The Witches of Erast The eyes of a black cat follow the finger of a tiefling man reading aloud from a battered tome. As he traces the words, his rhythm quickens and the spell begins, drawing tongues of green flame through the fire crackling before them. While the countryside burns behind her, a vengeful, wild haired woman stands alone atop her slain enemy, draining him of the power she needs to crack the spine of the city’s gate. An owl flies effortlessly through the howling wind as if it knew the storms intention, keeping watch over the hut below where an elf weaves the sundered arm of an injured traveler back to their body. It is said that witches and their familiars are magic itself, made physical and visited upon the planes. Standing as one and drawing on unseen reserves of power, they together wield unrivaled control over magic’s weave, bringing doom and salvation in equal measure. In the course of service to their covens and each other, witches stand among the greatest of heroes and most dangerous of enemies. Strength among Allies Witches claim that, when the planes were young, they were the first students of magic, and that their familiars were the first teachers. For a witch and familiar, their relationship is paramount. By nature of their very existence, magic is a given for familiars, but their fragile forms cannot wield it alone. For witches, their powers are new and strange, but full of potential. They are bound together, inseparable until death, and completely reliant on each other. They know better than most that true strength lives only in the bonds between allies. In combat, this relationship pays dividends. As they pass spells between each other, witches and familiars show absolute control over their magic. If given time to prepare for trouble, witches can muster their resources with deadly efficiency. A Hostile World The trust that a witch and their familiar share often leaves their other relationships wanting. Some witches are driven from their homes at young ages by neighbors or family, fearful of their burgeoning magic. Others flee when they find themselves hunted by otherwise well intentioned clerics looking to stomp out the demonic possession their familiar resemble. As their powers grow, covens will aggressively and violently compete for their membership. Even those who understand a witches true nature may shun them on account of the trouble that follows in their wake. While a witch might find stability later in their life among a coven, witches and their familiars are driven into the world as adventurers. Creating a Witch For most witches, their familiar has been a part of them since they could remember. For others though, they appeared in a moment of need or grief. Whenever your familiar entered your life, you are a single unit, united in support of one another. How do your personalities play off each other? Is your familiar serious and careful? Or instead rash and easy going? Were you and your familiar united for a specific purpose? If so what is it? No one can choose whether or not to become a witch. Do you resent being forced to walk this path, or relish the opportunities your powers have opened to you? What might your life have looked like if you never had a familiar? Although you will not join a coven until 3rd level, plan ahead for that choice by examining the practices of various covens at the end of the class. Quick Build You can make a witch quickly by following these suggestions. First, Wisdom should be your highest ability score, followed by constitution. Second, take the sage background. Third, choose the dancing lights, produce flame, and thaumaturgy cantrips, and prepare the 1st-level spells sleep and witch bolt.

The Witch Level Proficiency Bonus Features Ceremony Spells Cantrips Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 1st +2 Witch's Ritual Casting, The Well, Witch's Familiar — 3 2 — — — — — — — — 2nd +2 Ceremony Book 2 3 3 — — — — — — — — 3rd +2 Coven 3 3 4 2 — — — — — — — 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement, Familiar Improvement 3 4 4 3 — — — — — — — 5th +3 — 4 4 4 3 2 — — — — — — 6th +3 Coven Feature 4 4 4 3 3 — — — — — — 7th +3 The Well Improvement 5 4 4 3 3 1 — — — — — 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement, Familiar Improvement 5 4 4 3 3 2 — — — — — 9th +4 — 6 4 4 3 3 3 1 — — — — 10th +4 Expidited Ceremony 6 5 4 3 3 3 2 — — — — 11th +4 — 7 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 — — — 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement, Familiar Improvement 7 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 — — — 13th +5 — 8 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 — — 14th +5 Coven Feature 8 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 — — 15th +5 The Well Improvement 9 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 — 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement, Familiar Improvement 9 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 — 17th +6 — 10 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1 18th +6 Coven Feature 10 5 4 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 19th +6 Ability Score Improvement, Familiar Improvement 11 5 4 3 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 20th +6 Redundant Anchor 11 5 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 1 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 Later Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your constitution modifier per witch level after 1st proficiencies Armor: none Weapons: daggers, darts, quarterstaffs, slings

Saving throw: Constitution, Wisdom Skills: choose 2 from insight, investigation, medicine, persuasion, deception Equiptment you start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: (a) a quarterstaff or (b) two daggers

