About Maria Socorro Castillo SantiagoBorn in New Mexico to a Cuban-American father and Mexican mother, Maria was raised most of her life in the Roman Catholic faith. She heard stories about her tío (uncle), who was rumored to be a brujo (witch) but like her parents, she didn't really believe the rumors. When she was 15 her parents and twin brother (to whom she was very close) were killed in a car wreck and as her only family, she was sent to live with her tío. He saw great potential in her and that's when she found out what was true and was not true about the rumors, as her uncle taught her the ways of Santería. Being fairly new to the faith however, she does not treat it with the same respect her tio does, as she not only opened up a occult store (called Belladonna's), but she also uses her talents to tell fortunes, something her tío frowns upon. Human Racial Traits:
+2 to Int: Human characters gain a +2 racial bonus to one ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
Medium: Humans are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size. Normal Speed: Humans have a base speed of 30 feet. Bonus Feat: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level. Comprehensive Education: Humans raised with skilled teachers draw upon vast swathes of knowledge gained over centuries of civilization. They gain all Knowledge skills as class skills, and they gain a +1 racial bonus on skill checks for each Knowledge skill that they gain as a class skill from their class levels. This racial trait replaces skilled. Witch Class Features:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Witches are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor interferes with a witch’s gestures, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.
Spells: A witch casts arcane spells drawn from the witch spell list. A witch must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a witch must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a witch’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the witch’s Intelligence modifier. A witch can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table 2–10. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intelligence score. A witch may know any number of spells. She must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour consulting with her Tarot deck. While communing, the witch decides which spells to prepare. Cantrips: Witches can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on Table 2–10 under “Spells per Day.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again. Cantrips prepared using other spell slots, due to metamagic feats for example, are expended normally. Hex: Witches learn a number of magic tricks, called hexes, that grant them powers or weaken foes. At 1st level, a witch gains one hex of her choice. She gains an additional hex at 2nd level and for every 2 levels attained after 2nd level, as noted on Table 2–10. A witch cannot select an individual hex more than once. Unless otherwise noted, using a hex is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The save to resist a hex is equal to 10 + 1/2 the witch’s level + the witch’s Intelligence modifier. Spell Deck (Fate): Each cartomancer carries a special harrow deck that allows her to communicate with her patron. Its ability to hold spells functions identically to the way a witch’s spells are granted by her familiar. The cartomancer must consult her harrow deck each day to prepare her spells and cannot prepare spells that are not stored in the deck. The spell deck cannot be used for this purpose if any cards are missing. This ability replaces the witch’s familiar. The following familiar ability works differently for a cartomancer. Deliver Touch Spells (Su): At 3rd level, when the cartomancer uses the Deadly Dealer feat with a card from her spell deck, the card is not destroyed and gains the returning weapon special ability. In addition, the cartomancer can deliver a touch spell with a thrown card. This uses the Deadly Dealer feat (see below), except the attack is resolved as a ranged touch attack and the card deals no damage of its own. This ability can be used with any card (not just one from the cartomancer’s spell deck). Deadly Dealer: At 2nd level, a cartomancer gains the Deadly Dealer feat (see sidebar) as a bonus feat, even if she does not meet the prerequisites. The cartomancer gains the benefits of the Arcane Strike feat, but only for the purposes of using Deadly Dealer. This replaces the witch’s 2nd-level hex. Spontaneous Healing (Su): A hedge witch can channel stored spell energy into healing spells that she did not prepare ahead of time. The witch can “lose” any prepared spell that is not an orison in order to cast any cure spell of the same spell level or lower, even if she doesn’t know that cure spell. This replaces the witch’s hex gained at 4th level. Empathic Healing (Su): A hedge witch can minister to a diseased or poisoned target, redirecting the affliction into herself. For a poisoned target, the witch must tend to him as a standard action; he makes his next saving throw against the poison as normal, but the witch suffers the effects of the failed save instead of the poisoned creature. For a diseased target, the witch must tend to the sick person for an hour; he makes his next saving throw against the disease as normal, but the witch suffers the effects of the failed save instead of the diseased creature. The witch does not actually become poisoned or diseased (and is not contagious and does not need to be cured), but suffers the effects of the affliction as if she had been. The witch normally uses this ability to extend the life of someone near death, giving him time to recover. This ability has no effect if the witch is immune to disease or poison. This replaces the witch’s hex gained at 8th level. Drawback:
Haunting Regret: When you were young, a relative with whom you had frequently quarreled passed away where his or her soul could not rest. Now, the unquiet spirit appears around you at inconvenient times, distracting you with regret for being unable to help. You take a –2 penalty on saving throws against the distraction ability of swarms and mind-affecting effects and on concentration checks. Traits:
Outcast's Intuition (Magic): You are able to sense the motives of others and use that sense to bolster your magic against dispelling. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sense Motive checks, and Sense Motive is always a class skill for you. In addition, your caster level is treated as 1 level higher for the purposes of any attempts to dispel your magic.
