Witch

Sympathetic Magic

The entire world and multiverse are an intimatly woven construct. Our planets were made from the stars they orbit, our cells given life from the food eaten by our parents when we were conceived, and we are even connected by the bonds of friendship, romance and rivalry we form with one another. Witches are the mages who study this bond the universe holds, finding the leylines that connect all things and using them to aid those they come across and hex those that draw their eir.

Where as wizards and artificers study arcane magic in isolated circumstances, such as with the raw weave or with specific sets of tools, Witches see magic on a broader, more cosmic scale. They know that everything is deeply connected enough to relate back to everything else, and its about studying what connects all things that allow them to heal wounds, gather knowledge, bend the mind and sicken the body, or even empower weaponry or call on the elements.

Wicked Reputation

It is rumored by some that hags were the first creatures to create witchcraft or "coven magic". Whether or not this is true, it is a reputation that some witches must burden. Some communities see witches as pillars who establish unity and work for the good of all, while others see witches as hexed maniacs who curse and kill for the sick amusement of their hag masters. Know however that a witch can follow any path, and they are only limited by how they apply their spells, and how hard they wish to impact their life and the life of others.

Many witches form larger groups or communities to exchange stories, magic or gossip known as Covens. While many see witches as solitary mages deep in the outskirts, it cannot be understated that the magic of witches relies on the bonds they form with others. When making your witch, work with your DM to decide on what unites you with your party, and what you desire to do with them and the magic they help you nurture. Do you come from a long line of witches who set out to form connections with the world at large? Where you raised by hags and groomed to be an agent of the Unseelie Court? Or perhaps you are a hedge witch who stumbled into the sympathetic arcane, and are just here to strengthen the bond with your friends.

Creating a Witch

When creating a witch, use the following section for your hit points, proficiencies, and starting equipment. Then look to the Witch table to see which features you get at each level. The descriptions of those features appear in the “Witch Features” section.

Quick Build

You can make a witch quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Intelligence, followed by Constitution or Dexterity. Second, choose the hermit background. Lastly, take the mind sliver and prestidigitation cantrips.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per witch level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per witch level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: none
Weapons: Clubs, daggers, darts, javelins, quarterstaffs, sickles, slings, spears, light crossbows
Tools: Alchemist supplies or Herbalism kit, your choice
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Nature, History, Religion, Medicine, Animal Handling, Intimidation, Insight

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a druidic focus or (b) a component pouch
• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) a staff
• (a) an explorer's pack or (b) a scholar's pack
• a dagger and an iron cauldron

Cantrips (0-Level Spells)

At 1st level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the witch spell list. You learn additional witch cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Witch table.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The witch table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your witch spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these witch spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of witch spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the witch spell list. When you do so, choose a number of witch spells equal to your Intelligence modifier + your witch level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you are a 3rd-level witch, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With an Intelligence of 16, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cause fear, you can cast it using a 1st-level or 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.

You can also change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of witch spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your witch spells, since the power of your magic relies on your understanding of the connections between the world. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a witch spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.

Ritual Casting

You can cast a witch spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use an druidic focus (see the Adventuring Gear section) as a spellcasting focus for your witch spells.

Eyes of the Night

You grant a creature darkvision out to 60 feet. If the creature already had darkvision, it extends out 30 feet.

Wild Ones Arsenal

You grant a creature a natural weapon, which counts as a simple melee weapon they are proficient with. You determine the appearance of this weapon, be they claws, a whipping tail or a series of jagged teeth. In addition, this weapon has one of the following traits of your choice; finesse, reach, heavy. On a hit, a creature deals 1d6 + their Strength modifier bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage (your choice when you grant this Covenant).

Rite Spells

Each rite has a list of spells — it's rite spells — that you gain at the witch levels noted in the rite description. Once you gain a rite spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.

If you have a rite spell that doesn’t appear on the witch spell list, the spell is nonetheless a witch spell for you.

Rite of Dusk

Witches of this Rite have a heavy focus on the future and foresight. Some of them take opportunities to be as close to the night sky as possible, others have the constellations engraved onto their body to symbolise the great patterns of reality. Witches of Dusk can use their magic to always find their coven members, foretell their future, and even bend the future and luck of those around them, for better or for worse.

Ever Seeing

14th level rite of dusk feature

You can cast Scrying or Dream without expending a spell slot. Once you cast either of these spells this way, you cannot cast either of these spellssaid way again until you finish a long rest.

Storm Rite Spells

Covenants of Storm

2nd level rite of storm feature

You learn the primordial’s bow Covenant. This does not count against your amount of bond Covenants known, and you cannot change this bond Covenant when you level up in this class.

Storm’s Aegis

2nd level rite of storm feature

You are fierce in defending your allies. When you reduce damage taken by a bonded ally using your Coven Bond feature, you can cause the creature that dealt the damage to take acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison or thunder damage (your choice) equal to the damage you reduced.

Filter of the Realm

6th level rite of storm feature

Your coven becomes pools of power for you to augment and wash your spells through. When you cast a spell through a creature using Coven Bond that deals acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison or thunder damage, you may change the damage type of that spell to one of the other listed damage types.

