10 Types of Hexes Ranked by Power Level

by Elara Thornweaver — Witch of Whispers

If there’s one thing every witch knows beyond a doubt, it’s that hexes aren’t equal in their potency. A cursory glance over any spellwork compendium reveals a bewildering number of hex types, and while some would agree on the broad strokes of classification, the true hierarchy depends on how deep into bone the curse bites, how long its effects endure, and whether the victim might ever truly escape its grip. I have spent many years among grimoires and practitioners, collecting and testing these various forms of enchantment until I could place them in order of power with reasonable confidence. What follows is my assessment of ten distinct types of hexes, arranged from greatest to least in terms of raw magical force.

10. The Minor Hex

At the bottom of our hierarchy lies what practitioners call a minor hex — something light enough that it could barely be called more than an annoyance. A minor hex manifests as persistent bad luck: dropped keys, stubborn traffic, perhaps a minor illness that passes quickly. Skilled sorcerers might apply one to protect their gardens from pests or to ensure favorable winds for travel. The power here is modest; any remedy, whether the victim’s own willpower or a simple counter-spell, can undo it within days or weeks.

9. The Binding Hex

Moving upward, we find hexes that bind — not in mere restriction, but with such purposeful force that the victim becomes tethered to whatever holds them. This type of enchantment is commonly applied to prisoners, though clever witches have been known to use binding hexes on themselves to maintain discipline during long meditation periods or to anchor their thoughts against wandering. Binding hexes require little power to cast, yet their effect endures strongly; breaking one requires either a stronger counter-hex or the patience of many days spent in careful study of oneself.

8. The Cursing Hex

A true hex proper must be felt by the victim as something external and imposed — hence the term cursing for this middle tier. The most common form sends waves of weakness through body and mind, leaving the afflicted feeling as though an invisible weight has been placed upon them. Many a hero has fallen to a cursing hex without even realizing they had been targeted in the first place; the effect is subtle enough to remain unnoticed until it has done its work.

7. The Malediction

Now we reach true maledictions — these are hexes that carry more intention, a deliberate curse with teeth. A malediction might cause blindness or paralysis, or perhaps turn flesh to stone (a rare and truly frightening variant). The word “malediction” itself carries an ancient weight; it is the sort of enchantment one finds inscribed upon doorways in old temples where even gods might hesitate before entering. Maledictions can be cast by lesser practitioners, but only true masters possess the power to weave them without breaking themselves in the process.

6. The Witch’s Curse

At this level we encounter what sorcerers call the witch’s curse — a hex of considerable depth that requires genuine magical talent to cast and maintain. These curses often target specific individuals with precision, bypassing all who pass nearby but striking their chosen victim directly. A single witch can apply such a curse upon someone in passing; the effect lingers for weeks or months, weakening gradually as time passes until either the cursed one finds counter-remedy or falls beneath its full weight.

5. The Death Hex

Perhaps the most feared of all hexes is the death hex — no mere affliction but an active force driving toward ending. When cast properly upon a living being, this enchantment accelerates whatever end was already approaching: wounds become fatal where they would have healed; age catches up with sudden violence; even the strongest warriors succumb if only the hex has had time to set its roots deep within their bones. Death hexes are rare and powerful; I have seen whole families brought low by a single such enchantment, line upon line of descendants reduced to dust in mere seasons.

4. The Great Hex

Now we enter territory where lesser practitioners begin to tremble: the great hex. These are hexes capable of affecting not merely individuals but entire bloodlines or even geographic regions. A great hex can be seen from afar — when cast upon a kingdom, one might witness clouds gathering over distant hills days before the enchantment takes full effect; trees wither and rivers run dry in its wake as though time itself has been accelerated around those under its influence. The power here is considerable indeed, though still held within mortal hands: even great sorcerers must eventually release their grip or risk being consumed by what they have created.

3. The Eternal Hex

Among the truly legendary hexes we find one whose effects endure across centuries — perhaps forever. An eternal hex does not merely afflict; it transforms, changing the target from within until the very nature of that being is altered for eternity. I know of a princess who received such an enchantment five hundred years ago and remains untouched by death or age despite having lived through countless wars and upheavals around her. Eternal hexes are exceedingly rare, requiring magical practitioners who have mastered not only spellcraft but also the ancient art of binding their own souls to the enchantments they cast.

2. The Primeval Hex

Higher still lies the primeval hex — an enchantment so old that even magic itself recognizes its authority. These hexes possess power beyond measure, capable of reshaping reality around those under their influence: a king might find his crown heavy with golden weight only in the eyes of lesser men while he himself feels light as air; a warrior’s blade could cut through stone while passing through flesh; entire armies might march for months without hunger or fatigue. The primeval hex is ancient indeed — some say it was cast upon the world before the first dawn, and that its power has only grown stronger with time.

1. The Grand Hex

And above all others stands the grand hex — that which no sorcerer can resist, nor any mere mortal hope to escape. When a grand hex is cast, reality itself bends; the target becomes simultaneously alive and dead, present and absent, young and old. It is said that those who survive a grand hex never truly age again, though they pass through countless years as though living only for brief moments each day. The grandest recorded enchantment was cast upon an entire kingdom by a witch who had learned her craft from the gods themselves — when she released it after three hundred years of preparation, not one soul in that realm died, yet all were changed forever.

Elara Thornweaver practices witchcraft among the whispering woods and has published seven works on hexes and enchantments over a span of forty years.