(a) a component pouch or (b) an arcane focus or (c) a druidic focus

(a) a healers kit or (b) a herbalism kit

an explorer's pack spellcasting You are able to sense the weave of magic in all things and direct it toward your will. See the 10th chapter of the phb for the general rules of spellcasting, and the end of this document for the witch spell list.

cantrips At first level, you know 3 cantrips of your choice from the witch spell list. You learn additional witch cantrips of your choice at a higher level, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Witch Table. preparing and casting spells The Witch Table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. You prepare the list of witch spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the witch spell list. When you do, choose a number of witch spells equal to your wisdom modifier + half your witch level rounded down (minimum 1). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of witch spells requires time spent in consultation with your familiar; at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list. spellcasting ability Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your witch spells, since your power comes from your sense of the weave of magic present in all things. You use your wisdom whenever a witch spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your wisdom 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 wisdom modifier Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your wisdom modifer witch’s ritual casting You can cast a witch spell as a witch’s ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared. When you perform a witch's ritual, the spell can be cast at any spell level you can cast witch spells, but it does not expend a spell slot. Instead, draw well points equal to the level of the witch’s ritual performed. Casting a spell as a witch’s ritual increases the spell’s normal casting time by 1 minute per spell level, and requires all material costs that the spell normally would. In addition, the ritual requires verbal and somatic components, even if the original spell does not. spellcasting focus You can use your ceremony book (which you will receive at 2nd level), an arcane focus, or a druidic focus as a spellcasting focus for your witch spells. A witch’s focus is often disguised by incorporating it into a mundane object, such as a broom. the well At first level, you and your familiar have access to The Well, a font of magical energy created by your arcane bond. The Well has points equal to your witch level + your constitution modifier, which you and your familiar draw from to power your abilities. The Well refills after a long rest. When you spend hit dice to regain hit points, you may refill The Well as opposed to your hitpoints. For every 3 points of healing you divert in this way, you gain 1 well point. Your ability to refill The Well improves at level 7 to 1 well point for every 2 hit points, and again at level 15 to 1 for 1. witch familiar At first level, you learn the spell find familiar and can cast it as a witch’s ritual. The spell never counts against your number of spells prepared, and can be cast as a ritual during a short or long rest. Your witch familiar is the weave, given a specific form and made physical. They act and think independently, though they typically defer to you when the chips are down. You cannot temporarily or permanently dismiss them, but when they are dropped to 0 hit points or less they vanish in a puff of acrid smoke, painfully banished back into the weave. However, a witch's familiar cannot truly cease to exist while their witch still lives. If your familiar remains banished for 1 week, their physical presence naturally reforms itself at your side. When your familiar is within 100 ft of you, you can communicate telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through your familiar’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses. When you cast find familiar while your familiar is not banished, their planar tether is refreshed, and, if you are both willing, they are briefly banished into the weave before reforming at your side. When you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll. When summoned, your familiar takes the form of any one tiny, mundane creature, about the size of cat. However, no matter the external appearance your familiar chooses, they initially have the below statistics. Your familiar always takes the same form. You many not have any other familiar, and your familiar can not attune to magical items.

Witch Familiar Tiny (Fiend or Fey or Celestial) Alignment: Same as Witch Armor Class 13

13 Hit Points 1

1 Speed 30ft., Swim 30ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 4 (-3) 13 (+1) 13 (+1) 15 (+2) 13 (+1) 13 (+1) Saving Throws Constitution, Intelligence

