Witch

A tattooed elf, veiled and cloaked, draws his obsidian dagger across the sand, calling forth from the lines a ghostly apparition to help him and his allies find their way. A trio of halfling hermits gather among candles and incense, chanting words of power to bait spirits from the shadows. The bejeweled human, dressed in exotic garb and golden chains bellows a spell which echoes with the voices of an army of lost souls, a fiendish glint in his eyes as blood drips from his palm.

Unlike shamans who pray to the spirits of nature, witches trap the tormented souls of intelligent beings lost betwixt the realm of the living and the beyond. As a witch, you learn to summon these souls and bind them to your will, gaining protection from them as well as the power to debilitate your enemies. As you attain higher levels, the covenant you choose to live by grants you further abilities which extend the usefulness and power of these bonds in different ways.

The Power of Spirit

Witches may or may not have a level of respect for the spirits they bind, though one could say they should. Some witches tap into the residual energies of long-departed souls, while others use extant spiritual beings as conduits for their spellcasting. Either way and whether or not they wish, witches bind part of their own soul to those that surround them. Witch spells mostly deal with manipulation of spiritual energies (both living and dead) and protections against the beings with supply those energies. As part of their connection to the spiritual world, they are also privy to information and secrets normally not meant for mortal minds. As such, witches are powerful enchanters, abjurers, and diviners.

Bonds of the Soul

Witches acknowledge that there is a spiritual connection between all things – forces that inexplicably and randomly bind beings and happenings together in a kind of mass, shared fate. They see other witches as brothers and sisters, and other classes as close cousins. As a consequence, witches are often fond of forming alliances. One kind of alliance is the circle that a witch belongs to. The circle that a witch joins is the manifestation of a philosophy regarding the nature of spirits. Some, like the circle of power, believe in a supreme energy that extends beyond the physical world, weaving together magic and the collective conscience of all living things. Others, from the circle of blood for example, believe in a more intimate connection between the physical world and the other side. In this philosophy, each soul is tied to something close to it in the physical world – a body, an object, or location that was important to it when it was alive.

Creating A Witch

When deciding on the witch class, think about what led your character to tap into the spirit world. Maybe witchcraft is a tradition in the area, or your character comes from an area rife with a ghostly past. Superstition is also a good trigger for a fascination with spirits. What is your relationship with spirits? Is there a measure of mutual respect? Perhaps your character feels more like a servant to the spirit than the other way around, or maybe they possess the entitlement to dominate and extort spiritual beings.

How did your character come to be an adventurer? It could be that he or she was a pariah in their community due to contact with the other side, cast out and forced to fend for him or herself. Perhaps your character is even haunted by a particular spirit, and seeks away to control or be rid of it.

Quick Build

You can make a witch quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, select the Hermit background. Third, select the chill touch, guidance, and light cantrips.

Class Features

As a witch, you gain the following class features

Hit Points

---

• Hit Dice: 1d6 per witch level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constituion modifier per witch level after 1st

Proficiencies

---

• Armor: Light armor
• Weapons: Simple weapons
• Tools: Herbalism kit

---

• Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
• Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Animal Handling, History, Insight, Medicine, Nature, and Religion

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
• (a) a component pouch or (b) an athame used as an arcane focus
• (a) a priest's pack or (b) a scholar's pack
• Any simple weapon and two daggers

Spellcasting

Your contact with the spirit world and intuitive knowledge of the magic which allows it to persist grants you the use of spells.

Cantrips

You know three cantrips of your choice from the witch spell list. You learn additional witch cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Witch table.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Witch table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and above. To cast one of these witch spells, you must expend a spell slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of witch spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the witch spell list. When you do so, choose a number of witch spells equal to your Charisma modifier + your witch level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

You can also change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of witch spells requires time spent in communion and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your witch spells, since your magic comes from bargaining with spirits. 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 witch 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

Ritual Casting

You can cast a witch spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use an athame as a spellcasting focus for your witch spells. Alternatively, choose a focus that you feel would suit your character.

