Talk:Runic Tapestries (5e Magic Weapon)

Removed Brokenness

In its previous form, the Runic Tapestries allowed you to add your unarmed damage to every melee spell attack you make. Combined with the ability to turn any ranged spell attack into a melee spell attack, I realized that this made Eldritch Blast terrifying.

Imagine for a moment, +3 Runic Tapestries, Fighter 2/Hexblade Warlock 2/Sorcerer 16, Quickened Spell, Agonizing Blast invocation, Unarmed Fighting Style (Handwraps are technically weapons, so the die is only a d6), Strength and Charisma both somehow at 20, for a +5 bonus to both. The following assumes that Hexblade's Curse is already active on the target, that Hexblade's Curse only triggers once per Eldritch Blast beam (Rather than twice, as if considering the unarmed damage section to be a separate damage roll), and that all attacks hit with no resistance or immunity.

Using your action to cast Eldritch Blast, Quickening to cast it a second time, and Action Surge to cast it a third time allows for 12 Agonizing Blast melee beam attacks in one turn, each with unarmed damage as a rider. Each beam has a +14 bonus to hit, dealing 1d10 + 1d6 + 5 + 5 + 6 + 3 (21-35, avg. 28) damage per hit. This comes out to, in total: 12d10 + 12d6 + 228 damage, with an average of 336 damage, and a maximum damage output of 420 damage. In one turn. From a cantrip.

Compare this to the build without the Runic Tapestries: 12d10+60, 126 avg., 180 max. One magic item more than doubles the damage in its current form.

In their new form, the number of times that you can add your unarmed damage to a spell is equal to the number of attacks you can ordinarily make when you take the Attack action, as determined by the Extra Attack feature. This still allows a sufficiently-determined Fighter 20 to pick up Eldritch Blast somehow and buff all four beams with unarmed damage, but it isn't that terrifying.

The scariest build I can think of with the new version is Bladesinger Wizard 7/Hexblade Warlock 2/Fighter 11, with the rest of the ability scores/items/invocations/fighting styles listed above. Unarmed attack twice (+14 to hit, 1d6+14 damage), then replace the third attack with Eldritch Blast (Three beams dealing unarmed damage for 1d10 + 1d6 + 19 each, one for only 1d10+8), with an Action Surge to double it. This would be 4d10 + 5d6 + 93 damage, with 132.5 avg. damage, or 163 max without Action Surge, or 8d10 + 10d6 + 186 damage, 265 avg., or 326 max with Action Surge. Hex or Hunter's Mark would only add 2d6, or 4d6 with Action Surge, for +7/+14 avg. or +12/+24 max.

Slightly less scary, but not by much. Though, I don't wanna change how this works too much, for the sake of the concept. My only other idea is limiting it to just the damage die of your Unarmed Strike, without allowing your Strength mod to get tacked on there. That'd subtract 60 points of flat damage from the original build, or 15/30 damage from the second build. --Zhenra-Khal (talk) 09:38, 30 June 2022 (UTC)

An additional nerf I've added after some consideration; The additional damage is only your unarmed damage die, with no ability score modifier or riders applied. This should allow the item to feel powerful, without feeling overpowered. Some people just wanna punch a guy with a Fire Bolt, y'know? --Zhenra-Khal (talk) 05:06, 2 July 2022 (UTC)