Hedge Magicians

A practice that requires years of laborious study, hedge magic teach- es its pupils the subtle knowledge of the common folk, their cures and planting-times and luck-charms. In most places this tradition is thickly encrusted with the superstitions and traditions of the local practitioners, leaving a vast amount of effort to be expended before any true magic is learned. While almost any adequately clever man or woman can learn to use the disjointed arts of the hedge magician, it takes time and patient labor to learn the craft. Apprentices and adepts actually have no magical powers at all, and are simply well-versed in all the knowledge necessary for a village wise-man or wise-woman. Treat familiarity with this tradition as a helpful Fact when such knowledge is relevant to an attribute check. Hedge magic takes the usual ritual time to cast. Hedge mages are found throughout Arcem. Almost every hamlet worth a name has at least an apprentice of the art in residence, though the vast majority of these "mages" have no magical talent whatsoever. Adepts are the most commonly found, with most of those rare few that have actual arcane potential never getting the opportunity to develop magic. Only when their teacher is truly gifted as well do they have the chance to learn the deeper secrets of roots, seasons, and the man- agement of troublesome neighbors. Of course, having true magic can be a curse when those neighbors start demanding miracles from you.

Structure

Apprentice Apprentice hedge magicians study herbs, livestock, the rudiments of fortunetelling, and the fabrication of the necessary tools and charms for later work. No true magic is learned at this level of experience. Most are apprenticed young and have mastered this level of expertise by their eighteenth birthday. Adept Adepts are proficient healers and herbalists, and talented at dealing with humans and animals alike. They know much of managing peo- ple, keeping the common folk in due awe of their learning without promising too much or inspiring excessive dread. Most villages have hedge magicians of this level of expertise, with knowledge but no true magic at their command. Master This degree is rarely ever learned before an adept’s fiftieth winter. The magician can perform true magic now, albeit of a modest and subtle type. They can cure sick livestock and minor human ailments, ensure wounds heal cleanly, find lost objects within familiar terrain, bring luck or misfortune to a specific endeavor (+/-2 to relevant attribute checks), or perform rituals that restore vigor and wakefulness to a group. Archmage Only the oldest and wisest of hedge mages attain to this degree of mastery. They can break mortal curses, miraculously heal physical wounds for 1d6 hit dice of healing, cure any non-magical diseases, bless or curse an undertaking so as to roll twice on one attribute check and take the better or worse, identify the general properties of magical objects or effects, bewitch people to friendliness or enmity, or foretell a very likely near future for a person. Any healing requires that the recipient Commit Effort for the day to assimilate the power. Those without listed Effort can benefit from healing once per day.

Type

Guild, Mages