Witch
Class Group: Mage
Primary Ability: Intelligence
Harnessing the hidden power that lies within everything from living creatures to mundane objects, Witches embrace magic through the study of hexes, curses, remedies, and enchantments.
While Wizards approach magic in a more conventionally academic manner, Witches work to perfect their craft through experience. Knowledge of witchcraft is rarely documented in tomes, but rather shared among small communities through rituals, lessons, and stories.
Witches draw their power from things and places that are especially revolting or macabre, allowing them to trespass taboo territories of magic unknown to other mages. Key to the practice of a Witch is the ability to determine the correct set of ingredients for a spell or magical brew, as well as the hidden alcoves and dark pits where they might be found.
In the public eye, Witches are generally viewed as conniving and dastardly due to their association with the darker magics. In some places where it is viewed as unholy or unvirtuous, witchcraft is outlawed, and those accused of witchery may even be sentenced to death. As such, many Witches are forced to carry out their practice in secret - either in the confines of an underground dungeon or the heart of the wilderness. Those who are privy to the ways of the Witch acknowledge that witchcraft is not inherently evil, but rather that it is a time-honored practice requiring knowledge and skill.
While some Witches live a life of solitude, most find themselves involved with a group of Witches known as a coven. These groups are often bound by blood and tradition, with knowledge of potion recipes and esoteric incantations being passed down through generations. A Witch's coven behaves much like a tight-knit village, with each member working to protect one another and better their community.
Witch
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Cantrips Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Spellcasting, Reap Essence | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Witchcraft | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | Witch Subclass | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | Feat | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | Faux Morsum | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | Subclass Feature | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | — | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | Feat | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | Preserve Essence | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | Subclass Feature | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 11th | +4 | — | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | Feat | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | Improved Faux Morsum | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 14th | +5 | Subclass Feature | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 15th | +5 | — | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 16th | +5 | Feat | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 17th | +6 | — | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 18th | +6 | Witching Hour | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | Feat | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 20th | +6 | Epic Boon | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Creating a Witch
To create a Witch, consult the following lists, which provide Hit Points and Proficiencies. If you're making a 1st-level character, also consult the "Starting Equipment" section, and if you're using the multiclassing rules, see the "Multiclassing and the Witch" section.
Then look at the Witch table to see the Class Features you get at each level in this Class. The descriptions of those features appear in the “Witch Class Features” section.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d6 per Witch level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points per Level after 1st: 1d6 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier
Proficiencies
Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma
Skills: Arcana, Deception, and Nature (or choose three from Arcana, Deception, Medicine, Nature, Persuasion, Survival)
Weapons: Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows
Tools: Brewer's Supplies
Starting Equipment
As a 1st-level character, you start with the following equipment, or you can forgo it and spend 100 GP on equipment of your choice.
Quarterstaff
Scholar’s Pack
Brewer's Supplies
25gp
Multiclassing and the Witch
If your group uses the multiclassing rules in the Player’s Handbook, here’s what you need to know if you choose Witch as one of your Classes.
Ability Score Minimum. As a multiclass character, you must have a score of at least 13 in the Witch’s primary ability, Intelligence, to take a level in this Class or to take a level in another Class if you are already a Witch.
Proficiencies Gained. If Witch isn’t your initial Class, here are the Proficiencies you gain when you take your first Witch level: Brewer's Supplies and one Skill of your choice from the Witch's Skill list.
Spell Slots. Add all your Witch levels to the appropriate levels from other Classes to determine your available Spell Slots for casting Spells, as detailed in the multiclassing rules. You prepare Spells for each of your Classes individually, referring to the Spell Slots of an individual Class to determine the number and levels of the Spells you prepare for it.
Witch Class Features
As a Witch, you gain the following class features when you reach certain specified levels in this Class. These features are listed in the Witch table.
1st Level: Spellcasting
You have learned to cast Spells through your training with rituals, brews, and crafts. See the Player’s Handbook for the rules on spellcasting. The information below details how you use those rules as a Witch.
