Domain of Witchcraft

Source: Hexbound

Preserving an oral tradition requires dedicated members devoting their lives to the safekeeping of that knowledge. Clerics of Witchcraft are traditionally the custodians of the oral tradition of witchcraft. The biggest threat to the survival of any oral tradition is the death of those that practice it, which is why these clerics’ ability to invite spirits into their minds and learn their knowledge is vital to the survival of the practice. They are experts in the art of possession: both self-possession to learn the secrets of those that have passed, and also possession of others to weaken their foes from the inside. The clerics of this domain who choose to serve the divine generally serve the gods that rule over magic, knowledge, and death; some even act as psychopomps for them thanks to their ability to act as a bridge between the Material and the Ethereal Planes.

Covens of Witchcraft clerics are often tasked to live within the covens of other witches in order to preserve the specific teachings of that coven, but this is not what all these cleric witches do. Some Witchcraft clerics do not dedicate their lives to keeping the tradition of witchcraft alive, but rather decide to use their talents for possession to serve as a bridge between planes, giving others the opportunity to speak to those that have left the world of the living. Many of these clerics go by the term medium, as more than any witch they are the bridge that parts the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead, letting the dead communicate to the living through themselves. Whether they do so out of the kindness of their hearts, the prospective monetary gain, or to right the wrongs of those that have been killed unjustly depends on the witch.

Witchmark

Mediums usually have their witchmarks on their eyes, symbolizing their ability to contact the realm of the dead. These witchmarks often take the shape of eyes, although some mediums have pupils in the shape of stars as a witchmark. Other Domain of Witchcraft clerics sport witchmarks on their hands or tongues, once again to symbolize the connection between the two realms. When us- ing their gift and inviting spirits into their bodies or the bodies of others, the witchmark’s color and glow is known to reflect the emotional state of the spirit.

Witchcraft Domain Spells

Starting at 1st level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Witchcraft Domain Spells table. The spell counts as a cleric spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of cleric spells you know.

Level	Spell
1st	bane, command
3rd	hold person, ray of enfeeblement
5th	animate dead, speak with dead
7th	compulsion, phantasmal killer
9th	dominate person, raise dead