Quickening

At 1st level, you gain the ability to enter a trance known as the witch’s quickening, letting you see beyond the borders of the material world. Entering the trance is an action and allows you to see into the Ethereal Plane up to 60 feet. You also gain insight into the emotional energy surrounding you, letting you know if and what spirits are bound within 60 feet, as well as granting you advantage to Wisdom (Insight) checks. The quickening requires concentration for the duration. You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Witch Covenant

At 2nd level you commit yourself to a spiritual philosophy known as a witch's covenant: the Covenant of Blood, the Covenant of Charm, the Covenant of Ruin, the Covenant of Shadows, or the Covenant of Unity, detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 2nd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Binding Rites

At 2nd level you can bind spirits to your service. Binding a spirit is much like casting a ritual spell and takes 10 minutes of uninterrupted meditation. During this time, the witch speaks the invocations required to summon the spirit forth and enacts the rite of binding depending on which philosophy the witch belongs to. A blood witch might utilize a bone fragment to bind the spirit, while a shadow witch might bargain with the summoned spirit, exchanging a secret for the spirit’s service.

When you choose a spirit to bind from the list at the end of this class description, you fill one of your available spell slots with the spirit. The spell slot used is no longer available for casting spells, and it remains unavailable for as long as the spirit filling it remains bound to you. The spirit is said to be of a level equal to the spell slot filled to bind it. Thus, a Spirit of Passion occupying a 6th level spell slot is a level 6 spirit. You cannot have more than one spirit with the same name bound at one time.

Depending on the type of spirit, you gain certain benefits while the spirit remains bound and an additional effect when you release the spirit, as detailed in the Binding Rites section. Releasing a spirit is a bonus action, although some spirits allow release as a reaction. Once a spirit has been released, it no longer provides its passive effect and the spell slot it occupied is considered expended.

Spirit Ward

At 3rd level, you learn a rite that offers protection against spirits who wish you or your allies harm. As an action, you can create a spirit ward with a radius of 30 feet, centered on your location. The ward lasts 1 minute and is stationary for the duration. While inside the ward, friendly creatures (yourself included) cannot be charmed, frightened, or possessed by undead and have resistance to all damage from incorporeal undead sources. Additionally, if a friendly creature is reduced to 0 hit points within the ward but is not killed outright, the creature becomes stable.

You can use this feature three times. You regain expended uses when you finish a long rest. When you reach 9th level, you regain expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Spiritual Spellcasting

At 7th level you may call upon the spirits you have bound to help you cast your spells. You may dismiss a spirit as a bonus action to recover a spell slot of a level equal to that of the spirit’s. The release effect of the spirit you dismissed is not activated.

Channel Spell

Beginning at 11th level, your spells overcome the damage resistances of undead and enemies on different plane of existence from yourself (the border ethereal plane for instance) which you can perceive through means such as your quickening feature.

Strength of Spirit

At 15th level, you learn to sap additional fortitude from the spirits you bind. You gain temporary hit points equal to your witch level times the number of spirits you currently have bound. These temporary hit points are recovered after a long rest.

Familiar Spirit

At 18th level, when cast find familiar or if you already have a familiar, you can awaken spiritual energy within the animal as part of an additional ritual taking 10 minutes. Once complete, you choose one spirit from the list at the end of the class description. Its level is equal to your Charisma modifier.

Your familiar provides you with the spirit’s passive effect as long as your familiar is within 100 feet of you. If the familiar dies, the spirit you initially chose produces its release effect if you can see any valid targets within range of the familiar.

Ghostly Step

At 20th level you gain the ability to enter the spirit realm as a bonus action by projecting part of yourself beyond the material plane. You and your belongings become invisible and incorporeal for up 1 minute. You gain resistance to all damage from non-magical sources, and are immune to being grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, and restrained.

During this time, you may move your normal speed and may pass through solid objects. If you end your turn in an object, you are dealt 1d10 force damage. You may rematerialize in your present location as a bonus action. If you choose to maintain this form until the duration expires and you are in a location occupied by a creature or solid object, you are shunted to the near occupied space and take damage equal to twice the number of feat you are moved as a result.You may use this ability once, after which you must complete a long rest to use it again.

Covenants

The covenant that a witch swears by at 2nd level has to do with the witch's personal philosophy on spirits. When entering a covenant, the witch joins other likeminded witches and is granted abilities which align with these core philosophies. Though witches of different covenants may hold similar opinions of spirits, it is important to think on how each covenant's teachings shape your character's attitudes towards the binding and utilization of spirits.

Covenant of Blood

Witches of the Covenant of Blood believe in strong connections between the physical world and the spiritual one. Spirits are connected to the physical world through objects that were important to them while they were alive. This knowledge allows a witch to bind spirits to her power more easily — as long as she knows a bit about the spirit's life.

