Witch

Witches are hostile, ranged mobs that use potions both defensively and offensively. Witches spawn in witch huts, but as of version 1.7, they can also spawn in any dimly lit area. Witches are the second hostile ranged mob that spawns in the Overworld - the other being the skeleton.

Appearance
Witches have a similar appearance to villagers, and they wear purple and green robes with brown leggings underneath. They have large noses (which move slowly around on the Witch's face) with a single wart and have lavender colored eyes. Witches have smaller mouths than villagers. They wear a stereotypical witch hat with a green buckle on it, and their skin is slightly paler than that of a normal villager. In addition, witches periodically give off purple star particles similar to the villager's green stars.

Uses
When killed, witches can drop a great number of items, including Glass Bottles, Glowstone Dust, Gunpowder, Redstone, Spider Eyes, Sticks, and Sugar. They drop 1–3 item types, each 0–2 times. The same type can be chosen multiple times, therefore it is possible to get up to six of one item, or up to two of 3 different items.

Witches also rarely drop Potions of Healing, Fire Resistance, Swiftness and Water Breathing, but only when they are killed while drinking that potion.

Combat
The witch mob uses splash potions of poison, weakness, harming, and slowness to fight the player. If the player is at least 8 blocks away and does not have the Slowness status effect, they will throw potions of slowness. If the player's health is at least and is not poisoned, they will throw potions of poison. If the player is within 3 blocks and does not have the Weakness status effect, they have a 25% chance of throwing potions of weakness. If none of these conditions are true, they default to using potions of harming. These potions will affect other mobs - not just the player. The witch does not burn in sunlight and when set on fire, drinks a potion of fire resistance. This can be seen when a bottle appears in the witch's hands. Utility mobs will attack witches as most other hostile mobs.

Witches are almost immune (85% damage resistance) to splash potions of poison and instant damage. When damaged, they will drink a potion of healing, healing themselves. When drinking a potion, a witch's nose will point straight forward (instead of down). While healing they can't attack the player. If lit on fire by lava or fire, witches will quickly drink a potion of fire resistance, making lava and fire ineffective ways of killing witches. When a witch's head is in water, it will drink a potion of water breathing. When a witch's target is 11 or more blocks a way, it will drink a speed potion to catch up with the target.

A bow will likely be the best weapon for dealing with a witch, as the splash potions have only a short range (at most nine blocks) compared to arrows (which, when fired straight at full charge, travel 24 blocks). If a bow is not an option, a direct melee charge is the best option. Due to the witch's slow attack speed, if the player runs in a straight line and manages to get a quick sword strike in, the witch will try to heal themselves with a potion of healing, leaving the player to attack them without fear of retaliation.

Bugs

 * When a witch drinks a potion, the bottle will not show the drinking animation; only the witch itself.
 * Witch Huts are 2 blocks tall inside, while witches models are 3 blocks tall. This causes their hats to glitch through the ceiling.
 * In Superflat worlds, witches don't spawn in witch huts after the world generates. (Due to witches only spawning in any generated structure that are in a swamp biome, and the game thinks that the witch hut is at a different height level than it really is)
 * Witches can spawn in structures other than witch huts. This is due to structures being biome-based, and any structure only spawns what it should spawn in the biome of the structure. For example, witches do not spawn in river or ocean biomes.

Trivia

 * A witch, like all mobs, can be geared using /summon, however they are partially like zombies and skeletons; they show the weapon they carry in their hands, see the picture below
 * If a witch shoots another witch with a potion, the witch who is hit will become angry, however it is impossible for either witch to kill the other (without help from a player) due to their use of healing potions and their resistance to each other's splash potions.
 * Witches have more mob drops than any other mob in the game.
 * Witches have the most health of any normally aggressive mob other than boss mobs. However, maximum-sized Magma Cubes may take more hits to kill due to their high armor value, and may also spawn numerous smaller versions whose collective health combined with that of their full-sized progenitor is well over that of one witch.
 * Witches are the only non-boss mob to naturally regenerate health.
 * Obviously, witches do not utilize the equipment in their huts though it is completely usable to players.
 * Unlike villagers, witches will despawn when the player is out of range since they are hostile mobs.
 * Witch Huts are similar to the hut of Baba Yaga (a general name for witch in Slavic folklore) that stood on chicken legs.
 * The odds of a witch dropping the maximum amount of drops possible (6 items total) without a Looting enchantment are 1 in 81 (1.2%).
 * They are the only hostile mob that doesn't make sounds.
 * Witches are extremely difficult, though not impossible, to be killed by suffocation, due to their frequent use of healing potions.
 * If another naturally generating structure, such as a desert or jungle temple, spawns in close proximity with a swamp biome, there is a chance that multiple witches may also spawn inside them.
 * It would theoretically be possible to get a witch to hit a zombie villager with a splash potion of weakness, then cure the villager. This eliminates the need for gathering materials from the Nether; however, the chances of finding a witch and a zombie villager in the same area would be very rare.
 * Witches are one of the four mobs that give a debuff to the player. The other three being the Wither, the Cave spider, and the Wither skeleton.
 * Witches dropping Spider Eyes could be a reference to witches commonly using Eyes of Newt in potion recipes.
 * All of the drops are used in potion brewing, except sticks. This makes for an exceptional potion ingredient farm.