Witch | Base Class

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Witch

Three old crones stoop over a boiling cauldron filled with all manner of bizarre filth, churning and bubbling with a noxious fume. In the smoke and vapor above the pot, the trio can make out shapes and figures of great import, and one cackles loudly at what she sees.
A young girl sits underneath a tree, far from where the other children play. She glances about to make sure no one is watching, and snaps her fingers once to the empty air. After a moment of silence, a black cat appears around the tree’s bend and locks eyes with the girl, staring with a strange intelligence for a long moment. She gestures at one of the playing children, a heavyset boy with a permanently affixed scowl; the cat understands. It wanders close to the boy, stretches its claws, and gets very low, ready to pounce for the boy’s eyes.
A young elf intently mutters something under his breath each time he exhales. Visible only to him, a string of the foulest magic winds out from him and seizes a charging orc, which drops to its knees in agony.
Witches are stricken by magic so dark it imprints a lasting shadow upon their essence. Through force of personality alone, they can spin this darkness outward, hexing creatures, casting manipulative spells, and even commanding a familiar with their thoughts.

Cursed

While others are blessed with magic, witches are cursed by it. Afflicted by some hateful arcana, whether accidentally or intentionally, witches are twisted inside and out by its daily tortures. With grueling effort, they can warp this power into spells to wrack others with the same torture that plagues them.

Pariahs and Outcasts

Almost without exception, witches are feared and hated. They are victim to a number of misconceptions, usually relating them to hags and other evil creatures of the night. As a result, known witches are in great personal danger and can usually be found dwelling on the outskirts of civilization where townsfolk seldom tread. This does little to stop witch hunting and burnings, but provides some measure of safety from them.
In reality, very few choose to become witches, and many of them can hide adeptly in society, using their magic to fill a number of roles, from seer, to healer, to apothecary. Being accused as a witch carries grave consequences, no matter the validity of the claim, so wise witches relocate frequently, never residing in one place for too long.

Familiar Masters

It is rare to find a witch without his or her constant companion, the familiar. Though familiars might be conjured by other spellcasters as well, a witch’s familiar is ubiquitous to common folk for good reason. Witches command intuitive magic, and have a deep link to their familiars. As a result, they can conjure more exotic familiars, and command them more swiftly than other spellcasters.

Creating a Witch

Creating a witch necessarily involves a powerful, malicious curse in your backstory. Who cast it? Did you take a curse upon yourself for power? Was your entire lineage cursed generations ago, leading to a bloodline of witches, or did another spellcaster use sinister, forbidden magic to curse you for life? Decide on the nature of your witch’s curse and think about how you relate to it. Do you feel like the curse was secretly a blessing, or does the desire for vengeance burn in your heart?
What negative effects does the curse leverage on your personality and mind? Are you haunted by spirits, or is your mind plagued by destructive thoughts? How do you feel manipulating the power of this curse outwards into hexes and spells?
Work with your GM to determine how witches are perceived in the world. Are they feared, burned, and persecuted? Are you an openly known witch? Do the other characters in your party know of your witchhood? Some witches keep the source of their magic a secret, or claim to be wizards or sorcerers to conceal the true darkness of their magic.

Quick Build
To build a witch quickly, make Charisma your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Then, choose the chill touch and minor illusion cantrips, and the hideous laughter and thunderwave spells. Choose the Hideous witch’s curse, and the Evil Eye and Misfortune hexes. Lastly, choose any background which illustrates your life before being cursed.

Male and Female Witches
Witches are commonly considered to be only female, but in reality, male and female witches exist in equal number. This misconception is due to the fact that male witches are often called “hexers,” or are incorrectly deemed warlocks by common folk.

Class Features

As a witch, you have the following class features.

• (a) a whip and blowgun, (b) a light crossbow and 20 bolts, or (c) any simple weapon
• (a) a component pouch or (b) an arcane focus
• (a) a scholar’s pack or (b) a dungeoneer’s pack
• Leather armor, any simple weapon, and a dagger

Spellcasting

You have learned to mold and reshape the magic that curses you into spells.

Cantrips
You know four 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.

Spell Slots
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 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.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell bane and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast bane using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the witch spell list. The Spells Known column of the Witch table shows when you learn more witch spells of your choice.
Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, as shown on the table. For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the witch spells you know and replace it with another spell from the witch spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your witch spells. Your magic originates deep within yourself, where your insidious curse stirs restlessly. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma 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 Charisma modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Ritual Casting
You can cast any witch spell you know as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag.

Spellcasting Focus
You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your witch spells.

