Amazon Witch Tradition — Warrior Covens and Sacred Sisterhoods
Amazon Witches belong to militant covens that combine witchcraft with martial training, mutual defence and fierce loyalty to their chosen patrons. Many branches are female-led sisterhoods, particularly those devoted to Artemis, but the wider tradition is defined by oath and training rather than biology alone.
Warrior covens train to defend their members, patrons and sacred places with spellcraft and steel.
Choose the Amazon Tradition If…
- You want a Witch who is comfortable with spellcraft and weapons.
- You like oath-bound covens, martial training and the defence of sacred places.
- You want your patron relationship to produce duties you may have to fight for.
- You enjoy a character who can stand closer to the front line than most Witches.
At a Glance
| Play style | Martial Witch, defender and aggressive support caster. |
|---|---|
| Signature identity | Warrior coven, oath and patron. |
| Best hooks | Defend a shrine, avenge a coven, protect an initiate or answer a patron’s call to arms. |
| Legacy rules | Weapon training and Occult Powers preserved below. |
What it feels like to play: Amazon Witches are for players who want their magic to have a martial edge. You are still a Witch first, but your coven expects you to defend what it values rather than watch from the back row.
5.5e / 2024 Tradition
Use these features with the 5.5e Witch. Amazon Witches turn patron-oaths and martial training into a defensive, front-line tradition without becoming full martial characters.
| Witch Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 3 | Warrior Coven, Oath Spells |
| 6 | Unshaken Guardian |
| 10 | Shape of the Hunt |
| 14 | Patron’s Charge |
Level 3: Warrior Coven
You gain proficiency with light armour and one martial weapon of your choice. When you finish a Long Rest, you can change the chosen martial weapon.
In addition, when a creature you can see within 30 feet is hit by an attack, you can use your Reaction and expend one Hexcraft use to reduce the damage by your Hex Die + your Intelligence modifier. If you are within 5 feet of the creature, roll the Hex Die twice and use the higher roll.
Level 3: Oath Spells
The following spells are always prepared for you and do not count against your prepared Witch spells: Heroism and Hunter’s Mark. At Witch level 5 add Aid; at level 7 add Protection from Energy; at level 9 add Freedom of Movement.
Level 6: Unshaken Guardian
You have Advantage on saving throws against the Frightened condition. When you succeed on such a save, or when an effect causing Frightened on you ends, one ally you can see within 30 feet can immediately repeat a saving throw against Frightened.
Level 10: Shape of the Hunt
You can cast Polymorph on yourself without expending a spell slot, but you can choose only Beast forms. When cast this way, the spell does not require Material components and you have Advantage on Constitution saving throws made to maintain Concentration on it. Once used, this feature returns after a Long Rest.
Level 14: Patron’s Charge
As a Bonus Action, call your patron’s battle-power into yourself for 1 minute. You gain +1 AC, Advantage on saving throws against Frightened and Charmed, and once on each of your turns when you deal damage with a weapon attack, Witch spell or Hex, add your Intelligence modifier to one damage roll. Once used, this feature returns after a Long Rest.
Legacy rules source
Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks, Timothy S. Brannan and the Netbook of Witches and Warlocks team.
Description: Witches of the Amazon tradition are one of the most misunderstood witches. To begin, “Amazon” is a misnomer. These witches are only remotely related to the legendary female warriors of the same name. Also these witches are not a group of female warrior-witches, though they opt for fighting professions more often than members of other traditions.
Many old Amazon covens restrict formal initiation to women and organise themselves as sacred sisterhoods. Other branches accept any initiate who can swear the coven’s oaths and complete its martial training. Even the most conservative Amazon coven does not determine whether practitioners of other traditions are “real” Witches.
These witches also share an honoring of the Goddess Artemis with their warrior cousins. They are associated so much with the Goddess Artemis that many call their Tradition The Cult of Artemis. Nonetheless, some small groups of Amazon witches do worship other Goddess, such as Freya, Brigit, or even Hecate.
Amazon covens judge relationships, marriage and family according to their own vows. A devotion to Artemis or another patron does not require hostility toward men, nor does it make one household structure universal across the tradition.
Amazon Witches can come from any people. Human, elf, gnome, halfling, orc, dwarf and mixed-heritage branches develop different martial customs, patrons and ritual styles according to their own histories.
Role: Amazon witches represent, what they believe, to be the righteous anger of the Goddess. It is believed that maybe these witches began as part of the Classical tradition. When witches began to be hunted and killed, mostly by the priesthoods, the Amazon rose up to fight this oppression.
