TL;DR: I like witches, but have some problems with them. I wanted to try and design a prestige class to fill a niche that I think is unoccupied. This is a link to the class; I want opinions on how to revise it to make it better.
Hello all,
I'm still within my first year of playing Pathfinder and I find that I learn systems better when trying to make things within them. I'm in two campaigns, but my longest character between them is also my first: a witch, who wants to establish a coven and later become the leader of this powerful force.
Though I like the witch class, I have a few problems with it.
Foremost among them is that many of the witch's unique options (Hexes and Archetypes) are either (A) seemingly designed for NPCs or (B) shoe-horn the witch into evil. While some helpful hexes exist (Healing hex, Ward, Fortune etc.), many of the other unique options available to witches are underwhelming, like the Nails, Cursed Wound, and Charm hexes. Or, very obviously more evil than not: Evil Eye, Misfortune, Poison Steep hexes, for example. While many hexes can be flavored to be less apparently evil, I'd like to see some more options for the witch. I feel as though most witches will wind up taking the same main hexes (e.g. Evil Eye, Slumber, Flight, Prehensile Hair) for lack of more diverse options. As debuff-specialized class, I understand how it's easy to have the witch's strongest options lean more towards evil. But still.
The witch archetypes face similar problems to the hexes. The White-Haired Witch archetype, while great for multiclassing into something else, doesn't seem to give a straight WHW much to keep pace with other members of the group. The Bouda, Dark Sister, Gravewalker, and Veneficus witch are all pretty evil in theme. The Hedge Witch can certainly move away from that, but the rest of the archetypes have - for all of my reading around - not much in the way of appealing strengths with the exception of niche cases (Sea Witch) or additional "dark" themed archetypes like the pre-errata Scarred Witch Doctor.
I have some problems with the witch spell list as well, largely in that they seem to be lacking many of the spells that can easily be associated with witches. Why wouldn't a witch gain access to Mage Hand and Prestidigitation, apparent staples of arcane cantrips? Or Silent Image? It helps me to view the witch as the "rogues" of arcane casters, favoring subtlety over brute force of magic, but the ability to cast illusions is strongly associated with witch lore and that a patron is necessary to achieve that sits poorly with me.
Further, I would like to see more witch-focused Prestige Classes beyond the Winter Witch. I think there is a lot of fertile ground in a range of further archetypes and Prestige Classes aimed towards the witch, and towards that end I have tried to draft one:
The Witchlord
The Witchlord was shamelessly made with my character's goal in mind. With it, I wanted to focus on a few things:
- The Coven hex
- The Leadership feat
- Introducing a range of hexes that supplement and provide alternatives to existing hexes
- Try to fill the "Witch Queen" design space. The Witchlord Prestige Class should be a boon to witch (or classes/archetypes that grant the Hex class feature) who wants to establish herself as the leader of a magical organization and do her work both herself and through envoys of her authority.
See the Witchlord prestige class here.
The Witchlord's four main class features are as follows:
Coven Casting
A lesser version of the coven casting ability available to hags.
Coven casting allows a Witchlord, at every odd level, to add two spells she knows with cast times equal to 1 round or less to a list of Spell-Like Abilities that she and two other members of her coven can spend a full-round action to cast. The selected spells can be of a spell level no higher than the highest spell level she is able to cast - 2.
The initial version of this class allowed the witchlord, at max level, to be the hag in her own coven and open up the same coven casting ability as hags have to her coven members. I thought that might be too strong, and so toned it down into this. A Witchlord 7 will have 14 Spell-Like Abilities she can only use with her followers. This is necessarily limiting - not everyone goes around with two subordinates - but does provide the witchlord with a unique repository effects to fall back on in times of need.
Witchery
Though witchlord's gain hexes at pre-determined levels, witchlord levels stack levels of a class that grants the Hex feature (Witch, Hexcrafter Magus, Shaman) for determining all other effects of hexes, like DCs, durations, etc. Additionally, the witchlord can select from a list of new hexes whenever she gains a hex.
These new hexes are intended to permit some remote work on behalf of the witchlord (Envoy, Enter Image, Hex Bag), to supplement hexes the Witchlord has by enabling more flexible use (Imbue Hex to allow an ally to use flight or Disguise hexes; Hex Bag to use the Waxen Image hex at long-range, combined with scrying or a similar spell), or to simply increase the witchlord's immediate power in a given situation (Circle Magic hex's CL bonus, Icon of the Witch's preparation advantage). Others have been created simply as a method of conveying the class's theme (Witch's Decree and Compelling Words' sense of authority and control) or because I saw the Vin Diesel's The Last Witch Hunter and it was exactly the kind of movie I expected it to be (the source of the Eternal Reign grand hex).
Witch's Whispers
A witchlord should have a good connection with her subjects. Witch's Whispers is an attempt to make that connection apparent. It benefits the witchlord who sends her envoys across the nation to do her bidding by informing her of their welfare, and also permits a witchlord who travels with her companions to benefit from more strategy by increasing the distance at which her companions can supplement her magical might.
Coven Lordship
I wanted a witchlord to be able to benefit from an increased range of hexes to select. Given that the class is a 7-level dip, and is first available at level 7, it's unlikely that many witchlords will access the witchlord grand hexes.
