Hedgecraft is the name given to the practice of magic in the Old World by Human Hedge Wizards. Hedge Wizards have served the communities of Men in the Old World for countless centuries, and during this time they have mastered many elaborate practices to manipulate the Winds of Magic in relative safety. However, the rituals, spells, and charms they employ to cheat the curse of Tzeentch, the fell Chaos God of magic, are complex and exact, and often require a significant amount of preparation.[2a]
Hedgefolk use ingredients extensively in their spells, and this requires them to channel their spells in relative safety and not under any form of stress, such as combat.[2a]
Lore of Hedgecraft[]
Hedgecraft has been practiced for uncounted centuries in the Old World. During this time, several distinct traditions have formed. Arguably the most famous are the so-called "Cunning Folk" or "Wise Ones," practitioners of folk magic known for their skills at warding against any evil, be it disease, mischievous spirits, or even the influence of other witches. [2b]
Other Hedgefolk are expert craftsmen, able to fashion elaborate charms and talismans for various purposes. Lastly, the relatively unknown Hedge Walkers are masters of the spirit world, known for their ability to "walk the hedge," the boundary between the physical and the immaterial.[2b]
Other spells of the Lore of Hedgecraft include the following:
Petty Spells[]
- Ghost Step - The caster leaves no visible tracks for one hour, no matter the type of terrain they are walking through.[1a]
- Gust - The wave of the caster's hand creates a light gust of wind to blow through the area, strong enough to blow out candles and scatter papers, but not of such force to knock over objects of any weight.[1a]
- Ill Fortune - The caster enchants an item they touch for the next 24 hours so that its bearer is cursed with bad luck. Only one curse of ill fortune can effect a target at the same time.[1a]
- Magic Flame - The caster causes a bluish flame to burst to life in their open palm, which lasts so long as the palm stays open or until another spell is cast. The flame is too small to cause any real damage, but it provides the illumination of a candle and can be used to ignite flammable materials like torches or thatch.[1a]
- Protection from Rain - For the next hour (unless dismissed before then) the caster is protected from the rain and other types of precipitation. Even in the heaviest downpour, they and their belongings remain perfectly dry.[1a]
- Shock - The caster's touch temporarily stuns the foe unless they have the sheer willpower to resist.[1a]
Notable Spells[]
D[]
- Dagger of the Art - The caster carefully chants complex words of magic and grasps a stick no longer than eight inches in length, transforming it into a weapon. This counts as a magical dagger, and is particularly potent when wielded against ethereal or Chaos-corrupted creatures.[4a][2c]
F[]
- Fellstave - The caster of this spell first whittles a fellstave, a post of wood no shorter than three feet in length and four inches in diameter, before carving warding symbols into the wood and chanting ancient words of power and then demanding that all foulness flee the righteous spell. The fellstave is driven into the ground and then the spell is cast. If the spell succeeds, for the following month, it acts as a ward against a chosen type of creature. Any creature of that type that draws within 100 yards of the fellstave, must try to resist a magically induced panic else flee, although they may later intuit what the fellstave did and cause them to avoid it or try to destroy it later. The kind of foe this spell worked on was chosen upon being learned, but the spell could be relearned to include new creatures while retaining the versions for the others. Known versions include wards against mutants, Beastmen (Skaven being separate), Fimir, Daemons, Undead, Orcs, Goblins, Trolls, and Ogres.[4a][2c]
G[]
- Goodwill - The caster creates an atmosphere conducive to friendliness and good spirits, neutralising mentalities of animosity and hatred.[3a]
H[]
- Halétha's Joy - The caster pleads with the gods of fertility to bless the target, and assuming they and any potential partner are fertile, the spell ensures a child will be conceived, ending after it is successfully used.[2c]
- Hedge Walk/Myrkride or Mirktide - Speaking ancient words of magic, the caster's soul leaves their body, stepping into the Hedge. For the duration, they stand apart from the mortal world, able to witness it invisibly, but not affect it in any way. Physical barriers are no impediment and they may walk through non-magical obstacles at will. Invisible creatures, ethereal creatures, spirits, and Daemons can be seen and interacted with however. The caster's body remains in place, immobile and insensate. At the end of the spell they will suddenly be pulled back into their body, or they can return by touching their body. If the body is killed while they are walking the Hedge, their soul is doomed to wander aimlessly for eternity.[3a][4a][2c]
