The Hearthward Codex
A careful witch-wizard's treasured grimoire turns measured gestures and stubborn craft into shelter for the vulnerable.
Spellbook · Wizard, protective witchcraft · Level 10
The Hearthward Codex
A careful witch-wizard's treasured grimoire turns measured gestures and stubborn craft into shelter for the vulnerable.
Ex librisMara VennWizardry blended with folk witchcraft
At a glance
Level
10
Wizard, protective witchcraft
Spells
10
2 cantrips, 2 signature
At the table
A margin note
Plot hook
Spells
10 spellsCantrips
2- The target gains +10% resistance to incoming harmful effects for the duration.
- Duration
- 2 turns
- Target
- One willing creature
- Components
- A silver thimble or other small focus
- Higher levels
- At greater resource cost, the caster may protect one additional adjacent willing creature.
- Source
- Original Creation
- Creates a visible or subtle ward along a short boundary. The caster is alerted if a hostile creature crosses it.
- Duration
- Until the next dawn or until dismissed
- Target
- A line or threshold up to 10 feet long
- Components
- A pinch of salt and a whispered boundary phrase
- Higher levels
- Greater resources can extend the line around a larger perimeter.
- Source
- Original Creation
1st level
1- A brief forceful ward reduces the next instance of physical harm the caster suffers.
- Duration
- 1 turn
- Target
- Self
- Components
- A circling hand motion
- Higher levels
- Spending additional energy can extend the ward through another turn.
- Source
- Original Creation
2nd level
1- Links two willing creatures with a protective charm. Once during the duration, one may take a portion of the other's incoming harm instead.
- Duration
- 3 turns
- Target
- Two willing creatures
- Components
- A knotted red thread
- Higher levels
- Additional resources allow one more creature to be linked.
- Source
- Original Creation
3rd level
2- A shimmering reflection makes the caster harder to target with hostile magic. It offers no protection from area effects.
- Duration
- 2 turns
- Target
- Self
- Components
- A small polished mirror
- Higher levels
- Additional resources can let the caster protect one adjacent ally as well.
- Source
- Original Creation
- Wards a small enclosed space. The caster receives an alert when a hostile creature enters by crossing its boundary.
- Duration
- 10 minutes
- Target
- One room or small shelter
- Components
- A drawn circle and a spoken household name
- Higher levels
- Greater resources increase the warded structure's size or duration.
- Source
- Original Creation
4th level
2- Allies in the circle gain modest resistance to fear and forced movement while they remain within it.
- Duration
- 3 turns
- Target
- Willing allies in the area
- Components
- A spoken promise and a thread tied around the wrist
- Higher levels
- Greater resources may widen the circle or extend its duration.
- Source
- Original Creation
- The target receives a warning sensation when an invisible or concealed supernatural presence approaches nearby.
- Duration
- 1 hour
- Target
- One creature or small enclosed area
- Components
- A silver needle, which is not consumed
- Higher levels
- Greater resources can cover a larger area or include additional creatures.
- Source
- Original Creation
5th level
2- Raises a visible protective field around the caster. Allies within it gain resistance to physical harm, and the field hinders hostile projectiles crossing its boundary.
- Duration
- 3 turns
- Target
- The caster and willing allies in the area
- Components
- A braided cord and a sustained protective chant
- Higher levels
- Greater resources can broaden the bastion or reinforce its resistance.
- Source
- Original Creation
- Binds a protective warning to a home or refuge. Named residents are recognized, and the caster is alerted if a hostile creature enters.
- Duration
- Until broken, dismissed, or the next dawn
- Target
- One small home or refuge
- Components
- A silver needle, three candles, and a willing creature's true name
- Higher levels
- Greater resources may extend the ward's area or let it protect additional named residents.
- Source
- Original Creation
In the margins
4 notes
FormulaKeep the left heel planted. The circle holds only while the rhythm does.
WarningNever stitch a ward with thread taken from a shroud. It remembers whom it failed.
DiaryI promised the children one night without nightmares. This book must be enough.
DiagramThree rings: self, household, guest. Leave no gap at the threshold.
The book itself
The pages smell faintly of beeswax, rain, and woodsmoke.
Silvered thread sewn through the binding warms near active curses.
Several protective formulae are annotated with dance steps and breath marks.
The caster
Wizardry blended with folk witchcraftMara Venn
Studies: Protective abjuration, household wards, and performance-based witchcraftManner: Calm, attentive, and quietly firm; she listens first and stands between danger and others without announcing it.Focus: A silver thimble, a length of red thread, and precise hand gesturesQuirk: She taps doorframes twice before entering, even when she has just cast a ward on them.Wants: To restore the old refuge wards before the coming winter drives displaced families into danger.Mara Venn learned practical witchcraft from her grandmother, then studied formal wizardry to protect the farmsteads that paid little heed to either tradition.
The book
A compact, deep-green leather codex with silver thread stitched into its spine. Its vellum pages are edged in copper and bear layered diagrams of circles, knots, and protective sigils.
Its wards · GM only
About the book
FormatHand-bound warding codex
ThemeProtection
Written by aWizard, protective witchcraft
Caster level10
SystemGeneric Fantasy
Plot hooks
1A village's protective boundary has begun turning away its own residents, and the only clue is a missing page from the codex.
2The witch-wizard seeks the original owner of a silver needle tucked into the binding, believing it can mend a failing ward around an ancient refuge.
3A rival offers a fortune for the book, but the wards recognize the rival as someone who once betrayed the spellcaster's household.
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