publish: true
aliases:
- Black Magic
created: 2026-03-09T12:15:33.797-04:00
modified: 2026-03-09T12:15:33.797-04:00
published: 2026-03-09T12:15:33.797-04:00
tags: - ttrpg-cli/compendium/src/5e/valdaspire24
- ttrpg-cli/subclass/witch/black
cssclasses: - json5e-class
obsidianUIMode: preview
Black Magic
Witch: Subclass Feature
Source: Valda’s Spire of Secrets (2024)
Class and Feature Progression
Level PB Features 1st +2 2nd +2 3rd +2 Black Magic 4th +2 5th +3 6th +3 Undeath Command 7th +3 8th +3 9th +4 10th +4 Life Tether 11th +4 12th +4 13th +5 14th +5 Grim Sacrifice 15th +5 16th +5 17th +6 18th +6 19th +6 20th +6
Wield the Dark Arts
Black magic is associated with Hexes that cause suffering and spells that give rise to undeath. Harnessing such magic can lend you great power, but inevitably carries a cost. Darkness cannot be contained, after all; it merely seeps forth from wherever it is kept.
Subclass Features
Black Magic Spells (Level 3)
When you reach a Witch level specified in the Black Magic Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.
Black Magic Spells
| Witch Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | Exhume, Gentle Repose, Hex: Decay, Inflict Wounds, Ray of Enfeeblement |
| 5 | Animate Dead, Vampiric Touch |
| 7 | Blight, Death Ward |
| 9 | Cloudkill, Contagion |
| ^black-magic-spells |
Decay (Level 3)
You gain the Hex: Decay cantrip. This cantrip is exclusive to this subclass.
Undeath Command (Level 6)
Your authority over Undead grants you the following benefits.
Quick Command. When you take a Bonus Action to command your familiar, you can use the same Bonus Action to issue a command to any Undead you control via the Animate Dead spell or similar magic.
Undead Familiar. Undead you control via the Animate Dead spell gain the benefits of the Witch Familiar sidebar.
Life Tether (Level 10)
When you take damage from a creature you can see within 60 feet, you can take a Reaction to transfer some of that damage to a creature that is the sole target of your Hex. You take half the damage (round down) and the hexed creature takes the remaining damage.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a Short or Long Rest. You can also restore your use of it by expending a level 2+ spell slot (no action required).
Grim Sacrifice (Level 14)
If your familiar is within 60 feet of yourself, you can take a Magic action to dissolve its magical bond to this plane. Your familiar drops to 0 Hit Points and unleashes necromantic energy in a 20-foot Emanation. Each creature you choose within the Emanation makes a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. A creature takes 8d10 Necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a Short or Long Rest. You can also restore your use of it by expending a level 6+ spell slot (no action required).