Timeline for What kind of magic is witch magic?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
9 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Feb 3 at 8:07 | comment | added | Obie 2.0 | But really, the witchcraft influences on the wizard class are just as strong as the Gandalfian or Merlinian ones. The familiar has been a central element of the wizard class for a long time, material spell components are much more in line with folkloric witchcraft than with Gandalf, and it has spells like bestow curse and scrying that are absolutely based on abilities attributed to European and American witches. | |
| Feb 3 at 8:01 | comment | added | Obie 2.0 | @KRyan - I feel that there might be another reason for the relative lack of prominence of the word "witch" in D&D, and that is of course the Satanic Panic. People were already convinced that D&D was teaching people how to be witches, so a core class by that name was probably out of the question. After all, they changed "devil" and "demon" to "baatezu" and "tanar'ri" respectively. | |
| Feb 2 at 23:59 | vote | accept | Amethyst Wizard | ||
| Feb 2 at 14:21 | comment | added | David Coffron | @KRyan Thanks so much; I only ever played 4e and 5e that I can remember (2e when I was a kid with my Dad, but I don't remember the rules), so your expertise on all editions helps greatly | |
| Feb 2 at 14:21 | history | edited | David Coffron | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Feb 2 at 2:23 | comment | added | KRyan | For what it’s worth, David, the 2e witch was a wizard “kit,” the 3.5e witch was the DMG’s example of a custom class and was based on the sorcerer, and the 4e witch was a wizard sub-class. In case you wanted to expand on your list. Faerûn also has the “Witches of Rashemen,” which is a political position (but the witches are usually powerful clerics, sorcerers, and/or wizards). | |
| Feb 2 at 0:49 | comment | added | KRyan | @AmethystWizard Most editions of D&D have had a “witch” (off the top of my head, 2e, 3.5e, and 4e all did), and yet 5e, which doesn’t, is the one which has—by far—the most female players. Your conjecture contradicts observation. I don’t think this is broadly important to female players at all. | |
| Feb 2 at 0:42 | comment | added | TheFallen0ne | @AmethystWizard Overlooked is a strong stance to take, I think. Even in older editions like 2nd where classes could be locked out by racial choice, with the exception of certain setting and faith based prestige classes, classes don't come in the form of gender exclusivity; 'wizards' aren't all men, and neither are sorcerers or warlocks; these words carry no inherent gender connotation beyond the reader's own personal perception. "Witch," as a D&D term, without a homebrew class, would likely be a term fearful/uneducated/reverent noncasters would use to refer to any female caster. | |
| Feb 2 at 0:13 | history | answered | David Coffron | CC BY-SA 4.0 |