Constitution, Intelligence Skills Arcana

Arcana Condition Immunities Sleep and Charm Effects

Sleep and Charm Effects Senses Darkvision

Darkvision Languages Any Languages you know, as well as either Abyssal, Celestial, or Sylvan Best Friends. As long as you and your familiar remain touching, you may choose to treat you and your familiar as a single creature for the purpose of spell casting. Your familiar cannot take actions granted by a spell in this way. Inate Spellcasting. The Witch Familiar's spellcasting ability is intelligence. The Witch Familiar can innately cast familiar spells with no daily limit, and knows the Familiar spell Two Minds. One of a Kind. A witch familiar uses their witch’s proficiency bonus as their own. Planar Tether. When summoned, a witch familiar gains temporary hit point equal to two times your witch level. it regains these temporary hit points after a long rest. Single Soul. Especially strong feelings such as pain or rage flow freely between witches and their familiars. No matter the separation, each knows when something terrible or wonderful happens to the other. witch’s ceremony book At 2nd level, you and your familiar create a book called your ceremony book. Your ceremony book contains a number of witch spells you can cast as told on the Witch Table. If you lose your ceremony book, you and your familiar can produce an exact copy of its contentis in a seprate book by consulting with each other for 1 hr. This destroys the information in the previous book. While the ceremony book is in your possession, and your familiar is present, you can cast any spell in it as a witch’s ritual, even those without the ritual tag. Once you and your familiar devise and inscribe a ritual in your ceremony book, it is difficult to change. It takes 8 full hours of uninterrupted work during which a mixture of 50 gp worth of powdered pearls and oil burn to nothing. When you are done, the ritual is purged from your book, and a new one can be added. witch’s coven When you reach 3rd level, you and your familiar’s join a coven to further your magical abilities. Several covens are detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 14th, and 18th. coven spells Each coven has a list of associated spells. You gain access to these spells at the levels specified in the coven description. Once you gain access to a coven spell you always have it prepared. Coven spells don’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain a coven spell that doesn’t appear on the witch spell list, the spell is nonetheless a witch spell for you. familiar membership Your witch familiar is a full member of the coven as well, no less or more than yourself. As a boon for their membership, they will gain proficiency in a skill, as well as learn a cantrip. In addition, while they are within 100 feet of each other, witch familiars who are in the same coven can communicate with each other telepathically. 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. Familiar Improvement Whenever you gain the ability score improvement class feature from the witch class, your familiar’s abilities also improve. Your familiar chooses from the following improvements. ability score improvement You increase one of your ability score of your choice by 2, or two ability scores of your choice by 1. You can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. You can choose this ability more than once. Arcane Resevoir Your mastery of rituals increases, allowing you to hold their energies until they are needed. Increase your intelligence score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

When your witch performs a witch's ritual, you can capture and hold the spell before it takes effect. Perform the ritual as normal. At its conclusion, you begin holding back the ritual's spell. You can continue holding the spell until you cast it, or you take a short rest. While you are holding a spell in this way, you must maintain concentration on it. arcane shielding You learn to use The Well to bolster your defense. Increase your constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

You learn the familiar spell familiar armor.

improved planar teather Your anchor to reality hardens, making it more difficult to force you into the weave. Increase your constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

When summoned, you now gain temporary hit point equal to three times your witch’s level. in this together The Well’s maximum size is increased by your constitution modifier. it’s got a wand! You can attune to one magical item. While it is not being worn or held, the item may be stored in a pocket dimension, accessible from your waist as an action.

Other creatures can access the pocket dimension as an action, requiring a slight of hand check equal to your spell DC if you resist them.

If you are banished, the item appears in the smoke that you leave behind, whether it was in your hand or in the pocket dimension.

While you are concentrating on a spell by means of two minds, the item behaves as if you were not attuned to it. now you see me, now you don’t Increase your intelligence score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

You learn the familiar spells two of a kind, and benign transposition. planar un-tether Your agility and speed increases. Increase your dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

You gain speed 40, fly 30 (hover) roaming word Your ability to communicate telepathically grows exponentially. Increase your intelligence score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

As long as you are on the same plane of existence, you can communicate telepathically with your witch as well as any familiars in the same coven as you.

Your witch can use their action to speak through you in their own voice. During this time, your witch is deaf and blind to their own senses. unseen sniper Increase your intelligence score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

When your witch casts a spell, they can deliver the spell as if it you had cast it. You must be within 100 feet of your witch, draw 1 well point, and use your reaction to deliver the spell when it is cast. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your witch’s attack modifier for the roll. expedited ceremony Starting at 10th level, you can cast a spell which is in your ceremony book that you do not have prepared as if you had prepared it. Draw well points equal to the level you wish to cast the spell, then cast the spell, expending spell slots and materials as normal. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. redundant anchor By 20th level, your familiar’s anchor to reality cannot be broken in one attempt. If your familiar is banished back into the weave, you can cast find familiar at no cost as a bonus action. Your familiar reappears at your side, and you regain well points equal to half your well’s maximum size. Once you've used this feature, you can not use it again until you've finished a long rest. covens Covens are small communities of witches, consisting of at least three witch-familiar pairs, but no more than thirteen. If circumstances allow, some witches form their own coven. However, most join existing ones. While there are exceptions, most covens share a similar structure. Covens have leaders whose opinions are given special consideration, if not treated as absolute law. Each coven has a practice of magic that it pursues, and being bonded to the coven offers its members access to techniques and powers that the coven has developed. In return for access to this power, covens make explicit demands of their members. These often include adherence to a particular alignment, service to an ideal or deity, or prohibitions on certain actions. A witch who repeatedly rejects the coven’s values will eventually found themselves cast out. If this happens, the witch loses access to all class features provided by being a member of the coven. A witch who is cast out or leaves a coven voluntarily may soon find themselves an enemy of their former allies. A coven is ‘broken’ if its membership drops below three witch-familiar pairs for any reason. If this happens, the remaining witches are no longer a part of a coven, and lose access to those class features. coven of the lake The coven of the lake practices healing magics. Under the watchful eye of ‘Grandmother Luvon’ and her goose ‘Turtle’, its members tend to the needs of those living within Nevari’s Banner, provide their healing freely and generously, and adhere to a good alignment. Coven of the Lake Spells Witch Level Spells 3rd lesser restoration, aid 5th beacon of hope, revivify 7th death ward, guardian of faith 9th mass cure wound, raise dead familiar membership At level 3, your familiar gains proficiency in the medicine skill, and learns the cantrip spare the dying healing weave At level 3, you learn to use your well to boost your healing abilities. When a spell you cast causes a creature to gain hit points, you can empower it by drawing well points. For each well point you draw, your target gains additional hit points equal to 1d4.