Though not always, witches from the covenant of blood tend to dominate the spirits under their control. They generally take care to leave spirits intact and in a state no worse than before they were bound, but nevertheless are capable of using a spirit's weaknesses against them, taking advantage of their connections to the physical world in order to gain power over them.

Awaken the Blood

Beginning at 2nd level, when you release a spirit from your power, you can use the energy from those broken spiritual bonds to repair corporeal bodies. You can heal yourself or a creature adjacent to you for hit points equal to five times the level of the spirit when you trigger a release effect.

Sympathetic Magic

At 6th level, you gain the power to cast spells on targets over vast distances beyond what the spell may ordinarily allow. Provided you have an article (blood, hair, clothing) from the target, your spells of 5th level or lower which have a single target may affect the creature in question from up to one mile away per witch level. When you cast a spell that affects a creature this way, the article you have from the target is consumed.

Blood Binding

At 10th level, if a living creature dies within 30 feet of you, you may bind its soul as a reaction. You bind a spirit type of your choice to a spell slot of your choice. This binding expires after 24 hours or whenever you use this ability again. The creature who provided the soul cannot be resurrected during the time that its spirit remains bound. You may use this ability once, after which you must complete a long rest to use it again.

Call Forth the Flesh

At 14th level, you gain the ability to force ethereal and incorporeal creatures into the material plane as an action, and bind them to a corporeal form. The creature must succeed at a Constitution saving throw or lose its incorporeal traits and immunities to grappled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, and restrained for 1 minute. You may use this ability once, after which you must complete a long rest to use it again.

Covenant of Charm

Witches of the Covenant of Charm tap deep into the emotions which govern lingering spirits’ behaviours. They use these emotions as signposts and guides to manipulate the desires and shape the aspirations of the living. They believe that although lingering spirits are echoes of the past, they hold the key to individual futures. By harnessing the raw emotional energy of the beyond, one can gain absolute control over the hearts and minds of those around him or her.

Witches of this philosophy vary in their treatment of spirits. Some befriend and learn from the spirits they bind, using that knowledge to further their own ends. Others take only cursory notice of the spirits they enslave – an attitude that often carries over into their living interactions, manipulating and charming those they will, without any true regard for the desires of those they meet.

In Perfect Trust

At 2nd level, you have grown attuned to the hearts and minds of those around you. While in your quickening, you may add your proficiency bonus to Charisma (Deception) and Charisma (Persuasion) checks, or double it if you already do.

In addition, during your quickening, you gain the ability peer into the heart of a creature within 60 feet. Much like the detect thoughts spell, you may use an action to force the target to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. If it fails, you gain insight into its emotional state and something that is currently influencing this state such as something it worries over, desires, loves, or hates. If the target succeeds on its saving throw, nothing happens. Unlike detect thoughts , the target does not become aware of the intrusion.

You may attempt to peer into the heart of a creature once per long rest.

Spirit Token

At 6th level you gain the ability to share the emotional energy of the spirits you bind. You may tie one of your spirits you already have bound to a small object as an action. The spirit still counts towards your maximum bonds while attached to the object. When you create a token, you also choose a recipient. As long as the recipient is in possession of the token, the spirit provides its passive effect as though the spirit were bound by the recipient (even if the holder of the token is not a witch). In either case, the magic holding the spirit to the object expires after 24 hours where it returns to your control. If the token is returned to you, you can break this magic sooner as a bonus action.

Of One Heart

At 10th level, foes charmed by you are also considered charmed by your allies. Additionally, whenever you trigger a spirit's release effect, allies within 60 feet may damage charmed foes on their next turn without breaking the charm.

Crux of Desire

At 14th level, your spells and spirits which can charm creatures affect those with immunity to being charmed. These creatures gain advantage on all saving throws to resist or break free of the effect. In addition, you are immune to being charmed.

Covenant of Ruin

The Covenant of Ruin has less respect for spirits than the other covenants. Witches who bind these spirits utilize their magic to torture and pressure spirits in order to extract power from them. Their philosophy revolves around invoking ruin and causing as much damage as possible.

Though good witches of this covenant are rare, they are not unknown. Good witches who share this covenant's ideology typically aim to bind evil spirits, turning these beings into weapons for good against their will (though this can hardly be considered to be completely benign). These witches often claim this is for the greater good — using evil to combat evil.

Doom

Beginning when you choose this circle at 2nd level, hostile creatures who are the target of any of your spirits’ release effects are given disadvantage on their next ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.

