D&D 5E So Where my Witches at?

[Blue Orange]

There was a semi-official version in the 3e DMG that consisted of just a spell list as I recall, in addition to the 2e kit, Pathfinder, and the 4e wizard subclass and the various Dragon magazine, third-party, and homebrew versions produced throughout the various editions. (Where was the 1e NPC class? There was a witch-doctor for goblinoids that had some cleric and mage spells...)

The warlock in D&D is a little different, though--it's much more offense-oriented, and is actually closer to the older idea of the witch as someone who made a pact with the devil. The idea of "potion-brewing, hexing, and toad-making" rural spellcaster, which could be good or evil, is more of a 'hedge mage', someone who lives in the country and doesn't have access to the complicated scholastic training of the wizard but does minor magics for (or against) their local community, has become somewhat separate. Somewhere between wizard and druid.

I also suspect that it's usually seen as more of a minor character and people aren't as familiar with what the epic endgame would look like--we have a pretty good idea of the legendary warrior, high priest, or archmage, but nobody's really sure what a 20th-level witch would look like.

You could clarify that it's open to any gender and have art examples. And there's no reason it has to be evil-only. Even warlocks can be any alignment, and they've sold their souls to something.

 

[Alzrius]

(Where was the 1e NPC class? There was a witch-doctor for goblinoids that had some cleric and mage spells...)

It originally appeared in Dragon #43, and was then revised and expanded in Dragon #114.

 

[humble minion]

but nobody's really sure what a 20th-level witch would look like.

The mythological Baba Yaga I'd guess.

'Witch' would be best implemented as a wizard subclass in 5e I reckon. Give them special abilities to do with potion brewing, cursing, effigy-making and so on. Maybe the chain pact warlock's improved familiar, and possibly the ability to learn some druid spells. But hitting the archetype thematically would be more dependent on spell selection rather than class mechanics. Polymorphs, enchantments, hexes etc rather than big damage-dealing evocations and the like.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Tasha is called a witch as a title, but yes, she is a traditional wizard. There already is a fair amount of witchy-type stuff in the book.
You don't have to have levels in the assassin subclass to be called an assassin, you don't have to have levels in the samurai subclass to hold a title of Samurai. You can call someone a witch even if they do not have levels in a class or subclass called witch.

 

[Shadowdweller00]

Frankly, ALL the primary casting classes work just fine for evoking the witch fantasy archetype (bard maybe a little less so than the others IMO).

 

[Benjamin Olson]

I think the basic problem for making a witch it 5e is that Warlock has mined a lot of the lore of witches (particularly the core warlock lore of a pact with the devil or whatever) but doesn't quite fulfill the promise of witchdom. It takes a specific pact boon/invocation combination just to get them ritually casting, which seems like the most basic qualifier to be a witch, and then they don't get access to Polymorph so they have to wait for True Polymorph at 17th level before they can do anything so fundamental to what I expect out of a witch as turning someone into a newt.

Of course some people's ideas of witches run more druidy, Wizard's get the most ready access to familiars and extensive ritual casting, and Bards may well have the most witchy spell list.

Which all serves to put them in a hazy and liminal enough space between classes that I'd say they should get their own class in the alternate universe version of 5e that has like 20 different classes.

 

[Remathilis]

I think the basic problem for making a witch it 5e is that Warlock has mined a lot of the lore of witches (particularly the core warlock lore of a pact with the devil or whatever) but doesn't quite fulfill the promise of witchdom. It takes a specific pact boon/invocation combination just to get them ritually casting, which seems like the most basic qualifier to be a witch, and then they don't get access to Polymorph so they have to wait for True Polymorph at 17th level before they can do anything so fundamental to what I expect out of a witch as turning someone into a newt.

Of course some people's ideas of witches run more druidy, Wizard's get the most ready access to familiars and extensive ritual casting, and Bards may well have the most witchy spell list.

Which all serves to put them in a hazy and liminal enough space between classes that I'd say they should get their own class in the alternate universe version of 5e that has like 20 different classes.

Personally, I would like to see a wizard subclass (for the classic curses-and-polymorphs type), a druid subclass (for the green witch type) and a warlock patron (for a more coven/dark take). Assuming we only get one, I think the wizard one has the strongest pedigree, but I'd take a warlock pact if they want to keep it confined to warlock.

Still, in an era where subclasses and feats allow for lite-multiclassing, the witch as a wizard/warlock hybrid isn't out of the realm of impossible.

 

[NaturalZero]

The main issue with the warlock-as-witch in 5e is that the warlocks gets lots of the fluff of the witch but is primarily a blaster and at-will magic engine. The flavor fits in a superficial way but the poison, curses, potions, and subtlety of the folklore witch isn't strongly supported by the mechanics.

 

[GSHamster]

I think you really have to define the difference between Witches, Warlocks, and Wizards.

I think the defining restriction is that Witches cannot conjure. They cannot create something from nothing. But they can control and craft.

I don't think a Witch could cast a Fireball, but she might be able control a fire in the area. Similarly, a Witch could call a bolt of lightning out of the sky, but not from her hands.

 

[FrozenNorth]

I prepared a one shot for witches with 6th level pregens. The pregens were:

• Athanasia, the witch of the wilds (Moon druid, shapeshifting witch)
• Faustus the Demonologist (GOO Pact of the Chain Warlock, "consort with fiends" witch)
• Fiona the Brewmistress (Transmuter Wizard, Celtic-inspired, potions and transformations witch);
• Grandmother Night (Hexblade, shadows, night and terrors witch);
• Lorelei the Enchantress (Divine Soul Sorcerer, mind-controlling vampy witch);
• Teresa the Seer (Lord Bard, prophecy witch);
• Esmeralda (Grassland druid, class nature witch);
• Gerda the Ice Queen (White Dragon Sorcerer, Ice Queen witch);
• Maenor the Keeper of the Seals (Abjuration wizard, not a witch, but I needed someone to tank).

Honorable mention goes to Tristan, Undying Pact of the Chain Warlock, with his familiar (an alebrije), more of a Mexican guide of the dead than a traditional witch.

The witches were around the entire time. But like all good witches should, they prefer not to draw attention to themselves.