Rune Casting Expanded
I
f you’ve come upon this tome you’ve likely dipped a
toe into giant runes already. You’ve learned from each
of the giant clans to channel power from them older
than magic itself. But of course the giant language is
larger and more diverse than just the names of the
clans. Perhaps you found the course you were on too
linear, or the runic vocabulary too limited. No more.
This supplement provides 12 new runes for the Fighter
Rune Knight presented in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. All
of these new runes are based on the canonical runes
presented in Storm King’s Thunder. It also deconstructs the
original subclass tying most of the abilities such as, "Giant's
Might" to specific runes that the player can either take or
forgo for the new options making it incredibly plug and play.
Additionally these runes can be given to any character not
using the Rune Knight Subclass through the brand new feat:
Student of Runes.
Finally it will provide both players and DMs with extra
story hooks as to how you got your runes, and what
adventures you may need to go on to gain ones outside those
presented in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.
Discovering Your Runes
Rune casting is a rare magic that recquires intense study, as
well as the fortitude to carry the runes meant for giants.
These can often be quite taxing on the user so it takes
intense training to be able to bear more than one at a time.
Additionally runes are the closely guarded secrets of a few
giants who remember the old ways. Some even claim it is the
original magic of the Giant City of Ostaria, perhaps predating
arcane spell casting. It's not enough simply to know these
runes either. You were trained in how to carve and and invoke
them resulting in their powerful effects. The chart below has
only a few examples of how you may have leanrned this skill.
Choose one or roll a d8.
Runic Origins
1 You stumbled upon a lost giant graveyard, filled with
runes you slowly deciphered
2 You bested a Cloud Giant in a game of wits and they
agreed to teach you their runes as payment
3 After gazing upon a storm giant ritual you had a
prophetic vision of a great calamity, and the different
giant tribes must unite once more
4 You are giantkin, and the runes have been passed down
your family for generations
5 Your home was destroyed in an attack by a fire giant,
but you saw enough of the attack to learn how to fight
fire with fire.
6 You’ve always been the smallest one at your home and
sought out giant magic to level the playing field
7 You’re a scholar seeking out the closely guarded secret
of Runecasting to bring glory to your university
8 You were taken in and raised as part of a giant clan, for
better or for worse
Rune Knight Expanded
Below this is a rework of the rune night class. You still get the
same bonus proficiencies at level 3 but beyond that all your
subclass features have been turned into runes. The following
table shows at which levels you acces these runes and how
many at a time.
Bonus Proficiencies
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain
proficiency with smith’s tools, and you learn to speak, read,
and write Giant.
Rune Carver
Starting at 3rd level, you can use magic runes to enhance
your gear. You learn three runes of your choice, from among
the runes described below, and each time you gain a level in
this class, you can replace one rune you know with a different
one from this feature. When you reach certain levels in this
class, you learn additional runes, as shown in the Runes
Known table.
Whenever you finish a long rest, you can touch a number of
objects equal to the number of runes you know, and you
inscribe a different rune onto each of the objects. To be
eligible, an object must be a weapon, a suit of armor, a shield,
a piece of jewelry, or something else you can wear or hold in
a hand. Your rune remains on an object until you finish a long
rest, and an object can bear only one of your runes at a time.
The following runes are available to you when you learn a
rune. If a rune has a level requirement, you must be at least
that level in this class to learn the rune. If a rune requires a
saving throw, your Rune Magic save DC equals 8 + your
proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier.
Each rune has a passive benefit that always effects you just
by wearing or carrying an item inscribed with that rune. They
also have an active benefit that you can invoke. At the start
you can only invoke a rune once until you take a short or long
rest unless otherwise stated. But at 15th level you can invoke
each one twice.
Runes Known
Fighter Level # of Runes Invocations per short rest
3rd 3 once
7th 5 once
10th 6 once
15th 7 twice
18th 8 twice
Runes
Runes preseneted in "Storm King's Thunder"
Blood
prerequisite Level 7
The blood of the giants flows through several mighty lineages
of giantkin, and it flows through you. Whether by birth, study,
or intense training you are able to channel your blood as a
weapon to protect you and to take the blood of your enemies
to replenish you. While wearing or carrying an item inscribed
with this rune, your blood will cling to you as armor. When
you are below half health you gain +2 to your AC.