Devastating Release

At 6th level, spirits you release erupt with energy as their bonds are broken, causing harm to those around you. When you release a spirit, enemies within 30 feet of you are dealt 1d6 points of psychic damage per level of the spirit. Those who take damage hear wails and screams as the spirit is released, and feel a rush of sorrow and discomfort.

Ruinous Ward

Beginning at 10th level, the Spirit Wards you create are accompanied by spiritual dissonance which can strain and break the weak of soul. In addition to the described effects above, your Spirit Ward ability deals 1d6 psychic damage each round to hostile creatures within its radius at the beginning of their turn.

Rite of Exorcism

At 14th level, you can attempt to exorcize a living creature’s own soul. If a creature within 30 feet fails a Charisma save against your spell save DC, they are dealt 5d6 psychic damage and 5d6 necrotic damage as their soul is torn from their body. The creature is also stunned until your next turn. A successful save means the creature takes half damage and is not stunned. You may use this ability 3 times. Expended uses recover after a long rest.

Covenant of Shadows

The Covenant of Shadows subscribes to the belief that everything that exists, both physically and metaphysically, is like a shadow cast by that which came before it. Shadows are windows into worlds beyond the material plane — as one world becomes dimmer, others become brighter and easier to see by comparison.

There is reason to be wary of the dark. Witches from this covenant are more cautious dealing with spirits. They know that dangers lurk in the shadows, and they are careful with their dealings lest the spirits they bind show their dark side.

The Shadows Have Eyes

You can use the spirits which dwell in the darkness to see. Beginning at 2nd level, you can see in magical and nonmagical darkness up to 120 feet as long as you have at least 1 spirit bound, and you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks in dim light or darkness as long as you have 2 spirits bound.

Blinding Shackles

At 6th level, hostile targets that have been affected by any of your spirits’ release effects are blinded for 1 turn per level of the spirit. This ability cannot affect creatures who do not use light to see.

Spirits in the Shadows

Beginning at 10th level, as long as you have at least 2 spirits bound, you may call upon nearby shadows to replace the somatic components of your spells. Alternatively, the ghostly whispers of those spirits may replace the verbal components of your spells. You may therefore cast spells with these components even if you yourself cannot motion or vocalise.

Haunting Shades

Beginning at 14th level, when you release a spirit that targets a hostile creature, you may choose for the spirit to haunt that creature for up to 1 minute, requiring your concentration. The passive effect continues but uses the haunted creature as the origin. The passive effect otherwise treats you as the owner. When the minute expires or you cease concentration, the spirit’s release effect activates again. You may use this ability once, after which you must complete a long rest to use it again.

Covenant of Unity

The Covenant of Unity subscribes to a philosophy that all spiritual entities are connected by a collective consciousness. They use this knowledge to surmount power over the spiritual realm itself. In other words, these witches gain their abilities by harnessing the secrets which govern the very basis of spiritual existence, rather than focusing on the relationships between the metaphysical and the material world.

The Covenant of Unity is perhaps a little more sympathetic to the spirits these witches bind. Witches of this covenant tend to see spirits more as allies. They trust the spirits they bind enough to allow their power to grow under their command with the purpose of sharing this power.

Spirit Link

You can link yourself to the souls of others, gaining knowledge of them. Beginning at 2nd level, while in your quickening you can use your action to know whether a creature you can see has greater or fewer hit points than yourself and all conditions it currently suffers from.

Forceful Presence

When you reach 6th level, you can retain control over a spirit after it produces its release effect so that it remains bound and ready to be released again.

You may use this ability a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, minimum 1. After these uses are expended, you must complete a long rest to recover them.

Powerful Bonds

At 10th level, your body and soul develop the ability to contain more powerful spirits. The level of spirits you bind are considered 1 higher than the spell slot you use to bind them.

Simulacrum

At 14th level, should you be reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, your body becomes possessed by a spirit you control and you may continue to act for 1 round per level of the highest level spirit you have in your power. You cannot use this ability if you do not have any spirits bound. During this time, your hit points remain at 0 and you continue to make death saving throws (though a prepared witch may move to her spirit ward to become stable).

Onlookers notice a strangeness in your movements, eyes, and voice while you remain possessed. While possessed, you can use your action on your turn to activate the release power of one of the spirits you have bound and have it remain bound. This does not count against the uses of the Forceful Presence ability.

Should you be healed under the possession (including by yourself), you awaken from the possession, conscious. Otherwise, when the duration expires, your body collapses.

Binding Rites

Following is a list of different spirits a witch may bind.

