How do you prefer your WITCH?

[ivocaliban]

I chose Other. I use a slightly altered version of the base Witch class in AEG's Swashbuckling Adventures. Essentially, it's a combination of Sorcerer and Druid with emphasis on spellcasting and a few special abilities (innate spells, spell manipulation).

Witches in my campaign are rather rare, but are essentially "Great Goddess Worshippers" who are often underestimated as "Rural Petty Magic-user Brewing Low-Quality Potions." Also, they can, and often do, fall into the "Evil Sorceress Consorting with Fiends" category, but no more often than any Sorcerer might fall prey to the same. As the old Spanish proverb goes: "Live with wolves, and you learn to howl."

 

[Xyanthon]

I voted for “Rural Petty Magic-User Brewing Low Quality Potions” but my real inclination would be somewhere between this choice and choice 1 or “Great Goddess Worshiper”. Having looked more closely at the poll I guess I should have selected “other”. In my campaign witches as a class would be more akin to village wise women and herbalists. They would have the capability for magics such as divination, healing and other minor magics. Making tonics, potions, and even beer along with healing ointments poultices, chirurgiy, midwifery, and giving advice on animals, love, child birth and the like would all be normal functions that villagers would consult them about. Most of the destructive and flashy magic would be out of their purview.

Hmmm, after thinking about this, I think I’ll have to formalize it and make it an NPC class for the game. Sounds like I could have an interesting character on my hands .

 

[Aus_Snow]

Other.

 

[Mycanid]

I voted for option #2 ... the sorceress consorting with fiends, although for me it would be a cross between that and #3.

There was a good article on witches as a class in an early Dragon magazine back in the 1e days that I thought was excellent. Guess that is kind of my standard class wise.

Edit: Phooey. I missed out on the unorthodox witches pdf. snooze ya lose I guess!

 

[Nightfall]

I like witches to be alternatives to wizardry and sorcery. Much like I like shamans to be alternatives to clerics and druids.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Red-headed, weight of a duck, and crispy!

 

[Calico_Jack73]

I voted other... I like the Witch class from Arcana Evolved.

 

[Heathansson]

depends on if they're a good witch or a bad witch.

 

[Wormwood]

Witches exist solely for PCs to root out and bring to justice.

 

[Torm]

I voted the first out of reflex, but then thought about the fact that there are multiple modern usages of the word, and regretted not choosing Other, instead.

As a witch of the Paganish variety, I tend to think that either the base class from the DMG, or (better yet) dual-classing either Wizard or Sorcerer with Druid, is a pretty good fantastical representation of my (more mundane) real-world practices. If Wizard is used, the spellbook should include journal entries and spell development notes in addition to actual spells. In the context of groups of these, the term Warlock would be used for a traitor.

For the infernal-dealing variety of witch, I like the flavor of the old class that Aeolius has brought to our attention. With these, the term Warlock might be used as a sign of power or rank - particularly with those who deal with or serve a supernatural being of lies and deceit - or it might still be derogatory, depending on the alignment of the group.

A player of either type would want to take some ranks of Heal. The use of herbs, drugs, and such for the manipulation of biology applies to both - although not necessarily for the same reason.

The word "witch" would probably be used in a derogatory fashion among common people and the less educated of the higher class. The more educated of the higher class would use it either accurately or interchangably with "wizard", "sorcerer", and/or "druid" depending on their specific knowledge of arcane matters.

And "wormwood" can be used interchangably with "prince of lies".