Prepared Spells. You have the following Spells prepared: Chill Touch, Hex, Prestidigitation, and Witch Bolt. Alternatively, you can prepare two 0-level Spells and two 1st-level Spells of your choice. Any Spell you prepare for this Class must be an Arcane Spell, and it must be from one of the following Schools of Magic: Conjuration, Enchantment, Evocation, Transmutation, or Necromancy.
Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can practice your witchcraft and replace any Spell you have prepared for this Class with another Arcane Spell of the same level, abiding by the school restriction above.
At higher levels in this Class, you can prepare more Spells, as shown on the Witch table. The numbers there determine the number of different Spells you can prepare of each level. For example, as a 3rd-level Witch, you can prepare two different 0-level Spells, four different 1st-level Spells, and two different 2nd-level Spells.
Spell Slots. The Witch table shows how many Spell Slots you have at each level to cast your Witch Spells of 1st level and higher; the number of different Spells you can prepare of each level equals the number of Spell Slots you have at that level. For example, as a 5th-level Witch, you have four 1st-level Spell Slots, three 2nd-level Spell Slots, and two 3rd-level Spell Slots.
Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is your Spellcasting Ability for your Witch Spells.
Spellcasting Focus. You can use Brewer's Supplies as a Spellcasting Focus for the Spells you prepare for this Class.
1st Level: Reap Essence
When you cast a spell that has a material component and you cast it using those components rather than casting it through a spellcasting focus or component pouch, you may gain temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus. If you expended a spell slot in the casting of the spell, you also add your Witch level to the total number of temporary hit points you gain.
If you gain temporary hit points using this feature, the components used in the casting of the spell are consumed, regardless of whether they would otherwise be consumed.
2nd Level: Witchcraft
You can harvest organs and other remnants from the corpses of monsters that you slay or find. When you are within 5 feet of the corpse of a creature of CR ⅛ or higher, you may attempt to do so by using a bonus action to make a Wisdom (Medicine) or Wisdom (Survival) check. The DC of this check depends on the condition of the corpse when you find it:
| Condition | DC |
|---|---|
| Unmarred | 10 |
| Slightly Damaged | 15 |
| Severely Damaged | 20 |
| Unsalvageable | - |
The amount and types of damage the creature took (as well as any number of environmental factors) may contribute to the corpse's condition. For example, an owlbear singed by a Fireball spell or a rabbit poisoned by an oozy bog may be damaged or unsalvageable. Ultimately, the DM decides the condition of corpses that you find.
On a successful check, you extract a vestige from the fallen monster. You determine the appearance of the vestige, provided it is consistent with the monster's anatomy - for example, you may pluck feathers from an owlbear carcass or extract the blood of a fallen troll. The maximum number of monster vestiges you can hold is equal to your proficiency bonus. If you try to exceed your maximum, the oldest vestiges fade into dust, and you gain the newly created ones. On a failure, the corpse is unsalvageable, and no monster vestiges can be harvested from it. At the DM's discretion, it may be determined that a corpse is unsalvageable to begin with, and that certain monsters such as ghosts and wraiths do not leave behind corpses.
When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that targets at least one creature, you may add a monster vestige to its material components to apply a bonus effect to the spell. If the spell normally lacks a material component, the monster vestige you chose becomes the sole material component for the casting of the spell. Only one monster vestige can be used per casting of a spell, and a monster vestige is consumed upon casting a spell with it. The bonus effect granted by the monster vestige is determined by the creature type of the monster from which it was harvested.
When you cast the spell, choose one creature that was targeted by it to be the target of the bonus effect. The bonus effect applies immediately after the spell's original effect on the turn it was cast, and it applies regardless of whether the spell’s original effects affect the target creature. If the bonus effect requires a creature to make a saving throw, the DC is equal to your spell save DC. See the Witchcraft section at the end of the class description to determine the effect.
3rd Level: Witch Subclass
You gain the Coven of the Apothecary Subclass or another Witch Subclass of your choice. A Subclass is a specialization that grants you special abilities at certain Witch levels. For the rest of your career, you gain each of your Subclass’s features that are of your Witch level and lower. This Class’s description tells you the levels when your Subclass provides features.
4th Level: Feat
You gain the Ability Score Improvement Feat or another Feat of your choice.
