Introduction
: The Witch is an optional sourcebook of three Arcane Traditions that Wizard
characters can use to customize their character. Unlike their more traditional Wizard brethren
who generally learn the ways of The Art through Arcane Academies and/or apprenticeships to
learned mentors, Witches have attracted the attention of a powerful Patron (not unlike those
Patrons that Warlocks strike pacts with). Being outwardly shunned by most people and
societies, Witches tend to gather into Covens, to preserve and protect their way of life.
An Optional Sourcebook for Wizard Arcane Traditions
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WIZARD TRADITION: THE WITCH (v1.01)
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Wizard Tradition: The Witch
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
—William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Unlike their more traditional wizard brethren who learn the ways of The Art through arcane academies or an
apprenticeship to a learned mentor, the witch is a character that has attracted the attention of a powerful patron.
These patrons are not unlike the otherworldly beings that warlocks strike bargains with.
However, unlike a warlock who strikes a pact with their patron for increased power, it is not known why a patron
takes such an interest in a witch character. Perhaps the patron recognizes the raw potential of the character, and
wishes to mold and shape that potential for its own ends. Or perhaps the patron just wishes to meddle with mortal
affairs for its own entertainment and amusement. Players and DMs are encouraged to collaborate on the personality
and motivations of the patron, and how it integrates into the overall story and/or campaign.
RolePlaying Notes
This arcane tradition is intended to provide increased roleplaying options and customization to wizard characters,
but in such a way as to remain balanced with standard wizards (and other classes). Along those lines, and in
order to ensure that the class remains within balance, some fairly severe limitations are being placed on these
traditions which could actually make them overall less capable than a more traditional wizard character. Please
understand why these limitations are being placed, and that they are intended to enhance the roleplaying aspects
of the character versus the ingame mechanical advantages of the character.
RolePlaying Notes: Gender
Every effort is being taken to write this sourcebook in a gender neutral way. It should not be assumed that all
witches are female characters, and this sourcebook should not hinder a male character from pursuing the
tradition. Male characters can be called a Witch just as any other, or a Male Witch if they so desire.
RolePlaying Notes: Ability Prerequisites
To represent that a witch’s training of the arcane is much different than that of standard wizards, and because
some of the training is not all too different than druids, a witch character MUST meet a minimum prerequisite for
both Intelligence and Wisdom of 13. And in order to resist the corrupting influence from contact with otherworldly
beings, a witch MUST have a Constitution of at least 13.
Society and the Witch
Due to the unusual nature of this connection to an otherworldly being, most NPCs are reserved around a witch
character… generally avoiding contact as much as possible, and even occasionally becoming outwardly hostile
(especially if the area is superstitious and/or the NPCs are uneducated). Generally an NPC that has a hostile
reaction to the witch will not act alone since that would be certain suicide in most cases. However, those NPCs will
begin to stir up more resentment among the other NPCs in the area, eventually leading to the possibility of a hostile
mob. A hostile mob (size determined by the DM) will pursue the witch bent on either: running her out of town,
imprisoning her, torturing her, or even executing her (as determined by the DM based on the story needs).
Because of this, witch characters are generally even less social and more reclusive than other wizard characters. In
fact, most witches live solitary lives in more remote areas of the world as either hermits or outlanders (although this
is not a requirement). By living in such ways, most witches have also established deep connections to the land and
surrounding nature, much in the same way as druids.
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WIZARD TRADITION: THE WITCH (v1.01)
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RolePlaying Notes: Hostile Mobs
To represent the inherent chance for a hostile mob to form, any time that the witch character stays in a
superstitious area for more than a few days, as a rule of thumb consider a 20% chance of a hostile mob forming
consisting of 4d6 members of the population. The chance should increase by 10% for each day after that, with the
resulting mob increasing by 1d6 members as well. These numbers should be adjusted by the DM based on the
population of the area and needs of the campaign story.
The Path of the Witch
All witches belong to one of three paths: Path of the White Witch, Path of the Gray Witch, or Path of the Black Witch.
These paths have loosely formed over the years based on the moral and ethical beliefs of witch characters.
●
White Witches believe in the greater good, that the sum of the whole is greater than the
sum of the parts, and that all actions should be based on the needs of the many versus
the needs of the few (and generally favor good alignments).
●
Gray Witches believe in the natural order, and maintaining the appropriate balance in all
things (and generally favor neutral alignments).
●
Black Witches believe in themselves over all others, and that only the strongest survive
(and generally favor evil alignments).
