The Rune Carver is an example of Wizards of the Coast’s evolving take on backgrounds. Before, you could expect to get a nominally useful feature, a few languages, and maybe a skill proficiency. These days, backgrounds are beefed up with magical abilities and feats. Let’s dive into what this one is about in our Rune Carver 5E Guide.
Exploring the Rune Carver Background
The Rune Crafter is a giant-themed background, although it is not quite as on the nose as the Giant Foundling. Instead, you have focused your time and energy on learning the magic of the giants – rune carving. Despite its history with giants, runic magic has spread throughout the multiverse in recent years. Magical runes offer a powerful option for spellcasters and non-spellcasters alike.
Rune Carver Traits
Every background comes with its own traits, and the Rune Carver is no different. You get two skill proficiencies, a tool proficiency, and you pick up a language.
- Skill Proficiencies: History, Perception
- Tool Proficiencies: One set of artisan’s 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
Choosing Your Runic Style
Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants also provides flavorful ways for you to express your runic prowess. Not all rune carvers literally carve runes into stone, after all. The book offers a handy table with suggestions for the type and medium for your runic carvings. Do you inscribe runes into wax with a fine needle? Or do you stitch them into the hem of your clothing? There are plenty of ways to make this background interesting.
Feature: Rune Shaper
As 5th Edition D&D has evolved, the way WOTC has approached backgrounds has also changed. Rune Carver follows this fresh approach by including a feat with each of their new backgrounds. The Rune Carver background keeps the giant vibe going by gaining the Rune Shaper feat. You can get the full story on the feat with our Rune Shaper 5E guide.
The rune shaper feat is all about giving you access to spells you can cast without spell slots. While this feat usually requires the spellcasting ability, anyone can get the feat when they take the Rune Carver background. Taking this feat gives you the spell comprehend languages, which you can cast once without a spell slot.
The centerpiece of the feat is your ability to learn a number of runes equal to your proficiency bonus, rounded down. You have 14 runes to choose from, each with a different spell associated with it. The Cloud run gives you fog cloud, while the Frost rune offers Armor of Agathys. You can place these runes on mundane objects and weapons, and then cast the spells once per long rest.
Concluding our Rune Carver 5E Guide
As far as backgrounds go, the Rune Carver is about what I have come to expect from WOTC. It has a standard array of traits and some nice flavor. It also includes a decent feat option, but your mileage may vary on that. All told, I give it a thumbs up due to my general bias towards all things Giant. Does this one work for you? Let u know in the comment section.
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