A collection of head canons about each Witcher school.
Wolf School
Specialization: Curses
Wolf Witchers specialize in the breaking of curses. By the time of their descent from Kaer Morhen, all Wolf Witchers know cures for common curses such as lycanthropy. They are also well versed in discovering curses, their origins, and their possible cures. Many Wolf Witchers die at the hands of Cursed Ones during their first year on the Path as they try to cure instead of kill. Typically, those that return to the Path for a second time have discovered how to tell when Cursed Ones are lost causes.
Specific/Distinct Mutations: N/A - The School of the Wolf still uses the same mutagens first used by the Order of Witchers before it split into the separate schools.
Combat Tactics/Fighting Styles: All Witchers will develop their own fighting style with time, but most wolves have a tactic in common: exhaustion. Similar to their animal counterparts, which are endurance hunters and will follow their prey for miles, Wolf Witchers often rely on tiring their opponent out through the strategic use of oils, dodges, and Signs.
Trial of the Medallion: Any Witcher to emerge from Kaer Morhen goes through the grueling Trial of the Mountain during which they ascend Troll’s Head Mountain without being killed by Old Speartip, the cyclops in the caverns, or by the trolls beyond the caverns. Then, the trainee would place their Withcher’s medallion in the Circle of Elements to activate it. (Canon)
Headquarters: Kaer Morhen in Kaedwan near the Gwenllech River.
Fun Facts:
Geralt and the others that died during the second round of mutations were the first attempts at a specially mutated Wolf Witcher. Vesemir was afraid Geralt would end up with the Madness common in Cat Witchers as a result, but it never materialized.
Wolf Witchers are considered by most to be the most traditional of the Witcher schools and many of their teachings date back to the Order of Witchers.
Wolf Witchers have a relatively good reputation with humans, as far as Witcher-human relationship goes because Wolf Witchers are reliable and fair with their prices.
(rest of the schools below cut)
Cat School
Specialization: Revenge
It is commonly believed by other Witchers (and the Cats are quite content to let them believe this) that Cat Witchers will kill any human for any price. This is not, in fact, the full truth. Many consider the hardest part of hiring a Cat Witcher assassin to be convincing them that their victim truly deserves to die. It is, naturally, up to the individual Witcher to pass judgment and some Cat Witchers are more willing assassins than others.
Specific/Distinct Mutations:
Pheromone control (using their scent to manipulate others/situations)
Retractable claws between the fingernail and nail bed
Fangs
Whiskers
Flexible musculoskeletal system (a fancy way of saying their muscles/bones are different and allow for more flexibility and insane jumping height)
The Madness.
No Cat has all of them, but all Cats have the Madness to some level. The variation in mutations among Cats stems from the long history of experimentation on them.
Combat Tactics/Combat Styles: Naturally, Cat Witchers prefer stealth. A typical Cat Witcher will hang in the shadows for as long as possible and, when they do emerge, they will attempt to make the kill as quick and as clean as possible. Cats tend to fight…surgically. Rather than the hack-and-slash method employed by Wolves, Cats prefer to strike areas that will cause immediate results. It’s not unusual for assassination victims to be found with slashed Achilles’ heels to prevent running. Part of Cat training involves learning the most effective places to slash on as many creatures as possible.
Trial of the Medallion: The final Trial for a Cat Witcher is called the Trial of the Noose. The Trial of the Noose involves a complex aerial obstacle course of sorts. Trainees are expected to complete the course, which is in the shape of a noose, in a set amount of time. Before the day of the trial, bait is set for harpies nearby, which adds an extra layer to the challenge.
Headquarters: Dyn Marv Caravan in…um…wherever they want it to be.
Fun Facts:
Although experiments were conducted to remove emotions from Cats, they failed. Cats have the same emotional capacity as other witchers...in theory. In truth, prolonged experimentation has caused most older Cats to have so much trauma that their emotional scope is narrower; younger Cats do not have this problem to the same extent
A Cat can only be contacted on assassination contracts through underworld networks; contacting one at all is considered part of the proof that the client really is desperate to have their victim disposed of
The women of the continent are often the most knowledgeable about when and where a Cat can be contacted for assassination
There is a popular myth in some parts of the Continent that all Witchers have fangs. This myth was spread by a fanged Cat seeking to bolster his own image. His plan failed when he forgot to mention his name during gossip exchanges.
Bear School
Specialization: Politics
An unexpected side effect of Bear Witchers’ solitary natures is their involvement in Skelligen politics. Prior to the fall of the school, Bear Witchers served Skellige in an official capacity. Each clan had at least one Bear Witcher in their employment at all times. A clan’s Witcher would handle all contracts in that clan’s domain. They worked closely with Skelligen druids and enjoyed a hesitant respect from most Skelligens. Bear Witchers also acted as advisors to the clan leaders in a manner similar to sorceresses on the Continent.
