Witch Build


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Liberty's Edge

I am making a half-orc with that I want to be sort of tribal. What would be an effective and fun Feat/Hex progression?

So far, here is the stats I picked for a 25 point buy

STR: 8
DEX: 10
CON: 14
INT: 20
WIS: 10
CHA: 14

I know it's not optimal, but it's the flavor I want.

The cackle/evil eye combo seemed pretty tough as well Cackle/Fortune for keeping the main fighter extra effective.

Shadow Lodge

Shar Tahl wrote:

I am making a half-orc with that I want to be sort of tribal. What would be an effective and fun Feat/Hex progression?

So far, here is the stats I picked for a 25 point buy

STR: 8
DEX: 10
CON: 14
INT: 20
WIS: 10
CHA: 14

I know it's not optimal, but it's the flavor I want.

The cackle/evil eye combo seemed pretty tough as well Cackle/Fortune for keeping the main fighter extra effective.

The buff/debuff/Cackle seems to be a good combos as dues the sleep and possibly the charm based on how much RP you would do.

Intimidate and possibly even though it's not a class skill, Bluff might be good skills to have. You might also consider raising Cha to 16 and I'll get to why when I mention feats.

At first level I suggest something like Toughness, Combat Casting or Improved Initiative. After a few levels Combat Expertise would improve your defenses and after that Improved Feint might be a possibility.
Even though I think Weapon Specialization: Touch spells is a waste, Dazzleing Display rocks. Regardless, keep your eye out for anything Intimidation based in future products.

Quicken Spell is the only Metamagic worth it.

All the Best,

Kerney

Shadow Lodge

Yesterday, some very nice people gave me some helpful advice for my Arcane trickster. Please do the same for this person. Shameless bump.


Those stats seem fine though the 10 dex might be an issue.


Mojorat wrote:

Those stats seem fine though the 10 dex might be an issue.

I think the OP addressed that by saying, "It's not optimal, but it's the flavour I want."

By playing a half-orc, I believe they are going for a healthier but clumsier witch, as opposed to an elf-witch, which would be the strongest racial choice, in my opinion.

To the OP: Cackle is amazing. Once you get a few hexes, start with Evil Eye and drop the Will-save. Whether or not they save this first Eye is irrelevant, because you will Cackle on the second round, extending the Eye again, and then drop Misfortune on that sucker. Misfortune is ridiculously good for you, and bad for the target. Third round, Cackle again to extend both the Eye and the Misfortune, and then have at 'er with a Phantasmal Killer.

For groups of enemies: Sleet Storm, then Black Tentacles. Your foes are grappled, blind, having to save against ice and tentacles, and getting hentai-raped by pure evil. If things are still back, summon a couple of Dire Bats into the mix to really show them up.

Need that Fighter/Barbarian/Paladin/Monk to hit that thing more often? Show a little love and Fortune their ass; they're going to send flowers to your office for weeks after the first time you cast that. Subsequent times, not so much... its still an amazing spell though. Cackle that s%~@ all the way through the fight.

Always remember -- stay in the back. Your familiar can deliver touch spells for you at a fairly low level, so you never need to be closer than about 30 feet. Flying is helpful, too, but take the spell instead of the Hex; there are better choices.


was the rule ever cleared up on cackling ?

for example

you use your std action to cast evil eye

your opponent saves and reduces the effect to 1 round

you then use your move action to cackle and extend the duration to 2 rounds and he gets no further save allowing you to keep the evil eye on him for as long as you can cackle each round.

as for tribal flavor you might find using your polymorph spells to turn your familiar and yourself into some nasty beasties could be fun although you don't really have the stats for it and your familiar doesn't have the HP to survive being the big ugly target.

and whatever you do don't be pressured into taking any healing Hex's or spells , otherwise you'll be relegated to cleric duty in the group and won't feel very witch like at all.


Phasics wrote:

was the rule ever cleared up on cackling ?

for example

you use your std action to cast evil eye

your opponent saves and reduces the effect to 1 round

you then use your move action to cackle and extend the duration to 2 rounds and he gets no further save allowing you to keep the evil eye on him for as long as you can cackle each round.

I love cackle.

My DM, who is running Ravenloft, hates it though.

Fortune on you... Cackle.. Cackle.. Cackle.. Cackle.

I love the witch.


Here is the final playtest version of Cackle.

Quote:
Cackle (Su): A witch can cackle madly as a move action. Any creature that is within 30 feet that is under the effects of an agony hex, charm hex, evil eye hex, fortune hex, misfortune hex, or ward hex caused by the witch has the duration of that hex extended by 1 round.

This means that you can stack your battle-hexes and keep cackling to extend them all.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I checked the APG PDF and cackle doesn't seem to have changed from the final play test version. Just a FYI.


Dark_Mistress wrote:
I checked the APG PDF and cackle doesn't seem to have changed from the final play test version. Just a FYI.

I only mention it becuase it effectively means you can hex ANY creature and even if they make the save they are still Hex'd anyway and have no way short of disrupting the witch so she can't use a move action to stop it

since its Supernatural spell resistance doesn't even apply which means the poor ole Iron Golem is outta luck against Hex's hehehe

Liberty's Edge

VictorCrackus wrote:

I love cackle.

My DM, who is running Ravenloft, hates it though.

Fortune on you... Cackle.. Cackle.. Cackle.. Cackle.

I love the witch.

You're in a Ravenloft game, playing a witch? I'm running a Ravenloft game, and one of the characters is a witch! You're not in my game, are you? O_O

And yes, to be serious, cackle is annoying. Especially when the player emits said cackle at high volume. "DOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" XD

Jeremy Puckett


Phasics wrote:
Dark_Mistress wrote:
I checked the APG PDF and cackle doesn't seem to have changed from the final play test version. Just a FYI.