reciprocal blessing At level 6, helping others invigorates you. when a spell you cast causes a creature to gain hit points, your well refills points equal to the spell’s level. strength of two At 14th level, your familiar can create an arcane shield, protecting itself and an ally. As an action, your familiar perches on a creature or object and draws from The Well, generating a shield around them both. The shield has 6 hit points for every well point drawn, and absorbs attacks against both your familiar and the creature it is touching until it is broken. The shield disappears if contact is broken, or if your familiar dismisses it as an action. healing river At 18th level, you can redirect the flow of magic to heal your allies on its own. As an action, select as many allies as you want, and draw 2 well points for each. For the next minute (10 turns) at the start of each of their turns, the selected allies heal 4 hp. you cannot use healing river on a target who is already under its effects. coven of the foggy grotto The coven of the foggy grotto’s practice gives them the tools they need to stand against the powers that be. Using illusion and cunning to oppose the influence of the mage's keep, membership is kept as a closely guarded and dangerous secret. Members seek to bring down the mage’s keep, with little regard for those injured in the process. Coven of the Foggy Grotto Spells Witch Level Spells 3rd alter self, mirror image 5th dispel magic, counterspell 7th hallucinatory terrain, fabricate 9th animate objects, seeming familiar membership At level 3, your familiar gains proficiency in the history skill, and learns the cantrip minor illusion Borrowed disguise At 3rd level you can change your form to match that of your familiar. As an action, you draw 3 well points to magically assume the same shape as your familiar. You retain all your game statistics, including hitpoints, with the exception of movement speed. Your movement is the same as that of your familiar. Any equipment you are carrying merges with your new form. This effect last for 10 minutes, until you dismiss it as an action, until you cast a spell, or until you take damage equal to your witch level. So long as you have well points to draw, you can sustain the effect indefinitely. magical feast At 6th level, your familiar can devour the magical energies of your enemies, turning their power against them. When you cast dispel magic or counterspell, your familiar can uses their reaction to move up to their speed and consume the magic of the spell, refilling your well with points equal to the level of the spell you interrupted. Your familiar must be within or move to within 20ft of the spells source. skeptic’s lantern At 14th level, your knowledge of illusion and deception allows you to reveal it in others. Draw a well point. As a bonus action, an iron and crystal lantern appears above your head, casting a harsh light in a 30 foot radius until the start of your next turn. At start of your next turn, you can choose to let skeptic’s lantern expire, or draw an additional well point to sustaining it. This can be done indefinitely. Enemies in the radius of the light cannot benefit from half cover or three-quarters cover, and take a -1 penalty to stealth checks. Spell effects of first level and cantrips that create illusions of any sort, including invisibility, become obviously false. For each additional turn that sceptic’s lamp is active, enemies take an additional -1 penalty to stealth checks, and spell effects of one level higher are affected. anti-magic reactor At 18th level, your familiar’s physical shell can be combined with the illusion dispelling magic of skeptic’s lantern in a violent reaction. As an action, your familiar pulls the skeptics lantern to themselves, up to 30 ft, touching it. The light sputters, and the lamp twists violently before shattering and merging with your familiar, creating an anti-magic reactor, a flaming sphere. The reactor functions exactly as skeptics lantern does, but in addition, the reactor creates an antimagic field in a 10 ft radius around it. The anti-magic reactor has hit points equal to those granted by your familiars arcane tether, resistance to all damage types, and immunity from all conditions. On their turn, your familiar, who is now one with the reactor, can move up to their speed. If the the anti-magic reactor is more than 30 feet from you at the beginning of your turn, you will be unable to draw well points to sustain it. When anti-magic reactor ends, either by being dismissed as an action by your familiar, because it was not sustained at the beginning of your turn, or because it has been destroyed, it disappears, revealing your familiar in its place. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. starrise keep Sometimes called The Coven Under Starrise, the organization headquartered beneath Starrise Keep is spoken of in whispers by those who have merely heard of it, and not at all by those with actual knowledge. Starrise Keep is tip of the Whispering Council’s knife, deployed in dark alleys and the dead of night to defend the city of Hallowhaven against all threats with ruthless efficiency.