Covens
Regardless of the general path that a witch belongs to, almost all witches in a given area will collect into groups
known as covens. A minimum of three witches are required to establish a coven, though most covens will not exceed
thirteen witches. Generally, above this number the internal politics of the coven becomes self destroying, and causes
the coven to split into separate covens under the two most powerful opposed leaders. All too often, these splits can
lead to full scale wars between the opposed factions, usually to the peril of the lesser members.
Given that witches are fairly rare, most covens cover very large areas of the world. In fact, it is not unheard of for
some covens to stretch over entire continents. For this reason, it is rare for covens to physically congregate, and
usually only do so during special events, such as major astronomical events, winter and summer solstices, or rare
convergences of heavenly bodies. However, it is not uncommon though for higher level members of the coven to
keep track of lower level members of the coven via magical spells (such as
clairvoyance
,
dream
,
project image
,
scrying
,
sending
,
teleport, teleportation circle
, etc) as well as other means (such as summoned creatures).
While most covens are organized along either the tenants of the paths and/or their patron, this is not always the case
(especially since witches can be very rare in certain areas, even over vast distances). Therefore, it is not uncommon
for a coven to be formed of witches from all three paths and of many different patrons. In these cases, the single
underlying goal of such a coven is to simply promote and preserve their way of life, while providing avenues to share
valuable knowledge and research.
RolePlaying Notes: Covens
Covens should provide the witch character with a sense of family, and belonging to something greater than
oneself. They also provide opportunities to learn from more experienced mentors, but this doesn’t mean that the
witch character should expect someone to always bail them out of trouble. Like any social group, most covens are
rife with internal politics, as even in the best of situations, each member of the coven will have their own personal
views of exactly what the best course of action is. Therefore, most covens are headed by a Matriarch or Patriarch,
typically the most powerful and wisest member of the coven.
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WIZARD TRADITION: THE WITCH (v1.01)
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Restless Sleep
The deep connection between the witch character and their patron allows the patron to cast the
dream
spell on the
witch during any long rest period of the witch character. This connection even allows the patrons version of the
dream
spell to work across any planes of existence (and will even affect creatures that don’t sleep, such as elves,
interrupting their trance instead). In most cases, the
dream
spell is used to convey messages, issue orders, or give
magical instruction. When used in this manner, the
dream
spell has no adverse effect on the witch character, and
the witch retains perfect recall of the conversation with their patron.
RolePlaying Notes: Restless Sleep
However, in certain rare cases (and especially if the witch character is acting contrary to the motivations and
desires of their patron), the patron can attempt to create nightmares to try and disrupt the witch’s rest. The witch
character must make a Wisdom saving throw, or suffer the effects listed as per the
dream
spell. Due to the nature
of the deep connection shared with the patron, the witch makes this saving throw with disadvantage.
Otherworldly Patrons
The beings that serve as patrons for witches are mighty inhabitants of other planes of existencenot gods, but
almost godlike in their power. These patrons instruct the witch with the knowledge needed to unlock the mysteries of
the multiverse, and generally expect significant favors in return for such knowledge.
Some patrons collect witches, doling out mystic knowledge relatively freely or boasting of their ability to bind mortals
to their will. Other patrons bestow their power only grudgingly, and might only take on one witch apprentice at a time.
Witches who serve the same patron generally regard each other as allies, or even siblings, and gather together into
covens. But this is not always the case (especially for the more independant witches and/or for patrons who
encourage competition to determine the strongest and most capable subjects for its attention).
The Fiend
You have caught the attention of a fiend from the lower planes of existence, a being whose aims are evil, even if you
strive against those aims. Such beings desire the corruption or destruction of all things, ultimately including you.
Fiends powerful enough to forge such connections include demon lords such as Demogorgon, Orcus, Fraz’Urbluu,
and Baphoment; archdevils such as Asmodeus, Dispater, Mephistopheles, and Belial; pit fiends and balors that are
especially mighty; and ultroloths and other lords of the yugoloths.
The Earth Mother
You have caught the attention of the Earth Mother herself, one of the primordial forces of nature. The Earth Mother
is the personification of nature itself, representing all aspects of the circle of life, including motherhood, fertility,
creation, and destruction. Often depicted as a single powerful being, in reality the Earth Mother is a constant and
unwavering force that permeates the entire multiverse.
RolePlaying Notes: Otherworldly Patrons
The DM is encouraged to expand the available list of Otherworldly Patrons to any patron suitable for warlocks
within the campaign. This should not have much impact on character balance since the concept of the patron is
listed more for roleplaying purposes and doesn’t contribute any additional mechanical powers or features.
