Draconic Rune Casting

Draconic is the language of magic, and draconic rune casting represents ultimate mastery over the manipulation of raw magic. By mastering a metaphysical understanding of draconic runes, a spellcaster can bypass the traditional constraints of magic and channel a rune’s power directly into their spellcasting.

As one of the eldest races in most worlds, dragons have a unique understanding of creation and have spent thousands of years mastering the art of its manipulation. Their primal understanding of the forces that shape their worlds allows them to control and bend magic to their will. Their alphabets and symbols hold immense power that, when harnessed, create extraordinary effects. On rare occasions, a mortal spellcaster stumbles upon draconic runes and unlocks a limited understanding of this deep power to cast spells as the most powerful ancient dragons do.

Utilizing Draconic Runes

Draconic rune casting is a magic system that has two main uses: enhancing spells when using runes as a spellcasting focus or combining empowered runes to replicate spells, both of which are detailed in the following sections. To use a rune, it must first be inscribed on a surface or object. Placement of a draconic rune is limited only by your imagination—it can be inscribed on a spellbook, carved on a small stone, etched into armor, tattooed on the skin, or wherever else suits you.

Once a draconic rune is inscribed, you must empower it with magic each day, which you can do as part of a long rest, or it becomes inert. An inert rune can’t be used to replicate spells, but it otherwise remains unchanged. Many mortal spellcasters stumble upon the secrets of draconic rune casting by finding an inert rune inscribed on an ancient stone pillar or embroidered in a tattered, fading tapestry. As detailed in the Draconic Rune Casting feat, you can have a number of empowered runes at one time equal to 1 + your proficiency.

Draconic Rune Casting Feat.
Utilizing draconic runes requires the Draconic Rune Casting feat (see the Backgrounds and Feats chapter). If the option to gain feats isn’t used in your campaign, then the ability to use draconic runes can be gained in place of a level-based ability score improvement, at the GM’s discretion. Alternatively, a character might need to accomplish other, story-related tasks determined by the GM to gain the benefits of the Draconic Rune Casting feat.

Spellcasting Focus

When used as a spellcasting focus, each draconic rune has a unique feature that modifies the spell being cast. Draconic runes are detailed later in this section, and each description includes the effects that occur whenever you cast a spell using that rune as a spellcasting focus. A master rune can’t be used as a spellcasting focus.
You must spend at least 1 hour meditating on a draconic rune to magically mark it as your spellcasting focus, which you can do as part of a short or long rest. You can have only one rune marked as your spellcasting focus at a time. When you mark another rune, the effect on the previous rune ends. A rune doesn’t need to be empowered to be marked as your spellcasting focus.
Replicate Spells

By combining draconic runes you have learned, you can replicate a spell on your class’s spell list even if you don’t have the spell prepared or on your known spell list. Casting spells in this way still expends spell slots and requires the appropriate components, as normal, even if using runes that represent components. If a component rune is used as a spellcasting focus, it can modify the components required by a spell. See each component rune’s description for details.
Although you are using runes to replicate a spell, you are still casting the spell, which means a spell replicated with draconic rune casting can be affected by spells, such as counterspell or antimagic field, and other effects that affect spells or spellcasting. When you replicate a spell using draconic rune casting, you must have free use of at least one hand and touch each empowered rune as you cast the spell. If a spell has a somatic component, you can touch the runes as part of that same gesture.
To replicate a spell with draconic runes, you must use at least three empowered runes: the master rune of the spell’s level, the school rune of the spell’s school of magic, and at least one other rune that represents an aspect of the spell, such as its range, a component, or the damage it deals. The total number of empowered runes required to cast a spell increases with the spell’s level, as shown in the Rune Requirements table. If you want to cast a spell at a higher level, you must meet the rune requirements of the higher-level version of the spell.

Rune Requirements

Spell Level

Total Runes

1st–3rd

3

4th–6th

4

7th–9th

5

Matching Runes.

To replicate a spell with draconic rune casting, you must match each empowered rune to an aspect of the spell in its standard form. For example, if you use the Rimecaster feat (see the Backgrounds and Feats chapter) to change a
fireball to deal cold damage, you can’t use the frigus (cold damage) rune to cast the spell, as the standard form of the fireball spell deals fire damage, not cold damage. Similarly, you can’t use the umbra (illusion school) rune to cast magic missile.

Matching Spellcasting.

To replicate a spell with draconic rune casting, you must ordinarily be able to cast the spell with that spell slot. For example, if you have three levels in wizard and five levels in cleric, you can use a 3rd-level master rune to cast any 3rd-level cleric spell (provided you have the other necessary empowered runes), or you can use it to cast a wizard spell of a lower level, such as an enhanced
burning hands. You can’t use a 3rd-level master rune to cast 3rd-level wizard spells (regardless of the other runes you know) until you reach 5th level in the wizard class, when you can normally cast such spells. Draconic rune casting makes your spellcasting more versatile and varied. It doesn’t allow you to cast spells ordinarily unavailable to you.

