Warlock Patron: the Sisters (Witch)

I think I posted an earlier version of this a year ago or so, but have made a bunch of revisions.

Patron: The Sisters

The three Sisters are manipulators and meddlers, interfering with mortals and disrupting their plans. The patient Weaver works her loom, weaving together the threads of fate and pulling them apart again. The beguiling Vixen gazes into her mirror, seeing things that were, are, and shall be. And the scheming Crone tirelessly stirs her bubbling cauldron, muttering spells and chortling with grim mirth. Whether or not they are actual sisters is known only to them, but given how frequently they work at odds with one another before coming together again, surely some bond must keep them together.

Expanded Spell List
The Sisters let you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.

1st: Bane, Sleep
2nd: Blindness/Deafness, Moonbeam
3rd: Slow, Clairvoyance
4th: Locate Creature, Confusion
5th: Animate Objects, Geas

Eye of Newt, Wing of Bat
You pick up a knack for improvising potions using ingredients best left unmentioned to potential imbibers. During a long rest you can brew one potion of common rarity. At 9th level your repertoire expands to potions of uncommon rarity, and 16th level you can brew rare potions. These concoctions remain potent for 8 hours, after which they lose their magic (whereas their uniquely vile aromas and flavors become only more pungent with time...)

Toil and Trouble
Also at 1st level you gain proficiency with the Herbalism Kit, if you don’t have it already.

Jinx
At 6th level you are beginning to learn how to unravel and alter the threads of fate. When a creature within 30' of you succeeds at an attack, ability check, or saving throw, as a reaction you may attempt to alter the outcome. A successful Charisma check versus a DC equal to the creature's unmodified roll forces the creature to roll again and use the new result. You must take a short or long rest before using this ability again.

Mirror, Mirror
At 10th level you become a master of magical scrying. Once per long rest you may cast Scrying without expending a spell slot, even if it is not one of your known spells. While some sort of smooth, reflective surface is still required as a focus, it can be as simple as a plain mirror or a basin of clear water.

You also have Advantage on saving throws against divination spells.

Curse of the Three Sisters
At 14th level you gain the ability to invoke the Sisters to torment your enemies. Using your action to pronounce this curse afflicts at target with multiple maladies requiring three separate saving throws:

• If a Charisma saving throw is failed the creature is tongue-tied and begins to stutter and stammer, giving targets of spells it casts Advantage on Saving Throws.
• If a Constitution saving throw is failed the creature is afflicted by poison and takes 3d6 poison damage on each of the Warlock’s turns.
• If a Wisdom saving throw is failed the creature is Blind for the duration of the curse.

The Curse of the Three Sisters lasts for one minute and requires concentration.

If I were building a Witch...I mean, Warlock...using this patron, I would:
- Start with Chill Touch and Minor Illusion for cantrips. Eventually add Friends.
- Go Pact of the Tome and take Vicious Mockery, Shocking Grasp, and...something
- Invocations: Armor of Shadows, Book of Ancient Secrets, Mask of Many Faces (gets replaced by Master of Myriad Forms at 15th), Sculptor of Flesh, Whispers of the Grave, Witch Sight

I like the basic idea, but the focus on defensive powers seems a bit excessive. Fortune's Charm is both the most interesting and the "witchiest" feature. What about moving Fortune's Charm to a lower level and making it the core of the subclass, with later abilities building on it?

First, I think you meant for Fortune's Charm to be at level 10, not 11. Also, if using the PHB patrons as a frame of reference, most of them provide some kind of energy resistance and reaction to specific circumstances.

I might change this ability to an invocation. Also, how would the Charm or Misfortune work? Do you have to get some hair or something from the target and get it on their person? If so, I might change the woe effect to require hair or something, but it acts more like a voodoo doll. The target doesn't need to have it on their person. I'd also maybe suggest being able to scry or locate the target, since getting a piece of the target would be so difficult.

Then I might suggest in its place giving you an ability to cast scry or dreaming once per long rest. If someone uses scry on you, you instantly know and can choose to do one of 2 things:

1) Control what they see. You can't change anything as far as like making it illusary, but you can choose to hide whatever elements you desire. Could be useful to selectively determine what they hear or see.

2) Cast one spell from your Pact Magic through the scry spell, centered on the caster of the scrying.

But overall I really like this Patron! Seems fun and balanced!

Dausuul said:

I like the basic idea, but the focus on defensive powers seems a bit excessive. Fortune's Charm is both the most interesting and the "witchiest" feature. What about moving Fortune's Charm to a lower level and making it the core of the subclass, with later abilities building on it?

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I did think about putting it at 6th. I worried that it's OP, although maybe the chance of it losing its power is high enough that I shouldn't have to worry about it.