Witch’s Curse

You are wracked by a terrible curse, which infects your body and soul. At 1st level, choose the form that this curse takes from the options below.
      Burned. Almost all of your body has been scorched by arcane flames, leaving you with striking black scars and embers of magic that burn under the skin. As a result, you have resistance to fire damage, and you know the produce flame cantrip, which doesn’t count against your number of cantrips known.
      Drowned. Water fills your lungs, and yet you do not die. You can breathe air and water. Additionally, you have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
      Hideous. Your appearance is ghastly to behold. You have proficiency in the Intimidation skill. When you roll initiative, you can choose one Humanoid you can see to scare. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
      Hollow. Your soul has been divorced from your body, trapping you in a limbo between life and death. When you or your familiar reduces a hostile creature to 0 hit points, you drain some of its life force, gaining temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + your witch level (minimum of 1).
      Loveless. You are cursed to never find true love. Jaded and disaffected, not even magic can turn your heart; as a result, you are immune to being charmed.
      Possessed. Your soul is occupied by a foreign spirit that sometimes tries to wrest away your consciousness. However, while you sleep, the spirit whispers magical secrets to you. You learn an additional witch spell at a level for which you have spell slots at 1st level, and again at 4th level, 8th level, and 12th level. These spells don’t count against your total number of spells known.

Hexes

You can learn a number of powerful incantations, known as hexes, derived from the same insidious magic that cursed you.
At 1st level, you gain two hexes of your choice. Your hex options are detailed at the end of the class description. When you reach certain levels in this class, you gain additional hexes of your choice, as shown in the Hexes Known column of the Witch table. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the hexes you know and replace it with another hex.
Unless otherwise stated, if a hex requires an attack roll or saving throw, it uses your spell attack bonus and spell save DC. All hexes require either verbal or somatic components (your choice at the time of casting the hex).
Unless otherwise noted, if a hex lasts for a duration, you concentrate on it as you would a spell. You lose your concentration on a hex if you cast another hex; however, you can concentrate on a hex and a spell at the same time, making only one Constitution saving throw to maintain your concentration on both.

Cackle

At 2nd level, you can use your bonus action to cackle. The duration of a hex on which you are concentrating extends by 1 round. If the hex has one or more target, a target must be within 60 feet of you for the hex’s duration to extend for it.
Not all witches laugh maniacally when they cackle, but all cackles require a verbal component, as if casting a spell. These range from mundane curses and insults, to the murmuring of dead languages and speaking backwards.

Familiar

At 2nd level, you learn the find familiar spell and can cast it as a ritual without using material components. This spell doesn’t count against your number of spells known. The spell is improved in the following ways:

• Your familiar takes its turn immediately before or after your turn each round (your choice).
• Once on each of your turns as an action or a bonus action, you can mentally command your familiar to use its reaction to make one attack.
• You can use the find familiar spell to deliver spells that have ranges other than touch through your familiar.
• When you cast the spell, you can choose one of the normal forms for your familiar or one of the following special forms:  pet rock,* pseudodragon, and sprite. The statistics for creatures marked with an asterisk can be found here.

Witch Familiar
As a witch, familiars you summon are imbued with your insidious magic, granting them the following benefits:

• • Your familiar can use your spell attack bonus for its attack rolls.
  • Your familiar adds your proficiency bonus to its Armor Class, saving throws, and damage rolls.
  • You add twice your witch level to your familiar’s hit point maximum.

Witch’s Craft

Your skill in magic has culminated in learning a craft, an innate variety of magic that exists apart from the schools of magic. When you reach 3rd level, choose one Witch’s Craft. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.
If your craft grants you a hex at any level, it doesn’t count against your total number of hexes known.

Craft Spells
Each craft is associated with a branch of arcana, represented by a number of spells that you learn. The levels of these spells are noted in the craft description. These spells count as witch spells for you but don’t count against your number of spells known.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Insidious Spell

Starting at 5th level, when you cast a witch spell that affects a creature that is under the effect of your hex, that creature has disadvantage on its first saving throw against the spell. This feature only applies to a hostile creature that is the sole target of your hex.

Improved Familiar

At 7th level, your familiar’s attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming damage resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. Additionally, you can choose the following forms for your familiar: brass dragon wyrmling (can’t use its breath weapon), fright*, and grep*. The statistics for creatures marked with an asterisk can be found here.

Dying Curse

Beginning at 9th level, when a creature reduces you to 0 hit points but doesn’t kill you outright, you can lay a nefarious curse upon it. The creature is cursed for up to 24 hours. While cursed, the creature has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. If you regain consciousness or the creature is targeted by the remove curse spell, the curse ends at the end of the creature’s next turn.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Grand Hex

By 11th level, you have perfected deeply malevolent forms of magic. You learn one grand hex, and you learn another at 13th, 15th, and 18th level. Grand hexes are detailed at the end of the class description.

