D&D 5E If Runes are now linked to Giants, Giant language should use Giant Script

Weiley31

Legend
Considering that in my games, Dwarves/Giants are "distant" cousins to each other in a very loose step-family kind of way, it makes sense that the Dwarven Dethlek rune language would be based off the same script that composes Giant Script and Runes.
 

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Minigiant

Legend
Supporter
Or...it could mean that dwarves were like, "hey, these runes are great, but we don't want literally every message we send to be giving away our secrets." So they invented a new, non-magical script, which was inspired by giant runes but intentionally non-magical.

Then the giants come along and say, "hey, this idea of non-magical writing, so we can, y'know, write out stuff and not have it accidentally set off a friggin' blizzard of spells, sounds like a pretty nifty idea." So they steal it from the dwarves just as the dwarves stole runes from them.

Reciprocal idea theft is kind of the foundation of modern civilization.

Yeah but the current lore has the Storm Giants and Cloud Giants be anything but stupid and uncultured. And all giant must follow their lead.

It is more likely that the Giants had their own script and rune before or by the time Dwarves borrowed from them.

So it became more like the Japanese adopting Chinese characters and changing it.
 

SkidAce

Legend
Supporter
Considering that in my games, Dwarves/Giants are "distant" cousins to each other in a very loose step-family kind of way, it makes sense that the Dwarven Dethlek rune language would be based off the same script that composes Giant Script and Runes.
Same here.

Giants > Dwarves > Human (Norse analog)
 

SkidAce

Legend
Supporter
Languages_2_0.png
 

Maxperson

Morkus from Orkus
But with heavier push of runes and runes being tied to giants, then the giant's runes have to look different from dwarven runes.
Why? I've seen several languages that I cannot read that are written in the A-Z alphabet. Using the same lettering(runes) doesn't mean that they are the same language.
Because if dwarves borrowed giant runes but couldn't figure out rune magic,that makes dwarves look stupid with there higher population and frequent contact with giants.
Dwarves in multiple prior editions had rune magic. Was it the same as giant rune magic? Maybe yes, maybe no. I don't see why they cannot have rune magic in 5e.
 

Minigiant

Legend
Supporter
Why? I've seen several languages that I cannot read that are written in the A-Z alphabet. Using the same lettering(runes) doesn't mean that they are the same language.

Dwarves in multiple prior editions had rune magic. Was it the same as giant rune magic? Maybe yes, maybe no. I don't see why they cannot have rune magic in 5e.

What I'm saying that in 5th edition, the designers are making Runes and Runic Magic strictly created and developed by Giants. Any race can use it but rune and rune magic is still completely giant based

They also say that the Dwarves used the Giant runes for the base of their script and alphabet. However they changed it enough to no longer be inherently magical. Thee isn't Giant Rune Magic and Dwarven Rune Magic. Just Giant rune magic. Runic Magic in 5th edition only ever mentions giants and always follows giant theming.

So my theory is that Dwarves changed the Giant Runes enough that the Dwarven Runic Script is actually different from the Giant Runic Script. Because the dwarves wear never able to create new runes.
 

What I'm saying that in 5th edition, the designers are making Runes and Runic Magic strictly created and developed by Giants. Any race can use it but rune and rune magic is still completely giant based

They also say that the Dwarves used the Giant runes for the base of their script and alphabet. However they changed it enough to no longer be inherently magical. Thee isn't Giant Rune Magic and Dwarven Rune Magic. Just Giant rune magic. Runic Magic in 5th edition only ever mentions giants and always follows giant theming.

So my theory is that Dwarves changed the Giant Runes enough that the Dwarven Runic Script is actually different from the Giant Runic Script. Because the dwarves wear never able to create new runes.
Giant Runes were never innately magical. They did certain things to make magical runes. Them writing words down does not make it magic.
 

doctorbadwolf

Heretic of The Seventh Circle
The 5e PHB says the Giant language is used by giants but uses the dwarven script. Other books say that the dwarves took giant runes to make their own language.

But with the Rune Knight Fighter sublclass and future Giant tied subclasses being tied to runes, it makes more sense that Dwarven script and Giant script are 2 different sets of runes.

Giants aren't stupid. When not the ones high on the Ordning. So it would make sense that giants have their own script. They aren't like orcs and goblins in the default rules who don't have a culture or society sophisticated enough to make there own script.

Same with Primordial. Old primidial elementals and genies would be using dwarf letters.

LanguageScriptDialects
CommonCommon
DwarvishDwarven
ElvishElvish
GiantGiant
GnomishDwarven
GoblinDwarven
HalflingCommon
OrcDwarven
AbyssalInfernal
CelestialCelestial
Deep Speech-
DraconicDraconic
DruidicDruidic
GithGithGithyanki, Githzerai
GnollInfernal
InfernalInfernal
PrimordialGiantAquan, Auran, Ignan, Terran
SlyvanElvish
UndercommonElvish
I’d say that common should use a halfling script*, gnomish and elvish should use Sylvan script, giantish, orcish, and the primordial languages should use Primordial script, undercommon should use dwarvish runes, and goblin should have it’s own script.

*influenced by celestial (and theme celestial as being very easy to understand regardless of language, so that part of why common is so commonly spoke is literally that it’s based in a language that supernaturally makes itself understood, so it’s genuinely the easiest language to learn)
 

Maxperson

Morkus from Orkus
What I'm saying that in 5th edition, the designers are making Runes and Runic Magic strictly created and developed by Giants. Any race can use it but rune and rune magic is still completely giant based

They also say that the Dwarves used the Giant runes for the base of their script and alphabet. However they changed it enough to no longer be inherently magical. Thee isn't Giant Rune Magic and Dwarven Rune Magic. Just Giant rune magic. Runic Magic in 5th edition only ever mentions giants and always follows giant theming.

So my theory is that Dwarves changed the Giant Runes enough that the Dwarven Runic Script is actually different from the Giant Runic Script. Because the dwarves wear never able to create new runes.
First, there's a difference between runic language and magical runes. Second, even if giants came up with it, nothing prohibits dwarves from coming up with their own runic magic. I can easily see dwarves taking the giant runic alphabet and making it their own, then being inspired by those runes to come up with their own runic magic.
 

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