5th Level: Faux Morsum
You've gained the ability to construct facsimiles of monster appendages using raw materials. You can spend 10 minutes with Brewer's Supplies to create one monster vestige without needing a monster's corpse. This vestige must be of a creature type that you have seen before.
Once you use this feature to create a monster vestige, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
6th Level: Subclass Feature
You gain a feature from your Witch Subclass.
8th Level: Feat
You gain the Ability Score Improvement Feat or another Feat of your choice.
9th Level: Preserve Essence
When a creature succeeds on a saving throw made against a bonus effect from your Witchcraft feature, the monster vestige used to produce it is not consumed.
10th Level: Subclass Feature
You gain a feature from your Witch Subclass.
12th Level: Feat
You gain the Ability Score Improvement Feat or another Feat of your choice.
13th Level: Improved Faux Morsum
You regain a use of your Faux Morsum feature on a short rest rather than a long rest, and you may create up to 2 monster vestiges at once when you use it.
14th Level: Subclass Feature
You gain a feature from your Witch Subclass.
16th Level: Feat
You gain the Ability Score Improvement Feat or another Feat of your choice.
18th Level: Witching Hour
As a bonus action, you can enter a harrowing state. For the next minute, you gain the following benefits:
- Creatures have disadvantage on saving throws against your spells and bonus effects from your Witchcraft feature.
- Material components that would normally be consumed when you cast a spell are instead not consumed.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.
19th Level: Feat
You gain the Ability Score Improvement Feat or another Feat of your choice.
20th Level: Epic Boon
You gain the Epic Boon of the Night Spirit or another Epic Boon Feat of your choice.
Witch Subclasses
A Witch Subclass is a specialization that grants you special abilities at certain Witch levels, as specified in the Subclass.
Coven of the Apothecary
Witches of the Coven of the Apothecary have perfected the art of brewing potions. While often for medicinal purposes, this practice has evolved to create tinctures of all kinds, such as love potions and potions of wisdom. Some of these Witches have made a living from this practice, selling the potions they brew in magic shops.
These Witches are often curious magical scholars, testing ingredients in different combinations in hopes of discovering a novel or powerful potion. Some of these Witches have made it their life's mission to craft the ultimate potion - a mythical elixir that has the power to bestow godlike power or immortality.
3rd Level: Bonus Proficiencies
You gain two Skill Proficiencies: Medicine and Nature, as well as proficiency with Herbalism Kits. If you already have one of these Proficiencies, choose a Skill or Tool Proficiency you lack, and gain that Proficiency.
3rd Level: Witch's Brew
You've gained the knowledge required to craft potions with ease. Using an herbalism kit, you can use the monster vestiges that you harvest using your Witchcraft feature as ingredients to brew potions. Refer to page 128 of Xanathar's Guide to Everything for general rules on crafting potions.
Use the Witch's Brew table below to determine which kinds of monster vestiges are required to brew a certain potion, as well as the level you must be in the class to craft using this feature. You may also brew potions not included in the list below, at the DM's discretion. The DM determines the recipe and level requirement for any such potion.
Additionally, if you craft a potion, it takes you a quarter of the normal time, and it costs you half as much of the usual gold.
