Hedge Wizard¶
Medium humanoid, any alignment
Armor Class 12 (15 with mage armor) Hit Points 27 (5d8 + 5) Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 (-1) | 14 (+2) | 12 (+1) | 15 (+2) | 12 (+1) | 11 (+0) |
Saving Throws Int +4, Wis +3 Skills Arcana +6, History +4, Investigation +4 Senses passive Perception 11 Languages any two languages (usually Common and one arcane tongue) Challenge 2 (450 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Arcane Recovery. Once per day when the Hedge Wizard finishes a short rest, he regains one expended 1st- or 2nd-level spell slot.
Spellcasting. The Hedge Wizard casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks).
At will: fire bolt, mage hand, minor illusion, prestidigitation
3/Day each: mage armor, magic missile, shield
2/Day each: invisibility (self only), misty step, scorching ray
1/Day each: counterspell, dispel magic, fireball
Actions¶
Quarterstaff. Melee Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage, or 4 (1d8) bludgeoning damage if wielded with two hands.
Arcane Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +4 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d8) force damage.
Description¶
A learned mage who lives outside the great academies. Runs a small tower, cottage, or hilltop retreat with a handful of apprentices. Sells poultices, cantrips, and minor enchantments to nearby villagers; brews potions in a back room; is the local recourse for arcane trouble. Broad but not deep in his knowledge: knows enough of many schools to solve most problems that come to his door, without the reputation or resources of an Academy Master.
Composes as Hedge Wizard in the Arcane axis (Arcane Hermitage theme) — see Arcane: Hedge Wizard (theme).
Design notes¶
- Fills the CR 2 arcane-priest niche: the arcane equivalent of the SRD Priest, providing a mid-tier mage that can stand alone in a village without being an Academy Master.
- Hit Points, saving throws, ability scores, and proficiency bonus mirror the Priest for parity.
- Arcane Recovery gives him a wizard-specific class feature signal.
- Spell selection is entirely SRD-compatible (fire bolt, mage hand, minor illusion, prestidigitation, mage armor, magic missile, shield, invisibility, misty step, scorching ray, counterspell, dispel magic, fireball).
- Arcane Bolt provides a reliable damage option after slots are spent, a post-Tasha's pattern that avoids the empty-spellcaster problem.
- Original stat block; not copied from any WotC supplement.