Witch 3.0P - Zarieth's Class Revised [Pedminara]

by Lyndria

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Witch

A tattooed elf, veiled and cloaked, draws his obsidian dagger across the sand, calling forth from the lines a ghostly apparition to help him and his allies find their way. A trio of halfling hermits gather among candles and incense, chanting words of power to bait spirits from the shadows. The bejeweled human, dressed in exotic garb and golden chains bellows a spell which echoes with the voices of an army of lost souls, a fiendish glint in his eyes as blood drips from his palm. Unlike shamans who pray to the spirits of nature, witches trap the tormented souls of those lost betwixt the realm of the living and the beyond. As a witch, you learn to summon these souls and bind them to your will, gaining protection from them and power over them. As you attain higher levels, the covenant you choose to live by grants you further abilities which extend the utility and power of these bonds in different ways.

The Power of Spirit

Witches may or may not have a level of respect for the spirits they bind, though one could say they should. Some witches tap into the residual energies of long-departed souls, while others use extant spiritual beings as conduits for their spellcasting. Either way and whether or not they wish, witches bind part of their own soul to those that surround them.

Witch spells mostly deal with manipulation of spiritual energies (both living and dead) and protections against the beings who supply those energies. As part of their connection to the spiritual world, they are also privy to information and secrets normally not meant for mortal minds. As such, witches are powerful enchanters, abjurers, and diviners.

Bonds of the Soul

Witches acknowledge that there is a spiritual connection between all things – forces that inexplicably and randomly bind beings and happenings together in a kind of mass, shared fate. They see other witches as brothers and sisters, and other classes as close cousins. As a consequence, witches are often fond of forming alliances. The covenant that a witch subscribes to is one such alliance.

Covenants are the manifestation of a philosophy regarding the nature of spirits. Some, like the Covenant of Unity, believe in a supreme energy that extends beyond the physical world, weaving together magic and the collective conscience of all living things. Others, from the Covenant of Blood for example, believe in a more intimate connection between the physical world and the other side. In this philosophy, each soul is tied to something close to it in the physical world – a body, an object, or location that was important to it when it was alive.

The Witch
Level Proficiency Bonus Bonds Features Cantrips Known Spells Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1st +2 Quickening, Spellcasting 3 3 2 -
2nd +2 1 Witch Covenant, Binding Rites 3 4 3 -
3rd +2 1 Spirit Ward 3 5 4 2 -
4th +2 1 Ability Score Improvement 4 6 4 3 -
5th +3 2 4 7 4 3 2 -
6th +3 2 Covenant Feature 4 8 4 3 3 -
7th +3 2 Spiritual Spellcasting 4 9 4 3 3 1 -
8th +3 2 Ability Score Improvement 4 10 4 3 3 2 -
9th +4 2 4 11 4 3 3 3 1 -
10th +4 3 Covenant Feature 5 12 4 3 3 3 2 -
11th +4 3 Channel Spell 5 13 4 3 3 3 2 1 -
12th +4 3 Ability Score Improvement 5 14 4 3 3 3 2 1 -
13th +5 3 5 15 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 -
14th +5 4 Covenant feature 5 16 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 -
15th +5 4 Strength of Spirit 5 16 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 -
16th +5 4 Ability Score Improvement 5 17 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 -
17th +6 4 5 17 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1
18th +6 5 Familiar Spirit 5 18 4 3 3 3 3 2 1 1 1
19th +6 5 Ability Score Improvement 5 19 4 3 3 3 3 2 1 1 1
20th +6 5 Ghostly Step 5 19 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 1

Creating A Witch

When deciding to play a witch, think about what led your character to tap into the spirit world. Maybe witchcraft is a tradition in the area, or your character comes from an area rife with a ghostly past. Superstition is also a good trigger for a fascination with spirits. What is your relationship with spirits? Is there a measure of mutual respect? Perhaps your character feels more like a servant to the spirit than the other way around, or maybe they possess the entitlement to dominate and extort spiritual beings.

How did your character come to be an adventurer? It could be that he or she was a pariah in their community due to contact with the other side, cast out and forced to fend for him or herself. Perhaps your character is even haunted by a particular spirit, and seeks away to control or be rid of it.

Multiclassing

Multiclassing Prerequisites: Charisma 13
Proficiencies: Light armour

Quick Build

You can make a witch quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, select the Hermit background. Third, select the chill touch, guidance, and light cantrips.

Class Features

As a witch, you gain the following class features:

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d6 per witch level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per witch level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Clubs, daggers, darts, quarterstaffs, scimitars, sickles, slings
Tools: Herbalism kit
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, History, Insight, Medicine, Nature, Religion, and Persuasion

Equipment

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

  • (a) a component pouch or (b) an arcane focus or (c) a druidic focus
  • (a) a priest's pack or (b) a scholar's pack
  • Any simple weapon and two daggers

Spellcasting

Your contact with the spirit world and intuitive knowledge of the magic which allows it to persist grants you the use of spells.

Cantrips

You know three 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 spells of 1st level and above. To cast one of these witch spells, you must expend a spell 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 cure wounds and you have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast cure wounds using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know three 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 on 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, since your magic comes from bargaining with spirits. 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 or druidic focus as a spellcasting focus for your witch spells.

Quickening

At 1st level, you gain the ability to enter a trance known as the witch’s quickening, letting you see beyond the borders of the material world. As an action you can enter this trance to see into the Ethereal Plane up to 60 feet.

Additionally, you also gain insight into the emotional energy surrounding you, you know if and what spirits are bound within 60 feet, and you gain advantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks.

The trance lasts for 1 minute, or until you end it as an action. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Witch Covenant

At 2nd level you commit yourself to a spiritual philosophy known as a witch's covenant: the Covenant of Blood, the Covenant of Charm, the Covenant of Ruin, the Covenant of Shadows, Covenant of Silver, Covenant of Steel, or the Covenant of Unity, detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 2nd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.


Witch Terminology

The following terms are used frequently throughout this class's features.

  • Bind: The act of gaining a spirit, each of which has a unique passive benefit while bound.
  • Release: Triggering a spirit's active second effect, usually in response to an event.
  • Dismiss: To be rid of a spirit without activating its release effect.
  • Filled: When a spell slot is full, it is currently occupied by a spirit and cannot be used to cast spells.

Covenant Spells

Each covenant has a list of spells that you gain at the witch levels noted in the covenant description. Once you gain a covenant spell, you know it, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you know.

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

Binding Rites

At 2nd level you can bind spirits to your service. Binding a spirit requires 10 minutes of uninterrupted meditation. During this time, the witch speaks the invocations required to summon the spirit forth and enacts the rite of binding depending on which philosophy the witch subscribes to. A blood witch might utilize a bone fragment to bind the spirit, while a shadow witch might bargain with the summoned spirit, exchanging a secret for the spirit’s service. A witch may perform this ritual at any time to swap a bound spirit for a new one, losing the old passive benefit and gaining the new (or simply to change the spell slot level the same spirit is occupying).

You choose a spirit to bind from the list at the end of this class description, and you fill one of your available spell slots with the spirit. The spell slot used is no longer available for casting spells, and it remains unavailable for as long as the spirit filling it remains bound to you. The spirit is said to be of a level equal to the spell slot used to bind it. Thus, a Spirit of Passion occupying a 6th level spell slot is a level 6 spirit. You cannot have more than one spirit with the same name bound at once.

Depending on the type of spirit, you gain certain benefits while the spirit remains bound and an additional effect when you release the spirit, as detailed in the Binding Rites section. Releasing a spirit is a bonus action, although some spirits allow release as a reaction. Once a spirit has been released, it no longer provides its passive effect and the spell slot it occupied is expended.

You can bind a number of spirits up to the number shown for your witch level in the Bonds column of the witch table.