Although the idea of a sub-class built around voodoo dolls has appeal, I'm not sure I'd want the whole Witch to be focused on that. But that does raise the valid question of whether her other abilities feel Witchy enough.

Hawk Diesel said:

First, I think you meant for Fortune's Charm to be at level 10, not 11.

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Doh. Yeah. I've been working on Monk subclasses and must have an obsession with level 11 as a result.

Also, if using the PHB patrons as a frame of reference, most of them provide some kind of energy resistance and reaction to specific circumstances.

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That's a little general. For example, Great Old One protects against having one's mind read, not against an energy type. Immunity to scrying could be good here, although that by itself isn't enough of an ability.

I might change this ability to an invocation. Also, how would the Charm or Misfortune work? Do you have to get some hair or something from the target and get it on their person? If so, I might change the woe effect to require hair or something, but it acts more like a voodoo doll. The target doesn't need to have it on their person. I'd also maybe suggest being able to scry or locate the target, since getting a piece of the target would be so difficult.

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My thinking on this is that making a protection charm for party members should be easy: character A happily lets character B have a lock of hair in order to get a nifty charm. Making a vulnerability charm for an enemy is harder, and it should be: imposing disadvantage on key saving throws before taking on the BBEG could be game changing. Therefore acquiring the materials, and then getting the BBEG to wear it, should be challenging. My assumption here is that it has to be played out however the DM sees fit.

I did debate whether or not to spell any of this out, but decided that anybody who sits and thinks about it will arrive at the correct conclusion. Am I assuming too much?

Then I might suggest in its place giving you an ability to cast scry or dreaming once per long rest. If someone uses scry on you, you instantly know and can choose to do one of 2 things:

1) Control what they see. You can't change anything as far as like making it illusary, but you can choose to hide whatever elements you desire. Could be useful to selectively determine what they hear or see.

2) Cast one spell from your Pact Magic through the scry spell, centered on the caster of the scrying.

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Oh, this is good...this gives me some ideas...

But overall I really like this Patron! Seems fun and balanced!

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Thanks! Stay tuned; I'm going to work on some changes...

Ok, a bunch of changes made:

1) I moved Fortune's Charm to 1st level, and also renamed it Witch's Charm, making it the "signature" ability. I do worry that it's too powerful, although I suppose that at 1st level saving throws are hard enough that it's likely to fail relatively soon.

2) New 6th level ability (that needs a better name). I feel this is very iconic, but it bothers me that this general ability is already covered by an Invocation. Mostly because the overlap means a lost opportunity to add another facet.

3) I loved Hawk Diesel's general idea about Scrying, and put a variant of it into level 10. This may be my favorite ability now.

4) Finally, I moved Cackle to level 14 and make it both more powerful and more iconic.

Ooh....Idea/Question: what if there were only one version of the Witch's Charm that has one Advantage stat and one Disadvantage stat? For example, the Witch could pick Advantage for Con and Disadvantage for Strength, under the assumption that she is more likely to need Con saving throws.

Doing so:
- makes it a trade-off, which is flavorful
- somewhat mitigates the efficacy for a level 1 ability
- eliminates the need for a second version

At first glance I like this a lot.

Prospective wording (needs some tightening up)

At 1st level the Warlock is able to craft charms that can provide good luck, at a cost. When crafting such a charm, the Warlock picks one attribute. When the charm is carried about one's person, any saving throw or ability check based on that attribute is made with Advantage. However, when crafting the Warlock must also choose an attribute that is cursed with bad luck: any Saving Throw or ability check with that attribute is made with Disadvantage.

Normally the charm affects only a single roll before losing its power. However, it can be attuned for a specific individual if a bit of that person, such as a lock of hair, a few drops of blood, or some fingernail parings, are used in the crafting. It then only works for the attuned individual, but lasts until the bearer either fails a roll that is granted advantage by the charm, or succeeds at a roll that has disadvantage imposed by the charm.

Note that a willing subject can easily provide materials for attunement, but acquiring the ingredients for an unwilling or unknowing subject, as well as persuading or tricking that subject into carrying the charm, may be an adventure in itself.

Elfcrusher said:

That's a little general. For example, Great Old One protects against having one's mind read, not against an energy type. Immunity to scrying could be good here, although that by itself isn't enough of an ability.

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They get resistance to psychic, and whoever deals that damage also the same damage dealt to the Great Old One Warlock. ~_^

Currently at work but will look over your adjustments a bit later.

Dausuul said:

I like the basic idea, but the focus on defensive powers seems a bit excessive. Fortune's Charm is both the most interesting and the "witchiest" feature. What about moving Fortune's Charm to a lower level and making it the core of the subclass, with later abilities building on it?

Click to expand...

