Witch

In Aetheris, witches most often draw their power from evil gods, the Old Gods, cursed bloodlines, hidden covens, forbidden grimoires, or spiritual forces that cling to forgotten places. Their magic is powerful but corruptive, moving through the body, the name, the hearth, the wound, and the oath. A witch’s spell is not simply cast. It is planted.

Unlike wizard schools that formalize academic disciplines, witchcraft survives through covens, apprenticeships, family curses, solitary mentors, and books that should have stayed buried. Witches have no worldwide hierarchy. One coven may serve a god of secrets, another may bargain with a thing beneath a frozen lake, and another may protect a village with methods the villagers would burn them for using.

A Witch Wizard excels at curses, enchantment, divination, familiar magic, potioncraft, and ritual manipulation. They are not always evil, but their magic is never clean. It comes with a smell of candle smoke, wet earth, bitter herbs, and debt.

Witch Features

Wizard Level	Feature
3rd	Witch Spells, Familiar of the Crooked Path, Witch’s Talisman
6th	Hexcraft
10th	Cauldron Rites
14th	Grand Malediction

3rd Level: Witch Spells

Your witchcraft grants you access to spells associated with curses, charms, familiars, hidden movement, poison, fear, and domination. When you reach a Wizard level specified in the Witch Spells table, you always have the listed spells prepared, and they don’t count against the number of spells you can prepare.

If a spell isn’t on the Wizard spell list, it is nevertheless a Wizard spell for you.

Witch Spells

Wizard Level	Spells
3rd	Find Familiar, Hex, Charm Person
5th	Misty Step, Invisibility
7th	Bestow Curse, Fear
9th	Dominate Beast, Greater Invisibility
11th	Cloudkill, Hold Monster

Witchcraft Focus

You can use an herbalism kit, alchemist’s supplies, poisoner’s kit, or your witch’s talisman as a spellcasting focus for your Wizard spells.

3rd Level: Familiar of the Crooked Path

You learn the Find Familiar spell if you don’t already know it. When you cast it, you can cast it as a ritual without needing the spell in your spellbook, and your familiar gains additional benefits.

Your familiar is not merely a spirit in animal shape. It is a witness, messenger, omen-carrier, and splinter of your witchcraft. It might be a beast, a spirit-servant, a dead thing pretending to breathe, a gift from your coven, or a lesser envoy of your patron power.

Witch Familiar Benefits

Your familiar gains the following benefits:

Coven-Bound Mind. You can communicate telepathically with your familiar while it is within 1 mile of you.

Witch-Sight. As a Bonus Action, you can see through your familiar’s senses until the start of your next turn, provided it is within 1 mile of you. During this time, you are Blinded and Deafened with regard to your own senses.

Familiar Delivery. When you cast a Wizard spell with a range of Touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as normal for Find Familiar. In addition, when it delivers a spell this way, you can choose one creature within 5 feet of your familiar that you can see through the familiar’s senses. That creature has Disadvantage on its next saving throw against one of your Witch spells before the end of your next turn. You can use this benefit a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of once, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Hard to Kill. Your familiar’s hit point maximum equals 5 + five times your Wizard level, unless its normal hit point maximum would be higher.

Witch Familiar Forms

When you summon your familiar, choose one of the following forms or work with your DM to create an equivalent. These options replace the earlier simple familiar benefits from the old Witch subclass, which included bat, cat, raven, and frog variants.

Familiar	Benefit
Bat	The familiar has Blindsight out to 30 feet. While you perceive through its senses, you have Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing.
Black Cat	Once per Long Rest, when a creature within 30 feet of the familiar makes an attack roll, the familiar can use its Reaction to impose a -1d4 penalty on the roll.
Carrion Crow	The familiar can speak one language you know. In addition, it can perfectly mimic a short phrase it has heard within the past 24 hours.
Toad	The familiar can breathe air and water. Once per Long Rest, it can exude a foul charm. One creature within 5 feet of it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or have Disadvantage on its next saving throw against poison or disease before the end of your next turn.
Hare	The familiar’s Speed increases by 10 feet, and it can take the Disengage action as a Bonus Action.
Moth	The familiar can shed dim light in a 5-foot radius or suppress that light without using an action. While within 10 feet of it, you have Advantage on Intelligence (Arcana) checks to identify magical auras, curses, or illusions.
Snake	The familiar has Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks and can move through spaces as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing, provided its chosen form could reasonably do so.
Pale Dog	The familiar has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on smell. It can sense the presence of Undead, Fiends, or cursed creatures within 30 feet, though it does not learn their exact identity.