Coven Lordship was designed with this in mind. A witchlord who stops leveling in the class just doesn't stop leading a coven; she should be able to grow in power as she leads her organization. Coven Lordship's position as a capstone ability does require the witchlord to commit to the Prestige Class to gain its benefits, but doesn't leave the witchlord high and dry for wanting to pursue a career path for herself before level 11.
I'm looking for thoughts on the Prestige Class. Ideas for hexes or features, nerfs/buffs to the same, design thoughts, etc. Though this is version 2.0, this is still very much a rough draft by an unlearned player.
The coven lordship description in the post above is outdated. I will update it shortly.
I can't seem to edit my initial post. Replace Coven Lordship's description with the following:
I wanted a witchlord to be able to feel powerful and connected without having to lug around her followers everywhere she went. Coven Casting is a potentially very strong ability, which should be available to a witchlord who made the commitment more often than just whenever she and her gang get together.
Coven Lordship lets the witch - as long as she has 10 minutes of prep time - call a meeting of her lieutenants via Astral Projection once per day. A witch with sufficient notice of an icoming fight can therefore call upon a number of other, loyal followers to aid her in her efforts, hold a meeting of her coven leaders, and otherwise manage her network of witches. With the proper selection of SLA's with Coven Casting, a witchlord could supply herself with the buffs of the day through a remote commune with her followers.
Coven Casting increases access to the benefits of the Prestige Class's features, at the cost of being able to only do it once per day and only for a few minutes.
What strikes me first is that this class seems to be made for an NPC. I understand that your witch would like to build a coven, but how much time does your character actually spend hanging out with other witches hatching schemes to further the goals of your patron? These is certainly the pastimes of a NPC witch.
CLASS SKILLS
Is it fair to assume that all who enter this class are witches? If so, then you might as well trim down the skill list. There is no harm in granting a few, but what skills does the witchlord gain that she did not already have by being a witch?
COVEN CASTING
-You might limit the spell's casting time to "standard action". I can't think of any full-round action spells.
-There is no reason to choose to retrain one or two old spells to new ones. As written, you can add two spell to the list, or you can change one or two old ones. You should rethink this. Perhaps write up a chart, similar to a witch's list of spell/day.
-Is there any limit on the number of times per day this can be used, or are the spell-like abilities unlimited?
FAMILIAR
This class feature seems to be missing.
I really appreciate your thoughts. Thanks for checking the class out!
The NPC-oriented nature of the class is something that has come up previously. I think it's mitigated because of the Imbue Hex ability allowing a witchlord to use coven casting so long as she has a coven-member (Leadership's provided cohort, which I don't think is an unusual thing to travel with) and an ally willing to accept the coven hex via Imbue Hex. That said, because Imbue Hex is not a feature each witchlord is going to have - it's a choice that can be made, like any hex - this may not be the best argument against the class's NPC nature.
Most people who enter the class will be witches, but I attempted to ensure that others can, so long as they have access to the hex class feature. This includes Hexcrafter Magi as well as Shamans. Unfortunately, this doesn't include Accursed Bloodline sorcerers, since they cannot have the coven hex, even though their Bloodline arcana ostensibly allows them to be members of a witchlord's coven.
The ability of Magi, Shaman, and Sorcerers is also the reason why I have avoided referencing familiars in the class description. Magi and Sorcerers don't necessarily have familiars, and as such I didn't want to push that feature.
The full-round action needed to use Coven's Casting SLA's is based upon the rules of a hag's coven. A hag's coven requires it's three members to take a full-round action in order to use the SLA's, as you can see here.
Good point on the ability to replace SLA's. There is no limit currently on the number of times an SLA can be cast. Perhaps there should be, but before we determine that please check out the revisions I mention in this post.
In a larger sense, I'm looking to rework the Coven Casting ability along the following lines:
1. Select any spell on the wizard/sorcerer, druid, or cleric/oracle list that (A) has a cast time of one round or less and (B) is of a spell level 1 below the highest level of spell you can cast.
2. The witchlord and two members of her coven (i.e. individuals with the coven hex or Accursed Bloodline Sorcerers) within 10 feet may all take a full-round action to take part in a form of cooperative magic, using a selected spell as a Spell-Like Ability.
3. Save DCs are determined using the witchlord's normal DCs for a spell of that level. The caster level for each spell is equal to the witchlord's caster level or the highest CL available (to account for coven-hex users beyond the two participating).
What if the Imbue Hex ability instead became a class feature, specific to the coven-hex? This could replace Witch's Whispers and do the following:
1. Allow the witchlord, once per day, to annoint an ally (increasing up to 3 over the class's levels) as a member of her coven, granting them access to the Coven hex for [some number of minutes]. The witchlord gains a Telepathic Bond (as per the spell) with each member of her coven within [some large number of feet.]
2. The range at which the witchlord can use or receive the Aid Another action via the coven hex, and at which she can use Coven Casting, increases by [5/10/15] feet.
This reduces the need of the witchlord to lug around her followers with her everywhere, and also allows the capstone - Coven Lordship - a bit more weight in its ability to summon and therefore communicate with coven members from vast distances.