Venefica Witch Tradition — Potions, Alchemy and Herbal Magic
Venefica Witches specialise in potions, alchemy, herbs and the magical properties of ordinary substances. They may be researchers, healers, travelling brewers, poison experts or coven specialists whose craft turns knowledge into something that can be bottled.
Choose Venefica If…
- You want a Witch who solves problems with potions, herbs, powders and prepared remedies.
- You enjoy gathering ingredients, identifying substances and turning downtime into useful magic.
- You want to play a healer, poisoner, field alchemist, travelling brewer or magical researcher.
- You like a tradition that rewards preparation more than spectacle.
At a Glance
| Play style | Prepared support caster, healer, alchemist and item-maker. |
|---|---|
| Signature feature | Exceptional potion-making and alchemical knowledge. |
| Key strengths | Poison resistance, potion identification and reduced brewing costs. |
| Adventure hook | Rare ingredients give the Venefica a natural reason to explore dangerous places. |
What it feels like to play: Venefica is for the player who likes being prepared. Your best moments often begin before initiative is rolled: choosing what to brew, what to carry and which ingredient is worth crossing a haunted forest to obtain.
5.5e / 2024 Tradition
Level 3: Alchemical Savant
You gain proficiency with the Herbalism Kit and Alchemist’s Supplies. If you already have one of those proficiencies, choose Medicine or Nature and gain proficiency in that skill instead.
Venefica spells: Cure Wounds and Detect Poison and Disease are always prepared. At Witch level 5 add Protection from Poison; at level 7 add Lesser Restoration; at level 9 add Greater Restoration.
At the end of a Long Rest, you can prepare a number of field draughts equal to your Proficiency Bonus. A creature can drink one as a Bonus Action to regain Hit Points equal to your Hex Die + your Intelligence modifier. Unused draughts lose potency at your next Long Rest.
Level 6: Poisonwise
You have Resistance to Poison damage and Advantage on saving throws against the Poisoned condition. As a Magic action, you can identify a poison, potion or mundane alchemical substance you can examine, learning its basic properties and whether it is harmful.
Level 10: Improved Draughts
When you prepare field draughts, choose one additional benefit for each draught: the drinker can end the Poisoned condition, gain Temporary Hit Points equal to your Witch level, or gain Advantage on the next Constitution saving throw made within 1 hour.
Level 14: Master Brewer
After each Long Rest, choose one level 3 or lower Witch spell with a casting time of an action or Bonus Action and a range of Self or Touch. You can bind that spell into one special draught. A creature drinking it gains the spell’s effect as though you had cast the spell using a level 3 spell slot; no Concentration is required if the spell normally targets only the drinker. The draught expires at your next 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: Venefica perfect the creation of philtres, potions, powders and alchemical preparations. Their roles vary by place: an urban laboratory researcher, travelling herbalist, village brewer, court poison expert or secluded swamp practitioner can all belong to the tradition.
Venefica can come from any people with access to teachers, ingredients and alchemical equipment. Local communities develop their own terminology and specialties, but no ancestry is naturally excluded from the tradition.
Role: It would be a great injustice to say the Venefica lives to create potions. Venefica live to understand magic, and they believe this understanding can be obtained via the understanding of alchemy
The Venefica believes creating potions aids her knowledge of magic. The Venefica may work as a researcher, much like an alchemist, or they may choose to sell their creations to those in need or who can afford them.
Venefica need reliable access to ingredients and workspace, whether in a city, farm, marsh, woodland or travelling laboratory. The tradition can support any alignment: behaviour is shown by what a Witch brews and why. One Venefica may devote a lifetime to healing while another becomes a poisoner, saboteur or dealer in dangerous enchantments.
Joining this Tradition: Most Venefica begin as apprentices to an experienced brewer, herbalist, alchemist or Witch. Early training may look much like ordinary alchemy; patron-linked rites and Witch-specific practices are introduced only when the apprentice is ready and chooses to enter the tradition.