Hawk Diesel said:

They get resistance to psychic, and whoever deals that damage also the same damage dealt to the Great Old One Warlock. ~_^

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Ah, you're right. I had to look in the book: it was Archfey I was thinking of, having immunity to Charm not to a damage type. Some of the Xanathar's and UA patrons also don't have a damage type resistance at level 10. But you are correct in that it is quite common.

Elfcrusher said:

Ah, you're right. I had to look in the book: it was Archfey I was thinking of, having immunity to Charm not to a damage type. Some of the Xanathar's and UA patrons also don't have a damage type resistance at level 10. But you are correct in that it is quite common.

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Don't forget the Archfey can counter charm people that try to charm them! That's a neat little swing. But yea, when I am trying to eyeball balance for homebrew material, I'm more likely to not consider UA because of those are more experimental and have less play testing. And as for the Hexblade in XGtE, well, you only need read my comments in the Hexblade thread to know my feelings about it (tl;dr It's horribly broken and makes the other patron options obsolete, IMO).

Anyways, I've read over your changes and I have a few comments.

Elfcrusher said:

Expanded Spell List
The Sisters let you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.

1st: Bane, Ray of Sickness
2nd: Blindness/Deafness, Calm Emotions
3rd: Bestow Curse, Clairvoyance
4th: Arcane Eye, Confusion
5th: Animate Objects, Dominate Person

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I'm wondering if Dissonant Whispers would be a better option than Ray of Sickness. Especially since I personally see Ray of Sickness as a relatively underpowered spell, even by 1st level spell standards. I also wonder if Geas would be a better option than Dominate Person. With witches you normally think of curses, but magically forcing a person to act against their nature or corrupting them in some way is also related. The afflicted still has choice and freewill, but acting against the witch causes nasty consequences. And as a 1 min casting time with only verbal components, I can imagine a witch or a hag at a public parade or ceremony, calmly whispering nearby and staying out of sight, until the last moment when they approach and point their knobby fingers and call out to their target some dreadful task. The baker that wronged them will feel ill and act in disgust around the dough that he must use in his craft. The banker that denied her the loan to save her home must take a coin and find a way to convince the witch to freely take it back, being haunted by nightmares and psychically tormented until they find a way to do so. Witches don't dominate the free will of others, so much as find ways to twist the natures of others.

Elfcrusher said:

Witch's Charm
At 1st level the Warlock is able to craft lucky (and unlucky) charms, although doing so takes time, requiring a Long Rest. When a Charm of Good Fortune is carried about one’s person it grants Advantage on Saving Throws and ability checks for a single attribute.

Normally the charm affects one roll then loses its power, but it can attuned to a specific individual humanoid by incorporating a bit of the subject...such as a lock of hair, a few drops of blood, some fingernail parings...then it retains its power until the bearer fails an affected roll.

The Warlock can instead choose to craft a Charm of Ill Fortune that imposes Disadvantage. If attuned, this version of the charm works until the bearer succeeds at an affected roll. Note that gathering ingredients for an attuned Charm of Ill Fortune, and convincing or tricking the subject into wearing it, may be a challenge in itself.

At the end of a Long Rest the Warlock must specify whether she has crafted a charm of Good or Ill Fortune, which attribute it affects, and if it is attuned then for whom.

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I see what you are trying to do with this. But as you have it right now, it doesn't really work for a 1st level ability. For example, how does this compare to 30ft telepathy? Or a short range 1 round area effect charm/fright? I really think this as written would be better as an invocation, and allow you a little more design space to work with it. Otherwise, I might suggest moving it to level 6 and reworking it a bit. If I were to do this ability, I would write it up like this:

Weal and Woe
At 6th level you have learned to observe the golden threads of fate that entangle with the life lines of all creatures, giving you some ability to manipulate probability. When you or another creature within 30ft of you makes an ability check or saving throw, you can use your reaction to grant them advantage. If this target succeeds on the check, then you may choose a new target within 30ft. The next ability check or saving throw they make is made with disadvantage. Once you have used this ability, you must wait until you finish a short or long rest to use it again.

Reasoning: Level 6 is a level all about reactions to alter outcomes and fate. Archfey can get out of danger quick. Fiend can gain a bonus to a save or check. GOO can affect the outcomes of attacks. It's more succinct than Witch's Charm, but still works at what I think the essence of what you're trying to accomplish. As it is right now as a 1st level Patron ability, compared to the others in the PHB its somewhat unwieldy and potentially more powerful. I've heard that Advantage works out to something equivalent to a +5 bonus. So a character would get a consistent +5 bonus over an 8 hour day until they fail. Just seems too much.

I wish you had kept the 1st level ability you originally had somewhere. I remember that it was an appropriate ability, both thematically and in terms of power.