| Potion | Witchcraft Recipe | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Potion of Climbing | Giant or Humanoid | 3 |
| Potion of Acid Resistance | Ooze | 6 |
| Potion of Animal Friendship | Beast | 6 |
| Potion of Cold Resistance | Elemental | 6 |
| Potion of Fire Breath | Dragon | 6 |
| Potion of Fire Resistance | Fiend or Elemental | 6 |
| Potion of Hill Giant Strength | Giant | 6 |
| Potion of Lightning Resistance | Elemental | 6 |
| Potion of Poison | Plant | 6 |
| Potion of Thunder Resistance | Elemental | 6 |
| Potion of Water Breathing | Beast or Elemental | 6 |
| Oil of Slipperiness | Ooze | 10 |
| Philter of Love | Fey | 10 |
| Potion of Force Resistance | Construct | 10 |
| Potion of Growth | Giant | 10 |
| Potion of Necrotic Resistance | Undead | 10 |
| Potion of Poison Resistance | Plant | 10 |
| Potion of Psychic Resistance | Aberration | 10 |
| Potion of Radiant Resistance | Celestial | 10 |
| Elixir of Health | Giant or Monstrosity | 14 |
| Oil of Etherealness | Undead | 14 |
| Potion of Clairvoyance | Celestial | 14 |
| Potion of Diminution | Fey | 14 |
| Potion of Frost Giant Strength | Giant | 14 |
| Potion of Gaseous Form | Elemental | 14 |
| Potion of Heroism | Celestial | 14 |
| Potion of Invulnerability | Monstrosity | 14 |
| Potion of Mind Reading | Aberration | 14 |
| Potion of Stone Giant Strength | Giant | 14 |
| Potion of Fire Giant Strength | Giant | 16 |
| Oil of Sharpness | Monstrosity | 18 |
| Potion of Cloud Giant Strength | Giant | 18 |
| Potion of Flying | Beast or Elemental | 18 |
| Potion of Invisibility | Undead | 18 |
| Potion of Longevity | Monstrosity | 18 |
| Potion of Speed | Monstrosity | 18 |
| Potion of Vitality | Monstrosity | 18 |
| Potion of Storm Giant Strength | Giant | 20 |
6th Level: Leaping Cauldron
You can manipulate the flow of the magical solutions you make. As a bonus action, you can administer a potion to a willing creature you can see within 30 feet.
10th Level: Concocted Spells
Your knack for mixing ingredients has extended to your spellcasting. You may add two monster vestiges to the material components a spell that you cast using your Witchcraft feature. If you do, you must choose two different creatures that were targeted by the spell as targets for the bonus effects. The monster vestiges you choose can be two of the same kind, or two different kinds.
14th Level: Efficient Brews
Your mastery over potion brewing has made you exceedingly resourceful. Each time you craft a potion, you craft two potions of that kind rather than one.
Coven of Black Magic
Witches of the Coven of Black Magic draw their power from the darkest reaches of The Weave. This power is often potent enough to corrupt those who use it, driving them to commit horrid atrocities in order to achieve their goals. Mass hysteria, cursed lineages, and plagued villages can often be traced back to the will of such a Witch.
Though the desire to practice black magic is occasionally born of ill will towards others, this isn't always the case. Some Witches of this coven are true pupils of the arcane, willing to cross more boundaries than most to amass forbidden magical knowledge.
3rd Level: Touch of Madness
If you spend time with a creature that you touch, you may attempt to inflict madness upon them. The amount of time you must spend with the creature depends on the type of madness you wish to inflict: one action for short-term madness, 10 minutes for long-term madness, or 1 hour for indefinite madness. At the end of the duration, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or suffer one of the effects below depending on the type of madness you chose:
Short-Term Madness: The creature becomes afflicted by a random kind of short-term madness. This effect lasts for 1 minute or until the creature takes any damage.
Long-Term Madness: The creature becomes afflicted by a random kind of long-term madness. This effect lasts for 1 hour.
Indefinite Madness: The creature becomes afflicted by a random kind of indefinite madness. This effect lasts until the madness is cured.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
6th Level: Dread Malison
You always have the Bestow Curse spell prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. For you, it has a range of 30 feet and you gain additional options for the spell's effect:
- While cursed, the target's movement speed is reduced to 10 feet.
- While cursed, the target cannot regain hit points other than through short or long rests.
- While cursed, the target has vulnerability to one damage type of your choice, except for bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing.
10th Level: Odious Torment
You have become a beacon of horror and unyielding spite. Each time you deal damage to a creature that is cursed by you or afflicted by madness that you inflicted upon it, you deal extra necrotic damage equal your Intelligence modifier. Any effect that would be alleviated by the Remove Curse spell is considered a curse for the purposes of this feature.
14th Level: Wicked Magistrate
When you use your Touch of Madness feature to inflict madness onto a creature, you may choose the madness effect rather than rolling on the appropriate table.
Coven of White Magic
Witches of the Coven of White Magic have an innate connection to spirits. From the spirits of the Feywild to the souls of commonfolk, these Witches feel their presence humming in the air around them like a sweet melody.