Specific/Distinct Mutations:
Shapeshifting (may become a bear at will)
“Steroid” blood (the more blood a Bear loses, the more powerful their attacks become)
Combat Tactics/Combat Styles: Bear Witchers rely on their own strength during battle. Like all Skelligens, they are not afraid of injury and often rely on said injuries to draw strength due to their blood mutations. Another common strategy among Bear Witchers is to keep their bear form in the reserves and break it out when they are almost defeated, often fatally stunning their enemy with their transformation.
Trial of the Medallion: Called the Trial of Salt by Bear Witchers, this Trial of the Medallion is one of the most brutal faced by any school. In the Trial of Salt, Bear Witchers are expected to take on a swarm of aquatic monsters in the sea with a plethora of open wounds inflicted by their masters. The salt of the sea agitates the wounds and makes all movements painful. Bears that survive the Trial carry permanent scars. Many get intricate tattoos of the beasts they defeated over the scars.
Headquarters: Kaer Gelen on Ard Skellige, near Gedyneith ( non - canon; Canon headquarters is Haern Caduch in the Amell Mountain that separates Nilfgaard and the Northern Realms.)
Fun Facts:
Berserkers were created by Bear Witcher mages in an attempt to perfect the mutagens for the school. Since the mutagens supposedly failed completely, they were not sterilized which is why Berserkers are still found today.
Bear Witchers only rarely returned to Kaer Gelen in the winter; most chose to stay with their clan and a few would winter with the druids in Gedyneith
Bear Witchers are often heavily tattooed in accordance with Skellige tradition. After a particularly difficult hunt that they wish to commemorate, a Bear can always be found adding ink to his skin.
Viper School
Specialization: Assassination
Much of the reputation held by Cat Witchers can be more accurately attributed to Viper Witchers. This misunderstanding is used to the Vipers’ advantages. It isn’t unusual for a Viper to don a Cat medallion before enacting an assassination. Vipers will kill anyone for the right price and pry information out of them first for an additional fee.
Specific/Distinct Mutations:
Black Blood (Viper blood is toxic to almost everything - think the black blood potion but all the time.)
Toxic saliva (different Vipers have different effects. For example, one witcher may have saliva that paralyzes, while another has saliva that intoxicates.)
Combat Tactics/Combat Styles: Due to their toxic blood, two main forms of combat have evolved within the vipers: ranged and close-combat fighters:
Close-Combat Vipers lean into their toxic blood. Close-combat Vipers will occasionally allow their foe to get hits on them to poison them or corrode their blades. They fight with two "fangs" tipped with poison. Fangs are typically silver/steel daggers but can be made of anything the Viper desires. Some notable alternatives include bone, actual fangs, glass, and stone.
Ranged Vipers adhere to the fact that while their blood is deadly, they're no good to anyone if they're dead. Instead, ranged Vipers use poisoned arrows to attack their foes. The arrows are poisoned with their own blood.
Trial of the Medallion: The Trial of Sacrifice is the final hurdle a Viper faces before receiving their Medallion. As Vipers often work behind enemy lines and kill those they laid with only a moment before, they can’t get too attached to anything. Ever. The Trial of Sacrifice ensures they are prepared for this. When a Viper trainee arrives, they are invited to select a pet. That pet is then their companion and best friend for the entirety of their Withcer training. During the Trial of Sacrifice, a Viper must look their pet in the eye and kill it. (Canon)
Headquarters: Gorthur Gvaed in the Tir Tochair mountains between the Korath Desert and Nilfgaard. Most inhabitants of the mountains are non-humans.
Fun Facts:
Due to the Trial of Sacrifice, Vipers struggle to form attachments to anyone or anything
The Schools of the Cat and the Viper do not have good relations and the rivalry is overshadowed only by the one between the Wolves and Cats.
Griffon School
Specialization: Magic, the Dead
Griffons specialize in the art of magic. While their magic is not as powerful as that of a sorcerer or sorceress, it is quite powerful. Griffons can make use of magic beyond the usual Signs. They specialize in a type of magic that is cast using not Elder but Common. Extremely talented Griffons may be able to cast telepathically. Their heavily enchanted Witcher Medallions allow them to fly for short periods of time as well.
Griffons chose to inhabit a deeply haunted land. To combat this, they quickly adjusted magic to help them communicate with the dead. This magic is considered necromancy and is therefore frowned upon by almost everyone, but Witchers are already frowned upon so what’s one more rumor?
Specific/Distinct Mutations:
Magic enhancers (the mutation that allows the use of Common instead of Elder in spell casting.)