Replicating and Spellcasting Focus.

When you use draconic runes to replicate a spell, the empowered runes don’t need to be your spellcasting focus. If you use a rune marked as your spellcasting focus as part of replicating a spell, that rune’s spellcasting focus feature applies to the replicated spell, as it would to a spell you cast normally. You can use any other spellcasting focus that is part of your spellcasting class when replicating spells from your class list, as normal.

Versatile Runes.

Replicating a spell requires at least three empowered runes, but aside from needing to match the spell’s level and school, you can use whichever empowered runes you want, provided they match aspects of the spell as described above. For example, you must use the
tertious (3rd-level) and displodo (evocation) runes to replicate a 3rd-level fireball, but the third rune can be the gloria (range), orotorem (verbal component), subita (instantaneous duration), concentio (somatic component), ignis (fire damage), globus (sphere), or corporis (material component) rune. In this way, creative empowering of the runes you know can enable you to replicate a variety of spells.

Learning New Runes

A character can know any number of draconic runes. However, like most ancient magic, draconic runes aren’t readily available and must be found, researched, or learned from a mentor. For players, this could provide incentive for your character to seek out long-forgotten libraries, spend downtime researching runes, or even request audiences with dragons themselves. For game masters, you can reward characters with new draconic runes as often as you might reward them with spell scrolls or an enemy’s spellbook, or you can use draconic runes as rewards from rescued wizards or draconic allies.
As detailed in the Draconic Rune Casting feat (see the Backgrounds and Feats chapter), master runes are learned automatically as a spellcaster increases in level. This can represent the character studying or practicing the most basic principles of draconic runes while studying or practicing their own magic, or it can represent the character’s gradual understanding of the correlations between the ancient draconic runes and the more “modern” magic the character wields.

Changing Damage Types
When you use a damage rune as a spellcasting focus to change the damage type of a spell, you can also change the visual representation of the spell. With the tempestas rune, the burning hands spell could become bolts of lightning fanning out from your fingertips. With the impulsum rune, the fireball spell could become a boulder that bursts into smaller rocks, pelting your enemies. You can even use these runes to express your character’s personal preferences, themes, or styles. Maybe when your roguish spellcasting character uses the scopum rune as a spellcasting focus, burning hands becomes a fan of daggers. The possibilities are endless! Keep in mind, these changes are for visual flair and that changing a fireball into a boulder doesn’t mean your character now has a pile of rocks to hide behind or throw at enemies. These visual effects last for the duration of the spell, as normal for any visual effects of a spell cast without a damage rune as a spellcasting focus.

Draconic Runes

Draconic runes are listed here alphabetically. The Draconic Runes table provides a quick reference for each rune by type. Each rune description includes the following:

Name. This is the rune’s name in Draconic and is presented at the top of its entry.

Identity. While each draconic rune represents a functional letter in the draconic alphabet, each also represents a concept described in italics below the name of the rune.

Type. Each rune has a type or category it falls under, such as school or component.

Representation. This is the specific aspect of a spell that this rune represents, such as evocation or verbal.

Spellcasting Focus. Each rune (except for master runes) has a feature it can grant when you use an item inscribed with the rune as a spellcasting focus.

Draconic Runes

Representation

Rune

Area

Circle or sphere

Globus

Cone

Incrementum

Cube

Quadratum

Cylinder

Statua

Line

Acies

Component

Verbal

Orotorem

Somatic

Concentio

Material

Corporis

Damage

Acid

Acidum

Bludgeoning

Impulsum

Cold

Frigus

Fire

Ignis

Force

Impetu

Lightning

Tempestas

Necrotic

Putredine

Piercing

Vulnus

Poison

Morbus

Psychic

Cerebrum

Radiant

Lux

Slashing

Scopum

Thunder

Tumultum

Duration

Instantaneous

Subita

Under 1 minute

Dubito

1 minute to 10 minutes

Proelium

1 hour to 8 hours

Occasus

9 hours to 24 hours

Solis

2 days to 30 days

Mensis

Until dispelled or triggered

Praxis

Master

1st-level spell

Unus

2nd-level spell

Duo

3rd-level spell

Tertious

4th-level spell

Quadro

5th-level spell

Quintus

6th-level spell

Sextus

7th-level spell

Septem

8th-level spell

Octum

9th-level spell

Novem

School

Abjuration

Tutela

Conjuration

Pario

Divination

Prudentia

Enchantment

Laporem

Evocation

Displodo

Illusion

Umbra

Necromancy

Anima

Transmutation

Alchimia

Range

Self

Sui

Touch

Tactus

5 feet to 30 feet

Proxime

60 feet to 90 feet

Iuxta

120 feet to 500 feet

Gloria

1 mile or farther

Terra

Acidum

The rune of undoing

Type:

Representation: Acid

Spellcasting Focus: When you use acidum as a spellcasting focus while casting a spell that deals damage that isn’t acid, change the spell’s damage type to acid. Once used to change the damage type of three spells, acidum can’t be used this way again until you finish a long rest.

