Protective Bracken (sage ability)

Protective Bracken is an amateur-status sage ability in the study of Mosses & Ferns, granting the character the ability to identify, locate and utilise brackens — dense clusters of ferns, often interwoven with shrubbery — as a means of protection. Bracken, sometimes growing as tall as three feet, can form thick carpets across fields, brushy regions and wooded areas.

Bracken serves as a habitat for a vast array of faeries, many of which are unique to a particular bracken and found nowhere else on earth. Some of these faeries are incredibly small — less than a tenth the size of a sprite — while others may be invisible. Through specialised knowledge of ferns and their ecosystems, the character gains the ability to subtly summon these creatures in times of need.

A character with this expertise possesses an innate sense of where brackens naturally occur. This ability applies only to wild environments; however, if a cultivated garden contains a patch of ferns exceeding 15 feet in diameter, faeries will reside there as well, allowing the character to benefit from their presence.

Hiding

Characters with this ability may use bracken as a means of concealment simply by lying down or crouching within its dense foliage — though the latter requires the character to be no taller than 5 feet. In either case, the bracken's leaves and branches will instinctively shift, closing over them to create a natural, undetectable cover. This concealment is nearly perfect, rendering the character invisible to normal sight and making them indistinguishable from the surrounding vegetation.

As long as the character remains completely still, makes no noise and does not disturb the bracken in any way, they cannot be located by conventional means. Even creatures with keen senses or tracking abilities will be unable to detect them. Only magical effects such as divination spells, supernatural perception or direct intervention from beings with faerie sight can reveal the hidden character's presence.

Protective Qualities

When a character stands or engages in combat while surrounded by bracken, they receive assistance from both the thick foliage and the unseen faerie-folk that dwell within. This grants a +1 protection against all attacks, which may be applied to armour class, saving throws or ability checks, as well as any other applicable rolls.

This benefit arises from the subtle interference of the bracken and its hidden inhabitants. Enemies find themselves off balance as unseen hands pull at their shins, causing them to stumble or misstep. At the same time, the character may feel an imperceptible shift, nudging them just enough to evade an incoming missile or an enemy's blade. Though their influence is limited, the faeries provide what aid they can.

See also
Plant Life (sage field)
Seek Bedstead (sage ability)
Taiga (range)
Woodland (range)