Agony

In the presence of a spirit of Agony, foes’ wounds continue to bleed and fires continue to burn. While Agony is bound, you may reroll any damage die that shows a 1, keeping the new result.

Release. You may release Agony as a reaction when you roll a critical hit. In addition to the critical damage, you may roll an extra number of dice equal to the level of the spirit. This extra damage is psychic damage. This spirit’s passive ability applies to the normal and the additional dice for this attack.

Desire

Spirits of Desire impress your desires onto others and enhance their own. Friendly and charmed creatures within 30 feet have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws against your spells. Once an affected creature succeeds on a Wisdom saving throw against one of your spells, that creature is immune to this spirit’s effect for 24 hours.

Release. When you release this spirit with a bonus action, a single target creature within 30 feet becomes charmed if they fail a Wisdom saving throw as if against one of your spells. This effect lasts one minute per level of the spirit. The effect ends prematurely if you or your allies damage the creature.

Empathy

Spirits of Empathy force your enemies to share your pain. While Empathy is bound, whenever you are dealt damage from a living or undead source, you may use your reaction to deal that source psychic damage equal to the level of this spirit.

Release. You can release Empathy as a reaction when you take damage from a creature. The creature is dealt psychic damage equal to the damage you took + the spirit’s level.

Envy

Spirits of Envy take from others what they covet for themselves – life. Whenever you deal damage with an attack or spell while Envy is bound, you regain the spirit’s level in hit points.

Release. When you hit an enemy with an attack or spell you may release Envy as a reaction. When you do so, you gain temporary hit points equal to five times the spirit level. These temporary hit points last up to 24 hours.

Fear

Spirits of Fear bring nightmares to life. While Fear is bound, you may add your proficiency bonus to Charisma (Intimidation) checks, or double it if you already do.

Release. When Fear is release from its bonds as a bonus action, a number of creatures equal to the spirit level within 30 feet make a Wisdom save or be frightened for 1 minute. Each creature affected is allowed a Wisdom saving throw to end the effect at the beginning of each turn.

Generosity

Spirits of Generosity are always willing to make sacrifices for those who bind them with good intentions. Your spells that heal restore an additional 1d6 damage to each creature they affect.

Release. You may release Generosity as a bonus action and gift the spirit to an ally within 30 feet. The spirit protects the ally, granting them temporary hit points equal to 5 times the spirit’s level. These temporary hit points last 10 minutes.

Guilt

Spirits of Guilt cause your enemies hesitation in acts that would wrong you. While Guilt is bound, you may use your reaction to impose disadvantage on an attack roll against you. A creature targeted by Guilt cannot be affected again for 1 minute.

Release. When you release Guilt from your power as a bonus action, a single target within 30 feet has disadvantage on attack rolls against you for 1 round per spirit level.

Hate

Spirits of Hate inspire a ferocity in you. When you are damaged by a creature, you gain advantage on attack rolls against that creature on your next turn.

Release. When you hit a creature with a spell or attack you may release Hate as a reaction and deal necrotic damage equal to 1d6 per spirit level.

Hunger

Spirits of Hunger both sustain their friends and deprive their enemies of energy. While Hunger is bound to you, you require no food or water to survive.

Release. You may release Hunger as a bonus action to impart one level of exhaustion on a number of creatures within 30 feet equal to the spirit’s level. The creature cannot be affected by a Spirit of Hunger again for 24 hours.

Passion

Spirits of Passion give those who bind them the motivation to push themselves further in order to accomplish a task. When this spirit is bound you gain a number of bonus dice equal to the spirit level. These dice are d6s. You may choose to roll one of these dice and add the result to any attack roll, ability check or saving throw you make. You lose all remaining dice when you release Passion.

Release. You may release Passion as part of an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. You make this roll with advantage, and in addition you add the spirit’s level to the result.

Serenity

Spirits of Serenity bring peace and clarity of thought to those who bind them. You require only half the time worth of sleep or rest as long as Serenity remains bound. You still require 8 hours to gain the full benefits of a long rest.

Release. When you release Serenity from your power as a bonus action, you may remove one of the following conditions from yourself: Blinded, Deafened, Frightened, Paralysed, Poisoned, and Stunned.

Sloth

Spirits of Sloth inspire sluggishness and laziness of thought and action around you. While Sloth is bound, spaces within 10 feet of you count as difficult terrain for enemies.

Release. When Sloth is released as a bonus action, one foe per spirit level within 30 feet loses their reaction until your next turn.