This tradition overlaps, geographically at least, with areas that are common to Classical traditions and druids. Thus there have been successful attempts over the years to work for each group’s mutual benefit. The philosophical differences between the groups have always been the greatest hurdle.
Joining this Tradition: No special ability score is required, though martial covens value physical training, courage and discipline. Initiation requirements vary: some sisterhoods admit women only, while other Amazon branches accept any candidate who fulfils the coven’s vows.
Amazon Witches often gather in secretive meetings during the waxing moon and full moon. Outsiders who intrude may be expelled, challenged or bound to secrecy according to the coven’s law; secrecy alone is not a licence for automatic execution.
Amazons for the most part are neutral, with some gravitating towards lawful.
Leaving this Tradition: The beliefs of an Amazon are deeply ingrained into her personality and culture and thus most never leave this Tradition. Generally, an Amazon who leaves the Tradition will be warmly welcomed into the arms of the Classical or Craft of the Wise Traditions.
Skills & Feats: Amazon Witches begin play with proficiency in a single martial weapon, in addition to standard Witch weapon proficiencies.
Occult Powers:
- Lesser: 7th Level: Immune to Fear. The Amazon witch becomes so focused in purpose and drive that she becomes immune to the effects of mundane and fear. She also gains +4 to any checks versus magical induced fear.
- Medial: 13th Level: Shape Change. The Amazon witch may shape change as per the druid ability Wild Shape and Polymorph Self. This may be done once per day at 13th level. The witch may only change shape to a natural animal that is within one size category of her normal size. So a Medium sized witch may only change to a Small, Medium or Large animal.
- The number of times the witch may do this per day increases with every other level. So 2 times per day at 15th, 3 times per day at 17th and 4 times per day at 19th. The witch may opt to sacrifice one of these times to go outside of her normal range of sizes. So a 17th level Amazon witch could shift to Huge or Tiny once and her normal sizes the other two (total of 4 shape shifts per day).
- Greater: 19th Level: Charge of the Goddess. The Amazon witch at this point is such a force for her Patron that she can summon the Goddess’ own power into herself. The witch radiates an aura of Fear at 15’ to all her enemies. She gains a bonus of +3 to all her saves and AC. She also gains +2 to all offensive attack forms, spells or weapons. This charge lasts for a number of rounds equal to the witch’s Wisdom or Charisma score, which ever is better. It may be performed once per day and takes one full action to perform.
Special Benefits: None.
Legacy Restriction: Some historical Amazon covens admit women only, particularly specific sisterhoods devoted to Artemis. Other Amazon branches accept any initiate who completes the coven’s martial training and swears its oaths; there is no class-wide sex restriction.
Equipment: None required. Amazon witches are more likely to use martial weapons, such as a longbow or spear, than any other Tradition.
The ritual tool of the Amazon witch is the cauldron (representing the Goddess). If adventuring, the witch can or will use a staff, which can double as a weapon. Both items may also be used for more mundane purposes.
Coven Domains: Archery, Fur, Plant, Moon
Preferred/Barred Covens: Amazon Witches most often join martial or protective covens. Some traditional sisterhoods are women-only; mixed Amazon covens and mixed-tradition covens also exist where their oaths and patrons are compatible.
Relationship to the Patron: Artemis/Diana is the best-known patron of Amazon covens, but Freya, Brigid, Hecate and other martial or protective powers may fill the same role. Patronage creates oaths and duties rather than one universal theology.
Source/Views of Magic: Amazon covens commonly describe magic as a creative force that can be defended, directed and embodied through discipline. Individual covens interpret that principle through their own patrons and vows; magical ability is not determined by sex.
White/Black Magic: As most other witches, this distinction is not made. Most Amazon witches in fact resent that anyone should pass outside judgment on whether the magic they do is either “black” or “white”. Magic is pure, only humans can be good or evil.
Wealth: Amazon witches start with the amount of wealth allotted to any witch.
Other: Amazon witches generally get along well enough with other traditions, in particular Classical and Craft of the Wise. The Amazon’s views on male witches usually leads to the Amazon being seen with distrust by the other traditions. Amazon witches do not get along well with clerics of any type, even if they have the same alignment and similar world outlook. They view priests and paladins as patriarchal tyrants. They do not trust wizards or sorcerers.
Amazon witches tend to multiclass most into ranger or even barbarians. They are also not, as a general rule, interested in prestige classes. Hermetics tend to be a bit too urbane and male dominated and Warlocks are completely anathema to Amazons. Many Amazon witches are willing to become Witch Knights or Witch Guardians, classes they see with favor.
Amazons will always burn the body of a deceased witch as a proper funeral. It is also common that the coven will burn the witch’s Book of Shadows with the body.
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