Priest-Blessed (Faith): You were guided to maturity by a trusted priest of an ecclesiastical tradition, who inspired you and made you understand that the authority exerted by a religious hierarchy is a blessing rather than a restriction, allowing the faithful to always feel confident in their direction and the righteousness of the guided actions. Now, your faith wells up whenever you are aided by divine magic, and you find it easy to open up to the magic and succor of any faith, seeing the similarities between all such traditions. Three times per day when you are the target of a harmless divine spell, you may increase its caster level by 1 for purposes of its effect on you alone. Talented (Dance) (Social): You are a virtuoso dancer. You gain a +1 trait bonus on checks with Perform (Dance), and all Perform skills are always class skills for you. Feats:
Psychic Sensitivity:You gain access to occult skill unlocks for any skills in which you have ranks. If you have no ranks in the appropriate skill, you can’t use the occult skill unlock, even if that skill can be used untrained.
Fortune Teller (Tarot): Upon taking this feat, choose a focus item for your divination magic—a crystal ball, runes, a Harrow deck, or some such item. Whenever you cast a spell from the divination school, you may use this focus item instead of the spell’s material component, as long as the cost of the material component is no more than 1,000 gp. If you choose to perform the spell using your focus item and the spell’s normal material component (regardless of that component’s cost), you cast the spell at +1 caster level. False Focus: By using a divine focus as part of casting, you can cast any spell with a material component costing the value of that divine focus (maximum 100 gp) or less without needing that component. For example, if you use a silver holy symbol worth 25 gp, you do not have to provide material components for an arcane spell if its components are worth 25 gp or less. The casting of the spell still provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. If the spell requires a material component that costs more than the value of the divine focus, you must have the material component on hand to cast the spell, as normal. Skills:
Drive +5
Heal +6 Knowledge (Arcana) +11 Knowledge (Engineering) +8 Knowledge (Religion) +9 Linguistics +5 Perception +2 Perform (Dance) +6 Profession (Merchant) +5 Sense Motive +5 Spellcraft +10 Occult Skills:
Automatic Writing (Linguistics)
Faith Healing (Heal) Phrenology (Knowledge [arcana]) Prognostication (Sense Motive) Read Aura (Perception) Spells:
Cantrips (4) Arcane Mark
1st Level (3) Burning Hands [0]
2nd Level (2) Raven's Flight [0]
Hexes (DC 17):
Slumber (Su) A witch can cause a creature within 30 feet to fall into a deep, magical sleep, as per the spell sleep. The creature receives a Will save to negate the effect. If the save fails, the creature falls asleep for a number of rounds equal to the witch’s level.
This hex can affect a creature of any HD. The creature will not wake due to noise or light, but others can rouse it with a standard action. This hex ends immediately if the creature takes damage. Whether or not the save is successful, a creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day. Equipment:
1967 Shelby Cobra GT 500 with 80% black tinted windows and New Mexico license plate BRUJA. [Purchased with a month's worth of Wealthy Cost of Living, 100g] An extra (cheap) 78-card Tarot deck for throwing (Deadly Dealer) [Purchased with 100g] $16,000 |
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