themselves.

Flash Triple

At 20th level, your Flash Double feature gains the following improvements:

• You can make up to three duplicates instead of just one. If you attempt to make a fourth duplicate, the first one disappears. When you mentally command your duplicates to move, you move each of them separately up to 30 feet.
• Your duplicates disappear when they are 60 feet away from you at the end of your turn, instead of 30.
• You can teleport to swap places with a duplicate on your turn using 5 feet of movement, instead of 15 (no action required).

Rune Spectre

The glyphs of the Spectre are considered hidden knowledge, privy only to a select few. Kingdoms only employ a few hand selected Spectres to perform covert missions, in an attempt to keep the techniques shrouded in mystery. Those who are deemed worthy to become Spectres are trained and are taught glyphs which help them stay undetected, fight in the shadows, and gather information. Those who fail the training often become maddened by what they see.

Ghastly Reconnaissance

At 15th level, the deathly magic of your runes binds your soul closer to the realm of the dead. You are always under the effects of a see invisibility spell, and you can cast the speak with dead spell at will.

Glyph of the Phantom

At 20th level, your soul is forever altered by your spectral runes and is now indistinguishable from the dead - even to the barrier between worlds. While holding your rune weapon, you can cast the etherealness spell at will without using a spell slot or requiring a verbal component. The spell ends early if you end it as a bonus action on your turn, are no longer carrying your rune weapon, fall unconscious, or die.

Discipline Spells

You gain Discipline spells at the runeblade levels listed.

Spectral Blades

At 3rd level, you can conjure magical spectral copies of your rune weapon that shoot out towards your targets like spears. You can make ranged attacks with a melee rune weapon, out to a range of 30 feet. This attack uses the same ability modifier as a melee attack for its attack roll and damage roll. The weapon's damage die for this attack is a d4, and the attack deals force damage.

Cross Slash

At 3rd level, when you use the Attack action, you can make one melee weapon attack using your rune weapon as a bonus action. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (a minimum of once).

As a bonus action on your turn, you can expend a spell slot to regain a number of expended uses equal to the spell level expended. You also regain all expended uses at the end of a long rest.

Blade Beam

At 7th level, once on each of your turns when you take the Attack action, you can spend a spell slot and forego one of your attacks to instead send out a beam of energy with a swing of your weapon. The beam travels in a 30-foot-long and 5-foot-wide line originating from you, in a direction you choose. Each creature in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw against your Runeblade spell save DC. A creature takes 3d6 force damage on a failed save. When you spend a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6, and the line’s length increases by 10 feet for each slot level above 1st.

Aura of Blades

At 15th level, you can use an action to summon magical blades in a 15-foot radius sphere centered on you for one minute. You can choose to dismiss the aura at any time (no action required). When another creature enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, you can force it to make a Dexterity saving throw against your Runeblade spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature takes slashing damage equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1). On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage.

Sword Storm

At 20th level, you can use your action to cast the blade barrier spell three times. When cast using this feature, the spell does not require concentration, you are immune to the spell’s effects, and you can end each spell at any time (no action required). Until the spell ends, you use a bonus action on your turn to disperse one of the walls and reform it at another point within 90 feet of you.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until the end of a long rest.

Witchblade

Witchblades wield dark and malevolent magic to afflict their adversaries. With their cursed blades, they can siphon the life force from their foes, leaving them weakened and vulnerable. These formidable spellcasters combine their proficiency with runic weaponry and arcane curses to unleash a deadly blend of martial and mystical prowess, instilling fear in those who dare to cross their path while harnessing the power of darkness to ensure their dominance on the battlefield.

Cursemark Glyph

At 3rd level, you can use a bonus action to curse a creature you can see within 30 feet of you, manifesting on it as a glyph, symbol, or mark. The target is cursed for 1 minute. The curse ends early if you curse another target, the target dies, you die, or you are incapacitated.

A target cursed by this feature doesn’t benefit from invisibility against you and can’t be hidden from you. If the cursed target dies, you can recover an expended 1st level spell slot, as your curse drains its vanishing vitality. You can recover spell slots using this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once).

Baneful Blade

At 3rd level, when you use an Arcane Strike, the target has disadvantage on the next saving throw you force it to make until the end of your next turn.

Awakened Malediction

At 7th level, you can add 1d4 to your attack rolls against targets cursed by your Cursemark Glyph.

Once per long rest, you can recover a spell slot of any level when a target cursed by your Cursemark Glyph dies.

Voodoo Armor

At 15th level, when you take damage while a target is cursed by your Cursemark Glyph, you can choose to prevent 2d4 of that damage and the cursed target takes that much necrotic damage.

Glyph of the Familiar

At 20th level, you can conduct a ten-minute ritual to summon a dark creature curse-bound to your bidding. The ritual can be done during a short or long rest, being completed at the end of the rest. At the end of the ritual, you cast one of the following spells* at 9th level without needing material components: summon shadowspawn, summon undead, or summon fiend. The spell does not require concentration, and its duration is until the end of your next long rest.

Runeblade Spell List