White-Haired Witch Base Class


Homebrew and House Rules


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Hey guys.
Well, I guess this one is pretty self-explanatory. I had a stab at turning the white-haired witch archetype for the witch base class into a full 20-level base class of its own. I wanted to try to keep the feel of the original archetype, while hopefully making it more balanced and easier to play, as the standard WHW generally required a lot of weird multiclassing and other shenanigans to make it viable. I warmly welcome any and all comments and criticism, especially if the latter is of the constructive variety!

So, without further ado: The White-Haired Witch.

Cheers,
- Gears

EDIT: Oh, shoot! I just realized I forgot to add the Spells Known table to the document. Not surprisingly, it's supposed to be identical to the Bard's Spells Known table, including the same number of Cantrips.


I've never read up on the archetype but this looks unteresting. I'm not sure how to address the class as a whole, so I will address some specific points.

SPELLS
I don't see a spells known chart.

PREHENSILE HAIR
Work on the wording. Get rid of "combat maneuver checks" and use "combat maneuver bonus".

1st LEVEL
You haven't left the witch much to do at 1st level. She has one spell known (two including cure/inflict) and the ability to make melee attacks with what is basically a simple weapon or par with a club. Based on saves, skills, BAB and spells, you've used the chassis of a bard, but at least the bard can inspire courage and use a whip.

HAIR MASTERY
It might be easier to allow the witch to use her level in place of her BAB for hair CMB and CMD, instead of granting competence bonuses. I only mention this because the monk has a similar but not identical 3rd level ability.

SWIFT OR IMMEDIATE
You can just say immediate action, and it will mean the same thing since immediate actions can be used on your own turn.


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Yeah, all fair points, Ciaran. I agree the class is rather light on features. Maybe give them a hex at 1st level like a regular witch?

As for hair mastery, I actually think that's a better idea and will change it to that. I had some reason for the competence bonus, but it eludes me now and copying the monk ability seems reasonable.

Yeah, good catch. I'd forgotten you can use immediate actions on your turn.

I'll clear up the wording in "prehensile hair" too.

EDIT: Oh, right. Yes. I forgot to add in the Spells Known and Cantrips section. I mentioned this in the OP; they're identical to a bard's.

EDIT 2: Alright. Here's a slightly revised and updated WHW: White-Haired Witch 2.0.

RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16

While well written, I'm not really crazy about it. I think it's too narrow-focused to be a class on its own. I see the general idea though: turn the white-hair witch (an otherwise very awful archetype) into a 6-level, 3/4 BAB class. However, it steals pretty much all of its class features from other classes. In the end, I'd rather play a hexcrafter magus with maybe another archetype attached that's like Kapenia Dancer, but grants the prehensile hair hex instead of proficiency in bladed scarfs.


Well, fair enough, although that isn't, as such, very helpful to me. This is not a very ambitious project in terms of inventing a new class. It was just meant to patch up the WHW. I could just as easily have labelled it an "alternate class" or "expanded archetype" or whatever. I personally would like to play this a lot more than a magus with a Prehensile Hair Dancer archetype tacked on, but that's just a question of taste. I think a lot of fun synergy can come out of the combo of hexes and ninja tricks, which furthermore follows in the spirit of the original WHW, who got rogue talents but got them too late.

Anyway, that's neither here nor there. Cheers for sharing your opinion, Cyrad. I'm primarily concerned with whether this class seems balanced or not, and whether it'll be able to pull off combat maneuvers and such using the hair with any kind of reliability.

Sovereign Court

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Not bad I could see someone playing this and having s good time. I would suggest adding language into the 1st lvl hair ability indicating you can use it as a limb with a str score of your hair to manipulate objects. I might think about forcing any 30ft or 60ft ranged hexs to be delivered as touch attacks through your hair. Maybe add hex strike as a bonus feat option. Another idea is spending a wichery point to allow an extra effect on your attack (dreadlocks/constrict). Possibly modifying the hair attacks like bombs you can add 1 type of damage modifier to each one. You could increase this at later levels. I would also add a hex selection to increase your hair reach temporarly by spending witchery. Another hex option could allow addition of spells from other lists that modify natural attacks.

RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16

In terms of balance, the class's early game looks alright, but I'm not so sure about their late game. 6-level spellcasters tend to fall off around 10th level. Also keep in mind that all talent pools either have multiple tiers (rogue talents) and/or have level restrictions (magus arcana). Classes have this so they aren't stuck having to pick low level abilities. With this class, I'm not so sure. I think they'd be overpowered to gain major hexes or advanced ninja tricks.

On the other hand, having a 20 foot natural weapon is a pretty huge boon that pays off well in the end game. Some hexes are amazing at all levels (like Flight). So, I guess the class is pretty well balanced for the most part.

On another note, I'm not crazy about them getting lay on hands when they can already get the healing hex, which is amazing in its own right.


Not quite helpful, but I created a template for a white haired witch ghost with all its hair power within the template itself, although tacked onto an actual white haired witch in ghost form would give more similar abilities. I agree that the white haired witch isn't a very well designed archetype, but it makes for a very cool ghost... and can be found in Rite Publishing Haiku of Horror: Autumn Moon Bath House which is an adventure/encounter location and map product.


As mad alchemist was saying, expand on what the hair can do. Maybe it can hold items (not wield), pick up items within reach, help with climb checks. It doesn't have to do a ton, but making it versatile will add to what can be done at 1st level. You have included some abilities that let the witch perform more specialized tasks with the hair. What if, without those hexes, the hair can be used as a clumsy hand with a -5 penalty?


Cheers for the input guys. You're being really helpful and it is super-appreciated and inspiring. :)

I'll mull some of this over. Good call on the lay on hair hex, Cyrad. I had forgotten, for some reason, that they had both that, the healing hex and could nab either cure or inflict spells for free. I may just axe it.

I'm also toying with the idea of throwing out regular hexes altogether, and just keep the ability to pick ninja tricks and instead expand on the 'white-haired hexes'. I might call them witcheries. I do kinda like that idea. Mad alchemist and Ciaran's ideas for abilities that let you wield and carry stuff and do more tricks with the hair (I had this silly idea for tickling people to emulate hideous laughter), combined with the ability to snatch up ninja tricks (which I still wanna keep) might make regular hexes unnecessary. I could still add in a flight-like 'witchery' and stuff like that, but this would keep them from getting slumber and such; it would seem more suitable for them to debuff via the hair anyway.

I'll try and see if I can finagle a reworked version based on these notes during the weekend. Again, cheers gang. Very useful input all around!


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Alright, so, I took some of you guys' advice, some ideas of my own and a few suggestsions off the OOTS homebrew boards and cobbled together a new and improved version:

White-Haired Witch 3.0.

* Hexes are now called witchings, and I've added some new ones. Witchings that add a rider on your prehensile hair attacks (like combat maneuvers, constrict, et cetera) are called 'hair techniques', and you can now only apply one such technique per attack, although you can use any one you know however many times you want in a round.

* I gave the WHW evasion, improved evasion and a Will save counterpart called occlusion and improved occlusion to fill out the dead levels.

* Some new witchings, obviously, giving the WHW more uses for her witchery pool besides adding enhancements to her hair.

* I'm sure there's lots of stuff I've missed and more witchings and such could be added, but for now I think the class seems fine and playable, so...yeah. Again, thanks for the feedback.

Cheers
- Gears

Sovereign Court

I'm really liking what you've done with this. It gives plenty of focus on the hair, but allows the player to customize the class to make it what they want. Allowing someone to select witch hexes for "witchings" is a good idea 'cuz then they have to make a hard decision between those and improving the hair abilities.

Liberty's Edge

Just found this. Way better than the poorly designed but inspirational archetype. Thanks! Did you ever do more work on this?


Good to have some free White-Haired Witchy stuff (in all their various incarnations) out there for PF1e. ;)

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