Variant Rule: Creating a Coven

T
hree spellcasters who are familiar with each Calculate your available spell slots by adding together all
other can agree to create a Coven. The DM the members' levels in the bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer,
might decide that some kind of ritual is warlock and wizard classes, half your levels (rounded
required, be it Arcane, Natural, Holy or some down) in the paladin and ranger classes, and a third of your
kind of Evil, that the characters have to learn fighter or rogue levels (rounded down) if you have the
of first. At the DM's approval, you may create Eldritch Knight or the Arcane Trickster feature. Finally,
a Coven with more or less (at least 2) divide the total level by 3 (round down). Use this number to
members. determine your spell slots by consulting the Coven Spell
Slots table.
Coven Focus For example, if a 7th level Wizard, a 7th level Sorcerer
In order to form a Coven, the members must create an item and a 6th level Paladin form a Coven, your Shared
worth at least 500gp per member to serve as their Coven Spellcasting level is 5 (7 + 7 + 3 (17), divided by 3).
Focus, which takes 20 days with all members co-operating You regain spent Shared Spellcasting spell slots when
to craft. Such a focus might be a Crystal Ball, a all members of the Coven take a long rest in the Coven
Leatherbound Tome, a magical substance brewing in a Home. They cannot be regained through normal long rests
cauldron or some other item. Each member of the Coven or any traits or features that single members can use to
must be attuned to the focus for the Coven to function. replenish their own spell slots.
The Coven Focus has an AC of 10 and an HP total of 10. You prepare spells to your Shared Spellcasting spell list
If it is destroyed, the Coven is disbanded and the benefits upon completing a long rest in the Coven Home. You may
are lost. If it is damaged but not destroyed, it regains all its choose the spells out of any spells that any members know.
HP when all members of the Coven take a long rest within Prepare a number of spells equal to the spell slots available
the Coven Home. for each level.
Coven Home Coven Spell Slots:
The Coven must have a designated Coven Home, which Spell Slots per Coven Level
can be any area of at least 500 square feet which resides on Lvl. 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
a plane that is neither a demiplane or a pocket dimension. 1st 2 - - - - - - - -
The Coven Focus cannot leave the Coven Home; if it does,
the Coven is disbanded. 2nd 3 - - - - - - - -
The Coven Home has a magical aura detectable via 3rd 4 2 - - - - - - -
Detect Magic or similar spells. 4th 4 3 - - - - - - -
Coven Familiarity 5th 4 3 2 - - - - - -
Being in a Coven grants you a magical connection with 6th 4 3 3 - - - - - -
your Coven-mates.
Whilst within 100 feet of each other, you can 7th 4 3 3 1 - - - - -
communicate with each other telepathically. Additionally, 8th 4 3 3 2 - - - - -
as an action, you can see through your Coven-mate's eyes
and hear what they hear until the start of your next turn, 9th 4 3 3 3 1 - - - -
gaining the benefits of any special senses that your Coven- 10th 4 3 3 3 2 - - - -
mate has. The mate is aware of this happening. During this 11th 4 3 3 3 2 1 - - -
time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own
senses. 12th 4 3 3 3 2 1 - - -
Also, when you cast a spell, your Coven-mate can deliver 13th 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 - -
the spell as if they had cast it. Your mate must be within
100 feet of you, and they must use their reaction to deliver 14th 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 - -
the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll 15th 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 -
or a Spell Save DC, you use your attack modifier / DC for 16th 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 -
the spell.
17th 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1
Shared Spellcasting 18th 4 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1
Finally, you gain a Shared Spellcasting trait. While all
three members of the Coven are within 30 feet of one 19th 4 3 3 3 3 2 1 1 1
another, they each gain access to a shared well of spell slots 20th 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 1
and spells. Use your normal spellcasting ability for these
spells. You cannot cast the Shared Spellcasting spells
using your own spell slots, and you cannot use the Shared
Spellcasting spell slots to cast your own spells; it is a
separate well of magic.
Coven Disbandment
The Coven can be disbanded by a number of ways:
1) A coven-mate dies: the Coven Focus is destroyed
completely by this.
2) The Coven Focus is destroyed.
3) The Coven Focus is removed from the Coven Home.
This does not destroy the focus.
4) Any coven-mate chooses to disband the Coven by
ending their attunement to the Coven Focus. The Coven
can be recreated by the coven-mate (or a new person) re-
attuning to the Focus.
Once a Coven is disbanded, the members lose all their
Coven features and the Coven Home no longer gives off a
magical aura.
The Three Witches from Macbeth-
Daniel Gardner, 1775 (NPG 6903)
Optional Rule: Unstable Homes
At the DM's choice, a Coven Home's magic may be
unstable when not properly looked after. For every long rest
the Coven takes away from the home, roll a d20. On a 1, the
Coven Focus lashes out at its surroundings, casting Bestow
Curse (choose the first option and randomly determine the
ability by rolling a d6) on every creature within a 1-mile
radius of the curse. The creatures know they are cursed by
a Coven's magic and will retaliate. This effect lasts until the
Coven return to the home and take a long rest there.
Each day, the chance of this happening increases; after
the second long rest, a roll of 1 or 2 will trigger this effect,
and so on, up to a maximum of 5. If it is already happening,
subsequent failures will increase the radius by 1-mile, to a
maximum of 5.