Rules:

• Never show to anyone else.
• ???

Every spell requires energy to cast. Some classes prefer to think of this energy in the abstract as a system of "slots", but Witches see the plain truth: magical energy is life energy, or Vitae, and it comes from the self.

Or does it?

By understanding the nature of Vitae, a Witch can broaden her access to it, and gain new tools and techniques to harness it. Like all spellcasters, a Witch has the ability to tap her own life force to power spells, her essential Vitae.

• Essential Vitae: 2 per Witch level + Con bonus

To cast a spell, a Witch expends Vitae equal to 1 per level of the spell (with cantrips costing 0, naturally). Reaching 0 Vitae means she has drawn upon her life energy to the maximum safe extent before resting, much similar to a wizard or sorcerer bereft of spell slots. However, she can find ways around this limit in certain circumstances, should the need arise.

Among the Witch Spell List are spells and techniques a Witch may use to gain Vitae in unorthodox ways.

Blood Cantrips

Debilitation

• Infection: 1 action, touch or 60-ft, V/S, inst; you infect subject with one (if ranged) or 2 (if touch) stacks of a chosen disease. Diseases last 5 rounds; each application stacks and refreshes (max 5 stacks).
  • Blood Boil: subject suffers 1d6 fire damage per round, and when struck for physical damage, causes a burst 1 inflicting 1d6 fire damage to enemies.
  • Frost Fever: subject suffers 1d6 cold damage per round, and has a penalty of -1 to movement rate per stack. At 5 stacks, the subject is Restrained.
  • Shadow Plague: subject suffers 1d6 necrotic damage per round, and has a penalty of -1 to damage rolls per stack. At 5 stacks, the subject is Weakened (half damage, or lower of 2 results given the penalty to damage rolls).
  • At level 5, you inflict +1 stacks per casting. At level 11, +2 stacks. At level 17, +3 stacks.

Enhancement

• Let Blood: As a bonus action, you let your own blood, suffering 1d6 damage and gaining one Vitae; more at higher levels.

1st-level Blood Spells

Debilitation

• Pestilence: Bonus, short range; up to 5 stacks of any diseases are spread from target to chosen targets within 15 ft of subject.

Healing

• Transfusion: Bonus, touch; you transfer your HP into subject (max 50% of your max HP). Costs 0 Vitae, but can spend 1 per 5 levels to add +5 healing. Can use offensively as a single action to drain subject's HP and add them to your own; in this case, max is 100% of your own and the Vitae cost is 1. HP in excess of max are temporary and fade after 10 minutes.

2nd-level Blood Spells

Debilitation

• Outbreak: Single action, touch; subject gains 5 stacks of any disease you can inflict. Alternatively, short range, 3 stacks. Cannot use in the same round as Infection.

Mysticism Cantrips

• Presence: You alter the environment around you, causing creatures to be empowered, chilled, or unsettled. TBD
• Witchfire: Bonus, concentration; your hand or a held object is immolated by heatless blue fire, which illuminates as well as a torch. The light can only be seen by your allies or those actively detecting magic.

1st-level Mysticism Spells

Assault

• Mindfire: Psychic attack; medium dmg + ongoing + wracked. Weakens saves against mental effects.

Control

• Mind Control: Single action, concentration, long range; you control subject's actions while he remains within Long range (Wisdom save ends, max one save per 10 minutes). Any hostile actions by your allies against subject negates the spell.

Enhancement

• Vital Focus: Bonus action; spend 1 or more Vitae to gain +2 per point spent to a single check or save within 1 rd.

Healing

• Pain Suppression: Bonus action, touch; subject is mostly immune to pain, ignoring pain effects, and gaining the ability to take actions while disabled or dying. Rules TBD

Utility

• Emotion: Single action, medium range; subject is affected by a single, powerful emotion. Choose one of the following:
  • Calm: Subject immediately ceases all action and contemplates life. Wisdom save ends; any hostility against target ends the effect. Can also use on an ally to nullify a negative emotion effect or berserker rage.
  • Desire: Subject is overcome with desire for caster or another of caster's choice, undermining his judgment. Rules TBD.
  • Fear: Subject becomes frightened, ceasing all action but to flee and defend himself. Wisdom save ends after first round.
  • Resolve: Subject's will is hardened; he gains advantage to all saving throws for 1 minute.
  • Rage: Subject immediately becomes hostile to everyone. Wisdom save ends.