3rd Level: Witch’s Talisman

You create or awaken a talisman that anchors your witchcraft. This talisman might be a bone charm, iron ring, cracked hand mirror, blackened knife, saint’s tooth, sealed bottle, stitched doll, moon-pendant, dried heart, red cord, grave coin, or charm-bundle of herbs and hair.

Your talisman counts as a spellcasting focus for your Wizard spells. You can replace it or restore it during a Long Rest.

Choose one talisman form from the options below. You can change your talisman form whenever you gain a Wizard level, representing a major change in your rites, coven teachings, or patron influence.

Amulet of Warding

While you are wearing or holding your talisman, you gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are not wearing medium or heavy armor.

In addition, when you fail a saving throw against being Charmed or Frightened, you can use your Reaction to reroll the saving throw. You must use the new result. Once you use this Reaction, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest.

Athame of the Crooked Road

Your talisman takes the form of a ritual blade, thorn-knife, sickle, hooked dagger, bone-handled razor, or similar one-handed weapon. You gain proficiency with this weapon, and it can be used as your spellcasting focus.

When you hit a creature with this weapon, you can use Intelligence instead of Strength or Dexterity for the attack and damage rolls. Once on each of your turns, when you hit a creature affected by one of your Witch spells, you can deal extra necrotic or poison damage equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of 1.

Ring of Forbidden Tongues

While wearing this talisman, you can read, speak, and write two of the following languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Draconic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, or Undercommon.

In addition, you have Advantage on Intelligence checks made to understand curses, occult symbols, forbidden rites, coven marks, or divine blasphemies.

Poppet of Names

Your talisman is a doll, wax figure, cloth effigy, carved charm, or bound bundle of sympathetic materials.

When a creature you can see within 60 feet fails a saving throw against one of your Wizard spells, you can bind a fragment of its misfortune into the poppet. Until the end of your next turn, the first time that creature makes an attack roll or ability check, it must subtract 1d4 from the roll.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Mirror of the Hidden Face

Your talisman is a hand mirror, polished coin, dark glass shard, water-filled locket, or reflective charm.

While holding it, you can cast Disguise Self without expending a spell slot. Once you cast the spell this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a Long Rest.

In addition, when you cast an Illusion or Enchantment spell, you can cause your reflection, voice, or gaze to carry the spell’s force. One target of the spell that can see or hear you has Disadvantage on the first Wisdom (Insight) check it makes against you before the spell ends.

6th Level: Hexcraft

Your curses become more precise, cruel, and difficult to escape. Your earlier Witch subclass already leaned into Hex and Bestow Curse, allowing additional damage against cursed targets. This version keeps that identity while making it cleaner for play.

You gain the following benefits.

Black Thread Hex

When you cast Hex, you can choose for the spell not to require Concentration. When cast this way, its duration becomes 1 minute, and it ends early if you use this feature again.

You can cast Hex this way a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of once, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Bitter Name

When you deal damage to a creature affected by your Hex or Bestow Curse, you can deal extra necrotic or psychic damage equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of 1. You can deal this extra damage only once per turn.

Curse-Reader

You can tell when a creature you can see within 30 feet is affected by a curse, hex, possession, magical disease, or hostile enchantment, though you don’t automatically learn the exact effect.

As an Action, you can make an Intelligence (Arcana) check against a DC set by the DM. On a success, you learn the general nature of the effect and whether it is divine, arcane, fiendish, fey, Undead, or Old God in origin.

