Arcane Traditions: The Hedge Wizard

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Credits

Hedge Wizard Tradition by: RDD Wilkin

Layout and Formatting: RDD Wilkin
Graphics and Images: layout elements by and Corey
Johnston, some art Patrick Pullen, fantasy objects by
Daniel F. Walthall (found at: http://drivethrurpg.com/
product/181517, available under a CC BY 4.0 license: http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

What is Hedge Magic?

Hedge magic is a derogatory term used by wizards to refer to

arcane magic practices developed outside of the conventional
strictures of magical teaching. A common conception is that
practitioners of such homebrewed disciplines tend to come from
the countryside where proper wizardly schooling is less available
or non-existent. The term also implies the superiority of a properly schooled mage, whether they learned their art in one of the
relatively recent magic schools or through the more traditional
system of apprenticeship.
Among those who practice hedge magic are hedge wizards,
who are self-taught and generally considered capable only of
lesser magics, minor charms and enchantments beneath all
but the most lowly of apprentices. In truth, hedge wizards may
be perfectly competent individuals, just as some traditionally
schooled wizards, in spite of possessing the intelligence to learn
magic, may still turn out to be buffoons.
Since they do not or cannot take advantage of the combined
knowledge of wizards past, hedge wizards do have their work
cut out for them retreading ground that other wizards may have
explored centuries ago, But schooled wizards forget that all
wizardry had to start somewhere and that the great masters they
revere once practiced the very same trial and error methodology
as any hedge wizard. Hence, a hedge wizard may in fact come
far closer to remarkable discoveries or innovation than a wizard
who merely relies on the knowledge of past masters.

Hedge Wizard

I may not have a fancy degree from one of your colleges, and I may
not have trained under a great master, but none of my knowledge
was handed to me. I taught myself every step of the way, and forged
my own path to magic in so doing I learned things even your
masters do not.
Abalon Conrad, Hedge Wizard

The Oldest Arcane Tradition

A Hedge Wizard is one who has not been taught by either institutionalized wizardry or the traditional master-apprentice system. The name derives from the perception that such self-taught
practitioners often come from rural areas where opportunities
to learn true wizardry are slim. They are generally seen as dabblers with only the most rudimentary grasp of the secrets of the
arcane.
In many cases this is true, but schooled wizards forget that
the first wizards had no teacher but themselves, and the great
masters from early history could all be considered Hedge
Wizards by todays definition. There exist among modern Hedge
Wizards some few capable of the same sort of genius that was
possessed by the very wizards who formalised their magic and
gave rise to organized wizardry. Any player character Hedge
Wizard is most certainly one such.
More charitable consideration of Hedge Wizardry, then, is
that it is simply the path of the self taught. Depending on ones
point of view it is either strictly speaking not an arcane tradition
at all, or else the oldest tradition of them all.

Unique Practices
A self-taught practitioner of magic, a Hedge Wizard has to
learn for themselves much of what has already been discovered
and formalised by wizards of the past. In practice, much of their
magic is cast in just the same ways and with the same components as any other wizard.
However, the accepted form of a spell is not always the only
way to achieve a given effect, and a Hedge Wizard can often
surprise a formally schooled practitioner by their ability to
accomplish an effect with entirely different magical forms and
components. Sometimes this is an overly complicated work
around for what with a little more understanding could have
been a simple effect. Just as often, however, the solution of a
Hedge Wizard is equally elegant, or even more efficient, than
the standard accepted magical forms.
In seeking power from sources that other wizards do not
explore, Hedge Wizards can also become practiced in areas of
magic that schooled wizards neglect.

Natural Magic
Hedge Wizards seek knowledge and power everywhere, and are
not too proud to seek it in humble places. They understand far
better than any wizard that magic can be found in everything,
and to harness it one needs only understand the workings of the
world. Hedge Wizards make extensive study of plants, herbs,
and beasts, and become experts on their properties and potential
application.
Because they grasp the power inherent in the natural world,
Hedge Wizards respect and often get along well with Druids

and Rangers. Indeed, they often get along far better with these
agents of the natural world than they do other Wizards.
Mastery over the properties of the natural world opens up to
the Hedge Wizard some capabilities that are out of the reach
of even the greatest of schooled wizards. For instance, their
knowledge of natural magic and herbal properties allows them
to learn limited healing techniques. While their abilities will
never surpass the divine gifts of a Cleric, a Hedge Wizard is
nevertheless a boon to a small village, and is assured the respect
and goodwill of the local folk for whom they are often the only
help available.

Hedge Wizard Tradition

There is no school for hedge wizardry - each practitioner of this

tradition masters their magic in their own way, and through
much trial and error. As a hedge wizard you are looked down on
by your more privileged peers, but you know you can be proud
of all you have accomplished on your own.
Because by default every magical breakthrough is new to you,
you are skilled at thinking outside the box and improvising solutions its second nature to you.