Spirit Ward

At 3rd level, you learn a rite that offers protection against spirits who wish you or your allies harm. As an action, you can create a spirit ward with a radius of 15 feet, centered on a point you touch. The ward lasts 1 minute. While inside the ward, creatures you choose who you can see cannot be charmed, frightened, or possessed by undead and have resistance to all damage from incorporeal undead. Additionally, if an affected creature is reduced to 0 hit points within the ward but is not killed outright, the creature becomes stable at the beginning on their first turn inside the ward.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest to use it again. Beginning at 9th level, you can use your Spirit Ward twice between rests, and beginning at 18th level you can use it three times between rests.

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.

Spiritual Spellcasting

At 7th level you call upon the spirits you have bound to help you cast your spells. You can dismiss a spirit as a bonus action to recover a spell slot of a level equal to that of the spell slot used to bind the spirit. The release effect of the spirit you dismissed is not activated.

Channel Spell

Beginning at 11th level, damage from spells you cast on undead and creatures from a different plane of existence ignores resistance to that damage.

Strength of Spirit

At 15th level, you learn to sap additional fortitude from the spirits you bind. When you finish a long rest, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the combined level of all the spirits you have bound.

Familiar Spirit

At 18th level, you learn the find familiar spell. Additionally, when you cast find familiar or if you already have a familiar, you can awaken spiritual energy within the animal as part of an additional ritual that takes 10 minutes. Once complete, you choose one spirit from the list at the end of the class description. Your familiar provides you with the spirit’s passive effect as long as your familiar is within 100 feet of you. Its level is equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). If the familiar dies, the spirit produces its release effect if there is a valid target within range of the familiar.

Ghostly Step

At 20th level you gain the ability to enter the spirit realm as a bonus action by projecting part of yourself beyond the material plane. This projection lasts for 10 minutes or until you rematerialize as a bonus action. You and all your belongings become invisible. You have resistance to all non-magical damage, and cannot be grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, or restrained.

For the duration, you can pass through solid objects as if they were difficult terrain. If you end your turn in an object, you take 1d10 force damage. If you rematerialize in a location occupied by a creature or solid object, you are shunted to the nearest unoccupied space and take damage equal to twice the number of feet you are moved as a result.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.


Covenants

The covenant that a witch swears by at 2nd level exemplifies the witch's personal philosophy on spirits. When entering a covenant, the witch gains abilities which align with these core philosophies. Though witches of different covenants can hold similar opinions of spirits, it is important to think on how each covenant's teachings shape your character's attitudes towards the binding and utilization of spirits.

Covenant of Blood

Witches that belong to the Covenant of Blood share a relationship with the spirits unlike others. They seek to appease spirits and gain their servitude by feeding them the vitality of life. Using the blood of others as well as their own, witches of the Covenant of Blood know one thing for certain - no power is too great, and no cost is too high.

Covenant of Blood Spells
Witch Level Spells
3rd Blood Seal, Vampire's Kiss
5th Animate Blood, Tides of Blood
7th Draining Thread, Sanguine Sanctum
9th Bloodcurse, Synaptic Static

The spells listed above are available in the Dark Arts Players Companion guide.

Blood for Blood

Beginning at 2nd level, you grow accustomed to the give and take of life's vitality, attuning yourself to the art of sacrifice for greater gain. When you release a spirit, you can spend a number of hit points based on the spirit's level as per the Hemomancy Spell Table. If you do so, you can force a creature within 30 feet of you to to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the target takes necrotic damage equal to the health spent by you, plus three times the released spirit's level. The damage is halved on a success.

Additionally, your understanding of hemomancy fortifies you against the pain. When you gain this feature, your hit point maximum increases by 2 and increases by 1 again whenever you gain a level in this class.

Bond of Blood

At 6th level, you learn to draw upon the vitality of others to fuel your blood magic. As a bonus action, you may mark a creature you can see within 60 feet of you with a baleful hex. An unwilling creature can roll a Constitution saving throw to resist the mark, ending its effects on a success.

Whenever you cast a hemomancy spell, the hit point cost is split evenly between you and the marked creature. The creature cannot otherwise be affected by your hemomancy spells. The creature can roll a Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns to end the mark's effects.

The mark lasts for one minute, or until you end its effects as a bonus action or by using the feature again. You can only have one hex active at a time. This feature can be used a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier per long rest.
























Understanding Hemomancy

Certain spells from the Dark Arts Players Companion have the special tag: hemomancy. Such a spell has an additional cost when it is cast: your own hit points. When you cast a spell with this tag, you must spend a number of hit points during the casting of the spell. Spending hit points in this way causes you to take necrotic damage equal to the amount spent, which cannot be reduced through any means. The number of hit points you can spend is based on the spell’s level, and is shown in the table below. You may not use temporary hit points to cast hemomancy spells.

Hemomancy Spell Table
Spell Level Minimum Cost Maxmimum Cost
1 1 10
2 4 15
3 7 20
4 10 25
5 13 30
6 16 35
7 19 40
8 22 45
9 25 50

When you cast a spell with the hemomancy tag, you must spend a number of hit points that is between the minimum and the maximum amount you can spend. For example, if you are casting a spell of 2nd level, you must spend at least 4 hit points to cast it, though you can choose to spend up to 15 hit points in order to increase the power of the spell.

Blood for Power

At 10th level, you learn to offer your own vitality instead of depleting your magic reserves for spirit binding. Whenever you bind a spirit, you can choose to reduce your current and maximum hit points by the spell slot level the spirit would occupy. If you do, the spell slot remains available for casting spells. The spell slot cannot be used to bind another spirit. You regain your lost maximum hit points after the spirit is released.

Blood for Vengeance

At 14th level, the accumulation of your sacrifices to the spirits empowers them with overwhelming might. You can choose to sacrifice a major portion of your life's essence to give them strength in their final moments.

Upon releasing a spirit, you can choose to take 1d8 necrotic damage per spirit's level, which cannot be reduced or prevented by any means. After receiving the damage, any damage dealt by the released spirit is maximized, and saving throws against the spirit are made with disadvantage. You may only use this feature once per long rest.

Covenant of Charm

Witches of the Covenant of Charm tap deep into the emotions which govern lingering spirits’ behaviours. They use these emotions as signposts and guides to manipulate the desires and shape the aspirations of the living. They believe that although lingering spirits are echoes of the past, they hold the key to individual futures. By harnessing the raw emotional energy of the beyond, one can gain absolute control over the hearts and minds of those around them.

Witches of this philosophy vary in their treatment of spirits. Some befriend and learn from the spirits they bind, using that knowledge to further their own ends. Others take only cursory notice of the spirits they enslave – an attitude that often carries over into their living interactions, manipulating and charming those they will, without any true regard for the desires of those they meet.

Covenant of Charm Spells
Witch Level Spells
3rd Detect Thoughts, Suggestion
5th Hypnotic Pattern, Tongues
7th Hallucinatory Terrain, Phantasmal Killer
9th Dream, Modify Memory

In Perfect Trust

At 2nd level, you have grown attuned to the hearts and minds of those around you. While in your quickening, you temporarily gain proficiency in the Charisma (Deception) and Charisma (Persuasion) skills if you don't already have it. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of those proficiencies.

Additionally, during your quickening, you gain the ability peer into the heart of a creature within 60 feet of you as an action. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or you gain insight into its emotional state and something that is currently influencing this state such as something it worries over, desires, loves, or hates. Constructs and creatures immune to being charmed automatically succeed on this saving throw. On a failed save the target is not aware of this intrusion.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Spirit Token

At 6th level, you can tie one of your spirits you already have bound to a small object. As an action, you bind the spirit to an object that is significant to a creature you choose, the spirit still counts towards your maximum bonds while attached to the object. As long as the creature is in possession of the token, the spirit provides its passive effect as though the spirit were bound by the target (even if they are not a witch). In either case, the magic holding the spirit to the object expires after 24 hours when it returns to your control. If the token is returned to you, you can break this magic sooner as a bonus action, regaining use of the spirit.

Of One Heart

At 10th level, creatures charmed by you are also considered charmed by any ally holding one of your spirit tokens.

Additionally, when you trigger a spirit's release effect, until the start of your next turn allies within 60 feet of you can damage charmed creatures without affecting the charm.