10th Level: Cauldron Rites

Your potioncraft matures into true witch-alchemy: a craft of brews, fumes, oils, black salts, curse-remedies, and little bottles that should never be opened indoors.

You gain proficiency with alchemist’s supplies, herbalism kit, or poisoner’s kit. If you already have proficiency with the chosen tool, you gain Expertise with it.

Witch’s Brew

At the end of a Long Rest, you can create a number of witch brews equal to your Proficiency Bonus. A brew remains potent until the end of your next Long Rest. A creature can drink a brew as a Bonus Action or administer it to another creature within 5 feet as an Action.

Choose each brew from the following list:

Brew	Effect
Bitter-Mercy Draught	The drinker regains hit points equal to 2d4 + your Intelligence modifier. If the drinker is affected by poison or disease, it can immediately make a saving throw against one such effect.
Cat-Step Philter	For 1 hour, the drinker gains Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks and can move through nonmagical difficult terrain without spending extra movement.
Iron-Tongue Tonic	For 1 hour, the drinker has Advantage on saving throws against being Charmed and on Charisma checks made to bargain, deceive, or intimidate.
Grave Salt Elixir	For 1 hour, the drinker has Resistance to necrotic damage and Advantage on saving throws against effects caused by Undead.
Crooked-Eye Infusion	For 10 minutes, the drinker can see Invisible creatures and objects within 10 feet, provided they aren’t behind Total Cover.
Wormwood Venom	This brew can be applied to one weapon or three pieces of ammunition. The next creature hit by the weapon or ammunition within 1 hour takes poison damage equal to 2d6 + your Intelligence modifier.

Cauldron Counsel

During a Short Rest, you can spend 10 minutes reading dregs, smoke, candle-fat, cracked bone, or steeped herbs. Choose one creature that spends Hit Dice during the rest. That creature gains one of the following benefits until it finishes its next Long Rest:

• Advantage on its next saving throw against being Charmed or Frightened.
• Advantage on its next saving throw against poison or disease.
• A bonus to its next Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma check equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of +1.

You can grant this benefit to a number of creatures equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of one, during the same Short Rest.

14th Level: Grand Malediction

You learn to lay a curse so heavy that fate limps beneath it.

As an Action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, it suffers your Grand Malediction for 1 minute. On a successful save, it is affected until the end of your next turn.

While affected, the creature suffers the following effects:

• It subtracts 1d6 from attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.
• The first time each turn it takes damage from one of your spells, it takes extra necrotic or psychic damage equal to your Wizard level.
• It can’t benefit from being Invisible against you, and it can’t hide from your familiar.
• If it drops to 0 hit points while affected, you can immediately move your Hex to another creature you can see within 60 feet without using a Bonus Action and without expending a spell slot.

At the end of each of the affected creature’s turns, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the malediction on itself on a success.

Once you use Grand Malediction, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest, unless you expend a 5th-level spell slot to use it again.

Curse That Clings

When a creature succeeds on a saving throw against one of your Enchantment or Necromancy spells of 1st level or higher, you can use your Reaction to lace the failed spell with lingering ill fortune. The creature takes psychic damage equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of 1, and has Disadvantage on the next ability check it makes before the end of its next turn.

You can use Curse That Clings a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Coven Sources

Not every Witch draws from the same darkness. Choose or roll for the source that shaped your witchcraft. This choice is primarily narrative, though a DM may use it to shape visions, flaws, corruption marks, patrons, enemies, or spell appearances.

d8	Coven Source
1	Evil God: Your coven serves a named dark deity through secret offerings and forbidden prayers.
2	Old God: Your magic comes from something older than temples, sleeping beneath ice, root, stone, sea, or ruin.
3	Cursed Bloodline: Your family made a bargain generations ago, and you inherited the debt.
4	Familiar Pact: Your familiar came first. Your magic followed.
5	Grimoire-Bound: A forbidden book teaches you, corrects you, and sometimes writes back.
6	Dead Coven: Your coven is gone, but their rites still gather around you like smoke.
7	Stolen Rite: You stole witchcraft from another coven, spirit, hag, priest, or god-servant.
8	Village Debt: You protect a community that fears you, needs you, and will betray you if frightened enough.