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WIZARD TRADITION: THE WITCH (v1.01)
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Wizard Tradition: Path of the White Witch
Prerequisite: Intelligence 13, Wisdom 13, Constitution 13
Allowed Alignments: Any nonevil alignment (favoring good alignments)
Beliefs: White Witches believe in the greater good, that the sum of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts,
and that all actions should be based on the needs of the many versus the needs of the few. White Witches try to use
their magical abilities to help others, even learning druidic methods to heal others.
Ritual Savant
Beginning when you select this tradition at 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to copy a ritual spell into
your spellbook is halved.
Book of Shadows
At 2nd level, your otherworldly patron gives you a grimoire called a Book of Shadows. If you loose your Book of
Shadows, you can perform a 1hour ceremony to receive a replacement from your patron. This ceremony can be
performed during a short or long rest, and it destroys the previous book. The book turns to ash when you die.
When you gain this feature, choose two cantrips from the
druid
spell list. While the book is on your person, you can
cast those cantrips at will. They don’t count against your number of cantrips known. If they don’t appear on the
wizard spell list, they are nonetheless wizard spells for you.
The grimoire also contains the
Find Familiar
spell, which you can cast as a ritual.
Book of Ancient Secrets
Starting at 6th level, you can now inscribe magical rituals in your Book of Shadows. Choose two 1stlevel spells that
have the ritual tag from any class’s spell list (the two needn’t be from the same list). The spells appear in your Book
of Shadows, and don’t count against the two spells you would normally be able to add to your wizard spellbook.
With your Book of Shadows in hand, you can cast the chosen spells as rituals. You can’t cast the spells except as
rituals, unless you’ve learned them by some other means. You can also prepare wizard rituals from your Book of
Shadows just as you can from your wizard spellbook.
On your adventures, you can add other ritual spells to your Book of Shadows. When you find such a spell, you can
add it to the book if the spell’s level is equal to or less than half of your wizard level (rounded up) and if you can
spare the time to transcribe the spell. For each level of the spell, the transcription process takes 2 hours and costs
50 gp for the rare inks needed to inscribe it (although Ritual Savant should halve these values).
At 6th level,
cure wounds
is magically added to your Book of Shadows. You can cast
cure wounds
as a 2ndlevel
spell without expending a spell slot. Once you cast
cure wounds
in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a
long rest, though you can still prepare and cast it normally using an available spell slot.
Shapechanger
At 10th level, you add the
polymorph
spell to your spellbook, if it is not there already. You can cast
polymorph
without expending a spell slot. When you do so, you can target only yourself and transform into a single beast whose
challenge rating is 1 or less, or into a swarm of tiny beasts whose challenge rating is 1/4 or less.
Once you cast
polymorph
in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest, though you can still
cast it normally using an available spell slot (assuming that the spell is on your list of prepared spells).
Heal Others
At 14th level,
mass cure wounds
is magically added to your Book of Shadows. You can cast
mass cure wounds
as
a 5thlevel spell without expending a spell slot. Once you cast
mass cure wounds
in this way, you can’t do so again
until you finish a long rest, though you can still prepare and cast it normally using an available spell slot.
Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.
WIZARD TRADITION: THE WITCH (v1.01)
5
Wizard Tradition: Path of the Gray Witch
Prerequisite: Intelligence 13, Wisdom 13, Constitution 13
Allowed Alignments: Any alignment (favoring neutral alignments)
Beliefs: Gray Witches believe in the natural order, and maintaining the appropriate balance in all things. Gray
Witches try to use their magical abilities to maintain a balance in nature, even learning the druidic methods to
remove afflictions and ailments.
Ritual Savant
Beginning when you select this tradition at 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to copy a ritual spell into
your spellbook is halved.
Book of Shadows
At 2nd level, your otherworldly patron gives you a grimoire called a Book of Shadows. If you loose your Book of
Shadows, you can perform a 1hour ceremony to receive a replacement from your patron. This ceremony can be
performed during a short or long rest, and it destroys the previous book. The book turns to ash when you die.
When you gain this feature, choose two cantrips from the
druid
and
warlock
spell list (one from each spell list). While
the book is on your person, you can cast those cantrips at will. They don’t count against your number of cantrips
known. If they don’t appear on the wizard spell list, they are nonetheless wizard spells for you.
The grimoire also contains the
Find Familiar
spell, which you can cast as a ritual.
Book of Ancient Secrets
Starting at 6th level, you can now inscribe magical rituals in your Book of Shadows. Choose two 1stlevel spells that
have the ritual tag from any class’s spell list (the two needn’t be from the same list). The spells appear in your Book
of Shadows, and don’t count against the two spells you would normally be able to add to your wizard spellbook.