Crux of Desire

At 14th level, you can't be charmed or frightened, and any rolls against your spells and spirits inflicting the charmed condition are prevented from being affected by advantage.



























Covenant of Connection

Witches of the Covenant of Connection believe in reinforcing the strong ties between the physical world and the spiritual one. Spirits are connected to the physical world through objects that were important to them while they were alive. This knowledge allows a witch to bind spirits more easily — as long as they know something of the spirit's life.

Though not always, witches from the Covenant of Connection tend to dominate the spirits under their control. They generally take care to leave spirits intact and in a state no worse than before they were bound, but nevertheless are capable of using a spirit's weaknesses against them, taking advantage of their connections to the physical world in order to gain great control of them.

Covenant of Connection Spells

Witch Level Spells
3rd Hold Person, Locate Object
5th Remove Curse, Vampiric Touch
7th Locate Creature, Polymorph
9th Awaken, Greater Restoration

Remnants of Renewal

Beginning at 2nd level, when you release a spirit from your power, you can use the energy from those broken spiritual bonds to repair corporeal bodies. When you release a spirit bound to a spell slot granted by the Spellcasting feature, you may restore hit points equal to three times the spirit's level to a friendly creature within 30 feet of you.


Sympathetic Magic

At 6th level, you gain the power to cast spells on targets over vast distances beyond what the spell may ordinarily allow. Provided you are holding an item (a vial of blood, an ounce of hair, an article of clothing, or a favoured object) belonging to the target, your spells of 5th level or lower which affect a single creature may affect the target if it is on the same plane of existence as you, ignoring the casting range.

When you cast a spell that targets a creature in this way, the article you have from the target is consumed, reduced to ash. After being affected by the spell, the target may use an action to roll a Wisdom saving throw against your save DC, learning the source of the spell on a success.

Blood Binding

At 10th level, when a hostile creature dies within 30 feet of you, you can bind its soul as a reaction. You bind a spirit type of your choice to a spell slot of your choice. This binding expires after 24 hours or whenever you use this ability again. The target cannot be resurrected so long as its spirit remains bound in this way. This does not count against your total number of bonds.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Call Forth the Flesh

At 14th level, you gain the ability to force an ethereal or incorporeal creature that you can see within 60 feet into the material plane as an action. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or lose their incorporeal movement trait and immunities to grappled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, and restrained for 1 minute. Alternatively, you can use this feature to to cast revivify once without expending a spell slot or material components. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Covenant of Creation

They say when a soul passes on to the afterlife, its essence continues to reverberate throughout the world, impacting countless others. Fragments of a person's being are preserved as idyllic memories, their legacy intangibly affecting those left in their brilliant wake. Some witches aim to harness that formless potential, manifesting those ideals and granting them a physical form that continues to influence the world left behind.

Witches of Creation are often nostalgists, lingering upon a time since lost, looking to preserve the images and ideals of their forerunners as reminders to themselves and others. The vessels they manifest are forged of earth, wood and clay, or simple dusts and vapors in the wind, whatever the land provides as they conduct their rituals. These witches continually and almost obsessively rebuild and mold their vessels into an eidolon of their greatest ideals, a wholehearted effort to reflect their inner selves.

Covenant of Creation Spells
Witch Level Spells
3rd Enlarge/Reduce, Warding Bond
5th Intellect Fortress, Life Transference
7th Fabricate, Stone Shape
9th Creation, Transmute Rock

Animate Soul

At 2nd level, you can tap into your arcane talents to tether a spirit to a vessel of your own creation. After you complete a short or long rest, you can choose one spirit you have bound. The spirit is imbued into a physical vessel that forms around the bound spirit, and it cannot be released while it is infused in this way. You may imbue more than one spirit into this vessel as your talents grow - two spirits at 9th level, and three spirits at 15th level.

The manifested being is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your commands. Choose its stat block—Corporeal Vessel or Spectral Vessel—which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) and the spirit’s level in several places. You also determine the physical appearance of the vessel, appropriate to the stat block. Whatever form you choose, the vessel bears arcane markings, indicating its mystical origin and ties to your magic.

In combat, the vessel acts during your turn. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to verbally command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the vessel can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

You can deconstruct the vessel as an action - the vessel crumbles away, any spirits within are dismissed with no release effect, and their respective filled spell slots are expended. The vessel is immediately destroyed if it is reduced to 0 hit points, or if you die; any spirits within are dismissed and the filled spell slots are expended.

Alternatively, if you already have an active vessel from this feature while creating a new one, it vanishes when the new vessel appears and any bound spirits within are returned to you.

Remnants of the Lost

At 6th level, when you create a vessel you are imparted a fragment of the spirit's memories, granting you a brief clarity towards the world's history. Choose one of the following proficiencies: Arcana, History, Nature, Medicine, Religion, Survival. You gain this proficiency until the vessel is destroyed.

When your vessel is destroyed or the bound spirit is dismissed, you gain temporary hit points equal to the bound spirit's level.

The Vessel's Domain

At 10th level, your spirit ward establishes a refuge for your vessel to protect. Your vessel gains the following benefits while a spirit ward is active:

  • Corporeal Vessel: If a creature within the spirit's ward is attacked by another creature, the vessel can use its reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack.
  • Spectral Vessel: If a creature within the spirit's ward radius takes damage from an attack, the vessel can use its reaction to make one Rending Bolt attack against the attacking creature if it is within range.

Additionally, when you summon a Spirit Ward, you can choose to mount it upon your vessel, allowing it to move with your vessel. If the vessel is destroyed with a ward mounted upon it, the spirit ward is also lost.


Corporeal Vessel

Medium construct, unaligned


  • Armor Class 13 + PB (natural armor)
  • Hit Points 10 x highest spirit level, + PB
  • Speed 30ft., 20 ft. climb

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 10 (+0) 17 (+3) 4 (-3) 10 (+0) 9 (-1)

  • Damage Resistances Necrotic
  • Damage Immunities Poison
  • Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
  • Senses 60 ft. darkvision, passive Perception 10
  • Languages understands the languages you speak

Spirit Bound. The vessel benefits from the passive effect of the spirit bound within, as if bound by the vessel rather than the witch.

Arcane Armaments. If the spirit's level is 4th level or higher, its attacks are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Actions

Multiattack. The vessel can attack with Rending Strike a number of times equal to a third of the highest spirit level (rounded up.)

Rending Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8 + 3 + highest spirit level necrotic damage.


















Spectral Vessel

Medium undead, unaligned


  • Armor Class 12 + PB (natural armor)
  • Hit Points 8 x highest spirit level, + PB
  • Speed 30ft., 30 ft. fly (hover)

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 16 (+3) 15 (+2) 4 (-3) 10 (+0) 9 (-1)

  • Damage Resistances Necrotic
  • Damage Immunities Poison
  • Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
  • Senses 60 ft. darkvision, passive Perception 10
  • Languages understands the languages you speak

Spirit Bound. The vessel benefits from the passive effect of any spirits bound within, as if bound by the vessel rather than the witch.

Arcane Armaments. If the spirit's level is 4th level or higher, its attacks are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Actions

Multiattack. The vessel can attack with Rending Bolt a number of times equal to a third of the highest spirit level (rounded up.)

Rending Bolt. Ranged Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, 60 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 + 3 + highest spirit level necrotic damage.















Mastery over Matter

At 14th level, your mastery over creation allows you to rapidly reform your vessel. At the start of each of your turns, you can change the form of your vessel from Spectral to Corporeal, or vice-versa. While changing forms, the vessel's current hitpoints remain at their current value, and are reduced to the maximum hit points value of the new vessel form if they exceed it.

Your vessel gains the following benefits:

  • Corporeal Vessel: Your vessel grows to Large size, and the damage dice of Rending Strike improves to 2d8.
  • Spectral Vessel: When your vessel uses the Multiattack feature, it can attack one additional time with Rending Bolt.

Covenant of Ruin

The Covenant of Ruin has less respect for spirits than the other covenants. Witches who bind these spirits utilize their magic to torture and pressure spirits in order to extract power from them. Their philosophy revolves around invoking ruin and causing as much damage as possible.