As a bonus action, you can also invoke this rune to enter a
blood fury, during which you can steal another’s blood into
yourself. This For the next minute everytime you hit a
creature who possesses blood with a melee attack, you regain
hp equal to your proficiency bonus.
Cloud
This rune emulates the deceptive magic used by some cloud
giants. While wearing or carrying an object inscribed with
this rune, you have advantage on Dexterity (Sleight of Hand)
checks and Charisma (Deception) checks.
In addition, when you or a creature you can see within 30
feet of you is hit by an attack roll, you can use your reaction to
invoke the rune and choose a different creature within 30 feet
of you, other than the attacker. The chosen creature becomes
the target of the attack, using the same roll. This magic can
transfer the attack's effects regardless of the attack's range.
Death
prerequisite Level 7
Those who carry this rune are blessed with the same
fortitude that helps the Titans survive slumbering for eons
beyond death. While wearing or carrying an object that bears
this rune, you have advantage on death saving throws.
In addition when you kill a creature you can invoke this
rune as a reaction to Revive the target killed or another dead
body within 60 feet under your control so long as its CR is no
more than one third your total level rounded down (similar to
the moon druid’s wild shapes). The creature retains its stats
but takes a -5 penalty to its intelligence, wisdom, and
charisma and obtains the undead type. It obeys you after your
turn for one hour after which it turns to dust. If you are
incapacited the Undead must spend it’s turn attacking the
nearest creature above 0 hp until you are revived. If the
creature chosen has a CR more than half your total level or is
otherwise protected from being raised as undead the rune is
not expended and you can choose a new viable target for the
effect or save it for later.
Alternatively the DM may substitute the stats for the
monster you slew for the Spell Summon Undead. The spell
level for this summon is equal to your proficiency bonus. The
DM decides if this creature is putrid, skeletal, or ghostly.
Dragon
Dragons and Titans had a long and contentious history, often
at war. But there were a few that straddled the lines, not truly
of one world or the other. Those that carry this rune are
blessed with the draconic power coursing through those
Titans. While wearing or carrying an item inscribed with this
rune, dragon scales grow around the area near it, giving you
resistance to one of your choice between fire, cold, lighting,
acid, or poison damage. You may change this type of damage
only any time you may change which runes you bear.
In addition, you can invoke this rune when you take an
attack action to replace one of your attacks with a ranged
breath weapon attack. The breath weapon is a 30ft line that
is 5 feet wide. All creatures in this line must make a dexterity
saving throw. On a failure, they take damage of the type that
you resist when you chose this rune equal to your proficiency
bonus number of d6s, or half as much damage on a failed
save.
Old class features
The options above are designed to make the class
incredibly plug and play. All of the baseline features
have been included into the runes with mostly
minor changes, save the runic shield ability which
received major buffs. If you would like to replicate
the base class features of rune knight you can do
so by taking the runes below.
Giants Might and Great Stature have been
incorporated into the War Rune which buffs itself
at level 10. While this is the bread and butter of the
typical Rune knight.The War rune presented hereis
mostly unchanged except for the more gradual
height increase of Great stature. The bonus
damage will automatically be applied at level 10.
However it is also completely optional should you
want to take something else instead.
Runic Shield has been heavily reworked into the
Shield Rune to make it more similar to other runes
and a bit more useful
Master of Runes has been transformed under the
rune, “Sacred Runes”. In addition to the level 15
benefit of being able to use your runes that specify
they can only be used once per short rest, twice
instead, it also has a second ability that functions at
low level. Mainly being able to combine two runes
with a single bonus action.
Blessing of the All-Father The oft forgotten capstone of
the Unearthed Arcana that lets you make an ally large
size instead of yourself huge. Wizards made a good
choice with that change but if you really want to give an
ally the War rune or any other runes for that matter,
check out the "Friend Rune"
Enemy
This is one of the most dangerous runes in giant culture. To
speak its name and present it is to entwine your fates. One
day you will kill them, or die by their hand. Those that carry
or wear an object inscribed with this rune have advantage on
Intimidation and Stealth checks.