Starrise Keep Spells Witch Level Spells 3rd shatter, cloud of daggers 5th lightningbolt, sleet storm 7th evard's black tentacles, ice storm 9th flame strike, cone of cold familiar membership Your familiar gains proficiency in the investigation skill, a learns the cantrip fire bolt. arcane overflow At 3rd level you learn to channel your reserves to cause additional damage. When you or your familiar casts a spell with a duration of instantaneous that causes damage, you can increase that damage by drawing well points up to half your witch’s level. For each well point drawn, deal an additional 1d4 of necrotic damage. injury to insult At 6th level, when you or your familiar kill a creature, their escaping life force can empower your spells. Until the end of your next turn, the corpse functions as a well you and your familiar can draw from, so long as you are within 10 ft of it. The size of the well depends on the creature’s size. A tiny creature provides a single Well Point. For every size category larger than tiny the creature is, the size of the well doubles. A large creature’s corpse, for example, provides a well containing 8 points. arcane guidance At 14th level, when an an ally, including yourself, within 30 ft of your familiar misses an attack, your familiar can use their reaction to make it hit. For every well point you draw, increase the value of their attack roll by 1. If your familiar is within 10 ft of your ally when they miss, their attack deals additional necrotic damage equal to the value their attack roll was increased by. dangerous nuisance By 18th level, your familiar is a distracting, fire spewing menace on the battlefield. Draw well points up to half of your witch level. For each well point drawn, a duplicate of your familiar appears within a 30 foot radius of you. Your familiar and their duplicates provide advantage on attack rolls against enemies they are adjacent to, and enemies who are adjacent to a copy or your familiar have disadvantage on saving throws against attacks. Copies of your familiar cannot benefit from temporary hit points, and are incapacitated. however, they function like your familiar in every other way. Copies last for up to 10 minutes, until they are destroyed, or until you dismiss them as a group as an action. For every two copies you dismiss, recoup 1 well point.

familiar spells benign transposition witch’s familiar spell Casting Time: 1 action

1 action Range: 30 ft

30 ft Duration: instantaneous Draw 3 well points. You and your witch switch places. familiar armor witch’s familiar spell Casting Time: 1 action

1 action Range: self

self Duration: 8 hour Draw 1 well point. You are shrouded in clearly magical armor until the spell ends. Your ac becomes 16. You may dismiss the armor as an action. Two Minds witch's familiar spell Casting Time: 1 action + 1 bonus action

1 action + 1 bonus action Range: 30 feet

30 feet Duration: Concentration, see spell description You take responsibility for a spell your witch has cast. Draw well points equal to the spell level of the spell your witch is currently concentrating on. For the remainder of the spell’s duration, treat the spell as if you had cast it. You must maintain concentration on the spell, and can take any actions the spell grants on your turn. If the spell has a range of self, you may choose to become the target of the spell. If your witch remains the spell’s target, when you take an action granted by the spell on your turn, your witch must use their reaction to deliver it. Once you take responsibility for a spell, your witch cannot take actions granted by the spell. You can only take responsibility for a spell who’s spell level is equal to or less than your intelligence modifier, and you must end your turn within 30 ft of your witch to continue concentrating on a spell in this way. So long as you maintain it, the spell lasts as it normally would, ending on your turn. To determine if you are concentrating on a spell, a creature can use its action to inspect you, and must succeed on an intelligence(arcana) check against your spell save DC. two of a kind witch’s familiar spell Casting Time: 1 action

1 action Range: self

self Duration: 1 hour Draw 1 well point. You create an illusion, making yourself appear as your witch until the spell ends or you use your action to dispel it. The illusion itself creates no noise, and fails to hold up to physical inspection. However, the illusion does count as a creature for the purposes of flanking. To determine your true nature, a creature can use its action to inspect your appearance, and must succeed on an intelligence(investigation) check against your spell save DC.