Witchcraft Corruption

Witchcraft in Aetheris should feel costly. These signs are mostly narrative, but they make the subclass breathe graveyard air. Choose or roll for one when you gain this subclass, and consider adding another after major story events.

d12	Sign of Corruption
1	Your shadow occasionally performs small gestures you did not make.
2	Your familiar watches you while you sleep, even when dismissed.
3	Your reflection whispers advice when no one else is present.
4	Food tastes faintly of ash, iron, or soil after you cast a curse.
5	Candles bend toward you when you lie.
6	Your hands grow cold when someone nearby breaks an oath.
7	Animals refuse to cross thresholds behind you.
8	Your dreams contain a road, well, tree, or door that gets closer each night.
9	Your talisman sometimes beats like a heart.
10	Your voice briefly becomes someone else’s when you cast Enchantment spells.
11	Children, the dying, or the very old sometimes know your name without being told.
12	You occasionally remember rituals you never learned.

Roleplaying a Witch

A Witch Wizard lives in the uncomfortable space between scholar, outcast, healer, heretic, and curse-worker. You may be a village protector, a coven exile, a scholar of forbidden rites, a servant of a cruel deity, or someone trying to use dangerous magic for good before it hollows you out.

The older Witch background in Aetheris framed witches as practitioners of ancient magic tied to rituals, potions, healing, and natural lore. This recreated subclass keeps the potions and ritual craft, but darkens the source: witches are now defined by covens, hidden bargains, familiars, talismans, and corruptive magic.

Personality Traits

1. I speak carefully, because names and promises both have teeth.
2. I collect herbs, bones, thread, wax, locks of hair, and other small useful things.
3. I am kind to the desperate, but never foolish enough to trust desperation.
4. I treat my familiar as a companion, spy, omen, and possible liability.
5. I smile when people call me wicked. It saves time.
6. I never ignore a bad dream, a sour candle, or a door found open at dawn.

Ideals

1. The world devours the helpless. I refuse to be eaten.
2. Let them fear me, so long as they survive.
3. Wrongs do not vanish. They wait to be named.
4. The forbidden is forbidden because it works.
5. No god, coven, crown, or spirit owns me.
6. Every curse has a price. Every mercy does too.

Bonds

1. My familiar knows who I was before I became this.
2. My coven is dead, scattered, or hunting me.
3. I protect a place that would condemn me if it knew the truth.
4. I owe a debt to a god, spirit, hag, fiend, ancestor, or Old God.
5. My talisman contains something I cannot afford to lose.
6. I seek the true name of the power behind my witchcraft.

Flaws

1. I curse before I forgive.
2. I hide truths even when honesty would save me.
3. I believe fear is more reliable than love.
4. I am tempted by every forbidden rite I encounter.
5. I mistake revenge for justice far too easily.
6. My magic has begun asking for things I do not want to give.

Using the Witch in Aetheris

Witches make excellent PCs or NPCs in stories involving covens, rural horror, forbidden gods, curse-breaking, evil cults, haunted bloodlines, hags, ancient bargains, corrupted magic, and the Old Gods. They work especially well in Ozythralis, Velmyris, Thaldrinor, and the Wastes, though every continent can have its own witch-traditions.

They also create a useful foil for Blood Hunters. The Claret Orders already struggle with the corruptive cost of forbidden power while using dark methods against darker threats. A Witch and a Blood Hunter in the same party can become a wonderful little thundercloud of suspicion, necessity, and grim respect.

Summary

The Witch is a Wizard subclass built around familiars, talismans, curses, potioncraft, and corruptive ritual magic. It fits the darker Aetheris interpretation of witches as coven-taught practitioners tied to evil gods, Old Gods, forbidden rites, and feared village magic. Its playstyle favors control, debuffs, enchantment, occult investigation, and eerie utility rather than raw blasting.

