Runecarver wizards enhance their spellcasting through the ancient power of runes. Though the tradition originated with the giant rune casters of old, runecraft magic has expanded to encompass countless languages and practitioners across different worlds.
For many runecrafters, the runes they wield are as every bit unique and personal as their spellbook. Some strive to honor the practice’s origins among the giants, engraving their runes on decorative stones that adorn their spellcasting implements, while others messily scribble their runes on scraps of paper.

Runes of Understanding

Your study of runecraft has unlocked the ability to decode runes and languages, regardless of their origin; you always have comprehend languages prepared, you can cast it without expending a spell slot, and the spell doesn’t count against the number of spells you have prepared.

Runic Empowerment

When you choose this subclass, you learn how to amplify your magic through the application of various runes. Your knowledge of these runes is stored in your spellbook, though you determine the runes’ cosmetic appearance. For example, your runes could be engraved into the cover of your spellbook, glowing whenever you cast a spell, or you could work the shape and meaning of the runes directly into a spell’s somatic and verbal components.

You gain 2 runes of your choice, choosing from the rune options available to you at 2nd level. You learn additional runes of your choice at levels 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th. When you gain a wizard level, you can replace one rune you know with another rune of your choice that you meet the prerequisite for. If a rune has a level prerequisite, you must have at least that many levels in the wizard class to learn the rune.

When you cast a spell using a spell slot, you can choose to invoke a rune of your choice that you know. You can invoke no more than one rune per spell. Once you invoke a rune, you can’t invoke that rune again until you finish a long rest.

Blod (Blood Rune)

Prerequisite: 6th Level
When you invoke this rune, choose a creature within 30 feet of you. The next time one of your allies damages that creature, the creature takes extra necrotic damage equal to 5 times the level of the spell slot expended.

Dod (Death Rune)

When you invoke this rune, choose a creature within 30 feet of you. It is poisoned for a number of rounds equal to half the level of the spell slot expended (round up)

Ferd (Journey Rune)

When you invoke this rune, your speed increases by an amount equal to 5 times the level of the spell slot expended, and you can take the dash action as a bonus action on your turn. This lasts until the end of your turn.

Fjell (Mountain Rune)

Prerequisite: 6th Level
When you invoke this rune, choose a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The creature, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, increases size by one category for a number of rounds equal to half the level of the spell slot expended (round up). While enlarged, the creature’s melee attacks deal an extra 1d6 damage of the attack’s type.

Haug (Hill Rune)

When you invoke this rune, choose a creature within 30 feet of you. The creature gains temporary hit points equal to 5 times the level of the spell slot expended.

Ild (Fire Rune)

When you invoke this rune, roll a number of d4s equal to the level of the spell slot expended. A creature you can see within 30 feet of you takes fire damage equal to the number rolled.

Ise (Frost Rune)

Prerequisite: 14th Level
When you invoke this rune, choose a creature within 60 feet of you. That creature is frozen in ice for a number of rounds equal  to the level of the spell slot expended. While frozen, the creature is incapacitated and has a speed of 0.

Kong (King Rune)

Prerequisite: 10th level
When you invoke this rune, choose a creature within 60 feet of you. For the next minute, the chosen creature gains a bonus to attack rolls and ability checks. The bonus equals the level of the spell slot expended.

Krig (War Rune)

When you invoke this rune, choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. Until the end of your next turn, attack rolls that target the chosen creature gain a bonus equal to half the level of the spell slot expended (rounded up, minimum of +1).

Liv (Life Rune)

Prerequisite: 6th Level
When you invoke this rune, choose a creature within 30 feet of you. For a number of rounds equal to the level of the spell slot expended, the creature gains 5 temporary hit points at the start of each of its turns.

Skold (Shield Rune)

Prerequisite: 18th level 
When you invoke this rune, choose a creature within 30 feet of you. For a number of rounds equal to the level of the spell slot expended, the creature has immunity to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

Skye (Cloud Rune)

Prerequisite: 6th Level
When you invoke this rune, choose a creature within 30 feet of you. Attack rolls against that creature have disadvantage for a number of rounds equal to the level of the spell slot expended.

Stien (Stone Rune)

Prerequisite: 14th level
When you invoke this rune, choose a creature within 60 feet of you. That creature gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage for a number of rounds equal to the level of the spell slot expended.

Stig (Light Rune)

Prerequisite: 14th level
When you invoke this rune, choose a point within 30 feet of you. For a number of rounds equal to the level of the spell slot expended, positive energy radiates from that point. When a creature starts its turn in the aura, you can choose to grant it 10 temporary hit points.

Uvar (Storm Rune)

Prerequisite: 18th Level 
When you invoke this rune, you gain the power of a storm giant. For a number of rounds equal to the level of the spell slot expended, you have advantage on ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws that use constitution, strength, intelligence, or wisdom.

Uven (Enemy Rune)

When you invoke this rune, choose a creature within 30 feet of you. That creature must immediately use its reaction to move to a space adjacent to the closest creature it can perceive. It must then make an attack against the creature.

Venn (Friend Rune)

When you invoke this rune, choose a creature within 30 feet of you. That creature can immediately use its reaction to make a melee weapon attack against a creature it can see within its reach.

Vind (Wind Rune)

Prerequisite: 6th Level
When you invoke this rune, choose a creature within 30 feet of you. That creature gains a flying speed equal to 10 times the level of the spell slot expended, which lasts until the start of your next turn.

Wyrm (Dragon Rune)

Prerequisite: 10th Level
When you invoke this rune, choose a creature within 30 feet of you. It is frightened of you for a number of rounds equal to the level of the spell slot expended. While frightened, it must use its action on each of its turns to disengage, and its movement to move as far as it can away from you.

Sigils of Warding

Starting at 6th level, you can call on a rune of protection to guard yourself against threats. When you fail a Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution saving throw, you can use your reaction to expend one use of your Runic Empowerment and succeed on the saving throw instead.

Rune Maven

Starting at 10th level, your understanding of runecraft has grown immensely. Whenever you use your Arcane Recovery feature, you also regain a number of your expended uses of Runic Empowerment. The number of uses you regain can be no more than half your Intelligence modifier, rounded up (minimum of 1).

Engraved Emnity

Starting at 14th level, you have mastered the art of wielding your runes directly against your foes. As a bonus action, you can target one creature you can see within 60 feet of yourself. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be magically marked by an enmity rune.
The enmity rune appears as a faintly glowing mote of energy that hovers over the marked creature, which suffers the following effects:

Runecraft’s Bane. The creature has disadvantage on saving throws made against spells you cast.

Unveiled Enemy. The radiance of the glowing rune makes the creature visible if it’s invisible, and the creature can’t become invisible while the rune persists.

Woeful Curse. When you mark the creature, and as a bonus action on subsequent turns for the duration, you can invoke the enmity rune to curse the creature until the start of your next turn. The next time one of your allies hits the cursed creature with an attack roll, the target also takes 1d8 force damage.

The enmity rune lasts for 1 minute. Once you have marked a creature in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of 4th level or higher to use this feature again.