D&D 5E So Where my Witches at?

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Witches in fantasy cannot be untethered from sexist tropes against working women. That doesn't mean you can't have great fantasy that uses the witch tropes in a healthy, fun, and nonsexist way, but the history is intertwined, and using the witch archetype takes careful judgement in a table-by-table basis. Ultimately, the blowback of implementing poorly is not worth the potential profits to exploit by issuing an official witch class or subclass. And a diversity of options meets the needs and desires of the fanbase far more than a single, simple, WITCH subclass or class like we got in previous editions.

That's one of the major reasons why I didn't name my class the "Witch" and instead named it the "Occultist".

 

[Accaris]

That's one of the major reasons why I didn't name my class the "Witch" and instead named it the "Occultist".

"Using the witch archetype takes careful judgement in a table-by-table basis?" I'm sorry, but this sounds a bit ridiculous. Tell me gaming tables haven't seriously gotten this sensitive. That's like saying you have to be cautious in introducing clerics or paladins because Christians acted nastily hundreds of years ago.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

"Using the witch archetype takes careful judgement in a table-by-table basis?" I'm sorry, but this sounds a bit ridiculous. Tell me gaming tables haven't seriously gotten this sensitive. It's a witch for pete's sake. They aren't real. Magic isn't real. That's like saying you have to be cautious in introducing clerics or paladins because Christians acted nastily hundreds of years ago.

Wicca is an existing religion. Imagine if they named the cleric the "Christian" class. That would be a big no-no.

I named my class the "Occultist" to avoid the issues with "Witch" being specific to women, has offensive stereotypes, and shares the name with Wicca (Pagan Witchcraft).

Paladins don't exist anymore. No one calls anyone a cleric anymore. Bards don't exist, and neither do Warlocks. As a general rule, no one names a class after an existing religion.

 

[Accaris]

Wicca is an existing religion. Imagine if they named the cleric the "Christian" class. That would be a big no-no.

I named my class the "Occultist" to avoid the issues with "Witch" being specific to women, has offensive stereotypes, and shares the name with Wicca (Pagan Witchcraft).

Paladins don't exist anymore. No one calls anyone a cleric anymore. Bards don't exist, and neither do Warlocks. However, no one names a class after an existing religion.

My co-writer is a witch and so is his girlfriend and all of her friends, maybe somewhere a truly offense witch stereotype exists (as silly as that seems to me,) but none of the attempts at a D&D conversion have struck them as particularly problematic so far.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

My co-writer is a witch and so is his girlfriend and all of her friends, maybe somewhere a truly offense witch stereotype exists (as silly as that seems to me,) but none of the attempts at a D&D conversion have struck them as particularly problematic so far.

Better safe than sorry.

 

[Remathilis]

Paladins don't exist anymore. No one calls anyone a cleric anymore. Bards don't exist, and neither do Warlocks. However, no one names a class after an existing religion.

Muslim Clerics might have something to say about that, as would members of The Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids.

 

[Remathilis]

 

[Mecheon]

I named my class the "Occultist" to avoid the issues with "Witch" being specific to women, has offensive stereotypes, and shares the name with Wicca (Pagan Witchcraft).

Except 'Witch' is a well known fictional archetype completely divorced from Wicca. You say 'witch', I think a halloween witch or the like. Like, heck knows everyone knows what side of this I'm generally on, but witch is not one of those words we need to be worrying about. It is well since its own thing and people lean into that.

Plus, witch and occultist have very different definitions. Witches are all about folk remedies, stories passed down, homey and practical magic. Occultists are about expanding magic beyond the norm, exploring ancient tombs and delving into That Which Should Probably Not Be Known. They're two very different archetypes. You wouldn't call Granny Weatherwax from Discworld an occultist, but she sure is a witch

Wicca is an existing religion. Imagine if they named the cleric the "Christian" class. That would be a big no-no.

You uh, know D&D literately did that, right? The Wokani from 1E was originally called the Wicca. There's a reason it didn't survive past 1E. Quite a lot of reasons, in fact.

 

[Remathilis]

So I decided to toss my hat in the ring and made a subclass based mostly off 2e's witch kit. Not sure it's balanced per se, but it's a good example of what I'd like to see...

Spoiler: Witch

Witchcraft​

Wizard Subclass

Some say there is a tradition of wizardry that is ancient, secretive, and forbidden. Its practitioners gather in small groups and combine herbalism and magic together in unique ways forgotten by other schools of magic. Misunderstood, some believe they are associated with fiends or other evil forces (and often mistaken for warlocks as being bound to serve these beings) but the tradition of witchcraft is more complex than most think they know.

Witches often form small covens on the outside of civilization. While some may deal in otherworldly entities, they are not bound to them and learn magic much as any other wizard does. However, they also learn secrets to call special familiars, create special potions, beguile the mind, and curse their foes with ill-luck. Though many legends paint them as evil, witches use their gifts for good or evil as they see fit.

Witch’s Familiar​

2nd-level witch feature

You learn the find familiar spell. When you cast the spell, you can choose one of the normal forms for your familiar or one of the following special forms: imp, pseudodragon, quasit, or sprite.

Herbalist​

2nd-level witch feature

You become proficient in the Herbalism kit and Poisoner’s kit.

Brew Calmative​

2nd-level witch feature

Once per day, you can brew a special potion using ingredients found in any forest. This potion puts a single creature who fails a Constitution saving throw into a magic slumber (as per the sleep spell), with a duration of 1 hour unless awoken. The potion must be brewed for an hour (which can be done as part of a short or long rest) but loses its potency in the next day at dawn.

The potion is colorless and odorless and can be added to food or drink without notice, though it can be detected by detect magic or detect poison.

Beguiler​

6th-level witch feature

You can use your magic to beguile a creature you see that is a challenge rating equal or lower to your wizard level. This takes an action to do and the target must make a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed for 1 hour. If the target is engaged in combat, it gains advantage on the save. The charm is broken if you or any of your allies take hostile action towards the target.

Once you use this ability, you cannot do so again until you’ve finished a long rest.

Brew Flying Ointment​

10th-level witch feature

Once per day, you can brew a special ointment using herbs and ingredients found in any forest. This ointment gives you (and only you) a flight speed equal to your walking speed for 1 hour. The ointment requires brewing for an hour (which can be done as part of a short or long rest) but loses its potency in the next day at dawn.

Witch’s Curse​

14th-level witch feature

You can invoke a witch’s curse on a target. As an action, you point the creature, which must make a Charisma saving throw. If it fails, it has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws for 1 minute. The target can repeat the save each round, success ends the curse’s effects.

Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you’ve finished a long rest.

 

[Lanefan]

Except 'Witch' is a well known fictional archetype completely divorced from Wicca. You say 'witch', I think a halloween witch or the like.

While many Wiccans would think "me".

There's certainly been some effort put in to reclaiming the word 'witch' away from the Hallowe'en stereotype, but it's generally met with limited success.

You uh, know D&D literately did that, right? The Wokani from 1E was originally called the Wicca. There's a reason it didn't survive past 1E. Quite a lot of reasons, in fact.

Never heard of this - what book was it in?