2nd-level Mysticism Spells

Enhancement

• Mystic Eyes: Bonus action, concentration; you gain the ability to see outlines around all creatures within short range, regardless of invisibility, stealth, concealment, cover, or presence in the current dimension.

3rd-level Mysticism Spells

Utility

• Greater Emotion: As Emotion, but affects all targets in a 10-ft burst. Alternatively, a single target within medium range gains one of the following effects:
  • Despair: Subject takes no actions at all, even if attacked and harmed.
  • Love: Subject loves you and no concern--not allies, nor even his own life--stands in the way.
  • Zeal: Subject is so self-assured, he becomes immune to all mental control effects for 1 minute.
  • Others TBD

Black Magic Cantrips

• Lifedrain: 1 action, touch or 60-ft, V/S, inst; you sap target's life force, inflicting 1d8 (if touch) or 1d4 (if ranged) necrotic damage, and gain 1 Vitae. Spell has no Vitae cost. At level 5, you drain 2 Vitae and inflict 2 dice of damage. At level 10, 3 Vitae and dice, etc.

1st-level Black Magic Spells

Defense

• Absorb Magic: Reaction; you outstretch your left hand, drawing in the energy of harmful spell targeted or centered upon you. Roll a Constitution save; on success, you absorb 100% of the spell, negating it, and on failure, you absorb 50% of the spell, reducing its effect by half for all targets. If you absorb 100%, you gain the full Vitae cost of the spell, and if you absorb 50%, you gain half.

Healing

• Death Curse: Reaction; if you are reduced to 0 hp or less, you can instantly convert 1 ore more Vitae into an effect causing 1d8 necrotic damage per point to the attacker and healing you for the same amount.
• Death Pact: Reaction, medium range; an undead minion under your control dies, and you are healed for its current HP (not to exceed your own Max HP).

Shaping

• Malevolence: 1 action, 15-ft cone, V/S; you manifest malevolent energy, achieving one of the following effects as desired:
  • Fear: Roll 6d10; the total is the number of Hit Points of creatures this spell can affect. Subjects are Frightened.
  • Malice: Your undead minions in the area are empowered, gaining advantage to all attacks and saving throws for 2 rounds, and restoring up to 3d10 missing HP each.
  • Dread: Enemies suffer disadvantage to the next check used to defend against you, within the next 5 rounds.

Summoning

• Reanimate: 1 action, 60-ft, V/S, 5 rounds; you animate one or more recently-dead (within the last hour) corpses (of humanoids or animals). The cost is one charge of Vitae per creature animated. You may control a maximum of 1 + 1 per 2 levels as a bonus action (60-ft range, language-dependent); any others act on your last command, or, lacking such command, act as crazed, starved, wild animals might. The traits of the animated dead are:
  • Undead: immune to death effects, energy drain, etc. Cannot be healed as living creatures would. Vulnerable to abilities that affect undead specifically.
  • Clumsy: -2 to Dex and movement speed.
  • Stupid: Int set to 5. They are barely able to understand the simplest of spoken commands, with the aid of gestures and nonverbal communication. They lose any spellcasting abilities, skills, feats, class features, and proficiencies. If wielding martial weapons, they are disadvantaged on attack rolls (but are fine with simple weapons).
  • Doomed: At the end of the duration of the spell, they die once more, and cannot be raised again with Reanimate.

Utility

• Anti-magic Touch: Bonus action, touch; touched magic effect is dispelled, and you gain half the Vitae cost of the spell if you pass an Intelligence check (opposed to caster).
• Spectral Hand: Bonus action; creates a ghostly hand within 60 feet that can move up to 60 feet per round and serves as a proxy for your touch spells.

2nd-level Black Magic Spells

Utility

• Gentle Repose (ritual)

3rd-level Black Magic Spells

Utility

• Animate Dead: Create skeletons or zombies.
• Necrosis: Single action, medium range; part of subject's body dies, then grows into a new limb, head, or whatever is needed, which wields the subject's own strength against it and its allies. Each round, for 3 rounds, you may choose one of the subject's own maneuvers or spells and execute it, with the subject's own damage statistics.