I only mention it becuase it effectively means you can hex ANY creature and even if they make the save they are still Hex'd anyway and have no way short of disrupting the witch so she can't use a move action to stop it

since its Supernatural spell resistance doesn't even apply which means the poor ole Iron Golem is outta luck against Hex's hehehe

Actually the evil eye hex is now mind affecting from what I understand so the Iron Golem is good against it.

However you are giving up your chance to get out of the way to keep those hexes going which IMO is a fair trade -- you are within 30 feet of the enemy so chances are good that if he wants to he can get to you.

I've had great luck with the ward hex myself -- it basically is a pass along magical item for the party. The flying hex could be useful under several circumstances.

I would look to spells with multiple effects per casting, and hexes that extend your ability to have an effect on combat (since this is the point the witch is weakest at during low levels).

Intimidate was a good suggestion as is the heal skill.


Other thoughts:

The witch makes a GREAT eldritch knight -- with access to the best self buffs in the game, and the heal spell in addition to the best defensive buffs in the game the witch has great potential for being able to wreck things and keep themselves from being wrecked. The Hexes can give you back up options and in early game play keep you moving when the multiclassing can cause some tightness.

Doing so with levels in barbarian could give a nice "shaman leader" feel to a character though it would take some hits on the "optimized" front. Arcane strike would be a good choice, and if you want armor I would really recommend the still spell feat instead of the arcane armor mastery feats.

Your familiar will be significantly tougher too since his HP is 1/2 yours -- and you are picking up d12's and d10's for over half your levels... basically he'll have about as much HP as a wizard of your level would. His BAB will be good too since he uses yours, and his tiny size will help him hit easier too. Share spells means that you could change him into a better combatant with polymorph type spells if you want to, and improved familiar could get you something that can help with scrolls or wands etc leaving you free to keep killing/moving forward.


hida_jiremi wrote:
VictorCrackus wrote:

I love cackle.

My DM, who is running Ravenloft, hates it though.

Fortune on you... Cackle.. Cackle.. Cackle.. Cackle.

I love the witch.

You're in a Ravenloft game, playing a witch? I'm running a Ravenloft game, and one of the characters is a witch! You're not in my game, are you? O_O

And yes, to be serious, cackle is annoying. Especially when the player emits said cackle at high volume. "DOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" XD

Jeremy Puckett

That.. Sounds like me.

I'm playing a female witch. Using a half-vistani race. Which Pathfinder wise, we made the ability stats be like +2 to two mental stats, and -2 to one. And I'm using the tribe that gets like +1d10-1d4 to intiative. She's.. exceptionally cute. ANd I don't normally play female characters, but.. I couldn't imagine playing a male witch.

You don't happen to live in East Texas.. Eh?

Liberty's Edge

VictorCrackus wrote:

That.. Sounds like me.

I'm playing a female witch. Using a half-vistani race. Which Pathfinder wise, we made the ability stats be like +2 to two mental stats, and -2 to one. And I'm using the tribe that gets like +1d10-1d4 to intiative. She's.. exceptionally cute. ANd I don't normally play female characters, but.. I couldn't imagine playing a male witch.

You don't happen to live in East Texas.. Eh?

Whew. I was worried for a minute. Central Kentucky over here. And the witch in my game is from Nova Vaasa, and her familiar is a fiendish goat named Sasha (who used to be her husband, back before he was all goat-y). =3

Jeremy Puckett


I really wish the pit spells from the APG were available to the Witch. That way I could take the improved familiar feat and get an imp and run around shouting "My familiar is a Pit Fiend! cackle!

Shadow Lodge Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8

Haskul wrote:
I really wish the pit spells from the APG were available to the Witch. That way I could take the improved familiar feat and get an imp and run around shouting "My familiar is a Pit Fiend! cackle!

You could always pick the Shadow Patron :).

Grand Lodge

Kilbourne wrote:
Mojorat wrote:
Those stats seem fine though the 10 dex might be an issue.
I think the OP addressed that by saying, "It's not optimal, but it's the flavour I want."

So why is he asking for advice?

We can help him with optimal, but we have absolsutely no idea what "flavour" he wants. He's picked stats and is looking for "tribal". That's extremely vague and is likely to suggest something different to every person who reads it.

I'm certainly willing to help, but he needs to put more work into his vision of the character and give us more to go on.


I like the healing hexs. As a tribal witch if you are going for the "shaman" concept the healing hexes fit nicely. I would take a look at the Extra Hex feat. With Meta-magic feats pretty lack-luster (save for a few). You should be able to through a few feats into Extra Hex.

Grand Lodge

Kalyth wrote:
I like the healing hexs. As a tribal witch if you are going for the "shaman" concept the healing hexes fit nicely. I would take a look at the Extra Hex feat. With Meta-magic feats pretty lack-luster (save for a few). You should be able to through a few feats into Extra Hex.

I agree healing hexes are appropriate flavour for a shaman.

I'm playing Madusha, a big strong (18 Str) human Mwangi Witch-doctor. Currently a 3rd level Witch with Healing and Flight hexes, and a viper familiar which I describe as a constrictor coiling about my shoulders for flavour only.

I've yet to convert to APG final - Extra hex feats look very appealing!

I'm thinking of multi-classing a couple of levels of Ranger to enhance the big strong jungle shaman image, as well as access to TWF with his quarterstaff.

I'm sure it's not an optimal build for a Witch, but it's very fitting the physical Witch-doctor image I'm aiming for.

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