Hexmaster

By 20th level, you have mastered your foul magic. Creatures have disadvantage on saving throws against your hexes.

Hexes

The Hexes below are presented in alphabetical order.

Abate
As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you to make a Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the creature can’t take reactions until the end of your next turn.

Apathy
As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you to make a Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, until the end of your next turn, the creature becomes indifferent toward one creature of your choice that it is hostile towards. This indifference ends if the target is attacked or harmed by the creature to which it is indifferent. When the hex ends, the creature becomes hostile again, unless the GM rules otherwise.

Beckon Familiar
You can cast the find familiar spell as an action without expending a spell slot or material components. Once you cast this spell in this way, you can’t do so again for 1 minute.
You must have the Familiar feature to choose this hex.

Bleeding
As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, each time this creature takes damage, it loses an additional 1d4 hit points. This effect lasts until the end of your next turn.

Charm
As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is charmed by you until the end of your next turn. When the hex ends, the creature knows it was charmed by you.

Dire Familiar
As an action, you can bolster your summoned familiar. For 1 minute, your familiar’s current and maximum hit points are increased by an amount equal to twice your witch level, and it gains a bonus to its damage rolls equal to your Charisma modifier.
You can cast other hexes while this hex is in effect. Once you cast this hex, you can’t cast it again until your familiar is dismissed, or until its duration expires.
You must have the Familiar feature to choose this hex.

Disorient
As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, whenever the target makes an attack roll before the end of your next turn, it must roll a d6 and subtract the number rolled from the attack roll.

Doomward
As an action, choose one friendly creature other than yourself that you can see within 60 feet of you. If the creature drops to 0 hit points before the end of your next turn and doesn’t die outright, it drops to 1 hit point instead. This hex then ends and can’t be used to target the same creature again until you finish a short or long rest.

Duplicity
As an action, you can create an illusory duplicate of yourself, composed of shadowstuff, to confuse your enemies. When a creature attacks you, roll any die. On an odd number, the attack strikes the duplicate and misses, regardless of its roll, and the hex ends. On an even number, the attack targets you as normal. This effect lasts until the end of your next turn.

Evil Eye
As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you that can see you to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Fortune
As an action, choose one friendly creature other than yourself that you can see within 60 feet of you. The creature has advantage on saving throws until the end of your next turn.

Go Unseen
As an action, you and your familiar become invisible (as per the invisibility spell). The effect ends at the end of your next turn, or if you or your familiar attack or cast a spell.
Once you cast this hex, you can’t cast it again for 1 minute.

Hobble
As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you to make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature’s speed is reduced to 10 feet until the end of your next turn. If the creature is flying, it falls, unless it has the ability to hover or it is being held aloft by magic.

Mire
As an action, you can transform the ground in a 30-foot radius centered on the point where you cast this hex into murky swamp, which is difficult terrain. You and your familiar can move without penalty in this area. This effect lasts until the end of your next turn.

Misfortune
As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you. Until the end of your next turn, whenever this creature rolls a 20 on a d20 roll, the roll instead becomes a 1.

Obfuscate
As an action, you create a 20-foot-radius sphere of fog centered on yourself. The sphere spreads around corners, and its area is heavily obscured. This effect lasts until the end of your next turn or until a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses it.

Pox
As an action, choose one creature you can see within 5 feet of you to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is poisoned until the end of your next turn.

Ruin
As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature’s Armor Class decreases by 3, to a minimum of 10, until the end of your next turn.

Slumber
As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target falls unconscious until it takes damage, or until the end of your next turn. Undead, creatures that are immune to being charmed, and creatures whose current hit points are greater than five times your witch level are immune to this effect.

Tremors
As an action, you can create a miniature earthquake. Each creature on the ground within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.

Ward
As an action, choose one creature you can see other than yourself within 60 feet of you. Each time the creature takes damage before the end of your next turn, the damage it takes is reduced by 3.

Hexes and Magic
A witch casts their terrible hexes as an extension of their curse. As their curses are magical in nature, their hexes are considered 0th-level spells for the purposes of feature and spells, such as counterspell or dispel magic, that interact with magic. Furthermore, all hexes cease while in the area of an antimagic field or similar effect.

Grand Hexes

The grand hexes below are presented in alphabetical order. Unless otherwise stated, if a grand hex requires an attack roll or saving throw, it uses your spell attack bonus and spell save DC. Grand hex features don’t count as hexes.