"A curse is only a prayer with its teeth showing."

Witch Spells

Your witchcraft grants you access to spells associated with curses, charms, familiars, hidden movement, poison, fear, and domination. When you reach a Wizard level specified in the Witch Spells table, you always have the listed spells prepared, and they don’t count against the number of spells you can prepare.

If a spell isn’t on the Wizard spell list, it is nevertheless a Wizard spell for you.

Witch Spells

Wizard Level	Spells
3rd	Find Familiar, Hex, Charm Person
5th	Misty Step, Invisibility
7th	Bestow Curse, Fear
9th	Dominate Beast, Greater Invisibility
11th	Cloudkill, Hold Monster

Witchcraft Focus

You can use an herbalism kit, alchemist’s supplies, poisoner’s kit, or your witch’s talisman as a spellcasting focus for your Wizard spells.

Familiar of the Crooked Path

You learn the Find Familiar spell if you don’t already know it. When you cast it, you can cast it as a ritual without needing the spell in your spellbook, and your familiar gains additional benefits.

Your familiar is not merely a spirit in animal shape. It is a witness, messenger, omen-carrier, and splinter of your witchcraft. It might be a beast, a spirit-servant, a dead thing pretending to breathe, a gift from your coven, or a lesser envoy of your patron power.

Witch Familiar Benefits

Your familiar gains the following benefits:

Coven-Bound Mind. You can communicate telepathically with your familiar while it is within 1 mile of you.

Witch-Sight. As a Bonus Action, you can see through your familiar’s senses until the start of your next turn, provided it is within 1 mile of you. During this time, you are Blinded and Deafened with regard to your own senses.

Familiar Delivery. When you cast a Wizard spell with a range of Touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as normal for Find Familiar. In addition, when it delivers a spell this way, you can choose one creature within 5 feet of your familiar that you can see through the familiar’s senses. That creature has Disadvantage on its next saving throw against one of your Witch spells before the end of your next turn. You can use this benefit a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of once, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Hard to Kill. Your familiar’s hit point maximum equals 5 + five times your Wizard level, unless its normal hit point maximum would be higher.

Witch Familiar Forms

When you summon your familiar, choose one of the following forms or work with your DM to create an equivalent. 

 

Familiar	Benefit
Bat	The familiar has Blindsight out to 30 feet. While you perceive through its senses, you have Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing.
Black Cat	Once per Long Rest, when a creature within 30 feet of the familiar makes an attack roll, the familiar can use its Reaction to impose a -1d4 penalty on the roll.
Carrion Crow	The familiar can speak one language you know. In addition, it can perfectly mimic a short phrase it has heard within the past 24 hours.
Toad	The familiar can breathe air and water. Once per Long Rest, it can exude a foul charm. One creature within 5 feet of it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or have Disadvantage on its next saving throw against poison or disease before the end of your next turn.
Hare	The familiar’s Speed increases by 10 feet, and it can take the Disengage action as a Bonus Action.
Moth	The familiar can shed dim light in a 5-foot radius or suppress that light without using an action. While within 10 feet of it, you have Advantage on Intelligence (Arcana) checks to identify magical auras, curses, or illusions.
Snake	The familiar has Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks and can move through spaces as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing, provided its chosen form could reasonably do so.
Pale Dog	The familiar has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on smell. It can sense the presence of Undead, Fiends, or cursed creatures within 30 feet, though it does not learn their exact identity.

Witch’s Talisman

You create or awaken a talisman that anchors your witchcraft. This talisman might be a bone charm, iron ring, cracked hand mirror, blackened knife, saint’s tooth, sealed bottle, stitched doll, moon-pendant, dried heart, red cord, grave coin, or charm-bundle of herbs and hair.

Your talisman counts as a spellcasting focus for your Wizard spells. You can replace it or restore it during a Long Rest.

Choose one talisman form from the options below. You can change your talisman form whenever you gain a Wizard level, representing a major change in your rites, coven teachings, or patron influence.

