MGibster
Legend
Projecting modern ideas back to a pseudomedival framework is pretty much what D&D is all about!
D&D 5E So Where my Witches at?
Yes, the broad application for most cultures is the use of the supernatural for evil purposes . Exceptions, as you suggest, do occur. Some cultures such as those of East Africa and Melanesia make a distinction between witchcraft and sorcery, Among the Azande, for example, witchcraft is an innate, not necessarily controlled, and, iirc, psychic. In contrast, sorcery is considered the use of rituals to manipulate spirits and can be learned.
The definition, however, does not apply to Wicca (British Traditional (e.g. Gardner), Dianic, etc.) and, of course, witchcraft was also used as a label to persecute practitioners of many non-Christian religious traditions
Last edited:
AtomicPope
Hero
The best representation of a "witch" I've come across was the "Harry Potter Wizard" from Pathfinder. Using an Arcane Bloodline Sorcerer you had a Sorcerer's known spells and a book that you could use to cast spells a number of times per day as a class feature (like one or two). Different edition/system but it "felt" like a witch because you had supernatural abilities, innate spells, and a spell book or "recipes". In 5e the best thematic "witch" is a Warlock (what is typically used to describe a male witch) since you have spells, supernatural abilities, powerful familiars, and a patron. The flavor is there, and so are the mechanics.
Blue Orange
Gone to Texas
I went back and read through treatments of this in a number of editions. As far as I can tell the earliest appearance of the Warlock is in 3e (Complete Arcane), but before that there's a witch kit in 2e (Complete Wizard's Handbook) that seems vaguely similar in that the source of power is an external patron, down to the character being good possibly even if the patron is not. So for what it's worth, the D&D approximation appears to be the warlock.
So another approach might be to design alternate warlock patrons that fit what you want. The folkloric 'evildoer casting hexes' actually fits 5e fairly well, but some of the more benign interpretations like 'hedge mage' or 'nature priest-mage but not druidical' might work as new patrons if anyone wants to design them. Since patrons can give additional spells, this might be a way to get some of those healing abilities in.
So another approach might be to design alternate warlock patrons that fit what you want. The folkloric 'evildoer casting hexes' actually fits 5e fairly well, but some of the more benign interpretations like 'hedge mage' or 'nature priest-mage but not druidical' might work as new patrons if anyone wants to design them. Since patrons can give additional spells, this might be a way to get some of those healing abilities in.
Faolyn
(she/her)
I've been really wanting to create a "small gods" warlock--someone who gets their powers from nature or ancestral spirits, or from spirits like loa or kachina. I just haven't figured out what their powers could be, especially so they're differentiated from celestial 'locks--although it could be themed around the idea of being deliberately possessed by the spirit.
Twiggly the Gnome
Legend
The Blue Rose Adventurer's Guide just dropped, and it has five land druid variants that it calls out as witchcraft traditions:
- Dream-Rider
- Herb-Runner
- Lore-Keeper
- Nature-Rider
- Sooth-Sayer
Mind of tempest
(he/him)advocate for 5e psionics
blue rose?
Twiggly the Gnome
Legend
Green Ronin's "romantic fantasy" genre campaign setting, now availible for 5E.
Blue Rose Adventurer's Guide: 5e PDF
Mind of tempest
(he/him)advocate for 5e psionics
romantic fantasy? what does that even mean?
Tales and Chronicles
Jewel of the North, formerly know as vincegetorix
The power of good/hope/friendship /love against the encroaching darkness.
Sensibility and forgiveness used as much as weapons.
In a nutshell, the opposite of grimdark.
Similar Threads