I[]
- Invigorate - The caster's sly spell invigorates the target's body by fooling it into into feeling fresh and alert, allowing the target to ignore fatigue for a brief time.[4a][2c]
L[]
- Lovelock - With a drinking vessel in hand, the caster utters the secret words of Hedgecraft, causing honey to drip from the lips, which is caught in the cup. If someone drinks the philtre, it causes them to fall in love with the first person they would find romantically appealing, if any. The spell ends at midnight.[4a]
N[]
- Nepenthe - With a drinking vessel in hand, the caster mutters words of power over a premade potion of herbs, magically transforming it into a potent philtre. As the twisting incantations of magic are chanted, a thick mist issues from the speaker's mouth and coalesces in the cup as a thick silver liquid. If a person drinks the liquid, they immediately forget all they know of a given individual of their choice, including everything involved with them, permanently.[3a][2c]
- Nostrum - The caster speaks powerful words of Hedgecraft and a greenish liquid forms at their fingertips. The incanted spell is cast over an already prepared draught, imbuing it with magical power. If drunk while the spell is in effect, the receipient is immediately healed of several wounds and cured of at least one disease.[3a][2c]
P[]
- Part the Branches - The caster chants a spell and the branches of the hedge part before them, causing the caster's pupils to dilate as they complete this incantation, allowing them to see into the spirit world. Exactly what this allows is unclear, but at minimum it lets the caster perceive invisible creatures, spirits, and Daemons, even those otherwise impossible to see.[3a][2c]
- Protection Pouch - This spell requires the possession of a small pouch, crafted from the body of a small animal such as a bat or shrew. As the complicated words of Hedgecraft are muttered and incanted, a small crop of strange purple herbs grows at the caster's feet and finger tips. These can be harvested and placed into the pouch. If a person wears the herb-filled pouch around their neck, they can more easily resist supernatural, psychological effects, such as the fear and terror invoked by Undead and Daemons. They also more easily resist contracting diseases or suffering from poisons.[4a][2c]
- Protective Charm - The caster imbues a charm such as a small piece of jewellery or pocket-sized trinket with a spell of protection, giving the bearer magical resistance if they do not possess it already.[3a][4a]
- Purify - The caster passes their hands over a target receptacle (such as a flask, jar, stein, or skin), purifying the liquid within. This removes all non-magical impurities, including contaminants, poisons, and pollution, leaving the liquid drinkable.[2c]
S[]
- Sightstep - The caster incants a short invocation which wraps them in the Hedge and dampens their own magical nature, obscuring them from those able to sense the Winds of Magic. Those with witchsight notice nothing strange about them, and they can more easily hide from Daemons, spirits, and ethereal creatures. Though the caster remains unable to cast, channel, or dispel magic while the spell is active it has saved the lives of many hedge witches.[4a][2c]
- Silvertide - The caster proclaims a charm that provides them with the luck to find lost coins, an enticing spell that attracts wealth. Over the course of the next few hours they find low-value coins on the ground, at the bottom of forgotten pockets and hems, behind ears, under cushions, and so on. However, if the spell is not cast successfully Tzeentch's Curse immediately takes hold or grows worse.[4a][2c]
T[]
- The Ousting - The caster incants terrible words of banishment, demanding that a creature from beyond the Hedge return to its place of origin. An ethereal or Daemonic target can be hurt by this spell, and will be immediately banished from the physical world to the Aethyr if it destroys them, unable to return for the next few years.[4a][2c]
W[]
- Wyrd Ward - The hedge wizard grasps another witch and declares this quick curse, wrapping them in an indistinct curtain of magic and depriving them of their connection to corrupt magical energy. This makes it difficult for them to wield the powers of witchcraft, necromancy, daemonology, or Chaos Magic.[4a][2c]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Core Rulebook (RPG)
- 1a: pg. 147
- 2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Shades of Empire (RPG)
- 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Core Rulebook (RPG)
- 3a: pp. 254-255
- 4: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Archives of The Empire Vol. III (RPG)
- 4a: pp. 62-64