Air sacs
Light bones
Combat Tactics/Combat Styles: Griffons are advantageous fighters. They make use of their surroundings in any way possible, whether that’s by knocking opponents off cliffs or taking advantage of flammable materials. Griffons are also well known for using gravity to their advantage. Some Griffons are known for lifting their foes a considerable distance into the air and dropping them.
Trial of the Medallion: The Trial of the Egg is the final trial a Griffon Witcher must face. The trainee must locate a Griffon egg, steal it without the parents noticing and transport it to a secondary location. Griffons may choose to take the Trial of the Book instead. During the Trial of the Book, they must recite the Liber Tenebrarum. No trainee has ever selected the Trial of the Book. (Canon)
Headquarters: Kaer Saren in the Kestrel Mountains in the Kingdom of Kovir and Poviss.
Fun Facts:
The Griffon and Crane schools work closely together due to the typically dual flying/swimming nature of aquatic beasts.
Kaer Seren was standing for centuries before the Griffons took it over
The library of Kaer Seren was one of the greatest in the world and contained many book on mutagens and Common magic
Common magic was feared by mages because they would lose their power if the commoners could cast without Aretuza and Ban Ard. This led to considerable tension between the groups.
Griffons do not have issues with killing dragons, unlike other Witcher schools.
Crane School
Specialization: Aquatic creatures
Cranes specialize in societies that live underwater, such as the Vodyanoy, and the monsters that plague them like water elementals, sea serpents, and krakans.
Specific/Distinct Mutations:
Gills
Webbed fingers/toes
Second eyelid
Pressure resistance
Combat Tactics/Combat Styles: Of course, Cranes use their underwater skills. Like Water Hags, they often use silt and sand to blind their opponents. If they’re fighting a creature from a boat, they wrap a thick silver rope around it and yank it upward, out of its element. If they are stalking an amphibious creature, they take a page out of a crocodile’s book and keep still and silent.
Trial of the Medallion: The Trial of the Frog is the final trial for Crane trainees. The Trial of the Frog focuses on adaptability in combat, like how a Frog adapts to living on land. Similar to a triathlon, the Trial of the Frog takes place in all three of the main fighting environments of Crane Witchers. Provided they survive, the trainees become full fledged Witchers.
Headquarters: Kaer Nhon in the Silk Islands (Headcannon; no cannon headquarters. Kaer Nhon does not exist at all, unlike Kaer Gelen which can be found in Skellige in Witcher III)
Fun Facts:
Cranes are considered good luck on ships and are often allowed to travel on them for free - a rare reaction to the presence of a Witcher
The School of the Crane is the only predominantly female school
Many sea shanties are written by or reference Crane Witchers
Myths about sirens being desirable originated due to drunk soldiers spotting Cranes in the depths.
Cranes are generally the most well-natured and amicable Witchers
Crane Witchers typically face the least persecution from humans despite being the most inhuman Witchers. This is because Crane Witchers do not belong in the uncanny valley like other Witchers; they’re seen as fully inhuman to the point where they enjoy a status not unlike the status of dragons - some people still fear them, but they’re largely respected.
Manticore School
Specialization: Defense
Specific/Distinct Mutations:
Bulky frames
Tough skin (even by witcher standards)
Reinforced bones
Combat Tactics/Combat Styles:
Manticores, unlike all other witchers, are a preventative measure, not a reactive one. While they will kill monsters already present, they focus more on keeping monsters out of human settlements. They achieve this in many ways: they focus on finding and eradicating nests, building walls lined with silver, and teaching the common man how to handle the common monster.
Manticore fighting styles also reflect their defensive nature. Manticores typically use large shields as their primary weapons. These shields are usually jagged along at least one edge and feature a large spike in the center. This shield effectively protects the witcher, and damages their opponent in one swift move. In the hand not holding the shield, Manticores are equipped with a small "stinger." A stinger is typically a small knife tipped in poison or enchanted to burn the flesh of an opponent.
Trial of the Medallion: Trial of the Sands is the name given to the Manticores’ final trial. The Trial consists of the trainee making their way form one fortress to the other while taking no injuries - not even one from a cactus spine. It is not uncommon for a Manticore trainee to attempt the Trial multiple times. Because of the nature of the Trial of the Sands, Manticores train for much longer than the Witchers of other schools.
Headquarters: Behelt Nar & Bialsuf Alsarea are the twin fortresses of the Manticores. One fort is at each end of the Korath desert.
Fun Facts:
Manticore Witchers are also called Alqatil
Women can be Manticore Witchers
Manticore Witchers are considered dragon protectors by the dragon worshipers of Zerrikania