Venefica have stronger ties with their own covens than to the Tradition. They follow their own coven’s holy days and religious beliefs. Venefica meet in great conventions to discuss alchemical theory with other Venefica, alchemists, wizards and artificers (wizards who specialize in the creation of magic items). While these are often full of heated discussions, all sides admit to learning something from the others, even if it is just confirmation they are doing it correctly and others are still wrong!
Leaving this Tradition: Any witch that abandons the teachings of this tradition obviously loses the ability to create potions, powders or any other alchemical product. The means of this knowledge is very integrated with the practice of these witches. So despite what skills or feats the witch might have, she must retake them in order to continue to perform alchemy.
To return the witch may have to spend several days or even weeks in study and contemplation. They will receive a sign from the Patrons when they are allowed to return.
Skills & Feats: Venefica receive Knowledge: Nature as a class skill. They also begin play with the feat Brew Potions, instead of the Craft Magical Talisman’s feat.
Occult Powers
- Minor: 7th Level: Poison Resistance. At 7th level the venefica gains a +4 bonus vs. the effects of all poisons.
- Medial: 13th Level: Poison Immunity. At 13th level, the venefica is completely immune to all types of poisons.
- Greater: 19th Level: Master Brewer. A Venefica may reduce the cost of brewing potions by 50%.
Special: Any venefica who has access to their alchemical lab, can make an Alchemy check DC 20 + the potions caster level to Identify any potion, as per the spell. She gains an additional +4 bonus to her alchemy check if it is a potion that she created before.
Special Restrictions: At 3rd level the constant exposure to dangerous chemicals and noxious fumes have begun to take their effect on the witch. The Venefica suffers a ·2 penalty on all reactions rolls and Diplomacy checks.
Equipment: The Venefica requires all of the alchemical tools necessary to conduct research. The initial set up costs for the Venefica will be 100 GP. This will also cost the Venefica 10 gp per level each time they advance in level, of total levels, which determine her spell casting ability. Thus, a 10th level Venefica / 3rd Level Hermetic Mage must pay 130 gold when she advances to 13th level) to maintain. This does not cover the cost of special ingredients the witch might need.
The mortar and pestle are the most common Venefica ritual tools. Different covens give them different meanings: transformation, union of ingredients, patient labour, patron symbolism or simply the practical heart of the brewer’s craft.
Coven Domains: Healing, Plant
Preferred/Barred Covens: This tradition is suited to all covens. Though Venefica typically avoid diabolic and demonic covens. Venefica are free to join any coven that will have them.
Relationship to the Patron: Venefica often approach patronage as a source of instruction: recipes, correspondences, rare ingredients and principles that reveal how magic behaves. Different patrons teach different methods, and no single religious model is required.
Source/Views of Magic: Venefica understand magic through transformation. By studying how ordinary substances combine, separate, ferment, burn, heal or poison, they learn principles that can be applied to larger magical workings.
Unlike arcane alchemists, wizards or artificers, Venefica tend to use more mundane items for their creations. Instead of needing magical artifacts (teeth of a dragon, eye of a beholder) or symbolic ones (wail of a banshee, tear of an Iron Golem), the Venefica uses items that have normal or natural occurrence, such as herbs, or special waters. Granted some of these items may be very difficult to get, so often the Venefica witch must either purchase them at great prices or go out adventuring to get them for herself.
Wealth: Venefica start with the normal amount of wealth allotted to a witch. She may supplement her wealth by adventuring or selling her creations.
Other: Venefica find their potions and mixtures are in high demand, thus they get along well with most other witches and classes in general. While there is often heated debate on the means of their magic, some Venefica find it useful to pick up study as a wizard for a while. More rural Venefica will often do the same with druids or rangers. Non-adventuring (NPC) Venefica may also multiclass as Experts (Alchemists).
Venefica tend to avoid Demonic covens and as a result there are very few Venefica-Warlocks. However many Venefica find welcoming in the various lodges of the Hermetic Mages. Generally, due to their long training, Venefica start out as Venefica and not some other class.
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