Archives of Nethys
The study of magic isn’t solely the province of tenured faculty who extend propositions or refutations in stately halls of ivory; neither is its practice limited to the dominions of hierophants atop ancient duskwood edifices or wish-apported towers of basalt. Despite their claims to authority, the eminent and elite do not define magic’s purview or purpose. Within quiet, overlooked places, magical inquiry flourishes in countless ways. Provincial villages and remote countrysides are the bailiwicks of so-called “hedge mages.” Away from the stifling support of prelates or provosts, a hedge mage may experiment with old methods in new ways, working with the quotidian in the quest to further hone practical and pragmatic spells into mighty tools.
Hedge mages tend to be a rugged, individualistic lot, whose practicality might seem an odd fit with the idiosyncrasies and idealism so common to their number. Without comforts of station or stipend, hedge mages must make do with what’s readily accessible or easily available, mastering unremarkable materials and processes to achieve extraordinary magical effects. With practice, everyday cantrips and catalysts become reliable and versatile tools. Many hedge mages apply a mixture of simple spells, scholastic application, and hands-on knowledge to solve their communities’ problems, be it blighted crops and plagued cattle or hauntings and monster attacks. Those few who become adventurer find their self-sufficient and resourceful lifestyles to be ample training for that career’s challenges and uncertainties, bringing their unorthodox, yet undeniably effective, blend of magic and common sense to face the dangers of battlefield and dungeon.
Most hedge mages come from the ranks of classes that don’t inherently grant spellcasting. Many of them begin their adventuring careers as fighters, rangers, and rogues, though a few investigators and swashbucklers round out the mix. Occasionally, a rural alchemist will add hedge mage spellcasting to their repertoire. Hedge mages who delve deep into the practice of momentary magic might also become scroll tricksters or talisman dabblers.
Hedge Mage Dedication Feat 2
Archetype Dedication Source Impossible Magic pg. 94
Archetype Hedge Mage
Prerequisites Intelligence +2, or Wisdom +2
The Universe is your laboratory and altar, and the world your workshop and study. Grounding your theoretical studies in honest labor, you work with the mundane to draw forth their hidden magic. When you take this dedication, choose Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion. You become trained in that skill, or you become expert if you were already trained. You also gain a keepsake that helps your magical studies; this keepsake is something that has perhaps been handed down to you but to which you’ve contributed a few personal touches, though it can be anything appropriate to your personal magical style. Sample keepsakes include a folio or binder of magical observations, a walking stick with mnemonic grooves, a bracelet of assorted charms and baubles, or a planchette carved into shape of a coffin. If it’s destroyed or lost, you can create a new keepsake with 1 day of downtime.
You gain the Cast a Spell activity. You’re trained in the spell attack modifier and spell DC statistics. Your key spellcasting attribute for hedge mage archetype spells is your choice of Intelligence or Wisdom, and they are hedge mage spells of a tradition associated with the skill chosen for this dedication (arcane for Arcana, primal for Nature, occult for Occultism, and divine for Religion).
Your keepsake holds 4 common cantrips of your choice from your appropriate tradition. You prepare spells each day by meditating with your keepsake. You can prepare two cantrips from your keepsake each day.
Basic Hedge Mage Spellcasting Feat 4
Archetype Source Impossible Magic pg. 94
Archetype Hedge Mage
Prerequisites Hedge Mage Dedication
Your independent introspections grant you rudiments of magical power. You gain the basic spellcasting benefits. Each time you gain a spell slot of a new rank from the hedge mage archetype, add three common 1st‑rank spells to your keepsake.
Peer Past the Hedge Feat 4
Archetype Skill Source Impossible Magic pg. 94
Archetype Hedge Mage
Prerequisites Hedge Mage Dedication
You can pick up on subtle magic with ease. Add the detect magic cantrip to your keepsake. Additionally, you can perform the Detect Magic exploration activity at the same time as the Search exploration activity.
Tender Ministrations [one-action] Feat 4
Archetype Concentrate Spellshape Source Impossible Magic pg. 94
Archetype Hedge Mage
Prerequisites Hedge Mage Dedication
Your gentle magic eases even the most skittish of souls, a gift that almost guarantees you popularity among parents and farmers alike. If your next action is to Cast a non-cantrip Spell that targets a single creature, you can reduce the target’s frightened condition by 1. If the target is an animal, you can also attempt to counteract an effect imposing the confused or fleeing condition.
