Witch Traditions

Liber Mysterium The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks  
By Timothy S. Brannan and The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks Team

“Rise up, Witches, throw off your masks And cease crying guilt for ancient crimes; Earth and all her children need us, For ALL face now the Burning Times”. L. A. Hussey

Groups of witches that share a common belief system and view of the world are known as Traditions. Generally all witches of a particular coven will belong to the same tradition. Certain traditions may put restrictions on which coven a witch may opt for.

Traditions are taught and are usually learned at the same time the individual learns to be a witch. Often it is extremely difficult to know what it means to be a witch outside of the point of view of one’s Tradition for it defines and colors how a witch sees herself and other witches. In areas where Traditions geographically overlap, a new witch may believe that the other witches are not even witches at all.

How a witch acts and behaves will be dependent on which tradition she belongs to, and according the world in which she lives.

When Traditions are linked to families or groups of witches they are sometimes called a ‘Family Tradition’. These are often handed down from mother to daughter. Traditions are also usually tied to a geographical area, philosophy or (in some cases) a race.

The following Traditions are presented to aid role-playing the uniqueness of the witch. In the case of most traditions, sub-traditions or alterations will be noted.

The sample Traditions listed are based on the history of our world; the Game Master’s own world might have a completely different view on witches and the Craft and thus instead of using these may opt to create new Traditions.

Game Masters are cautioned to remember that Traditions are large organizations based primarily on geography, philosophy and views of the Patron. Often a coven will serve the needs of a unique style of witch without the need to create an entire new Tradition.