The archetypal Witch Knight pursues forbidden magics, uncovers corrupting arcane secrets, and forms pacts with otherwordly beings to enhance their martial prowess. Similar to Eldritch Knights who pursue arcane magic studied by wizards to combine with their martial skills, Witch Knights combine magic used by warlocks through forming and swearing pacts to ancient and powerful beings in exchange for forbidden magical secrets and ancient arcane rites. Though those who walk this path indulge in the gifts that come with their newfound abilities, the price for power may come to haunt them. 

Pact Weapon

At 3rd level, you learn a ritual that can allow you to transform a weapon into your pact weapon by performing a ritual to create this bond. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. If it is on the same plane of existence, you can summon that weapon as a bonus action on your turn, causing it to teleport instantly to your hand as well as dismissing it and shunting it back to its extradimensional space. Once you have bonded a weapon to yourself, you can use your weapon as a spellcasting focus for your warlock spells

While you have a pact weapon, the weapon counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. In addition, your weapon adds a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls. If the weapon already grants a magical bonus to attack and damage, use whichever bonus is higher. The bonus to damage from your pact weapon deals a specific form of damage based on your chosen pact.  

These bonuses to hit and damage increase to +2 when you reach 9th level and +3 when you reach 13th. 

The Archfey

The bonus damage granted by your pact weapon is acid.

The Celestial

The bonus damage granted by your pact weapon is radiant.

The Fathomless

The bonus damage granted by your pact weapon is cold.

The Fiend

The bonus damage granted by your pact weapon is fire.

The Genie

The bonus damage granted by your pact weapon is thunder

The Great Old One

The bonus damage granted by your pact weapon is psychic

The Hexblade

The bonus damage granted by your pact weapon is force.

The Undead

The bonus damage granted by your pact weapon is necrotic.

The Undying

The bonus damage granted by your pact weapon is poison.

Otherworldly Patron

When you reach 3rd level, you strike a bargain with an otherworldly being of your choice:

• The Archfey, the Fiend, or the Great Old One, detailed in the Player’s Handbook
• The Undying, from Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
• The Celestial or the Hexblade, from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
• The Fathomless or the Genie, from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
• The Undead, from Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

The Archfey

You have chosen the Archfey as your otherworldly patron.

The Celestial

You have chosen the Celestial as your otherworldly patron.

The Fathomless

You have chosen the Fathomless as your otherworldly patron.

The Fiend

You have chosen the Fiend as your otherworldly patron.

The Genie

The Great Old One

The Hexblade

You have chosen the Hexblade as your otherworldly patron.

The Undead

You have chosen the Undead as your otherworldly patron.

The Undying

You have chosen the Undying as your otherworldly patron.

Pact Magic

Also at 3rd level, you augment your combat techniques with the ability to cast spells. See chapter 10 of the Player’s Handbook for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 of the Player’s Handbook for the warlock spell list.

Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the warlock spell list. You learn an additional warlock cantrip of your choice at 10th level.

Spell Slots. The Witch Knight Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have. The table also shows what the level of those slots is; all of your spell slots are the same level. To cast one of your warlock spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a spell slot. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a short or long rest.

For example, when you are 8th level, you have two 2nd-level spell slots. To cast the 1st-level spell witch bolt, you must spend one of those slots, and you cast it as a 2nd-level spell.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher. At 3rd level, you know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the warlock spell list.

WItch Knight Spellcasting

The Spells Known column of the Witch Knight Spellcasting table shows when you learn more warlock spells of your choice of 1st level and higher. A spell you choose must be of a level no higher than what’s shown in the table’s Slot Level column for your level. When you reach 13th level, for example, you learn a new warlock spell, which can be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the warlock spells you know and replace it with another spell from the warlock spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your warlock spells, so you use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a warlock spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spellcasting Focus

You can use an arcane focus (see the Adventuring Gear section) as a spellcasting focus for your warlock spells.

Cryptic Focus

At 3rd level, you gain a specific benefit based on your chosen pact.

The Archfey

When you hit a creature a weapon attack, you can use your bonus action to cause the creature to glow a faint light until the end of your next turn. For the duration, your next attack against the creature is made with advantage. 

The Celestial

When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you can use your bonus action to choose a friendly creature within 30 feet of you. Until the start of their next turn, they can add a d4 to their next attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. 

The Fathomless

You can breathe underwater, and you gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed. In addition, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one of your spell slots to reduce the target's speed to 0 until the end of their next turn. 

The Fiend

Once per turn, you can use your bonus action to deal additional fire damage equal to your pact weapon damage bonus.

The Genie

When a creature hits you with a melee weapon attack, you can use your reaction to deal 1d10 thunder damage and push the target up to 20 feet away from you

The Great Old One

When you score a critical hit against a creature,  that creature is stunned until the end of their next turn. 

The Hexblade

You can add your Charisma modifier to damage dealt when casting a cantrip. 

The Undead

When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you can use your bonus action to choose a hostile creature within 30 feet of you. Until the end of their next turn, the target must roll a d4 and subtract the number rolled from their attack roll or saving throw.

The Undying

Your weapon attacks now ignore resistances to necrotic damage. In addition, you don't age, and effects that would cause you to age don't work on you.

Battle Magic

Beginning at 7th level, when you use your action to cast a cantrip, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.

 

Mystic Focus

At 10th level, you gain an additional feature based on your chosen pact. 

The Archfey

At 10th level, when you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you can use your bonus action to teleport to an unoccupied space you can see within 60 feet of you and gain advantage on your next attack roll.

The Celestial

As a bonus action, you expend one of your hit dice to heal a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. That creature regains a number of hit points equal to one roll of your hit dice + your Constitution modifier (minimum of +1).

The Fathomless

Once per turn when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, the creature takes 1d12 bludgeoning damage and must succeed on a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC or be knocked prone.

The Fiend

You gain resistance to fire damage. In addition, whenever you use your Second Wind feature, any hostile creature within 60 feet takes fire damage equal to half of the hit points regained. 

 

The Genie

You gain flying speed equal to your walking speed. In addition, you gain advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against magic.

The Great Old One

You can telepathically speak to any creature you can see within 30 feet of you. In addition, as an action, you can force a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus within 30 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw or become either frightened or charmed for 1 minute. An affected creature can reroll its saving throw at the end of its turn. 

The Hexblade

When you score a critical hit against a creature, you can expend a spell slot to deal an extra 2d8 force damage to the target. In addition, any hostile creature within 10 feet of the target takes damage equal to half of the damage dealt to the original target. 

The Undead

You gain resistance to necrotic damage. In addition, you can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain until the start of your next turn. You take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside an object.

The Undying

At the start of each of your turns when you have at least 1 hit point but fewer hit points than half your hit point maximum, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d6 + your Constitution modifier (Minimum of 1).

Revealed Arcana

Your patron grants you the use of an additional spell based on your pact. You cast this spell without expending a spell slot, and can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

The Archfey

You can cast Summon Fey.

The Celestial

You can cast revivify. 

The Fathomless

You can cast lightning bolt.

The Fiend

You can cast fireball.

The Genie

You can cast tongues

The Great Old One

You can cast Fear

The Hexblade

You can cast Blink

The Undead

You can cast speak with dead

The Undying

You can cast bestow curse. 

Spell Surge

At 18th level, you regain a warlock spell slot when you use your Action Surge. In addition, until the end of your next turn, creatures that you hit with a weapon attack as a result of using your action surge have disadvantage on the next saving throw they make against a spell you cast before the end of your next turn.