Humble Spell [one-action] Feat 6
Archetype Concentrate Spellshape Source Impossible Magic pg. 94
Archetype Hedge Mage
Prerequisites Hedge Mage Dedication
For basic spells, basic movements; you can do without flamboyant gestures or showy signs of power. If your next action is to Cast a non-cantrip Spell, it loses the manipulate trait and gains the subtle trait. The trait hides only the spell’s spellcasting actions and manifestations, not its effects, so an observer might still see a ray streak out from you or see you vanish into thin air.
Practical Magic Feat 6
Archetype Source Impossible Magic pg. 95
Archetype Hedge Mage
Prerequisites Hedge Mage Dedication
Want not, waste not; through a mix of frugality, inspiration, and sheer resourcefulness, you maintain a catalog of materials with ambient, lingering magic, which you can transform into temporary spell catalysts. Be it powder ground from the burnt remains of hippogriff feathers or yarn drawn from the locks of an alicorn, you have these materials at hand and, perhaps more importantly, know how to bend them toward practical effects. These consumable items can change or enhance the effects of specific spells. To get the most out of a spell catalyst, you or an ally should be able to cast the affected spell.
You know the formulas for all common spell catalysts of your level or lower. You remember spell catalyst formulas and don’t need a formula book for them. Each day during your daily preparations, you can make two spell catalysts with an item level no higher than half your level. You must know each spell catalyst’s formula. A spell catalyst created this way is a temporary item and loses its magic the next time you make your daily preparations if you haven’t already used it.
Cantrip Supremacy Feat 8
Archetype Source Impossible Magic pg. 95
Archetype Hedge Mage
Prerequisites Basic Hedge Mage Spellcasting
You know more than most how useful even the simplest of spells can be during the course of a day. Add 10 additional cantrips to your keepsake. You can also prepare 10 additional cantrips from your keepsake each day.
Simple Mastery [one-action] Feat 8
Archetype Concentrate Spellshape Source Impossible Magic pg. 95
Archetype Hedge Mage
Frequency once per 10 minutes
Prerequisites Basic Hedge Mage Spellcasting
Other casters’ never-ending hunger for new magic prevents them from truly understanding just how far simple magic can be pushed when truly mastered. If your next action is to Cast a non-cantrip Spell, you Cast the Spell as though it is 1 rank higher, up to the highest rank spell you can cast.
Keepsake of Power Feat 10
Archetype Source Impossible Magic pg. 95
Archetype Hedge Mage
Prerequisites Hedge Mage Dedication; master in Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion
Your keepsake might be disdained by your more orthodox peers as a crutch to your studies, but you know it grants you an understated, yet undeniable, power. Increase your limit on invested items from 10 to 12. If you have Incredible Investiture, instead increase your limit to 14. Investing worn magic items is explained here..
Expert Hedge Madge Spellcasting Feat 12
Archetype Source Impossible Magic pg. 95
Archetype Hedge Mage
Prerequisites Basic Hedge Mage Spellcasting
You gain the expert spellcasting benefits. When you add spells to your keepsake from gaining a spell slot of a new rank from the hedge mage archetype, you can choose 2nd-rank spells.
Community Needs Feat 14
Archetype Source Impossible Magic pg. 95
Archetype Hedge Mage
Prerequisites Hedge Mage Dedication
You have learned to take the time needed to be flexible and to contemplate the best use of your magic for those around you. You can spend 10 minutes to empty one of your prepared spell slots and prepare a different spell from your keepsake in its place. If you’re interrupted during such a swap, the original spell remains prepared and can still be cast. You can try again to swap out the spell later, but you must start the process over again.
Master Hedge Mage Spellcasting Feat 18
Archetype Source Impossible Magic pg. 95
Archetype Hedge Mage
Prerequisites Expert Hedge Madge Spellcasting
You gain the master spellcasting benefits. When you add spells to your keepsake from gaining a spell slot of a new rank from the hedge mage archetype, you can choose 3rd-rank spells.
Shelyn's Corner
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