Branded
Those that are formally banished from their School are branded with an arcane brand that is specific to each School. The brand disfigures them and prevents them from using Signs but that is a price some gladly pay for some gain even greater powers from the arcane brand. It is not known if this is an accident or a final payment for the Witcher’s years of service. Branded Witchers are still able to progress in their Schools teachings by their own merrit and self study but are now pariahs among all Witchers. It is said that mysterious beings of horrifying and alien power are attracted to Witcher Brands.
| School | Brand | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Bear | Backstabber Brand | Banished from the School of the Bear you have been marked as a backstabber with the symbol of a knife in the back for your betrayal. You can use a bonus action to summon The Backstabber. A bloody hand holding a dagger dripping blood appears behind a creature you can see within 60 ft of you and attacks the target with advantage and on a hit it deals 2D6 Psychic damage + your WIS modifier (Minimum 1) and forces the creature to make a WIS saving throw and on a failed save the target becomes Frightened until the end of its next turn. |
| Cat | Grotesque Brand | Banished from the School of the Cat you have been marked as a grotesque individual unworthy of praise with the symbol of a hideous mask for your lack of perfection. You can use an action to summon the Grotesque. An emaciated creature wearing a heinous mask appears within a point of your choice within 90 ft of you that you can see and unleashes a cry of anguish. Each creature within 30 ft of it that can hear it must make a WIS saving throw and on a failed save takes 2D8 Psychic damage + your WIS modifier (Minimum 1) or half as much on a successful save. If a creature fails the saving throw by 5 or more the creature falls Prone in an attempt to block its ears and shield its eyes. |
| Crane | Dangerous Brand | Banished from the School of the Crane you have been marked as dangerous with the symbol of a skull and dagger for your lack of restraint. You can use an action to summon the Danger. A 12 ft tall obscured monstrous figure shackled spiked chains and an iron mask pierced with spikes appears at a point you can see within 60 ft of you. The Danger remains for 1D4 rounds and makes a melee attack once during each of your turns at a target of your choice within 10 ft of it. It has a bonus to attack equal to your spell attack bonus and deals 1D8 Bludgeoning damage + your WIS modifier (Minimum 1) + 2D4 Necrotic damage on a hit as it thrashes about. You can dismiss the Danger as a free action at any point. When the Danger is dismissed it can make two melee attacks before vanishing. |
| Griffon | Honorless Brand | Banished from the School of the Griffon you have been marked as honorless with the symbol of a ripped contract for your dishonorable actions. You can use an action to summon the Honorless. A skinny knight in rusted armor with an emblem scratched off with a sackcloth on its head appears with a chipped blade within 5 ft of you. The Honorless remains for 2D4 turns. Each turn roll 1D4 on a 1 the Honorless does nothing. On a 2-4 the Honorless moves up to 30 ft and can pass through creatures and objects as if they weren’t there. If it ends its turn in an occupied space it does nothing. The Honorless then can make a melee attack with a range of 5 ft with a bonus to attack equal to your spell attack bonus and on a hit it deals 2D10 Slashing damage + your WIS modifier (Minimum 1). The Honorless has a critical hit range of 19-20. |
| Manticore | Lost Brand | Banished from the School of the Manticore you have been marked as lost with the symbol of a shattered compass for forgetting your place in the School. You can use a bonus action to summon the Lost One. A shadow of an almost familiar figure appears at a point of your choice that you can see within 60 ft of you. The Lost One attempts to Grapple a target of your choice and on a successful Grapple the Lost One and the Grappled target are teleported to a random point within 60 ft of its original location. Roll 1D4: 1 they appear as close to you as possible and land Prone, 2 they appear as far from you as possible and are facing away from you and are Blinded until the end of its next turn, 3 they appear 60 ft straight up in the air and crash to the ground, 4 they appear at a point of your choice that does not place them in obvious direct harm such as off a cliff or above lava. On a successful save the Lost One is enraged and claws at the target dealing 2D6 Necrotic damage + your WIS modifier (Minimum 1). |
| Viper | Fickle Brand | Banished from the School of the Viper you have been marked as fickle for being unable to follow even the lax rules of the School of the Viper with the symbol of an unfairly weighted scale. You can use a bonus action to summon the Fickle One. An 8 ft tall aberration of a creature with a face with three different heads each facing a different direction with abnormally long arms ending with claw tipped hands appears at a point of your choice you can see within 60 ft of you. Choose a target and roll 1D6 on a 1 the Fickle One smiles and drops a white vial on the target and it gains 2D6 + + your WIS modifier (Minimum 1) temporary hit points. On a 2-6 the it rips into the target forcing the target to make a CON saving throw taking 2D8 + + your WIS modifier (Minimum 1) Slashing damage on a failed save and at the start of its next turn it takes an additional 2D4 damage as it bleeds out. On a successful save it takes half as much damage and suffers no negative effect at the start of its next turn. |
