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Tridus wrote:

RAW doesn't explicitly say.

Quote:

"A hex is a spell shaped by your patron and sent to you through your familiar, rather than an ability you use directly."

You can definitely read that as "this can't happen if your familiar isn't there" since the hex has to go through your familiar rather than being a direct ability you cast.

I'll agree that it is ambiguous. I'll also take the opposing argument. I'm good at that.

Yup, thats the line I apparently missed reading it the first time. I was hoping the hex trait would have been a more direct source of a clear ruling.

The best I got from the hex trait on hexes is that it uses "your patron's direct attention and intervention." I don't know if that is enough to assert anything. Definitely less so compared to that other line.

Is it more normal that you losing access to features and abilities like that is or isn't explicitly stated?

Either way, I will let my GM know about this since there is no clear RAW. Thank you both!

I’m two games in with my witch and one thing I know for sure is that I need my familiar to refocus. If my familiar is dead, no more focus points for my hex spells other than what I have left until the next day. If I archetype into a way to refocus without my familiar, I thought, problem solved! However, after reading about hexes again, I’m getting the vibe hex spells, including hex cantrips, actually require the familiar’s presence to be used. So I’m thinking my familiar needs to be alive for me to hex. Is that true?

If your GM allows rare, Mosquito witch may be the 'upgrade' to Silence in Snow. Same tradition, similar hex, but the familiar ability is a much more easily posititioned always-on concealment for you or a friend. Constant 20% enemy miss chance for no action cost? Yes please.

I really do like how all of the familiar abilities just work with no rolls. The trade off is it’s coming from the low HP familiar.

The hex looks clunky though. Am I reading it right where the only time sustaining it does anything is if the target critically fails? Not a big deal at first since like the snow hex it’s still damage you can keep flinging around, but you cant cast this one on the same target since they become immune.

In general I think the good witches are very good and it's very obvious what each Witch patron wants to do so unlike some classes you aren't going to be locked out of the most broken combo because you didn't read the 9th level entry (hi Animist). Lessons also lets you buy good spells regardless of tradition. At the very least, at most levels with most players, it's the best Int caster IMO.

I’ve looked through the patrons and this aspect really has me hooked right now. As long as I pick a patron that has both a cantrip and familiar ability that resonates with me, I’m fairly happy. And it’s all realized at level 1!

I’m only at the core patrons right now and I’m really liking the support ones. Faiths flamekeeper and spinner of threads seem really fun and easy to grasp for me as all around number boosters. The familiar abilities not pushing me to get my familiar close to enemies feels comfy too. Some of the offense oriented ones really are tempting, but I’m not mentally there yet.

What I'm gathering so far is that a lot of power has been put into the familiar. Appropriate, but also double-edged since the familiar remains as fragile as ever. I didn't really know what to do with my familiar pre-remaster so this feels all upside to me.

Also, patron choice seems to matter a lot, huh? Is the gap really that big from the resentment patron and the rest though? How comparable is that to how the liturgist is to the animist, because I've seen that one in action?

These are all great reads in tempering my expectations, thank you.

I've wanted to play a Witch since pre-remaster but just never got to it. At last I have a game for it but before I deep dive into it, I was curious what the general vibe toward the Witch is now.

My only experience with building pre-remaster Witches and not playing them is that the main draw for me was the 1-action hex cantrips and lesson spells. At the time I was still learning how to get value out of your third action so being built into the class had me feeling cozy.

With the remaster, most of the early impressions I read is on the hyped up resentment patron, hex immunities being fixed, and familiars getting more involved. So, a lot of good things!

Needless to say I'm kind of ignorant on both Witch versions. Now that some time has passed, how well did the remaster really improve the Witch?