Also, a hedge mage with this skill can sometimes dramatically alter the mood and tractability of animals. This includes knowledge of the interrelationship between the homes and temples of mankind and the spirits that often dwell within them. Often used in conjunction with Physician skill to make fortifying meals to speed along recovery from illness. Hedge wizards are also knowledgeable of the power of food to affect mood and outlook, and to distract people from their worries and disagreements. This skill can detect supernatural maladies as well as ordinary ones, ills that would flummox an ordinary doctor.
Dramatic changes are extremely difficult.
Hedge magic won't make a deadly poison much deadlier, but the magic of plants and animals can often be used to create exotic poisons, such as those that cause only the semblance of death, or those that work sickness on the heart and mind instead of the body. Many of the ills of a village are rooted in fear. This skill can be used with great effect to alter moods and to nudge people towards or away from a particular belief. If the mage has an academic bent and tends to collect books and manuscripts, this skill will be useful for delving into them for hidden meaning or scraps of useful magic. An hour or two is often sufficient to pass on a simple, helpful trick.