Halaster’s Guide to

Rune Magic
Fifth Edition
 Halaster’s Guide to Rune Magic
his Dungeons & Dragons® supplement This document is divided into several sections:
T brings together the various magic rune ✸ Character Options. This details the various
concepts throughout fifth edition publications, player classes that have access to rune magic,
tying them into one usable document. as well as feats that any character can obtain to
Written for both players and Dungeon Masters, gain access to rune magic.
the goal of this document is to provide a cohesive ✸ Magic Runes. This section addresses the
reference that enables more player interaction various types of magic runes and their effects.
with runes, allows for easier DM implementation, ✸ Magic Miscellany. This section introduces a
and brings more flavor and options to the table. It new spellcasting feature, runic spells, and
can be used in whole or in part. includes a couple runic-themed spells.
D&D Beyond Links. A few items have been
created as homebrew items on D&D Beyond and
include a hyperlinked symbol, which can be
clicked.

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Table of Contents
Halaster’s Guide to Rune Magic..........................................................................2
Character Options.....................................................................................................................................................5
Prestige Class: Rune Scribe UA.........................................................................................................................5
Prestige Class Rules......................................................................................................................................7
Fighter: Rune Knight TCE....................................................................................................................................8
Wizard: Runecrafter UA.......................................................................................................................................9
Feats.....................................................................................................................................................................11
Rune Carver ApprenticeUA..........................................................................................................................11
Rune Carver AdeptUA...................................................................................................................................11
Rune Cutter (Skiltgravr).............................................................................................................................11
Runes.........................................................................................................................................................................12
Greater Runes....................................................................................................................................................12
Master Runes................................................................................................................................................12
Elder Runes...................................................................................................................................................15
Lesser Runes......................................................................................................................................................17
Giantkind Runes...........................................................................................................................................17
Control Runes...............................................................................................................................................22
Wild Runes....................................................................................................................................................23
Magic Miscellany....................................................................................................................................................24
Runic Spells........................................................................................................................................................24
Spell Descriptions.............................................................................................................................................25

Accessing Rune Magic Reading Magic Runes

There are two main sources for learning the Independent of rune casting, any character can
various aspects of rune magic: class features and attempt to read and understand a magic rune.
feats. The included class features are either offi- ✸ Any character can decipher a magic rune’s
cial fifth edition rules, or previously released
meaning and purpose if it can otherwise copy
Unearthed Arcana articles. The feats are a combi-
or inscribe the rune.
nation of Unearthed Arcana and a homebrew feat
✸ Any character proficient in Arcana may discern
to provide additional rune casting options. The
the basic magical effect of a rune with a DC 15
magic runes themselves are primarily from a
History check. The ability to read giant
variety of fifth edition sources.
provides advantage.
✸ The feature, Eyes of the Rune Keeper, allows a
character to understand the linguistic meaning
of a rune, but not the magical effects.
✸ The identify spell allows the caster to under-
stand the basic effects of a magic rune,
assuming it isn’t triggered during casting of the
spell.

The above rules are homebrew, except Eyes of

the Rune Keeper, which is from the Player’s
Handbook and Sage Advice.

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Class Features and Magic Runes
The rune chart summarizes which classes have access to which runes, and what type of rune they are. The
different runes are discussed later in this publication.
Rune Chart
Classes Runes**
Prestige Class Wizard Fighter Greater Runes Lesser Giantkind Runes
Rune Rune Scribe* Runecrafter Rune Knight Master Elder Trap Area Enchant
Blood x x
Cloud x x
Dragon x
Fire x x x x x x
Friend x
Frost x x x
Hill x x
Ice x x
King x
Life x
Shield x
Stone x x x
Storm x
War x x x
Wind x x x x
Protection and x
Sacrifice
The Mad Mage x
Chaos x
Security x
Decision x
Goblinkind x
Passage x

*The rune scribe class is not restricted to the indicated runes and rune scribes may learn other master
runes as part of their class features.
**This chart excludes the control runes and wild runes discussed later in this publication as there is little
overlap with other runes and class features.

Rune Variants. When a character learns a magic rune either as a class feature or as a discovered rune, it
also learns all lesser rune variants of that rune.
Examples: when a rune scribe learns the fire run, it learns all the capabilities of the master rune, and can
also inscribe the rune as an elder rune, a trap rune, or an enchant rune. When a rune knight finds and
magic item enchanted with a cloud rune, it can inscribe it as an item enchant or a trap.

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