| Wolf | Exiled Brand | Banished from the School of the Wolf you have been marked as an exile for your disloyalty with the symbol of a dejected figure outside of a gate. You can use a bonus action or reaction to summon the Exile. A shriveled corpse wearing Witcher attire and bearing the Exiled Brand appears at a point of your choice that you can see within 60 ft of you. If you summoned it using a bonus action the Exile can make one attack with its ancient bow with a range of 60/120 ft using your spell attack bonus to hit dealing 1D10 Piercing damage + your WIS modifier (Minimum 1) on a hit or it makes two attacks with its rusted daggers using the same bonus to hit dealing 2D4 Slashing damage + your WIS modifier (Minimum 1) on a hit. If you summon it using a reaction it protects you or a target of your choice with its battered shield reducing the amount of damage the target would have taken by 2D8 + your WIS modifier (Minimum 1) (Damage cannot be reduced to less than 0 with this feature). |
Subclass Features
Brand
A Brand has been placed upon you in a visible area such as your forehead, cheek, shoulder, or neck. The Brand is magical and cannot be removed by any means less than divine intervention. Brands seal your ability to use Signs but grant their own benefit. If a Brand requires a saving throw the DC for the throw is 8 + your WIS modifier (Minimum 1) + your Proficiency Bonus.
You can use your Brand a number of times per long rest equal to your Proficiency Bonus. You regain one use of your Brand after completing a short rest.
Mild Magic Resistance
An unintended result of your brand is that it lightly repels magic perhaps as a result of sealing the magical power of your Signs. You have a 1D4 bonus to saving throws against spells and magical effects.
Rage of the Branded
You can tap into the energy of your brand and use it to enter a state of rage and hatred as your brand burns red. You can use a bonus action and enter this enraged state. You remain in this state for one minute or until you become Incapacitated or one round passes without you dealing or taking damage. You gain the following features in this state
You attack with advantage and creatures attack you with advantage.
Your melee attacks deal an additional damage die.
Your critical hit range increases by 1 (19-20).
You automatically fail WIS, INT, CHA based skill checks that are not Intimidation.
You attack the creature that last dealt you damage each turn unless you succeed a DC 15 WIS saving throw.
Incoming non Psychic damage that would be dealt to you is reduced by your Proficiency Bonus (Damage cannot be reduced to less than 0 with this feature).
You can use this feature once per long rest or you can regain the use of this feature by expending 3 Stamina.
Branded Gear
After acclimating to your brand, your brand can extend its influence to your weapons and armor. You can use a bonus action and you choose one weapon, shield, or armor you are wielding and it glows red as your brand appears on the item of your choice for one minute.
Weapon: A branded weapon seeks out blood. It has a 1D6 bonus to hit and deals an additional 2D8 Fire or Necrotic damage (Your choice) on a hit or an additional 2D10 damage if you are in your enraged state.
Shield: A branded shield is as much a weapon as a bulwark. The shield grants you a +1 bonus to AC and saving throws and you can use it as a melee weapon with a bonus action dealing 1D6 Bludgeoning damage + 2D6 Fire or Necrotic damage (Your choice) on a hit. If you are in your enraged state it instead grants an +2 bonus to AC and saving throws.
Armor: A branded armor changes into a sinister form of itself. Spikes just out from it causing each creature within 5 ft of you that makes an attack on you to take 2D6 Piercing damage. If you or a creature attempts to initiate a Grapple the other creature takes 2D8 Piercing damage and 2D6 Piercing damage at the start of each of its turns it remains Grappled or is maintaining a Grapple. If you are in your enraged state your spikes deal an additional 1D6 Fire or Necrotic damage (Your choice).
You can use this feature once per long rest or you can regain the use of this feature by expending 3 Stamina.
Full Body Brand
You can fully embrace and fuel your brand and cause it to spiral out and cover your body in intricate red markings and cause your eyes to glow red. As an action you can expend your brand for one minute. As a part of this action you can enter your enraged state and use your Branded Gear feature without expending a use of either feature. While your brand is extended you gain the following features
You regain all uses of your Brand.
Damage caused by your Brand is increased by 1 damage die.
While in your enraged state your melee attacks deal an additional 2 damage dice.
Any Branded Gear you have active deals an additional 1D6 Fire or Necrotic damage (Your choice).
As long as you have at least 1 hit point remaining you regain 4 hit points at the start of each of your turns.
You can use this feature once per long rest or you can regain the use of this feature by expending 6 Stamina.