Sorrow

The failures of your enemies continue to haunt them in the presence of a spirit of Sorrow. While Sorrow is bound to you, enemies within 30 ft. who fail a save against one of your spells 1st level or higher are dealt psychic damage equal to twice the spirit’s level.

Release. When Sorrow is released as a bonus action, choose a target creature within 30 feet. That creature has disadvantage on its next saving throw, ability check, or attack roll. Should this roll fail, they are dealt 1d6 psychic damage per spirit level.

Valor

Spirits of Valor give those who bind them the power to pull through with confidence against poor odds. While Valor is bound, you have advantage on saves against being frightened.

Release. When you release this spirit as a bonus action, one creature per spirit level within 30 feet is no longer frightened.

Wonder

You radiate an aura of awe when a spirit of Wonder is bound to you. While Wonder is bound, you can use your action to impose disadvantage on Perception checks made by creatures within 30 feet make to notice anything other than yourself for the round.

Release. You may release Wonder from your power as a reaction when you hit a target with a spell or they fail a save against one of your spells. That foe is stunned until your next turn.

Spell List

Major Changes (since v0.2)

Class Features

Hit Dice are now d6

Class Abilities

• Quickening (1): Now an action, lasts one minute with concentration. Now gives bonus to Wisdom (Insight) checks.
• Spirit Ward (3): Limited to 3/LR or 3/SR at level 9
• Spiritual Spellcasting (7): Now returns spell slots from bound spirits at a 1:1 level ratio. No admixing slots.
• Channel Spell (11): Redefined to overcome resistances of undead and perceived creatures on other planes
• Strength of Spirit (15): Buffed to grant level x spirits bound in temporary hit points
• Familiar Spirit (18): NEW – binds a spirit to your familiar, providing a passive buff when near and releasing the spirit on death.
• Ghostly Step (20): Now a capstone, included resistances and immunities while in this form.

Covenant of Blood

• Awaken the Blood (2): Swapped this to level 2 to provide more survival during low levels.
• Sympathetic Magic (6): Moved to level 6 ability, limited spellcasting with this ability to 5th level and lower

Covenant of Ruin

• Doom (2): NEW – replaced flavourless ability to give disadvantage to those affected by spirit releases

Covenant of Shadows

• The Shadows Have Eyes (2): Buffed, now basically Devil’s Sight with an additional bonus to Perception if you have more spirits.
• Blinding Shackles (6): More reliably blinds foes affected by spirits for 1 turn/spirit level
• Spirits in the Shadows (10): Now only replaces either somatic or verbal components, not both.
• Haunting Shades (14): NEW – replace flavourless feature, allows you to “haunt” an opponent by having them carry around a spirit.

Covenant of Unity

• Spirit Link (2): Replaced a numerical feature with one that is more utility/exploration focused.
• Simulacrum (14): You now awaken immediately if healed. You can also trigger a release effect of spirits in your control once per turn.

Binding Rites

• Desire: Buffed with new passive effect
• Envy: Changed to better work with Strength of Spirit
• Guilt: Imposed a limit to prevent abuse towards single targets
• Sloth: Increased passive effect range to 10 feet from “spaces you threaten”

New Archetype: Covenant of Charm

I couldn’t go this long without a revision and not give some new options. The new archetype really hones in on emotions, charm, and manipulation.

Credits

Thank you all who have contributed their feedback, ideas, and questions through the other r/UnearthedArcana threads as well as through conversation and private messaging.

• u/AeoSC
• u/alphrel
• u/freshprinceoftelfyr
• u/jahfury
• u/KingofWhales
• u/lygerzero0zero
• u/MothProphet
• u/PM_ME_YOUR_EMOTIONS
• u/Proteus92
• u/starbridge
• u/StriderT
• u/Three-flower
• and more

Special thanks to those above who offered substantial feedback on the class as a whole, those above who offered playtesting feedback, as well as u/convoke2 for catalyzing the port to the homebrewery, which is sure to come in handy with balancing and small fixes.

Art Credits

• "Initiation Ritual" by Trishkell - deviantart
• "Haunted Forest" by Rene Aigner
• "The Crow's Dagger" by Elsa Kroese
• unknown title by Mingzhu Yang
• "Ritual Preparations" by Wilthierna - deviantart
• "Undead" by Arash Radkia
• unknown wallpaper image
• "Ghosts of Ascalon" from Guild Wars 2
• "Ghost Quarter" by Pete Mohrbacher