Often misunderstood as yet another troupe of dark mages, Witches who practice white magic have traditionally used it to quell the forces of evil, and are typically the best line of defense against their more sinister counterparts. Above all else, altruism through healing magic and sanctity are widely promoted in this coven.
3rd Level: Spirit Weaver
You gain the ability to thrust a strand of your life force into another creature. If you have at least 1 temporary hit point, you can use a bonus action to lose all of your temporary hit points and heal or harm a creature you choose within 30 feet. If you choose to heal, the creature regains a number of hit points equal to the number of temporary hit points you lost. If you choose to harm, make a ranged spell attack against the creature. On a hit, the target takes necrotic damage equal to the number of temporary hit points you lost.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
6th Level: Quiet the Soul
You gain the ability to hush the chaos stirring within belligerent creatures. You always have the Calm Emotions spell prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. For you, the spell can affect any creature (not just humanoids). Additionally, if you use the spell to make a hostile creature indifferent and remain concentrating on the spell for its entire duration, the creature remains indifferent after the spell ends.
10th Level: Blessing of the Mother Goddess
As an action, you can release a pulse of curative magic from your body. Choose between the blinded, deafened, paralyzed, and poisoned conditions. All creatures of your choice within 30 feet are cured of the chosen condition.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
14th Level: Awakened Shaman
You have become a conduit for spiritual energy. Whenever you gain temporary hit points, instead gain double the normal amount.
Witchcraft
When adding the vestige of a monster to the material component of a spell that you cast, refer to this list to determine the bonus effect added to the spell, which depends on the creature type of the monster from which the vestige was harvested.
Aberration
The target's mind becomes gripped by a strange psychic energy. It must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw or take psychic damage equal to your proficiency bonus and be stunned until the end of your next turn or until it takes damage.
Beast
The target becomes filled with a primal rage. It must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (which it can choose to fail) or immediately use its reaction to make one melee weapon attack against a creature of your choice that you can see. On a hit, this attack deals extra damage equal to your proficiency bonus.
Celestial
The target becomes swathed in a burning light. It must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take radiant damage equal to twice your proficiency bonus and become blinded until the end of your next turn.
Construct
The target's motions become sluggish as it begins to transform into an inanimate object. It must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (which it can choose to fail) or become petrified until the end of your next turn. Its body turns to a solid material of your choice, such as stone, wood, or porcelain.
Dragon
The target becomes consumed by material desire. It must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or become fixated on an object of your choice that you can see. On its next turn, the target must use all of its movement to approach the object in a safe manner. The target can use its other actions as normal.
Elemental
The target becomes enveloped in an elemental energy. Choose one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. Each time the target takes damage of the chosen type until the end of your next turn, the damage is either reduced or increased (your choice) by an amount equal to your proficiency bonus.
Fey
The target becomes deeply infatuated with a creature. It must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become charmed by a creature of your choice that you can see until the end of your next turn.
Fiend
The target begins burning with a sinister fire. It must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take fire damage equal to three times your proficiency bonus.
Giant
The target begins to feel weak and small compared to the world around it. It must succeed on a Strength saving throw or become light and feeble. Each time the target takes damage until the end of your next turn, you may move it up to 5 feet in any direction.
Humanoid
You attempt to magically foil the target's next moves. The next time the target rolls for a d20 Test, they suffer a penalty to the roll equal to your proficiency bonus.
Monstrosity
The target is magically rent by an unknown, monstrous force. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or take bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage (your choice) equal to twice your proficiency bonus and be knocked prone.
Ooze
The target begins oozing acid that corrodes its body. It must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take acid damage equal to your proficiency bonus and suffer a penalty to its AC equal to your proficiency bonus. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the penalty to its AC on a success.
Plant
Tangled vines and grasping weeds writhe around the target. It must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or have its speed halved. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the penalty to its movement on a success.
Undead
The target becomes filled with an overwhelming sense of dread. It must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take necrotic damage equal to twice your proficiency bonus and become frightened of a creature of your choice that you can see until the end of your next turn.
Credits
Cover Art: Igor Grechanyi
Special thanks to u/mbumbee, u/ogskive, and others for ideas and advice!