Cauldron
You can brew potions in a bubbling cauldron using raw components scavenged from nature. To this end, you have a pool of alchemy points equal to half your witch level, rounded down. You regain all expended alchemy points when you finish a long rest.
You can spend 10 minutes and expend any number of alchemy points to brew potions. These potions retain potency for 24 hours, after which they become inert. If a potion calls requires a saving throw, it uses your spell save DC.
The potions available for you to brew are given on the Cauldron Potions table below.

Coven
You can induct others into your insidious coven. By performing a special ritual over the course of 8 hours, which can be done during a long rest, you can intermingle your cursed magic with a willing creature that has the Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature. This creature enters into your coven. You can have up to two creatures other than yourself in your coven at a time.
While two or more members of your coven are within 30 feet of one another, they gain the ability to cast additional spells, as shown on the Coven Spellcasting table. Additionally, members of your coven gain access to a shared pool of 5 spell slots—one of each level, from 1st to 5th level—which they can use to cast spells as normal. Expended spell slots are regained when all members of the coven finish a long rest.
Coven members use their own spellcasting ability to determine spell attack bonuses and spell save DCs. A coven member can’t cast spells of a level for which it doesn’t personally have spell slots, even if using a higher level shared spell slot. A shared spell slot can be used, for instance, to cast a lower level spell at higher levels, but it can’t be used to cast a spell normally too high-level for a spellcaster.

Dual Hex
When you cast a hex that targets one creature other than yourself, you can target two creatures instead. While both targets are under the effect of your hex, you gain the benefits of your Insidious Spell feature against each of them.

Forceful Personality
Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your maximum for this score increases to 22.

Possession
As an action, your body becomes immaterial, and your spirit dives into a Large or smaller creature you can see within 10 feet of you in an attempt to possess it. This target must make a Charisma saving throw. A creature with a challenge rating greater than your witch level automatically succeeds on this save. On a failed save, you disappear and the target becomes incapacitated and possessed; you gain control of its body but don’t deprive the target of its awareness. While possessing the creature, you can’t be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect. You maintain your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma and your alignment, but otherwise use the creature’s statistics. You don’t gain access to the target’s knowledge, class features, or proficiencies.
For the purposes of spells and effects which can end possession, such as the spell dispel evil and good, you are treated as an Undead spirit and can be banished from the target, returning to your own body, which rematerializes within 5 feet of the target.
This possession lasts for 1 hour, or until the body drops to 0 hit points or you are forced out by a spell or other magical effect that ends possession.
Once you use this grand hex, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

War Hex
When you cast a hex that targets a single creature, you can use your bonus action to cast a cantrip targeting the same creature.

Witch’s Broom
You can use your action to enchant a mundane object—such as a broom, cauldron, or rug—to fly for you. You gain a flying speed of 60 feet while holding this item, as long as you aren’t wearing medium or heavy armor, or wielding a shield. You can only enchant one object using this ability at a time, and if you target another object using it, the enchantment on the previous object ends.

Witch’s Hut
You can perform a 24-hour ritual to enchant a structure that can fit within a 15-foot cube, animating it as a Huge object, as per the animate objects spell. The structure rises up on a pair of magical legs and follows your commands.
The entrance to the structure is linked to an extradimensional dwelling, as per the magnificent mansion spell. You can command the structure from inside this dwelling. If the structure is destroyed, the extradimensional dwelling is unharmed, but any creatures inside it are expelled into the unoccupied spaces nearest to the entrance.
As an action, you can teleport the structure to an unoccupied space you can see within 60 feet of you. Once you teleport the structure, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
You can repeat the 24-hour ritual to end the enchantment on your previous structure and enchant a new one.

Witch’s Crafts

A witch’s craft is distinct from a school of magic. Whereas magical schools seek to categorize spells, crafts are defined by the use of magic, and seek to capture the essence of spells. There are dozens of varieties, from those practiced by covens in secret, to those plied in marketplace potion shops.
Each craft has a number of Craft Spells. New spells are marked with an asterisk.

Get all 14 Witch’s crafts in the Complete Witch!

Witch’s Familiars

Sorcerers, wizards, warlocks, and most of all witches, are inseparable from their familiars. Their second set of eyes and willing set of claws makes them indispensable for any good spellcaster. While many spellcasters opt to summon inconspicuous familiars, like cats, frogs, and owls, even more gather their focus while conjuring to bring forth creatures from the farthest reaches of the multiverse or to bestow sentience on an inanimate object.

Witch Familiar stat blocks

Witch Spell List

A witch’s magic is dark, rooted in the agony of a sinister curse. But darkness begets darkness, and a witch’s curse begets even greater curses.

Click here for the Witch spell list