I'm currently running Storm Kings Thunder and we are in the midst of Chapter 3. As I plan for the later stages I realise Ive not mentioned Runes once. The book has a table listing them all but there's no explanation of what they mean or how they fit in the story. Can anyone please advise on what they are and if they are magical in some way? One of my players is a rune knight and everything I can find online links to that rather than just the runes in general.
I’ve DM’d for my sons up to character level 6 in SKT and I can’t recollect runes coming up yet. (My younger son is playing a Rune Knight, too!) As far as I can tell, they’re presented for flavour.
(DM spoiler stuf - players look away - you have been warned)
Pretty sure they don't come up at all unless the DM makes stuff up about them. One more half baked idea from wizards to add to the list.
(some adventure leagues stuff mentions them sideways (still not activately used)... And they get far better treated in SKT related third party adventures.)
Don't worry though, I am sure the same list with barely any more context will be printed and charged for in Bigbys forthcoming!
(Best use I think for the runes would be totally change up the Oracles chapter to use them... But I am not entirely sure how... I read a rework of that chapter where instead of the BfG solving the players problem for them.... A puzzle room/encounter related to each rune for the giant types was embedded in the room and had to be offer to the statue to show giants cooperating).
Two things: 1) the runes are special magic items you run into at places in the adventures. They can be taken and used by PCs but are best returned to the giants for their own use at/near the end. 2) I’m sorry if this offends anyone but - your running the adventure and haven’t read thru the entire thing at least once to know what is going to happen or should happen so you can make sure the PCs your DMing for are prepared and that you are prepared for when they take it off the rails and into the sandbox? I can’t speak for other DMs but personally I don’t like runnng blind. I’ll read the entire thing at least once and generally at least 3 times before running it then review the individual bits I expect to get thru before each session.
Thanks for the response. I have skim read the whole thing and read properly up to end of chapter four. And ave read the chapter for going to the Fire Giants after that. Runes only really come up for the first time in 4 and the explanation before hand is non existent. It tells you the rune and the name. I've also read a DMs guide I bought off DMS guild and that mentions in passing that you can give your players more info about the runes here. But I can't find any generic info about the runes anywhere. Yes I can find info on items with runes in. But what if you just see a rune on a letter or on a carving. There's nothing about them in the Monster Manual either
The runes ( if I recall correctly there are 4 of them) are already carved/applied to items and can be recovered at different points in the adventure. Your players can keep them as magic items or return them to giants that they are able to befriend.
The only times the players will encounter the runes are: - If they find one of the magic items (iirc they're in different lairs, so they're unlikely to find more than one, excluding the conches) - When they visit the Eye of the All-Father (though it isn't important that they understand them before this) - If you put the runes in more places.
So put the runes in more places! I had a KONG rune etched into the side of a mountain where an ancient dwarf kingdom was nearby.
Actually, what I would do is, since you have a Rune Knight, I would remove the magic items that have runes, and in their place I would put some sort of crucial ingredient needed in the forging of a runic item. Whatever you think makes sense. Diamond chisel, perhaps. Kiln to melt a special kind of magic gold. Just, something no small folk have ever known how to make or acquire. Say that giants keep them safe in their lairs so nobody could ever get their hands on one. Except maybe one guy who can confirm they're real, but dang, he lost his. This way, your Rune Knight can make progress towards acquiring the magic item, but you're still in control of when the party can actually get it -- plus they have something to look forward to.
Then just make up a bunch of stuff they need to also acquire, and find ways they can get it without having to spend all their money. A gnomish angle-measuring device, to make sure it's exact. A modron brain with the schemata for the rune, because they're so complex (they're not, but y'know). Hard crystal goggles to protect the eyes. A stimulant drug to keep you alert for the full 12 hours it will take to create the rune. A foot-long wooden handle burned by dragonfire. I don't know. Everywhere the party goes, they should be able to either find one of these things, or find out where to get it. Except of course the final piece, the thing I mentioned before.
Can you just clarify though, a rune isn't always magical right? It can just represent something. So if you see the ILD rune it just means it's linked to the Fire Giants?
Yeah, it's basically just a word. Or it might be more accurate to compare it to a novel. I think the idea is that, though they look fairly simple, there's actually a huge degree of hidden nuance that's being used to describe the subject in naturalistic terms as well as symbolic terms. The rune is in essence a summary of all that's known and believed about the subject by the giants. So it's especially suited to holding magic. But it isn't magic by itself.
I would reckon that any individual ILD rune might have small variations that might only be obvious to an expert. Variations that say something, perhaps about the thing onto which the rune has been placed. There might be lazy, slapdash versions that don't bother to fully render all the details, but still maintain the general shape so you can identify it.
To be honest though, I'm inventing a lot here. What we've actually been given is pretty minimal and doesn't seem to hold up to scrutiny imo. It leaves enough room to get creative I guess, but you really have to, if you're gonna use it at all. Which is a pretty good way to describe this whole adventure.