Amulet of Warding

While you are wearing or holding your talisman, you gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are not wearing medium or heavy armor.

In addition, when you fail a saving throw against being Charmed or Frightened, you can use your Reaction to reroll the saving throw. You must use the new result. Once you use this Reaction, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest.

Athame of the Crooked Road

Your talisman takes the form of a ritual blade, thorn-knife, sickle, hooked dagger, bone-handled razor, or similar one-handed weapon. You gain proficiency with this weapon, and it can be used as your spellcasting focus.

When you hit a creature with this weapon, you can use Intelligence instead of Strength or Dexterity for the attack and damage rolls. Once on each of your turns, when you hit a creature affected by one of your Witch spells, you can deal extra necrotic or poison damage equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of 1.

Ring of Forbidden Tongues

While wearing this talisman, you can read, speak, and write two of the following languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Draconic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, or Undercommon.

In addition, you have Advantage on Intelligence checks made to understand curses, occult symbols, forbidden rites, coven marks, or divine blasphemies.

Poppet of Names

Your talisman is a doll, wax figure, cloth effigy, carved charm, or bound bundle of sympathetic materials.

When a creature you can see within 60 feet fails a saving throw against one of your Wizard spells, you can bind a fragment of its misfortune into the poppet. Until the end of your next turn, the first time that creature makes an attack roll or ability check, it must subtract 1d4 from the roll.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Mirror of the Hidden Face

Your talisman is a hand mirror, polished coin, dark glass shard, water-filled locket, or reflective charm.

While holding it, you can cast Disguise Self without expending a spell slot. Once you cast the spell this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a Long Rest.

In addition, when you cast an Illusion or Enchantment spell, you can cause your reflection, voice, or gaze to carry the spell’s force. One target of the spell that can see or hear you has Disadvantage on the first Wisdom (Insight) check it makes against you before the spell ends.

Amulet of Warding

While you are wearing or holding your talisman, you gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are not wearing medium or heavy armor.

In addition, when you fail a saving throw against being Charmed or Frightened, you can use your Reaction to reroll the saving throw. You must use the new result. Once you use this Reaction, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest.

Athame of the Crooked Road

Your talisman takes the form of a ritual blade, thorn-knife, sickle, hooked dagger, bone-handled razor, or similar one-handed weapon. You gain proficiency with this weapon, and it can be used as your spellcasting focus.

When you hit a creature with this weapon, you can use Intelligence instead of Strength or Dexterity for the attack and damage rolls. Once on each of your turns, when you hit a creature affected by one of your Witch spells, you can deal extra necrotic or poison damage equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of 1.

Mirror of the Hidden Face

Your talisman is a hand mirror, polished coin, dark glass shard, water-filled locket, or reflective charm.

While holding it, you can cast Disguise Self without expending a spell slot. Once you cast the spell this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a Long Rest.

In addition, when you cast an Illusion or Enchantment spell, you can cause your reflection, voice, or gaze to carry the spell’s force. One target of the spell that can see or hear you has Disadvantage on the first Wisdom (Insight) check it makes against you before the spell ends.

Poppet of Names

Your talisman is a doll, wax figure, cloth effigy, carved charm, or bound bundle of sympathetic materials.

When a creature you can see within 60 feet fails a saving throw against one of your Wizard spells, you can bind a fragment of its misfortune into the poppet. Until the end of your next turn, the first time that creature makes an attack roll or ability check, it must subtract 1d4 from the roll.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Ring of Forbidden Tongues

While wearing this talisman, you can read, speak, and write two of the following languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Deep Speech, Draconic, Infernal, Primordial, Sylvan, or Undercommon.

In addition, you have Advantage on Intelligence checks made to understand curses, occult symbols, forbidden rites, coven marks, or divine blasphemies.

Hexcraft

Your curses become more precise, cruel, and difficult to escape. Your earlier Witch subclass already leaned into Hex and Bestow Curse, allowing additional damage against cursed targets. This version keeps that identity while making it cleaner for play.

You gain the following benefits.