Additionally, you can invoke this rune as a bonus action to
mark one enemy you can see within 30 feet of you, or whom
you know the true name of. While marked you and that
enemy have advantage on attack rolls to hit each other. But
only you deal an extra 1d6 force damage every time you hit
with an attack. You may only have this on one enemy at a time
and if you mark an enemy with it. If you're able to use this
rune multiple times per short rest the effecct ends on the
previously marked enemy.
Fire
This rune's magic channels the masterful craftsmanship of
great smiths. While wearing or carrying an object inscribed
with this rune, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any
ability check you make that uses your proficiency with a tool.
In addition, when you hit a creature with an attack using a
weapon, you can invoke the rune to summon fiery shackles:
the target takes an extra 2d6 fire damage, and it must
succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained for 1
minute. While restrained by the shackles, the target takes
2d6 fire damage at the start of each of its turns. The target
can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns,
banishing the shackles on a success.
Friend
Prerequisite Level 7
This rune is often given one to mark them as a friend of
giantkind. Any giant who knows you carry it will be know at
least one of their kin considers you a trusted friend and may
be more likely to be helpful to you, or malicious depending on
how they feel about the giver in question. However just by
wearing or carrying an item inscribed with this rune, people
are naturally more inclined to be friendly to you, giving you
advantage on persuasion and performance checks.
Additionally you can invoke this rune as a bonus to
empower an ally to fight by your side. Choose a friendly
creature you see within 30ft of you. It gains the passive
benefits of a rune of your choice, other than this one, for the
next 10 minutes. During this time it can use its reaction now
or at a later time to invoke that rune and gain its active
benefits. Once you use this rune you cannot do so again until
you finish a short or long rest.
Frost
This rune's magic evokes the might of those who survive in
the wintry wilderness, such as frost giants. While wearing or
carrying an object inscribed with this rune, you have
advantage on Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks and
Charisma (Intimidation) checks.
In addition, you can invoke the rune as a bonus action to
increase your Strength score by 2 for 10 minutes. This
increase can cause your score to exceed 20, but not 30.
Hill
Prerequisite Level 7
This rune's magic bestows a resilience reminiscent of a hill
giant. While wearing or carrying an object that bears this
rune, you have advantage on saving throws against being
poisoned, and you have resistance against poison damage.
In addition, you can invoke the rune as a bonus action,
gaining resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
damage for 1 minute.
Journey
Giants are not known to be travellers, often staying in their
domains where the elements themselves serve their needs.
Which is why it's all the more important to be properly
prepared when they must travel. When wearing or carrying
an object inscribed with this rune, your walking speed is
increased by 10 feet
Additionally you can invoke this rune in place of your usual
movement to teleport up to 60ft even if you can't see the
target location. If the target location is occupied you instead
harmlessly appear in the closest unoccupied space.
King
Prerequisite Level 15, War Rune
The secret lost rune thought to have disappeared from the
world along with all traces of the Titans. When you invoke
your war rune while this one is inscribed on your flesh, your
size becomes huge instead of large. While the invocation of
your war rune remains in effect, your reach increases by 5
feet and the extra damage you gain from War Rune increases
from 1d8 to 1d10.
Light
The City of Ostaria shined like a beacon on the mountaintop.
Many of its inhabitants lived deep underground or in places
without light so in order to make it easier for giant kin of
other clans to visit each other the children of Nicias
developed a powerful light rune to increase their own
eyesight and produce light in the darkest of places. Unlike the
other runes, this one constantly shines with 5ft of bright light.
As long as this light is not obscured it gives the person
carrying or wearing it advantage on Perception and
Investigation rolls even on objects and creatures outside of
the range of the light.
Additionally you can invoke this rune as a bonus action to
shine blinding light around you to all creatures within 20ft for
10 minutes. Creatures of your choice in the light radius when
you invoke it must make a constitution saving throw or be
blinded until the start of your next turn. So long as this light
is shining you also have half cover as the light is so bright it's
diffucult to aim at you.
