Through a series of early RP events, my Witch character started her career as a worshipper of Calistria. In order to respond to the Vengeance portion of Calistria's influence, my DM and I crafted a Patron set from whom my character receives her powers:
Vengeance: 2nd—inflict light wounds, 4th—feast of ashes, 6th—pain strike, 8th—fear, 10th—suffocation, 12th—flesh to stone, 14th—harm, 16th—destruction, 18th—wail of the banshee
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I could see a patron and the Witch worshipping the same god.
I can see an even larger case of the patron claiming that they worship the same god.
I mean, you've got the not-yet witch praying to Calistria for revenge against her former lover. Enter some entity that claims to be working for Calistria, and that it was sent by Calistria in answer to her prayers, and they just need to set up relations so the woman can become a witch, get a familiar, and learn a few hexes so she can go about that revenge business herself.
It's up to the GM whether the patron actually does work for Calistria, but if regular people in the physical world can lie about who they are and what they serve--if anything aside from themselves--there should be nothing stopping mysterious entities from doing the same thing, apart from the regular risks inherent in saying you're an agent of the Goddess of Revenge when you're actually not. That said, if Calistria doesn't have time or interest in smiting every two-bit charlatan or fake love philter seller, she probably won't get around to auditing a bunch of nebulous spirits who chat with women who like cats.
Of course, one expects that your average witch's patron isn't going to give a straight answer to most questions. Let it tell the witch "I heard your prayers." If asked "Are you Calistria?" have it answer "I answer to many names. That one will do as well as any."
It's not like your average which is going to conducting a lengthy interview process with prospective patrons.
By the same token, even if the patron is actually evil, it shouldn't start hissing like some Chick Tract pantomime devil "You foolish girl! You're supposed to serve Asmodeus, for he is our true master and yours as well!" I mean, what happens to "mysterious"?
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My Chelish(is that right?) witch Angela had no deity for a long time. Just recently she accompanied some fellow pathfinders into a dungeon to stop some followers of Zyphus. She was so impressed by this deity that she decided to convert. She leveled up afterwards and I decided it was only fitting that she take the misfortune hex. Her patron is agility though, which looked interesting so I took it, but nothing to do with accidents. So she has an agile patron and a god of accidents. Any suggestions?
My Chelish(is that right?) witch Angela had no deity for a long time. Just recently she accompanied some fellow pathfinders into a dungeon to stop some followers of Zyphus. She was so impressed by this deity that she decided to convert. She leveled up afterwards and I decided it was only fitting that she take the misfortune hex. Her patron is agility though, which looked interesting so I took it, but nothing to do with accidents. So she has an agile patron and a god of accidents. Any suggestions?
Actually, that's kind of interesting, as the witch is agile enough to avoid misfortunes herself.
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I could see a patron and the Witch worshipping the same god.I can see an even larger case of the patron claiming that they worship the same god.
I mean, you've got the not-yet witch praying to Calistria for revenge against her former lover. Enter some entity that claims to be working for Calistria, and that it was sent by Calistria in answer to her prayers, and they just need to set up relations so the woman can become a witch, get a familiar, and learn a few hexes so she can go about that revenge business herself.
It's up to the GM whether the patron actually does work for Calistria, but if regular people in the physical world can lie about who they are and what they serve--if anything aside from themselves--there should be nothing stopping mysterious entities from doing the same thing, apart from the regular risks inherent in saying you're an agent of the Goddess of Revenge when you're actually not. That said, if Calistria doesn't have time or interest in smiting every two-bit charlatan or fake love philter seller, she probably won't get around to auditing a bunch of nebulous spirits who chat with women who like cats.
Of course, one expects that your average witch's patron isn't going to give a straight answer to most questions. Let it tell the witch "I heard your prayers." If asked "Are you Calistria?" have it answer "I answer to many names. That one will do as well as any."
It's not like your average which is going to conducting a lengthy interview process with prospective patrons.
By the same token, even if the patron is actually evil, it shouldn't start hissing like some Chick Tract pantomime devil "You foolish girl! You're supposed to serve Asmodeus, for he is our true master and yours as well!" I mean, what happens to "mysterious"?
I love this! Great stuff, Kevin.
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In the Legacy of Fire game I'm currently in, we have two witches in the party, a half-elf and her half-orc sister. (Their mom was... kind of wild. ;) ) They have different patrons, and the half-orc is agnostic, while the half-elf just converted to the worship of Sarenrae.
Personally, I see the connection between a witch and her patron as being somewhat more distant than that of a cleric and his deity. The patron doesn't necessarily want anything more specific than eyes and ears out in the world, and the relationship between the patron and the witch could be an entirely businesslike affair. A witch who wants a spiritual connection would be just as prone to seek out religion as anyone else, I think. On the other hand, a witch could just as easily worship her patron directly, as sort of an arcane priest. (I'm actually including witches as "mage-priests" in my upcoming post-apocalyptic fantasy Dark Sun ripoff. XD )
Jeremy Puckett
I'm playing a witch in a homebrew campaign in a homebrew game world. In it, the primary elements (fire, water, earth, and air) are controlled by four elemental sisters. They're a mix of elementals and demons.
They're not "goddesses" per-se, and although they exist as personified entities, it's more about worshiping the element itself.
My witch has a fire flavoring, and as such "worships" the "goddess" of fire. It is her goal to one day meet her, by traveling to the elemental plane, and receive her blessings.
Her "patron" is elements, so she gets a splattering of fire spells (along with some frost and electric spells).
Haha. I had not thought of it like that KnighterrantJr. So rocks fall by "accident" and everyone dies, except for my witch who just happened to have her jump spell cast on her and leaps to safety. This is going to get interesting.
In any healthy polytheistic society some deities and spirits are prayed to and served offering not to gain their attention but to direct their attention somewhere else... Like deities of pestilence, famine and misfortune. Thus Agility Patron might represent lack of attention of god of accidents or his mercy over you due to worship.
I'm running two witches right now (What can I say, I really like the class)
One is a Priest of Urgathoa, so I figure His patron is probably somewhere in her helpers (or even her, seeing as he's level 15 now)
Plague Patron kind of helps too.
the Other Follows Desna, Chaotic Good Healy type, that spent the first 2 books of CotCT trying his hardest to get a Guard's Uniform, and Now he has one =D
Trickery Patron, but I haven't put much thought to what it is, It could be a demon for all I know, I just use the patron's powers to fix people.
Both of them are Pureblood Varisians, and carry their Family scarf with them everywhere.
Currently just selected a diety much like a cleric and left the DMs strange imagination out of the equation........
Since DMs (some not all) seem to think it is funny for the patron for the LG PC to be the lord of the nine hells or some such, followed immediately by the "whimsical" loss of all abilities at the worst possible opportunity.....
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Mine isn't devout, but she passingly venerates Pharasma, Nethys, Norboger (as the Reaper of Reputation), and Abraxas.
Who her "Uncle Yrre" is, the master of her hairless, tattooed monkey familiar, and who whispers in her mind in the middle of the night isn't clear -- Abraxas passing on forgotten lore better left unremembered, Norborger dispensing secrets & lies, Nethys talking to himself?