With your Book of Shadows in hand, you can cast the chosen spells as rituals. You can’t cast the spells except as
rituals, unless you’ve learned them by some other means. You can also prepare wizard rituals from your Book of
Shadows just as you can from your wizard spellbook.
On your adventures, you can add other ritual spells to your Book of Shadows. When you find such a spell, you can
add it to the book if the spell’s level is equal to or less than half of your wizard level (rounded up) and if you can
spare the time to transcribe the spell. For each level of the spell, the transcription process takes 2 hours and costs
50 gp for the rare inks needed to inscribe it (although Ritual Savant should halve these values).
At 6th level, lesser restoration is magically added to your Book of Shadows. You can cast
lesser restoration
as a
2ndlevel spell without expending a spell slot. Once you cast
lesser restoration
in this way, you can’t do so again
until you finish a long rest, though you can still prepare and cast it normally using an available spell slot.
Shapechanger
At 10th level, you add the
polymorph
spell to your spellbook, if it is not there already. You can cast
polymorph
without expending a spell slot. When you do so, you can target only yourself and transform into a single beast whose
challenge rating is 1 or less, or into a swarm of tiny beasts whose challenge rating is 1/4 or less.
Once you cast
polymorph
in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest, though you can still
cast it normally using an available spell slot (assuming that the spell is on your list of prepared spells).
Restore Others
At 14th level,
greater restoration
is magically added to your Book of Shadows. You can cast
greater restoration
as a
5thlevel spell without expending a spell slot (or material components). Once you cast
greater restoration
in this way,
you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest, though you can still prepare and cast it normally using an available
spell slot (including material components).
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WIZARD TRADITION: THE WITCH (v1.01)
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Wizard Tradition: Path of the Black Witch
Prerequisite: Intelligence 13, Wisdom 13, Constitution 13
Allowed Alignments: Any nongood alignment (favoring evil alignments)
Beliefs: Black Witches believe in themselves over all others, and that only the strongest survive. Black Witches try to
use their magical abilities to further their own needs, having learned ways to inflict pain and suffering on others.
Ritual Savant
Beginning when you select this tradition at 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to copy a ritual spell into
your spellbook is halved.
Book of Shadows
At 2nd level, your otherworldly patron gives you a grimoire called a Book of Shadows. If you loose your Book of
Shadows, you can perform a 1hour ceremony to receive a replacement from your patron. This ceremony can be
performed during a short or long rest, and it destroys the previous book. The book turns to ash when you die.
When you gain this feature, choose two cantrips from the
warlock
spell list. While the book is on your person, you
can cast those cantrips at will. They don’t count against your number of cantrips known. If they don’t appear on the
wizard spell list, they are nonetheless wizard spells for you.
The grimoire also contains the
Find Familiar
spell, which you can cast as a ritual.
Book of Ancient Secrets
Starting at 6th level, you can now inscribe magical rituals in your Book of Shadows. Choose two 1stlevel spells that
have the ritual tag from any class’s spell list (the two needn’t be from the same list). The spells appear in your Book
of Shadows, and don’t count against the two spells you would normally be able to add to your wizard spellbook.
With your Book of Shadows in hand, you can cast the chosen spells as rituals. You can’t cast the spells except as
rituals, unless you’ve learned them by some other means. You can also prepare wizard rituals from your Book of
Shadows just as you can from your wizard spellbook.
On your adventures, you can add other ritual spells to your Book of Shadows. When you find such a spell, you can
add it to the book if the spell’s level is equal to or less than half of your wizard level (rounded up) and if you can
spare the time to transcribe the spell. For each level of the spell, the transcription process takes 2 hours and costs
50 gp for the rare inks needed to inscribe it (although Ritual Savant should halve these values).
At 6th level,
inflict wounds
is magically added to your Book of Shadows. You can cast
inflict wounds
as a 2ndlevel
spell without expending a spell slot. Once you cast
inflict wounds
in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a
long rest, though you can still prepare and cast it normally using an available spell slot.
Shapechanger
At 10th level, you add the
polymorph
spell to your spellbook, if it is not there already. You can cast
polymorph
without expending a spell slot. When you do so, you can target only yourself and transform into a single beast whose
challenge rating is 1 or less, or into a swarm of tiny beasts whose challenge rating is 1/4 or less.
Once you cast
polymorph
in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest, though you can still
cast it normally using an available spell slot (assuming that the spell is on your list of prepared spells).
Curse Others
At 14th level,
bestow curse
is magically added to your Book of Shadows. You can cast
bestow curse
as a 5thlevel
spell (lasting 8 hours without concentration) without expending a spell slot. Once you cast
bestow curse
in this way,
you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest, though you can still prepare and cast it normally using an available
spell slot.
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