Life
This rune was found on some of the most ancient Titans and
has let them survive with barely any resources. If you are
healed by a source such as a spell, potion, or your second
wind ability while wearing or carrying an object inscribed
with this rune, you are increase the amount healed by 1d6.
Additionally when you fall to 0 hp or below, you can invoke
this rune to stand up with 1 hp.
Mountain
Mountains aren’t just living spaces for some cultures of
giants. They are homes, the only place titans can be where
they truly fit in and everything is just right. Legends even hold
that Annam All-Father raised the first mountain ranges so
that he may have seat big enough to lean on. Further more,
Mountains represent tradition and the tenacity of giantkin.
Those who embrace this rune are imbued with an aspect of
that sheer stubbornness.
While you carry or wear an item inscribed with this rune
you cannot be forcefully moved or knocked prone except by a
creature of a larger size category than you or by a spell with a
level greater than half your total level rounded up.
In addition you may invoke this rune as bonus action to
make a stomping attack on the ground creating a localized
earthquake. All creatures of your choice within 10 feet of you
must make a dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
Sacred Runes
Prerequisite Level 10
When you choose this rune it shows that you are learning not
just individual words, but whole languages of power that you
can string together. You can invoke this rune as a bonus
action. When you do, you can then invoke two of those runes
as part of the same bonus action you used to invoke this. ALl
of these count towards the number of times you can use each
one of these runes per day.
Shield
Prerequisite Level 7
This simple rune greatly increases your defenses to both
physical and magical damage. While wearing or carrying an
object inscribed with this rune, you have an additional +1 to
your AC.
You may invoke this rune as a reaction when you or a
creature you can see is forced to make a saving throw. When
you do so choose a number of creatures equal to your
proficiency bonus that you can see within 60ft of you. These
creatures now have advantage against saving throws
targeting that ability score until the end of your next turn.
Storm
Prereqisite Level 7
Using this rune, you can glimpse the future like a storm giant
seer. While wearing or carrying an object inscribed with this
rune, you have advantage on Intelligence (Arcana) checks,
and you can't be surprised as long as you aren't incapacitated.
In addition, you can invoke the rune as a bonus action to
enter a prophetic state for 1 minute or until you're
incapacitated. Until the state ends, when you or another
creature you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack
roll, a saving throw, or an ability check, you can use your
reaction to cause the roll to have advantage or disadvantage.
Stone
This rune's magic channels the judiciousness associated with
stone giants. While wearing or carrying an object inscribed
with this rune, you have advantage on Wisdom (Insight)
checks, and you have darkvision out to a range of 120 feet.
In addition, when a creature you can see ends its turn
within 30 feet of you, you can use your reaction to invoke the
rune and force the creature to make a Wisdom saving throw.
Unless the save succeeds, the creature is charmed by you for
1 minute. While charmed in this way, the creature has a
speed of 0 and is incapacitated, descending into a dreamy
stupor. The creature repeats the saving throw at the end of
each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
A gonome Rune Knight who grew to Medium size Permenantly
FrozenOdin
War
This is one of the most common runes among giant kind and
yet the ones we know least about. But while giants are
naturally larger than most other creatures on this plane, they
use this rune to transform into even more powerful forms in
times of war. It's even theorized that the original jotunnar
were no bigger than modern goliaths but constant use of this
rune changed the species as a whole.
When you invoke this rune as a bonus action, you magically
gain the following benefits, which last for 1 minute:
If you are smaller than Large, you become Large, along
with anything you are wearing. If you lack the room to
become Large, your size doesn't change.
You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength
saving throws.
Once on each of your turns, one of your attacks with a
weapon or an unarmed strike can deal an extra 1d6
damage to a target on a hit. This increases to 1d8 at level
10
This rune has no passive effects. Instead you can use it an
additional time per short rest than is stated on your level up
table.
Additionally this rune will slowly change you the longer you
have it. Every time you take a level in fighter that would give
you an ability score improvement or feat while you wear or
carry this rune you may also roll a d4. You increase that many
inches in height. Your weight also changes accordingly using
the modifier appropriate for your race. If you grow to over
4’6”ft tall with this you permeantly become a medium
creature when this rune isn't invoked. If you grow to over 9ft
you permentantly become a large creature. You will still need
to activate this rune to gain its benefits.
