Runecrafting Material Imbalance

[PinataPlethora]

Since the introduction of the Runecrafting system, my experience has been that Euklian Clay (as loot) is at least an order of magnitude more rare than the secondary components, which causes most lesser ones to go unused. If a character is unlikely to encounter more than one unit of clay in their entire lifetime, then instead of wasting it on a low level rune, they're going to save it for at least midgrade, but most likely the best, except in niche cases. Lesser components can go unsold in player shops at prices as low as 500gp, which is a testament to how worthless they're perceived to be. It feels like the lower end of the system - which could be used to make some cool unique items - is going unused, because of this imbalance.

[Shadowy Reality]

Maybe lower end crafting recipes could have the clay removed from them.

[Miskol]

I feel like this could be difficult to balance without the clay. If I remember correctly, lower tier components can put runic on objects with up to 3 properties. With how common the lower tier components are, you could have things like keen masterly steel rapiers and scimitars flooding the market unless another gateway was put in place.

[PinataPlethora]

I feel like this could be difficult to balance without the clay. If I remember correctly, lower tier components can put runic on objects with up to 3 properties. With how common the lower tier components are, you could have things like keen masterly steel rapiers and scimitars flooding the market unless another gateway was put in place.

Basic runecrafting components only work with 2 properties, and they can't be used on any kind of crafted weapon or anything adamantine.

[Miskol]

It could still be useful for paladins who could get a triple enchanted sword, then stack bless weapon on top of that.

[PinataPlethora]

It could still be useful for paladins who could get a triple enchanted sword, then stack bless weapon on top of that.

Okay.

The idea is to take something useless and make it useful, so...

Mission accomplished?

[Freyason]

It could still be useful for paladins who could get a triple enchanted sword, then stack bless weapon on top of that.

or they could just get an enchanter to do it cheaper.

[Miskol]

I imagine after applying a +4 essence and a 1d4 damage enchantment onto the blade, the subsequent enchantment percent chance would be pretty low. It would be cheaper to use a minor blade rune (if it no longer required the clay) and guarantee a successful enchantment, no?

[Baron Saturday]

Getting ahold of the relevant other ingredient for runes isn't terribly cheap or easy either. They run for, what, 10-15k in stores? Plus enchantment cost? That's a fair amount of gold to be spending on a keen enchantment or 1d4 extra damage. I'd say that removing the euklian clay requirement (or replacing it with something more common) for the lowest rune tier provides a better balance of cost to reward than the current system.

[TimeAdept]

I imagine after applying a +4 essence and a 1d4 damage enchantment onto the blade, the subsequent enchantment percent chance would be pretty low. It would be cheaper to use a minor blade rune (if it no longer required the clay) and guarantee a successful enchantment, no?

you don't do this, you keen, add 2 stats, essence, and then GMW/bless weapon/blade thirst, etc.

the t1 weapon rune is irrelevant except as a way to keen normal damask or add 1d4 dmg to Greensteel.

T1 armor rune has some specific helm uses that keep it relevant.

T1 artcrafting rune also has specific uses that keep it very relevant.

I have literally never seen a use for the T1 carpenter or cloth runes, and t1 uther and t1blueleaf languish in shops, unbought, unwanted, except maybe by an archer who wants to Rune a +2 Composite Longbow. I genuinely don't know what else you use it for.

[Miskol]

It feels like changing the constraints of the minor runes in general would be better served than making it easier to acquire, given the responses given here.

[Aodh Lazuli]

This is daft. Instead of changing how the runes function... Why not just make the clay easier to obtain?

[Nitro]

This is daft. Instead of changing how the runes function... Why not just make the clay easier to obtain?

Because it's also the main component of the more expensive runes. So if you have the clay, you might as well just spring for a better rune instead of making one of the largely useless lesser ones.

[Ebonstar]

maybe add a dirty clay thats easy to find for lower item crafting so the pure clay is for the upper tier only

[Twohand]

An idea just crossed my mind:

Lesser Abeyant Templates. Instead of wasting one Euklian Clay in a single Abeyant Template, why not making it so that several templates of lesser quality could be created with a single Clay? Like, one Euklian Clay = 2 (or more) Lesser Abeyant Templates. Obviously, these lesser templates would only be used for lesser runes and nothing else.

I think this at least would solve a few of the points raised in this thread.

[Dinosaur Space Program]

Continuing my secretarial work of the evening for YCE:
Since it can sometimes be comforting to know when something is properly recognized as a problem; the issue is known and has been under consideration.