Elfcrusher said:

Eye of Newt, Wing of Bat
Also at 1st level the Warlock gains proficiency with Herbalism Kit, if she doesn’t have it already.

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This is fine.

Elfcrusher said:

Poof!
At 6th level, when the Warlock is attacked by a spell or weapon attack that requires an attack roll, she may use her reaction to cast a limited version of the Polymorph spell on the attacker. The target can only be polymorphed into a tiny beast of CR 0, and the spell lasts for a maximum of 1 minute or until the target takes any damage.

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This is way more powerful than other 6th level abilities granted by warlock Patrons. Compare this to the fiend, that gets a d10 bonus to a save or ability check, the GOO that forces disadvantage on one attack with a possible advantage to attack that target, or the Archfey that gets a quick escape. If you were to keep this, I would change it as follows to keep it in line with the power level of other Patrons:

Poof!
At 6th level, you have learned to curse those that would harm you, giving you a chance to more easily deal with them. When a creature makes an attack roll against you, you can use your reaction to change your attacker into a toad. Your attacker maintains their normal statistics, but cannot speak, attack, cast spells, or move more than 10ft. This change lasts until the start of your next turn, or until the target takes damage. Once you have used this ability you cannot use it again until you have finished a short or long rest.

Reasoning: This makes it more like the Archfey's Misty Escape. But instead of running, it temporarily removes a combatant from the field for a round.

Elfcrusher said:

Mirror, Mirror
At 10th level the Warlock becomes a master of magical scrying. She may cast an enchantment spell on a target she can see by magical means, as long as the apparent distance (for example, between target and her familiar or Arcane Eye) is within range of the spell. The spell used must target a single individual. This ability can be used once per Long Rest.

Furthermore, the Warlock becomes instantly aware of attempts to scry on herself, or within 10’ of her, and may try to block such scrying. This requires a contested Charisma (Deception) check versus the scryer’s Intelligence (Arcana). Success prevents the scrying attempt, although the scryer will not automatically know the reason why.

If she is scried upon, either because she fails to block it or doesn't try, she may use her Mirror, Mirror ability to cast a spell upon the scryer.

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This ability is kind of all over the place. For one, in order for it to work it assumes that the warlock has a means of scrying an individual and has an enchantment spell to use. You don't grant this warlock Scrying as a bonus spell, and even if you did, a Warlock does not autmoatically get their Patron spells. They only expand the list that warlocks can choose from (I disagree with this and have homebrewed that warlocks get their Patron spells automatically, but that's a bit off topic). It also requires the Warlock to use a minimum of 2 of their spell slots to take full advantage of, assuming they have taken Scrying and an enchantment spell. If I were writing up this ability, I would do so like this:

Mirror, Mirror
At 10th level you become a master of magical scrying. Once per long rest, you may cast the Scrying spell without expending a spell slot. When cast in this way, you do not require a focus, but you must have access to some reflective surface (such as a mirror, a calm pool of water, a polished knife, ect).

In addition, you are immune to divination spells. If someone attempts to cast a divination spell on you, you may make a Wisdom saving throw against the caster's Spell Save DC. If you succeed, you are able to shape and influence what information the caster can gather. You cannot provide false information, but you can determine selectively what information the caster gathers. The caster remains unaware that anything is wrong with the spell. If you fail this Wisdom save, the divination magic used against you simply fails.

Reasoning: Initially I thought immunity to only scrying. If done like this, casting a spell through the scrying might be appropriate, given how seldom this is likely to arise in a normal game. Immunity to divination spells is a bit more powerful and more likely to come up. But to be honest, outside of spells like Scrying, True Sight, or Locate Object or Creature I'm not sure what spells exist that this would impact. So I don't know if that in itself is too powerful an ability for level 10. It has much less combat utility than the other Patrons, and nothing prevents scrying your companions, so I have a feeling that it might be ok.

Elfcrusher said:

Cackle
At 14th level the Warlock gains the ability to unnerve enemies and cause them to despair by using her Action to emit a piercing laugh that lingers hauntingly. All enemies who can hear the Warlock, including via magical means, must make a Wisdom saving throw. Normally this has a range of 100’, although the DM may adjust that range depending on circumstances. All who fail suffer Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks for one minute, and Disadvantage on Saving Throws until the beginning of the Warlock's next turn.

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Looking at the Archfey or the Fiend, this is a bit too powerful against multiple enemies. I would say limit it to one, and you would probably be ok (similar to the Archfey ability in terms of structure and power). Alternatively, you could have it force disadvantage on all attacks or saves for all those who fail the save within range, but if done that way I wouldn't have it last longer than "until the start of your next turn." Also, you should add that it recharges on a short or long rest (unclear on recharge rate in your description).

I hope this is helpful!