Though good witches of this covenant are rare, they are not unknown. Good witches who share this covenant's ideology typically aim to bind evil spirits, turning these beings into weapons for good against their will (though this can hardly be considered to be completely benign). Such witches often claim their actions are for the greater good — using evil to combat greater evil.

Covenant of Ruin Spells
Witch Level Spells
3rd Crown of Madness, Shatter
5th Bestow Curse, Call Lightning
7th Confusion, Ice Storm
9th Cloudkill, Destructive Wave

Doom

Beginning when you choose this covenant at 2nd level, the targets of your spirits’ release effects have disadvantage on the next ability check or attack roll they make within the next 10 minutes.

Devastating Release

At 6th level, spirits you release erupt with energy as their bonds are broken, causing harm to those around you. When you release a spirit, roll a number of d6s equal to the level of the spirit. Creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you take psychic damage equal to the total. Those who take damage hear wails and screams as the spirit is released, and feel a rush of sorrow and discomfort.

Ruinous Ward

Beginning at 10th level, the Spirit Wards you create are accompanied by spiritual dissonance which can strain and break the weak of soul. When a creature starts its turn inside your Spirit Ward, you can choose for the ward to deal 3d6 psychic damage to the creature (no action required by you).

Rite of Exorcism

At 14th level, you can attempt to exorcise a living creature’s soul. If a creature within 30 feet of you fails a Wisdom or Charisma saving throw against one of your spells or spirits' release effects, you can use your reaction to attempt to exorcise that creature's soul. The target takes 5d6 psychic damage and 5d6 necrotic damage as their soul is torn from their body, and they are stunned until the end of your next turn.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Covenant of Shadows

The Covenant of Shadows subscribes to the belief that everything that exists, both physically and metaphysically, is a shadow cast by that which came before it. Shadows are windows into worlds beyond the material plane — as one world becomes dimmer, others become brighter and easier to see by comparison.

There is reason to be wary of the dark. Witches from this covenant are more cautious dealing with spirits. They know that dangers lurk in the shadows, and they are careful with their dealings lest the spirits they bind show their dark side.

Covenant of Shadows Spells
Witch Level Spells
3rd Darkness, Pass Without Trace
5th Feign Death, Nondetection
7th Dimension Door, Greater Invisibility
9th Mislead, Seeming

The Shadows Have Eyes

You can use the spirits which dwell in the darkness to see. Beginning at 2nd level, you can see normally in darkness, both magical and nonmagical, to a distance of 120 feet as long as you have at least one spirit bound, and you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks in dim light or darkness.

Blinding Shackles

At 6th level, hostile creatures that are affected by any of your spirits’ release effects must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or be blinded for 1 minute. At the end of each of its turns, a target can make a Constitution saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. This ability has no effect on creatures who do not use light to see.

Dark Mimicry

At 10th level, as long as you have at least one spirit bound, you can call upon the movements of nearby shadows to replace the somatic components of your spells.

Alternatively, the ghostly whispers of your bound spirit may replace the verbal components of your spells. You can therefore cast spells with these components even if you yourself cannot motion or vocalize. Additionally, when you are hidden from a creature and cast a spell, casting the spell doesn't reveal your position to it.

Haunting Shades

Beginning at 14th level, after you release a spirit that targets a hostile creature, you can choose for the spirit to also haunt that creature for up to 1 minute, requiring your concentration as if on a spell. The passive effect of the spirit continues but uses the haunted creature as the origin. The passive effect otherwise treats you as the owner. After 1 minute or when you lose concentration, the spirit’s release effect activates again.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Covenant of Silver

Silver is a powerful weapon in any witch's arsenal but a witch who holds to the Covenant of Silver understands how to unlocking the transformative and soul-binding powers of a simple looking glass. It is through this window to the soul that the Silver witch draws their power. Reflections are the silver chains that bind the worlds together.

Witches of the covenant of silver know that everything living has a reflection in the otherworld, and everything dead must reciprocate. Their craft is full of risk and reward, and through reflections, they come to understand and manipulate those outcomes.

Covenant of Silver Spells
Witch Level Spells
3rd Alter Self, Mirror Image
5th Clairvoyance, Major Image
7th Arcane Eye, Locate Creature
9th Mislead, Scrying

Looking Glass

At 2nd level you gain a Tiny trinket known as a Soul Mirror. As an action you can face the mirror at a creature you can see within 60 feet of you and capture its reflection. The reflection remains captured until you release it as a bonus action or use this feature again.

As an action while you have a reflection captured, you can speak the name of the target to create an invisible sensor within 10 feet of it. The soul mirror then shows the view from the sensor as if it were there, instead of a reflection. The sensor moves with the target, remaining within 10 feet of it until the target's reflection is released. A creature that can see invisible objects sees the sensor as a translucent disc the size of your soul mirror.

The sensor lasts for one hour, and when it expires the reflection is lost from your mirror. This duration is extended to eight hours at 7th level, and one day at 13th level.

If you lose your Soul Mirror, you can perform a 1-hour ceremony to summon a replacement. This ceremony can be performed during a short or long rest, and it destroys the previous mirror. The mirror shatters when you die.

Soul Shatter

At 6th level, if you have a reflection captured in your soul mirror, you can summon an eruption of ghostly mirror-shards as a reaction to taking damage from an attack.

The reflection is released, and the attacker takes force or radiant damage (your choice) equal to the triggering damage. Alternatively, you may instead deal this damage to the owner of the reflection. After taking the damage, you regain a number of hit points equal to the damage dealt.

This feature may be used once per short or long rest.

Soul Cloak

Beginning at 10th level, you can assume the form of the creature whose reflection you trapped in your soul mirror as an action. When you do so, the reflection is released and magically transforms into a disguise that appears on you. You now look like the creature, but flipped horizontally like a reflection. This disguise lasts for a number of hours equal to your proficiency bonus (minimum of 1), or until you end it as a bonus action or take a short or long rest.

While this illusion is active, you are invisible and the illusion moves with you, with its base centered on your location. It seems completely real, including sounds, accents and mannerisms, smells, natural movements and temperature appropriate to the creature depicted. You can't create sufficient heat or cold to cause damage, a sound loud enough to deal thunder damage or deafen a creature, or a smell that might sicken a creature (like a troglodyte's stench).

Physical interaction with the disguise reveals it to be an illusion, because things can pass through it. A creature that uses its action to examine the image can determine that it is an illusion with a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC. A creature can also roll this check immediately after a spell, attack or other action misses the disguised target due to the illusion. If a creature discerns the illusion for what it is, the creature can see through the image, you become clearly visible to them, and the illusion's other sensory qualities become faint to the creature.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Dark Reflection

At 14th level, you can use your action to compel a creature you can see within 60 feet to look at a warped illusion of itself. The target sees you as a wretched, horrifying version of itself — a visage that manipulates it with its insecurities and plays on its fears. You cast geas on the target without expending a spell slot or material components. When cast in this way, the target is also frightened of you for the duration while within 60 feet of you, and the duration of the spell is seven years, or until this feature is used again.

You may also target the owner of a reflection captured in your mirror, regardless of distance. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Covenant of Steel

Witches who tie themselves to the Covenant of Steel are a select few who combine their spiritual connection with a grounding in eldritch combat. These witches traditionally devote themselves to the grim task of binding or banishing malign spirits, and then bending such spirits to their cause.

Those of the Covenant of Steel often cannot afford to dwell on the wellbeing of their spirits, having often bound them to keep them from endangering the living. They know better than most the danger and power of these rogue entities, and lesser minds have been driven mad by their ethereal influence. For witches of this coven, any interaction with spirits is often kept to a necessary minimum, and even then with great suspicion.

Covenant of Steel Spells
Witch Level Spells
3rd Branding Smite, Spiritual Weapon
5th Crusader's Mantle, Phantom Steed
7th Banishment, Staggering Smite
9th Dispel Evil and Good, Steel Wind Strike

Bonus Proficiencies

Beginning at 2nd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor, simple weapons and one martial melee weapon of your choice that lacks the heavy or special property.