Witch of the Land

10th level rite of storm feature

Your deep connection to the land manifests in the following ways:

• You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed, and can breathe underwater.
• You gain a fly speed equal to half your walking speed. If you end your turn in the air, you fall, taking no fall damage.
• Plants, beasts and elementals have disadvantage on attack rolls against you, and you have advantage on saving throws against their spells and other effects.

Call to the Tempest

14th level rite of storm feature

You have become one with nature, forming a bond with the very land itself. As an action, you can cause an aura of nature's wrath to manifest within a 60 foot radius of you for one minute, until you go unconscious, or until you die. While this aura is active, you gain the following benefits:

• You and bonded creatures within the aura gain resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison or thunder damage.
• The damage of your Storm’s Aegis increases to include half your Witch level (rounded down).
• As a bonus action, you can cause one creature within your aura to make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, that creature gains vulnerability to acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison or thunder damage (your choice). until the end of your next turn. They instead lose resistance to that damage type if they already had resistance to it, or gain resistance to it if they were immune to it.

Cantrip (0 level)

Chill Touch
Create Bonfire
Dancing Lights
Druidcraft
Infestation*
Prestidigitation
Magic Stone
Mind Sliver**
Minor Illusion
Thaumaturgy
Toll the Dead*

1st Level

Animal Friendship
Bane
Beast Bond (ritual)
Bless
Cause Fear**
Charm Person
Color Spray
Command
Cure Wounds
Detect Magic (ritual)
Faerie Fire
False Life
Find Familiar
Gnat Sap***
Hex
Inflict Wounds
Jynx*** Protection from Evil and Good
Ray of Sickness
Sleep
Silvery Barbs
Speak with Animals (ritual)
Caustic Brew**
Hideous Laughter
Unseen Servant (ritual)

2nd Level

Aid
Animal Messenger (ritual)
Augury (ritual)
Barkskin
Beast Sense
Blindness/Deafness
Calling Cauldron*** Calm Emotions
Crown of Madness
Darkness
Detect Thoughts
Enlarge/Reduce
Heat Metal
Hold Person
Mind Spike*
Misty Step
Phantasmal Force
Ray of Enfeeblement
Suggestion
Mind Whip**

3rd Level

Bestow Curse
Counterspell
Dispel Magic
Fear
Hypnotic Pattern
Magic Circle
Sending
Slow
Speak with Dead
Speak with Plants
Tiny Servants*

4th Level

Banishment
Blight
Charm Monster**
Compulsion
Confusion
Death Ward
Private Sanctum
Polymorph
Shadow of Moil*

5th Level

Awaken
Circle of Power
Contagion
Dispel Evil and Good
Dominate Person
Dream
Enervation*
Geas
Hallow
Hold Monster
Modify Memory

Gnat Sap

1st level necromancy

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 15 feet
• Components: V, S, M (a gnat or other biting insect)
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Class: Witch*, Wizard, Warlock

You reach out and try to siphon the life energy of a creature within range to make its life energy your own. It must make a Constitution saving throw or take 2d4 necrotic damage on a failed save. You then gain a number of temporary hit points equal to half the damage dealt.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d4 for each slot level above 1st.

Jynx

1st level necromancy

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: touch
• Components: V, S, M (a wart)
• Duration: concentration, up to 1 minute
• Class: Witch*, Wizard, Warlock

You touch a creature, and that creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become cursed for the duration of the spell. When you cast this spell, choose the nature of the curse from the following options:

• Toad's Breath The target is poisoned.
• Nightmare Bloom The target is frightened of one creature of your choice within 30 feet of them when you cast the spell.
• Cupid Kiss The target is charmed of one creature of your choice within 30 feet of them when you cast the spell.
• Lethargy The targets speed is reduced by 10 feet.

A remove curse spell ends this effect. At the DM's option, you may choose an alternative curse effect, but it should be no more powerful than those described above. The DM has final say on such a curse's effect.

Calling Cauldron

2nd level transmutation

• Casting Time: 10 minutes (ritual)
• Range: 10 feet
• Components: V, S, M (A large iron pot, incense and charcoal worth 100 gp, which the spell consumes)
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Class: Witch*, Artificer, Wizard

You turn the iron pot used in this spells casting into a loyal companion; a witches cauldron.

The cauldron is a medium magical object. It has an AC of 16 and a number of hit points equal to 10 times the spell level used to cast it. It is immune to poison and psychic damage, and all conditions. If it is forced to make an ability check or saving throw, treat all its ability scores as 10 (+0). If the mending spell is cast on it, it regains 2d hit points. It disappears if it is reduced to 0 hit points, if you die or if you cast this spell again.

The Cauldron has a walking speed of 30 feet. Its speed becomes 0 while carrying more than 500 pounds As a bonus action, you can command the cauldron to begin moving directly towards you by the safest available route on each of its turns, acting on the end of each of your turns. The cauldron does so until it ends its turn within 5 feet of you. In addition, you can command the cauldron as a bonus action while within 30 feet of you to move to an unoccupied space within 30 feet of you and the cauldron on its turn.