My first homebrew DnD5e archtype; rip it to shreds

One thing I've always liked in fantasy is the idea of magic script, that there is power in language. I'm a fan of the book Elantris, where all magic is in the way of written characters. In general, I like the concept of magic runes, and have made rune mages and rune knights in the past. I'd like to turn them into full classes at some point (if anyone wants to help me), but through I should try my hand at a Wizard archtype first. So below is what I have so far, and honestly, I'm not sure it's any good, and I'm sure it's broken in ways I can't think of. Language on a lot of it definitely sucks. But I'd love your thoughts on it. Basically, it's a list of the abilities you'd get with the archtype at level.


Rune Mage

2 - Arcane Script
Studying the language of the arcane has revealed to you a script that is imbued with power itself. Unlike spells written in langugues most beings know, which translate how to focus and mold arcane energy, this script taps into the arcane. Starting at level 2, you can read and write this script, and though the characters you learn may not be the same as another Rune Mage's, you can understand another Rune Mage's script. The characters can be written on a surface or in the air, and are only visible to yourself, another Rune Mage, or any creature you choose. The characters fade over time, lasting no longer than a year without an influx of fresh power, though when scribing them, you may choose for them to fade sooner.

2 - Rune Carving
Those who master the arcane control power, and there is no greater power than words. In your study of the arcane, you have learned a script who's character brim with power. By scribing these characters onto a surface, with the proper preparation, you can cast a spell through a rune as if cast by yourself.

At any time, you may expend a spell slot to inscribe a rune which stores a spell one spell level lower than the expended slot onto an inanimate surface not carried by or on the person of a creature and not in motion. A rune inscribed onto an surface carried by or on the person of a creature or on a surface in motion is triggered immediately upon casting. The rune is set off immediately or by a trigger listed below. The spell is cast as if the object the rune is inscribed on cast the spell. Target of spells must be chosen when the rune is inscribed and must follow line of sight rules (a rune on one side of a door cannot be directed at targets on the other side of the door). A rune takes one minute per spell level to inscribe. A rune mage may inscribe 2 runes before needing to recharge their energy through a long rest. A Rune Mage gains an additional rune every 4 levels past 2nd level. Any runes scribed but not expended are lost when a Rune Mage takes a long rest.

Activiting a rune held on the Rune Mage's person takes a standard action to activate.

A rune can be can be set off immediately after being inscribed or through one of the following triggers:
- A time up to 2 hours in the future
- A target entering line of sight of the rune (as specific or broad as the Mage chooses)
- A specific circumstance occurs

6 -
You gain the ability to augment a rune so it can be carried on a creature without being immediately set off. A Rune Mage may only have one such rune active at any given time and may not augment another run until the first is expended or fades. A Rune Mage gains the ability to cast a second agumented rune at level 12 and a third at 18.

Activiting a rune held by a creature takes a standard action to activate.

10 -
The rune mage learns to inscribe a rune onto a weapon that can be triggered on an attack. This rune can be at most two levels lower than the highest level spell the mage can cast.

14 - Twined Script
The Rune Mage may carve two runed spells onto a single surface, both going off with a single trigger. The sum of the levels of both spells cannot exceed the maximum spell level the Mage can cast.

Well here is my biggest issue

If you haven't already, look at the 3rd level spell Glyph of Warding. It is the closest thing in D&D to the effect of your Rune Carving ability given at 2nd level. You have reduced the duration and the maximum spell level that can be inscribed but you have also reduced that casting time from 1 hour to a few minutes. You have also removed the generic fire damage option. I'd say that puts this ability around the equivalent of a 2nd level spell. And you are letting your wizard do it two times for free at 2nd level. So at first that seems overpowered.

However, at 2nd level you only have 3 1st level spell slots which I am assuming means that you could only inscribe a cantrip onto an item. I can't envision any situation where I would use up a 1st level spell slot to do that. So in that sense it seem under powered in a practical sense.

So I think Rune Carving would work better as your sixth level ability but it still needs to be tweaked. Here is the fundamental issue with your Rune Mage. All of their abilities have to be used outside of combat since it takes several minutes to inscribe a rune. Every bit of the rune mage is geared towards prepping everyone with runes during the downtime between battles. I think you need something that makes being a rune mage exciting in the moment.

Thanks for your thoughts! I did look at the Glyph, and tried to keep that in mind, in the sense of only allowing under level spells so that, as you said, you weren't over-powered by it. I figured the ability to prepare the spells, to fire off by circumstance rather than simply when cast, give it ups over the lower spell downs.

That said, great point on all-prep. It was how it was designed, in that it could be a normal wizard who could also prepare spells in "holding". But you're right, in the speed of DnD5e, that may be too boring. Maybe the right solution is to broaden what runes can do, and swap out an ability or two for more active spells? Though what they'd be given the style of the archetype, I don't know :p

Thanks for the great thoughts!

Well how about this for a start:

2 - Inscribing Savant
Beginning when you select this school at 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to copy a spell into your spellbook is reduced by 25%. This reduction also applies to the creation of magical scrolls.

2 - Arcane Script
Studying the language of the arcane has revealed to you a script that is imbued with power itself. Unlike spells written in languages most beings know, which translate how to focus and mold arcane energy, this script taps into the arcane. Starting at level 2, you can read and write this script, and though the characters you learn may not be the same as another Rune Mage's, you can understand another Rune Mage's script. The characters can be written on a surface or in the air, and are only visible to yourself, another Rune Mage, or any creature you choose. The characters fade over time, lasting no longer than a year without an influx of fresh power, though when scribing them, you may choose for them to fade sooner.

Moreover, this language can be used to directly tap into the magical energies of your world. Once per long rest, you may cast a spell with only somatic components by inscribing with your fingers upon the air. This increases to 2 times per long rest at 6th level and 3 times per long rest at 12th.

I have more ideas but need more time to think on them.

Oh, ok, that's a nice direction... my first thought of the rune mage is a char who has stones on which runes are scribed, letting him cast as if a scroll that could be set off with conditions. Instead, approaching it from the idea of an arcane alphabet may allow for more balance! And in fact, if I do ever turn this into a full class, approaching it like that allows for more options! I'll retune. I'm sure what I come up with will still be broken/underpowered, but with better abilities, balance can come.