If you're proficient with a simple or martial melee weapon, you can use it as a spellcasting focus for your witch spells.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your speciality. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if something in the game lets you choose again.

Blind Fighting. You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.

Dueling. When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Eerie. While you have a spirit bound, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Two-Weapon Fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Imbue Weapon

At 2nd level, you can channel the power of your bound spirits through a weapon. Whenever you finish a short or long rest, you can touch a weapon that you are proficient with and choose one spirit you have bound. The spirit is infused into the weapon until you finish a long rest, and it cannot be released while it is infused in this way. If you choose to imbue more than one weapon, a separate spirit must be bound to each one.

When you attack with the weapon, it gains a bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to the spirit's level divided by three, unless it is a magic weapon that already has a bonus to those rolls. Whenever you hit a creature with this weapon, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1).

At 7th level, your attacks with your imbued weapons count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Extra Attack

Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Reflexes of Steel

At 10th level, your physical and spiritual reflexes are razor sharp. You can give yourself a bonus to your initiative rolls equal to the number of spirits you have bound.

Additionally, when you make a saving throw you can use your reaction to gain a bonus to the roll equal to the number of spirits you have bound.

Steel Rain

At 14th level, your body and soul have been forged and tempered by your training. As an action, you can release a spirit to unleash a flurry of spiritually fueled strikes. You make a number of weapon attacks equal to the spirit's level, and the damage from these attacks ignores resistance and immunity. The spirit's release effect does not trigger.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Covenant of Unity

The Covenant of Unity subscribes to a philosophy that all spiritual entities are connected by a collective consciousness. They use this knowledge to surmount power over the spiritual realm itself. In other words, these witches gain their abilities by harnessing the secrets which govern the very basis of spiritual existence, rather than focusing on the relationships between the metaphysical and the material world.

The Covenant of Unity is perhaps more sympathetic to the bound spirits. Witches of this covenant tend to see spirits as allies instead of tools. They trust the spirits they bind enough to allow their power to grow under their command with the purpose of sharing this power.

Covenant of Unity Spells
Witch Level Spells
3rd Augury, Healing Spirit
5th Phantom Steed, Spirit Guardians
7th Aura of Purity, Death Ward
9th Legend Lore, Telepathic Bond

Forceful Presence

At 6th level, after you release a spirit you can choose to retain control over it, so that the spirit remains bound and ready to be released again. The spell slot previously filled by the spirit is expended, and another available spell slot of your choice must be filled instead.

You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Powerful Bonds

At 10th level, your body and soul develop the ability to contain more powerful spirits. The passive and release effects of spirits you bind are considered one level higher than the spell slot you use to bind them.

Pale Host

At 14th level, if you are reduced to 0 hit points, but not killed outright, you are not knocked unconscious and your body becomes possessed by a spirit you control while you have 0 hit points. You remain conscious and possessed in this way for 1 round per level of the highest level spirit you have bound. You still must make death saving throws, and you suffer the normal effects of taking damage or regaining hit points while at 0 hit points.

Onlookers notice a strangeness in your movements, eyes, and voice while you remain possessed. While possessed, you can use your action on your turn to activate the release effect of one of the spirits you have bound and have it remain bound. This does not expend any uses of the Forceful Presence ability. Once you regain at least one hit point, the possession ends, your highest level spirit is dismissed and the filled spell slot is expended.

Binding Rites

The following is a list of different spirits a witch may bind.

Agony

In the presence of a spirit of Agony, foes’ wounds continue to bleed and fires continue to burn. While Agony is bound, if you roll a 1 on a damage die for an attack or spell, you can add the level of the spirit to the damage of that die. You can do this once per attack or spell.

Release. You can release Agony as a reaction when you roll the highest possible number on a damage die. Roll a number of d6s equal to the spirit's level and add the total to the triggering damage die as psychic damage.

Desire

Spirits of Desire impress your will onto others and enhance existing desires. Friendly and charmed creatures within 30 feet of you have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws against your spells. Once a creature succeeds on a Wisdom saving throw against one of your spells, that creature is immune to this spirit’s passive effect for 24 hours.

Release. When you release this spirit as a bonus action, you attempt to charm a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be charmed by you for 1 minute or until it takes damage. The spirit's level determines what kind of creature can be charmed. At 3rd level and below, only humanoids and beasts are affected. At 4th level and above, all creatures can be affected.

Empathy

Spirits of Empathy force your enemies to share your pain. While Empathy is bound, whenever a creature within 60 feet of you deals damage to you, you can use your reaction to retaliate. The creature takes psychic damage equal to the spirit's level.

Release. You can release Empathy as a reaction whenever a creature deals damage to you or an ally within 30 feet of you. The creature takes psychic damage equal to the triggering damage + the spirit’s level.

Envy

Spirits of Envy take from others what they covet for themselves – life. Once on each of your turns, when you damage a hostile Small or larger creature with an attack or spell while Envy is bound, you regain a number of hit points equal to the level of the spirit.

Release. When you deal damage to a hostile Small or larger creature with an attack or spell you can release Envy as a reaction. When you do so, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the triggering damage.

Fear

Spirits of Fear bring nightmares to life. While Fear is bound, you can add your proficiency bonus to Charisma (Intimidation) checks, or double it if you already do. Additionally, creatures provoke opportunity attacks from you even if they take the Disengage action before leaving your reach.

Release. When Fear is released from its bonds as a bonus action, a number of creatures equal to the spirit's level within 30 feet of you must succeed on Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be frightened of you for 1 minute. A frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Generosity

Spirits of Generosity are always willing to make sacrifices for those who bind them with good intentions. Whenever you cast a spell that restores hit points, you can add the spirit's level to one healing roll of the spell.

Release. You can release Generosity as a bonus action and gift the spirit to an ally within 30 feet of you. The spirit protects the ally, granting them a number of temporary hit points equal to 5 times the spirit's level. These temporary hit points last 10 minutes.

Guilt

Spirits of Guilt cause your enemies hesitation in acts that would wrong you. While Guilt is bound, when you are attacked you can use your reaction to gain a bonus to AC against that attack equal to the level of the spirit.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to the spirit's level. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Release. When you release Guilt from your power as a bonus action, one creature you can see within 60 feet has disadvantage on attack rolls against you for 1 minute. At the end of each of its turn the target can make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Hate

Spirits of Hate inspire a ferocity in you. When you are damaged by a creature, you can use your reaction to gain advantage on attack rolls against that creature until the end of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to the spirit's level. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Release. When you damage a creature with a spell or attack you can release Hate as a reaction. Roll a number of d6s equal to the spirit's level and add the total to the triggering damage as necrotic damage.

Humility

When you make an ability check with which you are not proficient at disadvantage, the result can not be lower than 8 + the level of this spirit.

Release. As a reaction when a creature you can see makes a saving throw or ability check, you can release Humility from your power to bestow it upon the creature. Add the spirit’s level to the roll. You can do so after the roll, but must decide before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails.

Hunger

Spirits of Hunger sustain their binder and deprive their enemies of energy. While Hunger is bound you require no food or water.

Release. You can release Hunger as a bonus action to exhaust a number of creatures within 30 feet of you equal to the spirit’s level. A target gains one level of exhaustion (as described in appendix A of the Player's Handbook), and cannot be affected by a Spirit of Hunger for 24 hours.

Passion

Spirits of Passion give those who bind them the power to push themselves and others to greater heights of success. While this spirit is bound you can channel Passion when you make an attack roll, ability check or saving throw, or when an ally within 30 feet of you does, you roll a d6 and add the number rolled to the total.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to the spirit's level. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. You lose all remaining dice when you release Passion.

Release. You can release Passion as a reaction when you make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. You gain advantage on the roll.

Additionally, you and each friendly creature within 30 feet of you gain a d6 that lasts until the end of your next turn. A creature can expend and roll the d6 when they make an attack roll or ability check, adding it to the total.

Pride

Creatures in your presence are more easily filled with a dangerous sense of pride, oversight, and overconfidence. When you make an ability check that is contested by a creature you can see, you gain a bonus to the ability check equal to half the spirit's level, rounded up.

