You’ve dedicated your life to studying runecraft. Whether you were taught by a master rune carver or learned by poring over ancient engravings, you can tap into the supernatural power held within runes.
Giants initially created the art of runecraft, but many people have adopted the practice over time. As such, though Giant runes are the most commonly used, many rune carvers incorporate symbols from their native languages into the craft.
Rune Styles
Each rune carver has a unique style and preferred medium. To determine how you make your runes, you can roll on the Rune Style table..
Rune Style
d6 Style
1 You inscribe runes in wax or clay with a fine metal needle.
2 You whittle pieces of wood into small figurines you mark with runes.
3 You engrave runes onto glass beads and thread them onto necklaces and bracelets.
4 You stitch your runes into the hems of clothing.
5 You carve runes on a set of animal bones you can throw in different formations.
6 You draw your runes into candles, melting the wax to smooth over the engravings.
- Skill Proficiencies: History and Perception
- Tool Proficiencies: One set of Artisan Tools
- Languages: Giant
- Equipment: A set of artisan’s tools (one of your choice), a small knife, a whetstone, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp.
Through this background, you gain the Rune Shaper feat.
Prerequisite: Spellcasting Feature or Rune Carver Background
You’ve studied the magic of Giant runes, granting you the following benefits:
- Comprehend Languages. You learn the "comprehend languages" spell. You can cast this spell without expending a spell slot, and you must finish a long rest before you can cast it in this way again. You can also cast this spell using any spell slots you have.
- Rune Magic. You know several runes equal to half your PB (rounded down), chosen from the Rune Spells table. Whenever you finish a long rest, you can inscribe each rune you know onto one nonmagical weapon, armor, piece of clothing, or other object you touch. You temporarily learn the 1st-level spells that correspond to the runes you inscribed, as specified on the Rune Spells table, and you know those spells until you finish a long rest, when the runes fade. While you are wearing or carrying any rune-marked object, you can cast the spells associated with those runes using any spell slots you have.
You can also invoke a rune inscribed on an object you are wearing or carrying and cast its associated spell without expending a spell slot or using material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Your spellcasting ability for this feat is INT, WIS, or CHA (choose when you select this feat).
Each time you gain a level, you can replace one of the runes you know with another one from the Rune Spells table.
Spell List
The following is the list of runes and the spell associated with their type.
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|
Rune Spells:
- Cloud | Fog Cloud
- Death | Inflict Wounds
- Dragon | Chromatic Orb
- Enemy | Disguise self
- Fire | Burning hands
- Friend | Speak with animals
- Frost | Armor of Agathys
- Hill | Goodberry
- Journey | Longstrider
- King | Command
- Mountain | Entangle
- Stone | Sanctuary
- Storm | Thunderwave
Suggested Characteristics
Rune Carver Personality Traits
d6 Personality Trait
1 Is it practical to learn an ancient language that is rarely spoken? No. But is it fun? Very.
2 I learned one of my ancestors was a lauded rune carver whose story was lost to time. I seek to rekindle that legacy.
3 The old, traditional markings of runecraft look so boring. Why not give my runes some flair?
4 In my studies of runes, I strive to understand how great civilizations of the past fell, so that I may prevent it from happening to societies of the present.
5 Life may be a whirlwind of chaos around me, but whenever I create my runes, I feel at peace.
6 My brain struggles to process ink words written on paper, but the tactile feeling of carved runes makes my mind sing.
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