Enhancing Your Pathfinder's Weapons: A Beginner's Guide to the Path of the Rune in Pathfinder 2E

Weapon Potency Rune Pathfinder 2e In the game of Pathfinder 2e, characters can enhance their weapons with various magical runes. One such rune is the Weapon Potency Rune, which grants additional damage to a weapon. This rune can be applied to melee weapons, ranged weapons, and even unarmed attacks. The Weapon Potency Rune increases the damage dice of the weapon it is applied to. For example, a weapon with a d8 damage die would become a weapon with a d10 damage die when equipped with a Weapon Potency Rune. This means that the weapon will deal higher damage on each attack, increasing the effectiveness of the character in combat.

This means that the weapon will deal higher damage on each attack, increasing the effectiveness of the character in combat. The Weapon Potency Rune also enhances the weapon's attack bonus. This essentially means that the character's chance to hit with the weapon will be improved.

Pathfinder 2E Finesse damage

I'm fairly sure that's the only way. I was going to say the Swashbuckler might have a way, but they just get a bit of Precision Damage when they have Panache.

The-Magic-Sword

Small Ball Archmage

Staffan

Legend

It should be noted that this would mostly be an issue at lower levels. At higher levels, your ability bonus to damage becomes a smaller and smaller part of the whole. At 1st level, a rogue doing just 2d6 damage with a sneak-attacking rapier without ability bonus to damage is kinda weaksauce, and getting a +4 to that would be a huge improvement. But if we forward to 7th level you'd be hitting for 4d6+2 (1d6 bases, +1d6 for Striking, +2d6 sneak attack, +2 weapon specialization), which makes the +4 a much smaller part of the whole. Move up to 16th level, and you're doing 6d6+6 before adding +5 (or +6 if you got an early apex item) for your ability score. And that's assuming you don't put any elemental runes on your weapon, which could be adding another d6 or two, and that you don't have any Strength bonus at all to damage.

corwyn77

Adventurer

I was thinking more from the perspective of a dex-heavy bard for a melee option. OTOH, it's not hard to end up with 16 or 18 in everything by the end, but damage would suck early on.

BTW, what is the d6 from Striking? Do you mean the magic item? Is it assumed you can get that, generallly? Where are the rules for Elemental Runes?

Staffan

Legend

I was thinking more from the perspective of a dex-heavy bard for a melee option. OTOH, it's not hard to end up with 16 or 18 in everything by the end, but damage would suck early on.

BTW, what is the d6 from Striking? Do you mean the magic item? Is it assumed you can get that, generallly? Where are the rules for Elemental Runes?

Magical weapons have two types of runes on them: fundamental runes, which are what make the weapon as such better, and property runes which add additional abilities. Fundamental weapon runes come in two further categories: potency (+1, +2, or +3 to hit) and striking (1, 2, or 3 dice extra weapon damage – so a striking battleaxe would deal 2d8 damage). Property runes are basically everything else you can do with a magic weapon, e.g. ghost touch, returning (on a thrown weapon), and so on. Quite a lot of these add 1d6 energy damage of some sort (flaming, frost, shock etc.), and these are colloquially called elemental runes, and they make pretty good runes to default to – basically, if you don't have a special plan intended for your weapon (like returning on a throwing weapon), you won't go wrong with an elemental rune for some extra damage. You can have a maximum of one property rune per "plus", so a +2 weapon can have two property runes.

Potency/Striking runes are an essential upgrade for every character who intends to actually use a weapon. Without getting those at the levels where they become available, you will lag behind quite a bit when it comes to combat ability.

Oh, and bards generally don't make good melee combatants in PF2. Bards are full casters, with the weapon proficiencies to match, meaning they only become Expert in their weapons at level 11 and never become Masters in fighting. Even the bard subclass that's supposed to be good at combat (Warrior muse, from Advanced Player's Guide) only get broader weapon proficiency, not better. I mean, it's not wrong for a bard to have a weapon for use when they have actions to spare, but swording opponents as a bard is at best a plan D (with plan C being arrowing them instead)

This is handled in the ruleset by adding the "striking" property before adding the weapon to the PC. See here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/. PG2_Item_Sheet I haven't added greater striking or major striking yet.

The bonus is determined by the potency level of the rune. The higher the potency level, the greater the bonus to attack rolls. To apply a Weapon Potency Rune to a weapon, a character must be able to perform a process called investing. Investing requires a certain amount of time and resources, depending on the potency level of the rune. The character must also have access to the appropriate magical techniques to perform this process. There are different levels of Weapon Potency Runes, ranging from +1 to +3. Each level provides a higher damage dice and a greater attack bonus. However, the higher the level, the more difficult it is to obtain and invest the rune. The Weapon Potency Rune is a valuable asset for any character looking to enhance their combat abilities. It can turn an ordinary weapon into a deadly tool, capable of inflicting significant damage on enemies. With the right investment, characters can unlock the full potential of their weapons and become formidable fighters in the world of Pathfinder 2e..

Reviews for "Unlocking the Potential: An In-Depth Guide to the Weapon Potency Rune in Pathfinder 2E"

1. Name: John Doe

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Review: I was really disappointed with "Weapon Potency Rune Pathfinser 2e". The whole game felt like a chaotic mess with unclear rules and unnecessary complexity. The weapons didn't feel balanced, and the combat system was just frustrating. I had high hopes for this game, but it simply didn't deliver.

2. Name: Jane Smith

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Review: "Weapon Potency Rune Pathfinder 2e" was a major letdown for me. The character creation process was overly complicated and time-consuming. Once we got into the game, the pacing was slow, and I felt like I was spending more time flipping through the rulebook than actually playing. The storyline was underdeveloped, and the lack of a cohesive plot made it hard to stay engaged. Overall, it was a disappointing experience.

3. Name: Mark Johnson

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Review: I found "Weapon Potency Rune Pathfinder 2e" to be incredibly overwhelming. The amount of information and rules to remember was just too much for me. The learning curve was steep, and I felt like I was spending most of my time trying to understand the mechanics rather than enjoying the game. The combat was also confusing, and I often found myself unsure of what actions I could take. Unfortunately, this game didn't live up to the hype for me.

4. Name: Sarah Thompson

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Review: I had such high hopes for "Weapon Potency Rune Pathfinder 2e", but it fell completely flat. The character progression felt slow, and the leveling system was convoluted. The lack of clear instructions and intuitive gameplay left me frustrated and confused. The artwork and design were also underwhelming, lacking the immersive quality I expect from a tabletop game. I would not recommend this game to anyone looking for a seamless and enjoyable gaming experience.

5. Name: Chris Davis

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Review: "Weapon Potency Rune Pathfinder 2e" was a massive disappointment. The rules were overly complicated and lacked clarity. The combat system was cumbersome and didn't flow well. The overall gameplay felt disjointed, and the lack of cohesion in the story made it hard to invest in the game. I found myself frequently frustrated and confused, and it ultimately made for an unenjoyable gaming experience. Save your money and look elsewhere for a better tabletop RPG option.

A Path of Power: Harnessing the Weapon Potency Rune in Pathfinder 2E