Release. When a creature you can see succeeds on an attack roll or ability check, you can release Pride as a reaction to curse that creature to a disgraceful fall. The next time the target makes an attack roll or ability check, it does so with disadvantage, and subtracts the spirit’s level from the total.

Serenity

Spirits of Serenity bring peace and clarity of thought to those who bind them. You don't need to sleep. Instead, you can meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.

Additionally, if you or any friendly creatures who can see you regain hit points at the end of a short rest by spending one or more Hit Dice, each of those creatures regains a number of additional hit points equal to the level of the spirit.

Release. When you release Serenity from your power at the start of your turn (no action required), you are no longer blinded, deafened, frightened, paralysed, poisoned, or stunned.

Sloth

Spirits of Sloth inspire sluggishness and laziness of thought and action around you.

While Sloth is bound, the ground around you is difficult terrain for your enemies, up to a range of 5 feet times half the spirit's level (rounded up).

Release. When you release Sloth as a bonus action, you can slow a number of creatures up to the spirit's level that you can see. A target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save a target is considered affected by the slow spell until the end of their next turn.

Sorrow

The failures of your enemies continue to haunt them in the presence of a spirit of Sorrow. While Sorrow is bound to you, when a creature fails a saving throw against one of your spells of 1st level or higher, it takes psychic damage equal to the spirit's level before the effects of the spell take hold.

Release. When Sorrow is released as a bonus action, choose a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target has disadvantage on the next attack roll or ability check it makes before the end of its next turn. If it misses that attack roll or fails the ability check, roll a number of d6s equal to the spirit's level. The target takes psychic damage equal to the total.

Trust

While emboldened by a spirit of Trust, you can help your allies through cooperative spellcasting. While Trust is bound, when you prepare your spells after finishing a long rest you can choose a number of 1st-level or higher spells from the witch spell list, up to a combined total level equal to the spirit's level. You and friendly creatures within 30 feet of you share knowledge of these spells and have them prepared, not counting against the number of spells an affected creature can know or prepare. This shared spell list lasts for 24 hours or until the end of your next long rest.

Release. You can release Trust when you take the Help action, as part of that action. When the target makes the attack roll or ability check that you aided, it can reroll one of the dice once.

Valor

Spirits of Valor give those who bind them the power to pull through with confidence against poor odds. While Valor is bound, you and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you have advantage on saves against being frightened.

Release. When you release this spirit as a bonus action, you and a number of creatures equal to the spirit's level that you can see within 30 feet of you are no longer frightened.

Wonder

You radiate an aura of awe when a spirit of Wonder is bound to you. While Wonder is bound, creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks made to perceive any creature other than you.

Release. You can release Wonder from your power as an action to inspire awe in a number of creatures equal to the spirit's level that you can see within 30 feet of you. A target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be incapacitated and have a speed of 0 until the end of your next turn.

Spell List (2021)

Cantrips (0 Level)
  • Chill Touch
  • Dancing Lights
  • Druidcraft
  • Guidance
  • Infestation
  • Mage Hand
  • Message
  • Mind Sliver
  • Poison Spray
  • Spare the Dying
  • Thorn Whip
  • Toll the Dead
1st Level
  • Absorb Elements
  • Animal Friendship
  • Bane
  • Bless
  • Cause Fear
  • Charm Person
  • Command
  • Comprehend Languages
  • Cure Wounds
  • Detect Evil and Good
  • Detect Magic
  • Disguise Self
  • Dissonant Whispers
  • Entangle
  • False Life
  • Find Familiar
  • Hex
  • Inflict Wounds
  • Mage Armor
  • Protection from Evil and Good
  • Purify Food and Drink
  • Ray of Sickness
  • Sleep
  • Tasha's Caustic Brew
  • Tasha's Hideous Laughter
  • Unseen Servant
  • Witch Bolt
2nd Level
  • Alter Self
  • Animal Messenger
  • Augury
  • Blindness/Deafness
  • Calm Emotions
  • Crown of Madness
  • Darkness
  • Darkvision

  • Detect Thoughts
  • Enhance Ability
  • Enthrall
  • Gentle Repose
  • Healing Spirit
  • Invisibility
  • Lesser Restoration
  • Levitate
  • Locate Animals or Plants
  • Locate Object
  • Magic Mouth
  • Mind Spike
  • Misty Step
  • Phantasmal Force
  • Ray of Enfeeblement
  • See Invisibility
  • Shadow Blade
  • Silence
  • Skywrite
  • Spider Climb
  • Suggestion
  • Summon Beast
  • Tasha's Mind Whip
  • Web
3rd Level
  • Bestow Curse
  • Blink
  • Catnap
  • Clairvoyance
  • Dispel Magic
  • Fear
  • Feign Death
  • Fly
  • Gaseous Form
  • Glyph of Warding
  • Hypnotic Pattern
  • Intellect Fortress
  • Life Transference
  • Magic Circle
  • Major Image
  • Remove Curse
  • Revivify
  • Sending
  • Slow
  • Speak with Dead
  • Spirit Guardians
  • Spirit Shroud
  • Summon Shadowspawn
  • Summon Undead
  • Tongues
  • Vampiric Touch
4th Level
  • Arcane Eye
  • Banishment
  • Blight
  • Charm Monster
  • Compulsion
  • Death Ward
  • Dimension Door
  • Divination
  • Dominate Beast
  • Grasping Vine
  • Greater Invisibility
  • Hallucinatory Terrain
  • Locate Creature
  • Phantasmal Killer
  • Shadow of Moil
  • Sickening Radiance
5th Level
  • Cloudkill
  • Contagion
  • Creation
  • Danse Macabre
  • Dominate Person
  • Dream
  • Enervation
  • Hallow
  • Insect Plague
  • Legend Lore
  • Mass Cure Wounds
  • Mislead
  • Negative Energy Flood
  • Rary's Telepathic Bond
  • Scrying
  • Seeming
  • Telekinesis
  • Wrath of Nature
6th Level
  • Circle of Death
  • Contingency
  • Eyebite
  • Find the Path
  • Guards and Wards
  • Harm
  • Mass Suggestion
  • Mental Prison
  • Programmed Illusion
  • Soul Cage
  • Tasha's Otherworldly Guise
  • Transport via Plants
  • True Seeing
7th Level
  • Dream of the Blue Veil
  • Etherealness
  • Finger of Death
  • Forcecage
  • Mirage Arcane
  • Power Word Pain
  • Project Image
  • Regenerate
  • Sequester
  • Symbol
8th Level
  • Animal Shapes
  • Antipathy/Sympathy
  • Control Weather
  • Dominate Monster
  • Feeblemind
  • Glibness
  • Maddening Darkness
  • Maze
  • Mind Blank
  • Power Word Stun
  • Telepathy
9th Level
  • Astral Projection
  • Foresight
  • Imprisonment
  • Mass Polymorph
  • Power Word Kill
  • Psychic Scream
  • Time Stop

Dark Arts Companion Spells


Cantrips (0 Level)
  • Bloodletting
  • Lacerate
  • Life Thread
  • Umbraturgy
1st Level
  • Bloodburn
  • Cruorwhip
  • Reaper's Scythe
2nd Level
  • Aura of Shade
  • Blood Seal
  • Clinging Shadows
  • Dome of Night
  • Hand of the Grave
  • Vampire's Kiss
3rd Level
  • Animate Blood
  • Beacon of False Life
  • Bloodsight
  • Tides of Blood
  • Umbral Form
4th Level
  • Draining Thread
  • Rary's Rapid Replication
  • Rend Shadow
  • Sanguine Sanctum
  • Wall of Bones
5th Level
  • Bloodcurse
  • Shadow Stride
6th Level
  • Banshee's Wail
  • Investiture of Shadow
  • Rain of Blood
7th Level
  • Hemoplague
8th Level
  • Memento Mori

Changelog

Changelog (Pedminara)

Channel Spell

Beginning at 11th level, damage from spells you cast on undead and creatures from on a different plane of existence ignores resistance to that damage.