Wind
Prerequisite Level 7
The wind rune is another favorite of Cloud Giants and those
who leave their homes on the ground for the air. This practice
is known as wind riding is a dying art nearly lost after the
giant and dragon wars. When wearing or carrying an object
inscribed with this rune the short and long range of all your
weapon attacks and the range of non-touch spells is
increased by 40ft
In addition, you can invoke this rune as a bonus action to
gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed for 10
minutes.
Feat: Student of Runes
While some fighters spend their careers mastering giant
runes, there's no reason why someone with a passing interest
can't dabble in runes to augment their own seperate skills. A
wizard might etch a cloud rune into their spell book to give
them extra protection while a rogue might might inscribe
their favourite dagger with the death rune to turn their first
kill into a potential ally for the rest of the fight. Alternatively a
master Rune Knight might forgo further strength training to
instead focus on leraning as many runes as they can.
When you choose this feat you gain one rune of your choice
from the options presented here that you meet the
prerequisites for. You know and can craft this rune along with
any others you already know and can invoke it once per short
rest. However you can not change it out when you level up
unless your DM permits you to do so.
You may take this feat multiple times, selecting a new rune
each time.
Adventures to find runes
The runes in this tome provide additional options for runes
that may not have been available at the start of your
adventure. While these options may be immediately known to
the character it is also easy to explain that the runes
presented in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything were the only
ones they knew about from their original teacher. The rest of
these runes may be hidden in other places in the world
perhaps lost even to the giants themselves. The journey to
discover these new runes may be enough to entice an
adventurer to quest by itself.
This new rune will slowly expand the list of runes available
for the Rune Knight to carry and can immediatley be
switched in for one they know .It however does not change
the number of runes teh player can carve at a time unless the
DM also grants acess to the Student of Runes Feat as part of
learning this rune.
The following options are a few ideas for quest hooks that
may lead your players to discovering new runes.
Not so Different
The party is contacted by a neutrally aligned Emerald
Dragon. She reports that a Hill giant had been poking around
her lair for the past several weeks. Nothing she usually can't
handle except when she scryed on it and found it was
belching out fire. Woried that it might have stolen ancient
dragon secrets she recruits the party to find out everything
they can about how it got those powers and deal with it
accordingly without restarting the Thousand Year War.
Possible Runes: Dragon, Enemy, Friend
Tower in the Sky
A group of researchers were investigating an ancient cloud
giant castle set on a high moutain. Most of the assistants
returned to the inn for the night but their head of their
department decided to stay feeling he was on the brink of a
major breakthrough. When the assistants returned the next
morning, they could just barely make out the ruins floating up
into sky beyond reach of any fly spell or airship. The
assistants don't know where it is exactly but looking at maps
of similiar ruins in the sky they might have an idea of how to
get there. If only they had some bodyguards to help them on
the way.
Possible Runes: Journey, Wind, Sacred Runes
What we Seek in the Shadows
You didn't expect to run into a vampire in the underdark, but
you probably should've. Honestly it's dumb more vampires
don't go underground to escape the sun's burning rays.
Perhaps it's due to their limited bloodstock or lack of gothic
architecture. But Suzerain Vidya seems to have made a
comfortable unlife for themself in their intricately decorated
upsidedown tower. It even has a fountain filled with fresh
drow and ithilid blood. It's in these dark recesses that they
have survived for millenia, keeping with them the the lost
secrets of runecasting, back before spellcasting was
common. But who knows what other things Vidya may have
awoken in the dark?
Possible Runes: Blood, Light, Mountain
From the Dust, Comes the Titan
Armies of undead goliaths haunt the mountaiside raiding
towns and drawing out all giantkin in the area. Formorians
make their way to the surface whispering tales of a Titan
calling itself Aldrin Annamson. Long has he slumbered
beneath the earth in the old seat of Ostaria. Now he seeks to
reunite the clans and take his place as King of all Giant Kin.
Possible Runes: Death, Life, King