Witch is the Prettiest Class, my deary?

[Quandary]

couldn't resist that one.... anyway, here's some thoughts on the Witch:

Blight:
"Blighting an area or creature takes 1 round, during which time the witch and her familiar must be in contact with the target."
So for un-willing animal or plant creatures, the Witch must first establish a grapple and the creature not escape before 1 round is over? If this is intended, it should be spelled out directly.
Also: why limited to only animals and plants? it's not the strongest effect, and can only have 1 active at a time, so why not open it to more types?

Vision:
This ability is just VERY vague. Can you choose the subject you want to see? Can you choose the date? Or is it completely random, anything in the next year that conforms the witch's alignment? It at least needs to specify you see YOURSELF in the future if that is the intent, otherwise it could just be a 'morality tale' of a flock of geese. Assuming it IS a Vision of THEIR OWN future, how exactly are different events chosen, presuming there is more than one "Neutral Good" or "Chaotic Evil" event in the upcoming year? I like the flavor for this, and I don't even care if it is THE most 'useful' ability, but it needs tightening up to indicate exactly what it does.

Forced Reincarnation:
So is the creature dead for 1 full round? Can they take their action in the intervening round? Would there be penalties for being "in complete agony"?

Life Giver: (nitpick)
"Once per day the witch can, as a full round action, touch one part of a dead creature and bring it back to life. This functions as resurrection, but it does not require a material component."
The "one part of a" bit is un-necessary and confusing - are you bringing the PART of a creature back to life? Nothing else uses this language, you just say "you touch a creature" and that's it.

Bat Familiar Spell List: "2nd—silent imaage" (typo)

Question about Familiar Bonus Spells:
If you progress Witch Casting, thru Eldritch Knight for example, do you get the Familiar Bonus Spells? (I'm guessing No) If you don't, are they still on your 'spell list', such that you could learn them from another source or those gained automatically each level? (I'm guessing Yes)

[The Grandfather]

To that I would like to add my thoughts on the Coven Hex.

Coven Hex.

[The Grandfather]

Quandary wrote:

Blight:

"Blighting an area or creature takes 1 round, during which time the witch and her familiar must be in contact with the target."
So for un-willing animal or plant creatures, the Witch must first establish a grapple and the creature not escape before 1 round is over? If this is intended, it should be spelled out directly.
Also: why limited to only animals and plants? it's not the strongest effect, and can only have 1 active at a time, so why not open it to more types?

I do not think this ability is intended for combat.

Its more like the witch making a farmers crops die or make his prize bull become irreversibly sick, beyond the ability of any healer.

[Galnörag]

If we are just summing up thoughts and problems, in general, and from experience the witch is a solid class. So some constructive points:

I would like to see the spell list a bit expanded, there was a good thread on that in the original playtest section for witches so I won't expand here. I also expect that the Advanced PHB will have a large spell section (is that confirmed?) and many of them will be witchy or witch only, as well as general utility.

Hexes Ranges/Familiar, I like that most/all of the touch range hexes are now 30' I wounder if that should be increased to short range (25ft+5/2levels)? Just from my experience the extra few feet won't keep away a determined attacker, but it does give you a few more battlefield options, especially cackle. I would like it if the familiar could deliver hexes (even ranged hexes) by touch. Something akin to how they deliver touch spells. This was more important before hexes had range, but I just like the flavour of it.

Familiar cost, okay I know I've beaten this topic to death and then back, but at the current replacement price familiar won't be used for any of their cool abilities. For me, the price for the familiar should stay the same, but the spells should be 100% retained. The familiar being a spiritual conduit, regardless of the form or body it inhabits. Perhaps the ritual is akin to a magic jar where the witch binds supernatural spirit into a natural form. When that form dies the spirit remains and can be bound into a new form. Upon the Witches death the spirit lingers in the body for a day before dispersing (meaning a dead witch who is raised by her party after a day would have to re-summon (which I think is the case now anyways.)) The price in that case still sucks, but it is better then the replacement cost of the whole familiar.

Bonus spells for familiar are kind of clunky, many (not all) but many of those spells belong on the witchs spell list in general, and picking a subset to include just feels forced. I would rather see most of those spells moved to spell list, and see familiars have familiar powers, like something at level 1/8 that are "cool" okay, that is a little vague and late in the game to add. I think maybe a partial solution would be a combination of the two. Move "most" of the familiar spells to the spell list, and let the familiar cast those spells 1/day. (this makes up the 'deficit' someone else pointed out that wizards/clerics on avg get ~1 extra spell per level (for specialist/domain spells.)

Summarizing that last one because I'm confused by is:
-Move spells from "bonus spells" to spell list (where appropriate.)
-Familiars still "teach" "bonus spells"
-Familiars (not witch) may cast each of the bonus spells 1/day (still require components, and the witch must have attained that level of spell.)

Anyways these are all nitpiks, I think the class is fun and playable as is, with the exception of Pathfinder Society, in which case the stipulation is a dead familiar = retired character.

[Spiffy Jim]

The Grandfather wrote:

To that I would like to add my thoughts on the Coven Hex.

Coven Hex.

From reading the original Coven Hex, I believe, the intent is to get the hag spells you actually need a hag in your party. Though, I can see how it could be interpreted to mean that one could make a 'hag' coven without an actual hag in the party. I agree that this should be clearer.

Galnörag wrote:

If we are just summing up thoughts and problems, in general, and from experience the witch is a solid class. So some constructive points:

My 'top 3' points would be:

1) I agree with the point that you should gain *all* spells back if the familiar dies. Maybe have an escalating scale dependant on the level of the witch, but, should get all spells back.

2) Rules on advanced familiar. Hopefully, ones that make the feat worth taking, because, at this point it is not. This is due to the loss of both previously purchased spells and the loss of the bonus spells gained for the species (Cat, Pig, Fox etc) of the original familiar.

3) Clarification on Cackle. Does it affect all targets and applicable effects within 30'?

[Galnörag]

This thread reminded me the wording of Evil Eye's flavour text is too interpretable, it needs to either be mind effecting (and thus thing immune to mind effecting are immune to it, or it needs to be worded a little differently.