Unusual Medthodology
Beginning when you select this school at 2nd-level, any time
you select a new spell you may substitute one or more of its material spell components for any other appropriate component of
the same value. When cast by you, the spell requires this alternative list of material components. Let your imagination run wild!
Furthermore, select two of your known cantrips and one
1st-level spell from your spellbook. For each cantrip or spell,
choose either Verbal, Somatic, or Material components. For you,
the cantrip or spell does not require the component selected.
If you choose Material components, you eliminate only those
components with no gold piece cost, and must still provide any
component with an actual gold piece value.

Healers Lore
Starting at 2nd-level, Cure Wounds is considered a class spell
for you, is automatically added to your spellbook, and is always
considered prepared (it does not count against the number of
spells you have prepared.
You also learn the cantrip Spare The Dying. The cantrip
doesnt count against your number of cantrips known.
Upon reaching 3rd-level in Wizard and gaining access to
2nd-level spells, Lesser Restoration is considered a class spell for
you and is automatically added to your spellbook. Unlike Cure
Wounds, it is not always considered prepared.

Natural Lore
At 6th-level, you become proficient in both Nature and Herbalism Kits. If you already have proficiency in one or both skills,
you may select any alternative skill or tool Hedge Wizards are
all different, and many find it necessary to pick up very unusual
talents.

Improvised Magic
Beginning at 10th-level, your self-taught magic begins paying
off with the ability to alter your spells on the fly.
You gain two of the following metamagic options. You can
use only one metamagic option on a spell when you cast it, unless otherwise noted.
You may use Improvised Magic twice. Some metamagic
options are powerful enough that they count as multiple uses.
Once you have exhausted your uses of Improvised Magic, you
cannot use this ability again until after a long rest.

Careful Spell (One Use)

When you cast a spell that forces other creatures to make a

saving throw, you can protect some of those creatures from the
spells full force. Choose a number of those creatures up to your
Charisma modifier (minimum of one creature). A chosen creature automatically succeeds on its saving throw against the spell.

Distant Spell (One Use)

When you cast a spell that has a range of 5 feet or greater, you
can double the range of the spell.
When you cast a spell that has a range of touch, you can
make the range of the spell 30 feet.

Empowered Spell (One Use)

When you roll damage for a spell, you can reroll a number of
the damage dice up to your Charisma modifier (minimum of
one). You must use the new rolls.
You can use Empowered Spell even if you have already used
a different metamagic option during the casting of the spell.

Extended Spell (One Use)

When you cast a spell that has a duration of 1 minute or longer,

you can double its duration, to a maximum duration of 24 hours.

Quickened Spell (Two Uses)

When you cast a spell that has a casting time of 1 action, you
can change the casting time to 1 bonus action for this casting.

Subtle Spell (One Use)

When you cast a spell, you can cast it without any somatic or
verbal components.

Twinned Spell (One or Two Uses)

When you cast a cantrip or 1st-level spell that targets only one
creature and doesnt have a range of self, you can target a second
creature in range with the same spell.
You can modify a 2nd-level spell in the same manner, but
doing so counts as two uses of Improvised Magic.
To be eligible, a spell must be incapable of targeting more
than one creature at the spells current level. For example, magic
missile and scorching ray arent eligible, but ray of frost and chromatic orb are.

Other Metamagic Options

If your DM approves other sources which include new metamagic options intended for the Sorcerer or any other class,
you can select any new metamagic option the source makes

available. However, you may not select a metamagic option that

costs more than two sorcery points. A metamagic option that
costs a Sorcerer two sorcery points instead costs as two uses of
Improved Magic.

Improved Improvised Magic

At 14th level, you may select a 3rd metamagic option, and
you may now use Improvised Magic three times per long rest.
Heightened Spell is now available to you.

Heightened Spell (Three Uses)

When you cast a spell that forces a creature to make a saving throw to resist its effects, you
can give one target of the spell
disadvantage on its first saving
throw made against the
spell.

Other
Metamagic
Options

If your DM approves other sources

which include new
metamagic options
intended for the
Sorcerer or any other
class, you may now
select any metamagic option from that
source that costs three
sorcery points. When
using any such metamagic option, it costs
three uses of Improved
Magic.

Multiclassing
Improvised Magic:
A Hedge Wizard can
use this feature to apply
metamagic to a spell from
any other class they possess. Regardless of the class
the spell belongs to, doing so
still costs one or more uses of
Improvised Magic
Improvised Magic and Sorcery Points: A character that has
both Improvised Casting and Sorcery Points should track Metamagic uses gained from Improvised Casting separately to their
use of sorcery points.
Uses of Improvised Casting cannot be converted into spell
slots.