The Witchblade

Some covens of witches practice witchcraft not to sling spells, but to enhance their powers in battle. Witches who choose this way are called Witchblades, and are renowned for their supernatural adaptability in the battlefield. Like all witches, Witchblades gain their magical abilities by summoning spirits, but the way in which they do this is unique. They use their spirit-summoning abilities to imbue their blades with the spirits of warriors who came before them, learning their fighting techniques in the process. The stronger a Witchblade is, the more spirits they can summon to their weapon, and the more formidable and adaptable they are in battle. Witchblades excel in changing their tactics to suit their surroundings and exploiting their target’s weaknesses.

Witchblades are easily recognized by the weapon that gives them their name. Over time, reflecting its wielder’s growth in power, the weapon changes to reflect the particular brand of witchcraft of its wielder — growing in size, for example, or glowing. It is said that when a Witchblade grows sufficiently strong, their weapon itself becomes as changeable as its wielder, thanks to the spiritual energy constantly stored in it.

The Witchblade is a “mimic fighter”, using the abilities of other fighter subclasses to adapt to different situations! They learn these various abilities, however, like wizards learn additional spells. Their changing weapon and abilities make them extremely adaptable to all kinds of situations, and the method by which they can acquire new subclasses to use brings a whole new set of meaningful, roleplay-heavy choices and a new kind of interaction for game masters to put in front of their players. GMs can even use the different spirits that the Witchblade summons as NPCs that interact with the Witchblade, opening completely new opportunities for roleplay.

 

Witchblades’ witchmarks usually appear as scars. Instead of a singular scar growing as the Witchblade becomes more powerful, more and more scars appear along their body. It is said that the placement of these scars mirror the places where the spirits of the warriors they summon were dealt a killing blow. Other less common witchmarks for Witchblades include coats of arms in witch-knight orders, or swords that dance around Witchblades’ bodies when they use their witchcraft.

Witchblade

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, your weapon becomes a beacon that pierces through the veil between the material and the ethereal plane, granting you the ability to contact spirits. You can transform any weapon you have proficiency with into your witchblade by meditating with it for 10 minutes. Your witchblade counts as a magical weapon for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. Additionally, you always know the location of your witchblade as long as it’s in the same plane as you. You can’t have more than one witchblade. If you make a different weapon your witchblade, the former witchblade loses its magical properties and is no longer considered a witchblade.

Spirits of Masters

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to summon a martial master to your witchblade, gaining their knowledge in battle. Select two martial archetypes from the list of martial archetypes available to fighters. After a long rest, you can meditate for 10 minutes to call for the help of the spirit of a master of one of these martial archetypes. The martial master spirit is bound to your witchblade, and you know all abilities unlocked at 3rd level of the selected martial archetype. For subclasses that allow you to cast spells, like the Eldritch Knight, and other subclasses that have specific resources to that subclass, you have the same resources they do at level 3. For example, a level 4 Witchblade Fighter that summons the spirit of an Eldritch Knight knows three spells, and has two level 1 spell slots. At the end of the following long rest, the martial master spirit leaves your witchblade, and you may choose to call upon the same or another spirit.

You can learn over time to call for master spirits of other martial archetypes. There are two ways to be able to summon a different martial master spirit. You can train for one week with another fighter that has a martial archetype different from the ones you can call to your witchblade. After training, you will be able to call on the spirit of a master of that martial archetype. Alternatively, if you land the killing blow upon a fighter with a martial archetype, you gain the ability to call on the spirit of a master of that fighter’s martial archetype. You cannot learn martial archetypes from other witchblades.

Arcane Archer

Arcane Archer

Battle Master

Battle Master

Cavalier

Cavalier

Champion

Champion

Echo Knight

Echo Knight

Eldritch Knight

Eldritch Knight

Gunslinger

Gunslinger

Psi Warrior

Psi Warrior

Purple Dragon Knight

Purple Dragon Knight

Rune Knight

Rune Knight

Samurai

Samurai

Spiritual Style

At 7th level, you are able to not only call on the knowledge of spirits for their martial archetypes, but for their fighting styles.

Select a fighting style other than the one you know. When meditating to use your Spirits of Masters ability at the end of a long rest, you also learn the additional fighting style you selected. At the end of the long rest, the fighting style leaves your witchblade and you may choose to call upon the same or another fighting style you’ve acquired.

Similarly to Spirits of Masters, you can learn to call for spirits to harness additional fighting styles. You learn to summon spirits of additional fighting styles in the same way you learn to summon spirit masters of additional martial archetypes. You cannot learn a fighting style and an archetype at the same time; if you train with or kill another fighter, you must choose whether to learn their fighting style or their archetype. Similarly, you cannot learn fighting styles from other Witchblades.

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Blind Fighting

You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn’t behind total cover, even if you’re blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.

Defence

While you are wearing armour, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Duelling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Interception

When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Superior Technique

You learn one manoeuvre of your choice from among those available to the Battle Master archetype. If a manoeuvre you use requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the manoeuvre's effects, the saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice).
You gain one superiority die, which is a d6 (this die is added to any superiority dice you have from another source). This die is used to fuel your manoeuvres. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain your expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest.

Thrown Weapon Fighting

You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon.
In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Unarmed Fighting

Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier on a hit. If you aren’t wielding any weapons or a shield when you make the attack roll, the d6 becomes a d8.
At the start of each of your turns, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to one creature grappled by you.

Battlefield Witchcraft

At 10th level, you apply your knowledge of witchcraft and spirit manipulation to the battlefield, harnessing the spirits of those you have slain directly onto your witchblade.

When you deal the finishing blow on a creature that is hostile to you and of a CR equal to or higher than 1, or when you crit on an attack, you can choose to gain one additional use of Second Wind. You cannot gain more than one additional use of Second Wind per turn. All additional uses of Second Wind gained through this ability disappear once combat is over and you are out of initiative. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all uses of this feature after finishing a long rest.

Exalted Witchblade

At 15th level, the spiritual energy constantly stored in your witchblade changes it, giving it magical powers similar to your own.

As an action, you can transform your witchblade into the shape of any weapon you are proficient with. The witchblade retains only its color, materials, and embellishments, and acts exactly as the weapon it has taken the shape of. If the witchblade had any bonus to attack or damage, it retains this bonus after transformation. The witchblade also retains any other magical properties it had before the transformation. For instance, if the witchblade was a +1 shortsword that dealt an additional 1d6 of radiant damage and is transformed it into a warhammer, the witchblade is now a +1 warhammer that deals an additional 1d6 of radiant damage. If the witchblade is transformed into a weapon that requires ammunition, like a bow or a crossbow, you always have ammunition for this weapon. This does not ignore a weapon’s loading requirement or apply to thrown weapons like javelins, which have to be recovered once thrown.

Master of Spirits

At 18th level, your connection with the masters you summon to your witchblade grows with you in power.

When selecting a martial archetype after a long rest through the use of your Spirits of Masters ability, you learn the level 18 feature or features of the martial archetype selected, in addition to the level 3 features. For subclasses that allow you to cast spells, like the Eldritch Knight, and other subclasses that have specific resources to that subclass (that you unlock at either level 3 or level 18), you have the same resources they do at level 18. For example, a level 19 Witchblade Fighter that summons the spirit of an Eldritch Knight knows 12 spells, and has four level 1 spell slots, three level 2 spell slots, three level 3 spell slots, and one level 4 spell slot.