I'm currently running Storm Kings Thunder and we are in the midst of Chapter 3. As I plan for the later stages I realise Ive not mentioned Runes once. The book has a table listing them all but there's no explanation of what they mean or how they fit in the story. Can anyone please advise on what they are and if they are magical in some way? One of my players is a rune knight and everything I can find online links to that rather than just the runes in general.
I’ve DM’d for my sons up to character level 6 in SKT and I can’t recollect runes coming up yet. (My younger son is playing a Rune Knight, too!) As far as I can tell, they’re presented for flavour.
(DM spoiler stuf - players look away - you have been warned)
Pretty sure they don't come up at all unless the DM makes stuff up about them. One more half baked idea from wizards to add to the list.
(some adventure leagues stuff mentions them sideways (still not activately used)... And they get far better treated in SKT related third party adventures.)
Don't worry though, I am sure the same list with barely any more context will be printed and charged for in Bigbys forthcoming!
(Best use I think for the runes would be totally change up the Oracles chapter to use them... But I am not entirely sure how... I read a rework of that chapter where instead of the BfG solving the players problem for them.... A puzzle room/encounter related to each rune for the giant types was embedded in the room and had to be offer to the statue to show giants cooperating).
Two things:
1) the runes are special magic items you run into at places in the adventures. They can be taken and used by PCs but are best returned to the giants for their own use at/near the end.
2) I’m sorry if this offends anyone but - your running the adventure and haven’t read thru the entire thing at least once to know what is going to happen or should happen so you can make sure the PCs your DMing for are prepared and that you are prepared for when they take it off the rails and into the sandbox? I can’t speak for other DMs but personally I don’t like runnng blind. I’ll read the entire thing at least once and generally at least 3 times before running it then review the individual bits I expect to get thru before each session.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Thanks for the response. I have skim read the whole thing and read properly up to end of chapter four. And ave read the chapter for going to the Fire Giants after that. Runes only really come up for the first time in 4 and the explanation before hand is non existent. It tells you the rune and the name. I've also read a DMs guide I bought off DMS guild and that mentions in passing that you can give your players more info about the runes here. But I can't find any generic info about the runes anywhere. Yes I can find info on items with runes in. But what if you just see a rune on a letter or on a carving. There's nothing about them in the Monster Manual either
The runes ( if I recall correctly there are 4 of them) are already carved/applied to items and can be recovered at different points in the adventure. Your players can keep them as magic items or return them to giants that they are able to befriend.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
The only times the players will encounter the runes are:
- If they find one of the magic items (iirc they're in different lairs, so they're unlikely to find more than one, excluding the conches)
- When they visit the Eye of the All-Father (though it isn't important that they understand them before this)
- If you put the runes in more places.
So put the runes in more places! I had a KONG rune etched into the side of a mountain where an ancient dwarf kingdom was nearby.
Actually, what I would do is, since you have a Rune Knight, I would remove the magic items that have runes, and in their place I would put some sort of crucial ingredient needed in the forging of a runic item. Whatever you think makes sense. Diamond chisel, perhaps. Kiln to melt a special kind of magic gold. Just, something no small folk have ever known how to make or acquire. Say that giants keep them safe in their lairs so nobody could ever get their hands on one. Except maybe one guy who can confirm they're real, but dang, he lost his. This way, your Rune Knight can make progress towards acquiring the magic item, but you're still in control of when the party can actually get it -- plus they have something to look forward to.
Then just make up a bunch of stuff they need to also acquire, and find ways they can get it without having to spend all their money. A gnomish angle-measuring device, to make sure it's exact. A modron brain with the schemata for the rune, because they're so complex (they're not, but y'know). Hard crystal goggles to protect the eyes. A stimulant drug to keep you alert for the full 12 hours it will take to create the rune. A foot-long wooden handle burned by dragonfire. I don't know. Everywhere the party goes, they should be able to either find one of these things, or find out where to get it. Except of course the final piece, the thing I mentioned before.
That's amazing. Thank you.
Can you just clarify though, a rune isn't always magical right? It can just represent something. So if you see the ILD rune it just means it's linked to the Fire Giants?
Yeah, it's basically just a word. Or it might be more accurate to compare it to a novel. I think the idea is that, though they look fairly simple, there's actually a huge degree of hidden nuance that's being used to describe the subject in naturalistic terms as well as symbolic terms. The rune is in essence a summary of all that's known and believed about the subject by the giants. So it's especially suited to holding magic. But it isn't magic by itself.
I would reckon that any individual ILD rune might have small variations that might only be obvious to an expert. Variations that say something, perhaps about the thing onto which the rune has been placed. There might be lazy, slapdash versions that don't bother to fully render all the details, but still maintain the general shape so you can identify it.
To be honest though, I'm inventing a lot here. What we've actually been given is pretty minimal and doesn't seem to hold up to scrutiny imo. It leaves enough room to get creative I guess, but you really have to, if you're gonna use it at all. Which is a pretty good way to describe this whole adventure.
Thanks again. You have really helped me out here. And confirmed I wasn't missing something obvious