Witches

A Witch is a Class of female spellcaster, tied to rituals, symbolism and emotional connections.

Requirements

[Witch] is a class of female magic users. To gain the class, one needs to have a defining moment, a moment of passion. One needs a talent for magic or to want to be one, while others are called to it. They need to wear a hat and find their craft to then progress in the class.

Behaviour

[Witches] are fiercely independent, and characterized by inherent selfishness. They give and take and have many purpose to a deed. They are better than most people at being grand and helpful or at being petty, and there are no rules that says a [Witch] can’t do much of anything, but there are nuances. Some embrace their qualities, good or bad, and make it into their craft. A fundamental quality of their nature is that when pushed, they do not give in or change, they double down. They are usually loners save for familiars, and it is rare for one to live in a town. They can be viewed as outsiders, troublemakers, and question the status quo, and they will lean into this image. Most do not take well to laws, and will pursue their passion, their craft, even if it violates local laws. Wiskeria may be the beginning of a new era of [Witches] that will instead respect laws and civilization.

A [Witch] is a vide, a look, and an idea. [Witches] devote their lives to being [Witches] to give purpose to feelings, because it matters. They are good at pretending and it is a part of witchcraft, leaning into the image others have of them to gather emotions and be able to do what people believe they are capable of. Underneath the pretence is a certainty of who they are and what they want. This certainty becomes the basis of their actions and decisions, and of their craft. A [Witch] will pretend to be themselves while also being themselves and who they want to be, and so a [Witch] is always a [Witch].

[Witches] can be vastly different from one another, though are often slotted into 'good' and 'bad' perceptions. It's more accurate to divide them into 'generous' and 'selfish', depending on whether they're willing to follow rules and help others, and if it ties into their craft. 'Good' [Witches] will use their craft for others, while 'bad' [Witches] will use their craft for themselves. However, even a 'good' [Witch] can be seen as 'bad' depending on the perspective, by imposing their craft upon others. Self-indulgent [Witches], while powerful, are known to end up in an early grave.

When interacting with each other, [Witches] tip their hats in greeting. Covens of [Witches] will normally meet a few times a month to exchange news, warnings, and trade if there is no emergency. They generally do not judge one another and will overlook each other's wrongdoings, as they have too little allies to afford fighting each other. They will stay out of each other's affairs unless the [Witch] asks them to or it is a matter that affects other [Witches]. However, if a [Witch] kills another [Witch] without cause, they will be hunted by the others.

According to Kasigna, Witches were once women who entreated her. [Witches] oppose the gods, as they've made a pact in ancient times to do so.

Powers and Abilities

[Witches] rely more on rituals, incantations, and imbuing magic into items. They are capable of spellcasting, concocting magical brews, divination, noticing omens, summoning, performing séances, and interacting with ghosts and spirits. Most [Witches] don't gain a ritual spell from leveling until after level 20. While being a broader class than most spellcasters that encompasses many aspects and is as wide as [Mage] in ability, the magic of [Witches] is more varied than a [Mage]'s, but also weaker. Whereas [Mages] are more mathematical, able to add to their power like an addition or multiplication and cast a spell repeatedly in succession, a [Witch] can change the nature and traits of the magic, "turning '5' blue" as Typhenous put it, and so wield forms of magic that only [Archmages] will understand, but they need magical leylines to perform their rituals and cannot reuse the same ritual immediately after.

The magic of witches is fueled primarily by feelings and emotions, as well as many other things like places of power, significance, the phases of the moons, and death. They can see emotions, and gather them by practicing their craft, storing the power in their hats. They can pull emotions from a person or moment even outside of their craft, though working outside of their craft is more difficult. Without a craft, a [Witch] is unable to gather power, severely limiting her power like a [Mage] without spells. Thus, a self-taught [Hedge Witch] with a craft will be more powerful than a trained [Witch] without one. They must take care not to be consumed by what they wield, and if they cannot handle the emotions they've collected and don't use them for too long, they can become unbearable and threaten the [Witch]'s wellbeing. A [Witch] can sacrifice their emotion to solve such a problem if they know how, at he cost of no longer feeling that emotion again save in rare specific moments. The power of [Witches] is transitory and temporary, and wanes as greatness fades from the world. So like many others, the power of [Witches] has been fading during the Waning World.

Witchcraft needs to matter or relate to something in order to be effective. [Witches] are good at solving problems, but by that same logic, they're ill-equipped against things considered normal, such as nature.

The Grand Design grants [Witches] levelling experience for a wide variety of actions.

Derived Classes

• [Apprentice Witch]
• [Cloth Witch]
• [Crow Witch]
• [Hedge Witch]
• [Stitch Witch]
• [Tea Witch]
• [Witch]
• [Witch of Ash]
• [Witch of Flames]
• [Witch of Law]
• [Witch of Remorse]
• [Witch of Second Chances]
• [Witch Teacher] / [Teacher Witch]
• [Witch Doctor] may not be a variant of [Witch], but is added here for completion's sake.

Related Skills

• [Basic Brewing]
• [Basic Painting]
• [Distill Advanced Concepts]
• [Distill Simple Concepts] / [Distill Basic Concepts]
• [Drain Color]
• [Evil Cackle]
• [From Witchcraft, Sorcery Ariseth]
• [Harvest Craft (Local)]
• [Hat Trick (Minor Arcana)]
• [Infuse Color]
• [Infuse Witchcraft: Objects]
• [School: Witchcraft (Undetermined)]
• [Spell School: Color Magic Proficiency]
• [Synergy Skill: Innkeeper – Lease Lesser Room]
• [Tea Omens]

Known Witches

• Agratha
• Alevica
• Anazurhe
• Barsoijou (Deceased)
• Belavierr Donamia
• Califor Weishart (Deceased)
• Cirsa
• Devay
• Eloise du Havin
• Erin Solstice
• Hedag
• Mamie (Deceased)
• Mavaise
• Mavika
• Nanette Weishart
• Oliyaya (Deceased)
• Prixall
• Qitene
• Rebeca
• Somillune (Deceased)
• Thallisa
• Tillica (Deceased)
• Uonp (Deceased)
• Vexcla (Deceased)
• Wiskeria
• Yithiuqess (Deceased)

Known Covens

• Marshlands Coven
• Riverfarm Coven

Trivia

• Before Laken, no noble or city has openly allied with [Witches] in an age.
• Rhyme for little [Witches]: “A good [Witch] adds more than they take. Even the bad one takes, and uses it to create. A [Witch] who leaves naught at all is a mistake.”