Protector Tradition

Image used by permission of Purple Duck Games.

Some hedge witches hear the call to protect and defend — be it a specific person or group of people, a specific place or sacred object, or simply to guard anyone or anything in need. Such driven individuals follow the protector tradition.

Familiar Types: A hedge witch who follows the protector tradition can choose a cat, golden eagle or weasel as her familiar.

Bonus Spells: endure elements (4th), shield other (6th), protection from energy (8th), hold monster (10th), wall of thorns (12th), summon nature’s ally VI (14th), mass hold person (16th), protection from spells (18th), mass hold monster (20th).

Bonus Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Extend Spell, Improved Initiative, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Weapon Finesse.

Circle Power: Deflecting Circle– Whenever you are within a circle you have cast, you and anyone else within the circle with you receives a +2 deflection bonus to armor class. This bonus increases to +4 at 8th level and +6 at 14th level.

Rites: Protector rites offer protection for others and for the hedge witch herself. For some of the rites, the hedge witch and others she protects must remain within the hedge witch’s circle, but for other rites, the hedge witch can leave the circle after the rite and still benefit from the rite’s power. All of a protector hedge witch’s rites must be performed inside a circle she has already cast, and multiple rites can be performed, one after another, within the same circle, until the circle’s duration expires. If the circle’s duration will expire before another rite can be completed, the hedge witch must break her current circle and cast a new one.

Protecting Circle (Su)

At 5th level, the protector hedge witch learns the protecting circle rite. With this rite, the hedge witch is able to increase the type of protection that she and others within her circle benefit from.

The hedge witch begins by casting her circle, then while inside the circle she chants softly for 15 minutes, repeating incantations and prayers. At the end of the 15 minute period, the hedge witch and anyone within her circle with her receives a +2 divine bonus to all saving throws.

The bonus increases to +4 at 10th level. The bonus lasts for as long as the circle remains in place. If the duration of the circle expires or if the circle is broken, the save bonus ceases.

Battle Rite (Su)

At 9th level, the hedge witch learns the battle rite. While most hedge witches tend to avoid hand-to-hand combat, the protector hedge witch recognizes that she often must enter melee combat in order to protect those in need.

She begins by casting her circle. While inside her circle, the hedge witch chants softly for 30 minutes, seeking guidance from the spirits and her god and goddess. At the end of the rite, the protector gains a +4 bonus to Dexterity and to Constitution, with all the accompanying increases in initiative, armor class, ranged attacks, melee attacks (if she has the Weapon Finesse feat), saving throws and hit points. The bonus lasts for 1 hour per hedge witch level, even if the hedge witch leaves her circle.

Protect from Afar (Su)

At 13th level, the protector learns the rite to protect from afar. This rite allows the protector hedge witch to keep those far away from her from harm.

The hedge witch first casts her circle, then, while inside the circle begins to recite incantations that direct the spirits to seek out and protect the one she names. As the hedge witch performs the rite, she subtly manipulates a lock of hair or scrap of clothing from the one she wishes to protect.

The rite requires 45 minutes to perform, but at the end of that time the creature she named for protection receives a +4 deflection bonus to armor class and a +4 divine bonus to saving throws. The beneficiary of the hedge witch’s protection can be any distance from her, so long as both the hedge witch and her target are on the same plane of existence. The benefits of the rite stay with the target for 24 hours.

Rite of Righteousness (Su)

At 17th level, the hedge witch learns the rite of righteousness. As with the battle rite, the rite of righteousness grants the hedge witch power she can use in melee combat.

The hedge witch casts her circle, then while inside the circle she prays fervently for her god and goddess to guide her arm and smite her enemies so that she may protect those in her charge. Over the course of 1 hour, the hedge witch is filled with the power of her god and goddess — power which she can take with her after she leaves the circle or it expires.

For the next 24 hours, the hedge witch can smite her enemies up to 5 times. Good protectors smite evil while evil protectors (rare, but they do exist) will smite good. Neutral protectors can choose to smite evil or good while performing the rite, but once chosen cannot be changed until the rite is performed again. A neutral hedge witch that follows even one good deity cannot choose to Smite Good. Likewise, a neutral hedge witch that follows even one evil deity cannot choose to smite evil.

When the hedge witch uses her Smite ability, she designates a target and receives a bonus to attack equal to her Wisdom bonus and a bonus to damage equal to her hedge witch level. The hedge witch also receives a deflection bonus to her armor class equal to her Wisdom bonus that applies only to the target of her Smite. If the target of her Smite is not of an alignment that would be affected, the attempt is wasted.

Keep Me from Harm (Su)

At 20th level, the hedge witch learns the keep me from harm rite. With this rite, the hedge witch is able to protect herself to a great extent, allowing her to better function as a protector of others.

The hedge witch first casts her circle and then sits within the circle as she softly recites prayers and incantations, drawing power to her from the earth and from her god and goddess. For 2 hours, the hedge witch chants as she performs the rite and at the end of the rite she gains DR 10/evil/good (depending on the hedge witch’s alignment, in similar fashion to the rite of righteousness). The protector also becomes immune to all mind-affecting spells, so she cannot be charmed, tricked with illusions, or otherwise mentally influenced. Both effects last for 1 full month.

The keep me from harm rite can only be performed once per month, and must be performed under a full moon. If it is performed at any other time of the month, the rite does not work.

ECOLOGY

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Paths of Power. Copyright 2009, 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming; Authors Sean O’Connor and Patricia Willenborg, with Connie J. Thomson and Robert W. Thomson.

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