one of the things i love about the witch is the class ability to use magic powers all day long. the other caster classes fell like playing a card game with their daily spells and that is not what fantasy has for magic users.
question to the devs: are the witch hexes a prototype for a future magic system that wont have spells per day?
The hexes do give the witch a lot more lasting power than a class like wizard, but they still do have a limit on them usually in the form of once per foe, per 24 hours. This can really become troublesome once you have used all your hexes debuffing a dragon just for it to fly farther into its lair to grab a few potions from its treasure hoard and then come back with full health and a recharged breath weapon all after your hexes have expired =/.
The hexes do give the witch a lot more lasting power than a class like wizard, but they still do have a limit on them usually in the form of once per foe, per 24 hours. This can really become troublesome once you have used all your hexes debuffing a dragon just for it to fly farther into its lair to grab a few potions from its treasure hoard and then come back with full health and a recharged breath weapon all after your hexes have expired =/.
thats why I asked if it was a prototype. they could be testing how to balance unlimited uses of abilities that require saves
so, nobody else has a feeling that the hexes are a prelude to a more fantasy friendly system in the future?
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I doubt that the paizo does any testing at this time for a second edition. Even if they were, the vancian magic system probably won't go. It has been part of D&D since its earliest days, and every edition (exept 4th, of course) brought some amount of debate why they wouldn't change it. Some players really like it, some really dislike it.
There have been alternate systems, but paizo didn't even present an alternate system in UM, so I guess, they belong to the "like it" crowd (fine by me).
Classes like the Witch or the Warlock (3.5) and mechanics like bloodline powers are a welcome addition for those who dislike the dayly slots, but I don't think (or hope) they will replace the old classes.
I doubt it was a test. The Hex system that the witch has is similar to the system used by Warlocks in 3.5, so the dev's had some background already on balance.
It's just a way to make the witch different from other spellcasters.
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It has been part of D&D since its earliest days, and every edition (exept 4th, of course) brought some amount of debate why they wouldn't change it.
It is actually in 4th as well, just not as pronounced, but a wizard two daily abilities when any other class gets one, but he must choose which to prepare on a given day.
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I can't speak as to Sean or Jason, but the posts I've seen by James Jacobs on potential psionics indicates he's a pretty bug Vancian system supporter. I don't think hexes are a sign of things to come for magic in general.
There are systems out there than let a caster potentially infinite castings, but many of those (Shadowrun being the most familiar to me) have a backlash or fatigue mechanic. At will castings would require a pretty big overhaul, and nothing I've seen indicates any desire for that sort of switch up.
[edited for clarity... stupid pronouns]
so, no hope for new systems, sigh...
...but I'm an optimist guy, and I have faith the paizo folks will someday direct their brilliant 3.5 fixing minds into a new magic system.