New Subclasses: Convenant of Blood, Covenant of Creation

Covenant of Blood

Renamed to Covenant of Connection

Awaken the Blood

Beginning at 2nd level, when you release a spirit from your power, you can use the energy from those broken spiritual bonds to repair corporeal bodies. When you release a spirit bound to a spell slot granted by the Spellcasting feature, you may restore hit points equal to three times the spirit's level to a friendly creature within 30 feet of you. , a creature you touch regains hit points equal to three times the spirit's level.

Sympathetic Magic

At 6th level, you gain the power to cast spells on targets over vast distances beyond what the spell may ordinarily allow. Provided you have are holding an item (a vial of blood, an ounce of hair, an article of clothing, or a favoured object) from belonging to the target, your spells of 5th level or lower which affect a single creature have a single target may affect the target if it is on the same plane of existence as you, ignoring the casting range.

When you cast a spell that targets a creature in this way, the article you have from the target is consumed, reduced to ash. After being affected by the spell, the target may use an action to roll a Wisdom saving throw against your save DC, learning the source of the spell on a success.

Blood Binding

At 10th level, when a hostile creature dies within 30 feet of you, you can bind its soul as a reaction. You bind a spirit type of your choice to a spell slot of your choice. This binding expires after 24 hours or whenever you use this ability again. The target cannot be resurrected so long as its spirit remains bound in this way. This does not count against your total number of bindings.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Covenant of Charm

In Perfect Trust

At 2nd level, you have grown attuned to the hearts and minds of those around you. While in your quickening, you gain proficiency in the Charisma (Deception) and Charisma (Persuasion) skills if you don't already have it. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of those proficiencies. you can add your proficiency bonus to Charisma (Deception) and Charisma (Persuasion) checks, or twice your proficiency bonus if you are already proficient.

Of One Heart

At 10th level, creatures charmed by you are also considered charmed by any ally holding one of your spirit tokens. your allies.

Additionally, when you trigger a spirit's release effect, until the start of your next turn allies within 60 feet of you can damage charmed creatures without affecting the charm.

Crux of Desire

At 14th level, you can't be charmed or frightened, and any rolls against your spells and spirits inflicting the charmed condition are prevented from being affected by advantage. your spells and spirits ignore immunity to the charmed condition.

Covenant of Silver

Looking Glass

At 2nd level you gain a Tiny trinket known as a Soul Mirror. As an action you can face the mirror at a creature you can see within 60 feet of you and capture its reflection. The reflection remains captured until you release it as a bonus action or use this feature again.

As an action while you have a reflection captured, you can speak the name of the target to create an invisible sensor within 10 feet of it. The soul mirror then shows the view from the sensor as if it were there, instead of a reflection. The sensor moves with the target, remaining within 10 feet of it until the target's reflection is released. A creature that can see invisible objects sees the sensor as a translucent disc the size of your soul mirror.

The sensor lasts for one hour, and when it expires the reflection is lost from your mirror. This duration is extended to eight hours at 7th level, and one day at 13th level.

If you lose your Soul Mirror, you can perform a 1-hour ceremony to summon a replacement. This ceremony can be performed during a short or long rest, and it destroys the previous mirror. The mirror shatters when you die.

Soul Shatter

Beginning at 6th level, if you have a reflection captured in your soul mirror, you can summon an eruption of ghostly mirror-shards whenever you release a spirit as a reaction to taking damage from an attack.

The reflection is released along with the spirit, and the target of the spirit's release effect, and the attacker takes force or radiant damage (your choice) equal to the triggering damage. Alternatively, you may instead deal this damage to the owner of the reflection. After taking the damage, you regain a number of hit points equal to the damage dealt.

This feature may be used once per short or long rest.

Soul Cloak

Beginning at 10th level, you can assume the form of the creature whose reflection you trapped in your soul mirror as an action. When you do so, the reflection is released and magically transforms into a disguise that appears on you. You now look like the creature, but flipped horizontally like a reflection. This disguise lasts for a number of hours equal to your proficiency bonus (minimum of 1), or until you end it as a bonus action or take a short or long rest. This disguise lasts for 1 hour or until you end it as a bonus action.

While you're in the disguise you can perfectly mimic the mannerisms, speech patterns, accent, and other superficial qualities of the original creature. Another creature can see through this disguise by succeeding on a Wisdom (Insight) check with disadvantage against your spell save DC.

While this illusion is active, you are invisible and the illusion moves with you, with its base centered on your location. It seems completely real, including sounds, accents and mannerisms, smells, natural movements and temperature appropriate to the creature depicted. You can't create sufficient heat or cold to cause damage, a sound loud enough to deal thunder damage or deafen a creature, or a smell that might sicken a creature (like a troglodyte's stench).

Physical interaction with the disguise reveals it to be an illusion, because things can pass through it. A creature that uses its action to examine the image can determine that it is an illusion with a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC. A creature can also roll this check immediately after a spell, attack or other action misses the disguised target due to the illusion. If a creature discerns the illusion for what it is, the creature can see through the image, you become clearly visible to them, and the illusion's other sensory qualities become faint to the creature.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Dark Reflection

At 14th level, you can use your action to compel a creature you can see within 60 feet to look at a warped illusion of itself. The target sees you as a wretched, horrifying version of itself — a visage that manipulates it with its insecurities and plays on its fears. You cast geas on the target without expending a spell slot or material components. When cast in this way, the target is also frightened of you for the duration while within 60 feet of you, and the duration of the spell is seven years, or until this feature is used again.

You may also target the owner of a reflection captured in your mirror, regardless of distance. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Covenant of Steel

Covenant of Steel Spells
Witch Level Spells
3rd Branding Smite, Spiritual Weapon
5th Crusader's Mantle, Phantom Steed
7th Banishment, Staggering Smite
9th Banishing Smite, Dispel Evil and Good, Steel Wind Strike

Beginning at 2nd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor, simple weapons and one martial melee weapon of your choice that lacks the heavy or special property. the longsword

If you're proficient with a simple or martial melee weapon, you can use it as a spellcasting focus for your witch spells.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your speciality. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if something in the game lets you choose again.

Blind Fighting. Being unable to see a creature doesn’t impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it, provided the creature isn’t hidden from you. You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.

Dueling. When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Eerie. While you have a spirit bound, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Two-Weapon Fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Imbue Weapon

At 2nd level, you can channel the power of your bound spirits through a weapon. Whenever you finish a short or long rest, you can touch one a weapon that you are proficient with and choose one spirit you have bound. The spirit is infused into the weapon until you finish a long rest, and it cannot be released while it is infused in this way. If you choose to imbue more than one weapon, a separate spirit must be bound to each one.

When you attack with the weapon, it gains a bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to the spirit's level divided by three, unless it is a magic weapon that already has a bonus to those rolls. Whenever you hit a creature with this weapon, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). At 7th level, your attacks with your imbued weapons count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Covenant of Unity

Covenant of Unity Spells
Witch Level Spells
3rd Augury, Healing Spirit Blur
5th Phantom Steed, Spirit Guardians
7th Aura of Purity, Death Ward, Conjure Woodland Beings
9th Legend Lore, Telepathic Bond
Forceful Presence

At 6th level, after you release a spirit you can choose to retain control over it, so that the spirit remains bound and ready to be released again. The spell slot previously filled by the spirit is expended, and a new spell slot of your choice is filled instead.

You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Pale Host

Onlookers notice a strangeness in your movements, eyes, and voice while you remain possessed. While possessed, you can use your action on your turn to activate the release effect of one of the spirits you have bound and have it remain bound. This does not expend any uses of the Forceful Presence ability. Once you regain at least one hit point, the possession ends, your highest level spirit is dismissed and the filled spell slot is expended.

Bonds

Agony

In the presence of a spirit of Agony, foes’ wounds continue to bleed and fires continue to burn. While Agony is bound, if you roll a 1 on a damage die for an attack or spell, you can add the level of the spirit to the damage of that die. You can do this once per attack or spell. when you roll damage for an attack or spell you cast, for each 1 on a damage die, you can add the level of the spirit to the damage total.