Acies

The rune of pathways

Type: Area Rune

Representation: Line

Spellcasting Focus: When you use acies as a spellcasting focus while casting a spell that affects a line, you can modify the size of the line. You can increase the line’s length by 10 feet or its width by 5 feet.

Alchimia

The rune of transformation

Type: School Rune

Representation: Transmutation

Spellcasting Focus: When you use alchimia as a spellcasting focus while casting a transmutation spell, increase the spell save DC and spell attack modifier by 1.

Anima

The rune of life

Type: School Rune

Representation: Necromancy

Spellcasting Focus: When you use anima as a spellcasting focus while casting a necromancy spell, increase the spell save DC and spell attack modifier by 1.

Cerebrum

The rune of thought

Type: Damage Rune

Representation: Psychic

Spellcasting Focus: When you use cerebrum as a spellcasting focus while casting a spell that deals damage that isn’t psychic, change the spell’s damage type to psychic. Once used to change the damage type of three spells, cerebrum can’t be used this way again until you finish a long rest.

Concentio

The rune of music

Type: Component Rune

Representation: Somatic

Spellcasting Focus: When using concentio as a spellcasting focus while casting a spell with a somatic component, you don’t need to use a somatic component to cast the spell.

Corporis

The rune of the body

Type: Component Rune

Representation: Material

Spellcasting Focus: When using corporis as a spellcasting focus while casting a spell with a material component, you don’t need to use material components to cast the spell, unless a component has a cost higher than 50 gp (as indicated in the spell’s description).

Displodo

The rune of destruction

Type: School Rune

Representation: Evocation

Spellcasting Focus: When you use displodo as a spellcasting focus while casting an evocation spell, increase the spell save DC and spell attack modifier by 1.

Dubito

The rune of hesitation

Type: Duration Rune

Representation: Less than 1 minute

Spellcasting Focus: When you use dubito as a spellcasting focus while casting a spell with a duration less than 1 minute, double the spell’s duration. For example, a spell that lasts 1 round lasts 2 rounds when you use this rune as a spellcasting focus. If the spell requires concentration, you must still maintain concentration.

Duo

The second rune

Type: Master Rune

Representation: 2nd-level spell

Frigus

The rune of frost

Type: Damage Rune

Representation: Cold

Spellcasting Focus: When you use frigus as a spellcasting focus while casting a spell that deals damage that isn’t cold, change the spell’s damage type to cold. Once used to change the damage type of three spells, frigus can’t be used this way again until you finish a long rest.

Globus

The rune of perfection

Type: Area Rune

Representation: Circle or Sphere

Spellcasting Focus: When you use globus as a spellcasting focus while casting a spell that affects a circle or sphere, you can increase the circle or sphere’s radius by 5 feet.

Gloria

The rune of ambition

Type: Range Rune

Representation: 120 feet to 500 feet

Spellcasting Focus: When you use gloria as a spellcasting focus while casting a spell with a range of 120 to 500 feet, increase the spell’s range by half. For example, if you cast a spell that normally has a range of 120 feet, it has a range of 180 feet when you use this rune as a spellcasting focus.

Ignis

The rune of flame

Type: Damage Rune

Representation: Fire

Spellcasting Focus: When you use ignis as a spellcasting focus while casting a spell that deals damage that isn’t fire, change the spell’s damage type to fire. Once used to change the damage type of three spells, ignis can’t be used this way again until you finish a long rest.

Impetu

The rune of strength

Type: Damage Rune

Representation: Force

Spellcasting Focus: When you use impetu as a spellcasting focus while casting a spell that deals damage that isn’t force, change the spell’s damage type to force. Once used to change the damage type of three spells, impetu can’t be used this way again until you finish a long rest.

Impulsum

The rune of impact

Type: Damage Rune

Representation: Bludgeoning

Spellcasting Focus: When you use impulsum as a spellcasting focus while casting a spell that deals damage that isn’t bludgeoning, change the spell’s damage type to bludgeoning. This damage is still magical. Once used to change the damage type of three spells, impulsum can’t be used this way again until you finish a long rest.

Incrementum

The rune of expansion

Type: Area Rune

Representation: Cone

Spellcasting Focus: When you use incrementum as a spellcasting focus while casting a spell that affects a cone, you can increase the cone’s size by 5 feet, if it is a 1st- through 4th-level spell, or by 10 feet, if it is a 5th- through 9th-level spell.

Iuxta

The rune of reach

Type: Range Rune

Representation: 60 feet to 90 feet

Spellcasting Focus: When you use iuxta as a spellcasting focus wh