Black Thread Hex

When you cast Hex, you can choose for the spell not to require Concentration. When cast this way, its duration becomes 1 minute, and it ends early if you use this feature again.

You can cast Hex this way a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of once, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Bitter Name

When you deal damage to a creature affected by your Hex or Bestow Curse, you can deal extra necrotic or psychic damage equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of 1. You can deal this extra damage only once per turn.

Curse-Reader

You can tell when a creature you can see within 30 feet is affected by a curse, hex, possession, magical disease, or hostile enchantment, though you don’t automatically learn the exact effect.

As an Action, you can make an Intelligence (Arcana) check against a DC set by the DM. On a success, you learn the general nature of the effect and whether it is divine, arcane, fiendish, fey, Undead, or Old God in origin.

Cauldron Rites

Your potioncraft matures into true witch-alchemy: a craft of brews, fumes, oils, black salts, curse-remedies, and little bottles that should never be opened indoors.

You gain proficiency with alchemist’s supplies, herbalism kit, or poisoner’s kit. If you already have proficiency with the chosen tool, you gain Expertise with it.

Witch’s Brew

At the end of a Long Rest, you can create a number of witch brews equal to your Proficiency Bonus. A brew remains potent until the end of your next Long Rest. A creature can drink a brew as a Bonus Action or administer it to another creature within 5 feet as an Action.

Choose each brew from the following list:

Brew	Effect
Bitter-Mercy Draught	The drinker regains hit points equal to 2d4 + your Intelligence modifier. If the drinker is affected by poison or disease, it can immediately make a saving throw against one such effect.
Cat-Step Philter	For 1 hour, the drinker gains Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks and can move through nonmagical difficult terrain without spending extra movement.
Iron-Tongue Tonic	For 1 hour, the drinker has Advantage on saving throws against being Charmed and on Charisma checks made to bargain, deceive, or intimidate.
Grave Salt Elixir	For 1 hour, the drinker has Resistance to necrotic damage and Advantage on saving throws against effects caused by Undead.
Crooked-Eye Infusion	For 10 minutes, the drinker can see Invisible creatures and objects within 10 feet, provided they aren’t behind Total Cover.
Wormwood Venom	This brew can be applied to one weapon or three pieces of ammunition. The next creature hit by the weapon or ammunition within 1 hour takes poison damage equal to 2d6 + your Intelligence modifier.

Cauldron Counsel

During a Short Rest, you can spend 10 minutes reading dregs, smoke, candle-fat, cracked bone, or steeped herbs. Choose one creature that spends Hit Dice during the rest. That creature gains one of the following benefits until it finishes its next Long Rest:

• Advantage on its next saving throw against being Charmed or Frightened.
• Advantage on its next saving throw against poison or disease.
• A bonus to its next Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma check equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of +1.

You can grant this benefit to a number of creatures equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of one, during the same Short Rest.

Grand Malediction

You learn to lay a curse so heavy that fate limps beneath it.

As an Action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, it suffers your Grand Malediction for 1 minute. On a successful save, it is affected until the end of your next turn.

While affected, the creature suffers the following effects:

• It subtracts 1d6 from attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.
• The first time each turn it takes damage from one of your spells, it takes extra necrotic or psychic damage equal to your Wizard level.
• It can’t benefit from being Invisible against you, and it can’t hide from your familiar.
• If it drops to 0 hit points while affected, you can immediately move your Hex to another creature you can see within 60 feet without using a Bonus Action and without expending a spell slot.

At the end of each of the affected creature’s turns, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the malediction on itself on a success.

Once you use Grand Malediction, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest, unless you expend a 5th-level spell slot to use it again.

Curse That Clings

When a creature succeeds on a saving throw against one of your Enchantment or Necromancy spells of 1st level or higher, you can use your Reaction to lace the failed spell with lingering ill fortune. The creature takes psychic damage equal to your Intelligence modifier, minimum of 1, and has Disadvantage on the next ability check it makes before the end of its next turn.

You can use Curse That Clings a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.