Empathy

Spirits of Empathy force your enemies to share your pain. While Empathy is bound, whenever a creature within 60 feet of you deals damage to you, you can use your reaction to retaliate. The creature takes psychic damage equal to the spirit's level.

Envy

Spirits of Envy take from others what they covet for themselves – life. Once on each of your turns, when you damage a hostile Small or larger creature with an attack or spell while Envy is bound, you regain a number of hit points equal to the level of the spirit.

Release. When you deal damage to a hostile Small or larger creature with an attack or spell you can release Envy as a reaction. When you do so, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the triggering damage.

Generosity

Spirits of Generosity are always willing to make sacrifices for those who bind them with good intentions. Whenever you cast a spell that restores hit points, you can add the spirit's level to one healing roll of the spell.

Your spells that restore hit points restore additional hit points equal to the spirit's level.

Hate

Spirits of Hate inspire a ferocity in you. When you are damaged by a creature, you can use your reaction to choose to channel Hate and gain advantage on attack rolls against that creature until the end of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to the spirit's level. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Pride

Creatures in your presence are more easily filled with a dangerous sense of pride, oversight, and overconfidence. When you make an ability check that is contested by a creature you can see, you gain a bonus to the ability check equal to half the spirit's level, rounded up.

Sloth

Spirits of Sloth inspire sluggishness and laziness of thought and action around you. While Sloth is bound, the ground around you is difficult terrain for your enemies, up to a range of 5 feet x the spirit level (rounded up). within 15 feet of you is difficult terrain for your enemies.

Release. When you release Sloth as a bonus action, you can slow a number of creatures up to the spirit's level that you can see. A target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save a target is slowed considered affected by the slow spell until the end of their next turn.

Sorrow

The failures of your enemies continue to haunt them in the presence of a spirit of Sorrow. While Sorrow is bound to you, when a creature fails a saving throw against one of your spells of 1st level or higher, it takes psychic damage equal to the spirit's level before the effects of the spell take hold.

Trust

While emboldened by a spirit of Trust, you can help your allies through cooperative spellcasting. While Trust is bound, when you prepare your spells after finishing finish a long rest you can choose a number of 1st-level or higher spells from the witch spell list, up to a combined total level equal to the spirit's level. You and friendly creatures within 30 feet of you share knowledge of these spells and have them prepared, not counting of know these spells, and always have them prepared, and they don't count against the number of spells an affected creature can know or prepare. This shared spell list lasts for 24 hours or until the end of your next long rest.

Old Spell List (Do Not Use!)

Cantrips (0 Level)
  • Blade Ward
  • Chill Touch
  • Friends
  • Guidance
  • InfestationXGtE
  • Light
  • Mage Hand
  • Mending
  • Minor Illusion
  • Poison Spray
  • Resistance
  • Thaumaturgy
  • Toll the DeadXGtE
  • True Strike
1st Level
  • Animal Friendship
  • Cause FearXGtE
  • Chaos BoltXGtE
  • Charm Person
  • Cure Wounds
  • Detect Magic
  • Detect Poison and Disease
  • Faerie Fire
  • Find Familiar
  • Healing Word
  • Hex
  • Ice KnifeXGtE
  • Longstrider
  • Protection from Evil and Good
  • Purify Food and Drink
  • Speak with Animals
  • Witch Bolt
2nd Level
  • Aganazzar's ScorcherXGtE
  • Alter Self
  • Augury
  • Crown of Madness
  • Darkness
  • Darkvision
  • Enhance Ability
  • Enthrall
  • Healing SpiritXGtE
  • Hold Person
  • Lesser Restoration
  • Locate Animals or Plants
  • Locate Object
  • Mind SpikeXGtE
  • Misty Step
  • Moonbeam
  • Protection from Poison
  • Ray of Enfeeblement
  • Shadow BladeXGtE
  • Suggestion
3rd Level
  • Bestow Curse
  • Clairvoyance
  • Conjure Animals
  • Daylight
  • Dispel Magic
  • Enemies AboundXGtE
  • Fear
  • Fly
  • Life TransferenceXGtE
  • Magic Circle
  • Major Image
  • Protection from Energy
  • Remove Curse
  • Speak With Dead
  • Spirit Guardians
  • Summon Lesser DemonsXGtE
  • Tiny ServantXGtE
  • Tongues
  • Vampiric Touch
  • Water Walk
4th Level
  • Banishment
  • Blight
  • Charm MonsterXGtE
  • Compulsion
  • Confusion
  • Death Ward
  • Divination
  • Dominate Beast
  • Freedom of Movement
  • Guardian of NatureXGtE
  • Hallucinatory Terrain
  • Locate Creature
  • Polymorph
  • Shadow of MoilXGtE
  • Summon Greater DemonXGtE
  • Vitriolic SphereXGtE
  • Wall of Fire
5th Level
  • Animate Objects
  • Antilife Shell
  • Awaken
  • Commune
  • Contact Other Plane
  • Contagion
  • Danse MacabreXGtE
  • Dominate Person
  • Dream
  • EnervationXGtE
  • Geas
  • Greater Restoration
  • Hold Monster
  • Insect Plague
  • Legend Lore
  • Mass Cure Wounds
  • Modify Memory
  • Negative Energy FloodXGtE
  • Planar Binding
  • Reincarnate
  • Scrying
  • Synaptic StaticXGtE
  • Wrath of NatureXGtE
6th Level
  • Circle of Death
  • Conjure Fey
  • Contingency Create HomunculusXGtE
  • Eyebite
  • Find the Path
  • Heal
  • Mass Suggestion
  • Mental PrisonXGtE
  • Primordial WardXGtE
  • Soul CageXGtE
  • Sunbeam
  • True Seeing
7th Level
  • Crown of StarsXGtE
  • Etherealness
  • Finger of Death
  • Mirage Arcane
  • Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion
  • Plane Shift
  • Power Word PainXGtE
  • Regenerate
  • Sequester
  • Symbol
8th Level
  • Abi-Dalzim's Horrid WiltingXGtE
  • Animal Shapes Antipathy/Sympathy Dominate Monster
  • Feeblemind Maddening DarknessXGtE
  • Power Word Stun
  • Sunburst
9th Level
  • Astral Projection
  • Foresight
  • InvulnerabilityXGtE
  • Mass PolymorphXGtE
  • Psychic ScreamXGtE
  • Shapechange
  • True Polymorph
  • True Resurrection

Credits and Thanks

Original Creators

The Witch was summoned from the void by the dizzying mind of u/Zarieth, and bound to this reality by perilously sober u/WriteOftenPlayNever

Thank you all who have contributed their feedback, ideas, and questions.

  • u/AeoSC
  • u/alphrel
  • u/freshprinceoftelfyr
  • u/jahfury
  • u/KingofWhales
  • u/lygerzero0zero
  • u/MothProphet
  • u/PM_ME_YOUR_EMOTIONS
  • u/Proteus92
  • u/starbridge
  • u/StriderT
  • u/Three-flower
  • u/EinarTheBlack
  • u/Oson_the_Unsound
  • u/FinnAhern
  • u/haserson
  • u/adventuring_guild
  • u/TheMortonator and more

Pedminara Editors

  • Lavalatte (Revisions, Covenant of Creation)
  • Freezyloon (Revisions, Covenant of Blood [New])
  • Astro (Revisions)

Art Credits

  • "Shaman" by mattforsyth
  • "Haunted Forest" by Rene Aigner
  • "The Crow's Dagger" by Elsa Kroese
  • "Dark Dabbling" by Bastien L. Deharme
  • "Reave Soul" by Naomi Baker
  • "The Forest" by honqi zhang - artstation
  • unknown title by Mingzhu Yang
  • "Pathfinder, "Taldor, the First Empire" by Miguel Regodón
  • "Ritual Preparations" by Wilthierna - deviantart
  • "Undead" by Arash Radkia
  • unknown wallpaper image
  • "Ghosts of Ascalon" from Guild Wars 2
 

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