| 5 people marked this as FAQ candidate. 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Got a few questions... First off, the ability in question.
White Hair (Su)
At 1st level, a white-haired witch gains the ability to use her hair as a weapon. This functions as a primary natural attack with a reach of 5 feet. The hair deals 1d4 points of damage (1d3 for a Small witch) plus the witch’s Intelligence modifier. In addition, whenever the hair strikes a foe, the witch can attempt to grapple that foe with her hair as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity, using her Intelligence modifier in place of her Strength modifier when making the combat maneuver check. When a white-haired witch grapples a foe in this way, she does not gain the grappled condition.
At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, a white-haired witch’s hair adds 5 feet to its reach, to a maximum of 30 feet at 20th level.
The hair cannot be sundered or attacked as a separate creature.
In addition, a white-haired witch further improves her ability to control her hair as she progresses in level, gaining the following abilities:
Constrict (Ex): At 2nd level, when the white-haired witch’s hair successfully grapples an opponent, it can begin constricting her victim as a free action, dealing damage equal to that of its attack.
Trip (Ex): At 4th level, a white-haired witch who successfully strikes a foe with her hair can attempt a combat maneuver check to trip the creature as a free action.
Pull (Ex): At 6th level, a white-haired witch who successfully strikes a foe with her hair can attempt a combat maneuver check to pull the creature 5 feet closer to her as a free action.
Strangle (Ex): At 8th level, when the white-haired witch’s hair is grappling with an opponent, that creature is considered strangled, and cannot speak or cast spells with verbal components.
This ability replaces hex.
Now, a few questions...
1) Does the WHW use her INT mod on grapple maintains as well?
2) The Constrict ability means she qualifies for Final Embrace, right?
3a) How does Ability Focus (Constrict) apply to this, if at all?
3b) For that matter, is Ability Focus (White Hair) possible? If so, how?
4) I'll assume with DM permission (as with all monster feats), Improved Natural Attack (White Hair) is doable?
5) What, exactly, is the action for maintaining the grapple? I'll assume standard.
6) What exactly happens when you grapple someone beyond 5ft? Do they get dragged to an adjacent square, or does it act like the whip's grapple?
That's all I can think of for now.
1: As written, you ONLY use your Int for a CMB check when its specifically the one granted by hitting with a melee attack.
2: Sure.
3: I dont believe there is any interaction with Ability Focus. It increases save DC's, and there is no save DC associated with any of these abilities.
4: Yup.
5: Its as normal. In most cases, this is a standard action, but some feats, namely Greater Grapple/Rapid Grappler can change that.
6: As written, you pull them adjacent. Yeah, that seems to make Pull somewhat redundant.
My next gestalt character will have to be a tetori/whw. Oh yes.
|
@6. Gonna have to disagree with you there Krispy, Pull is actually an decent buff to the CMB check.
As written now when the hair hits the target you get a grapple check and if it succeeds then you move the target adjacent to you.
With the pull ability it gives you a second chance to move the target if the initial grapple attempt fails.
One other point, there is an errata on this archetype that changes the action cost on all these powers. They are no longer free actions, they've been updated to swift actions now.
@6. Gonna have to disagree with you there Krispy, Pull is actually an decent buff to the CMB check.
Well, I have revised my prior opinion on the ability from 'completely redundant' to 'somewhat redundant' :)
|
| 4 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
I'm aware the intent is probably that they replace the hexes gained at even levels, but that doesn't appear to be as explicit as it could be.
Someone who's reading it as written could argue that this is one hex, that replaces the initial hex at first level, and gets better as the witch levels up, taking other hexes as normal.
(To the Developers: Yeah, I know, that's probably not what you meant, however it is what got wrote. And it's not like there isn't precedent for hexes that improve with level, while leaving you free to take other hexes, e.g Healing.)
I believe the final line should be amended to read "This ability replaces the hexes gained at levels 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8."
And a similar rewording for the rogue talents; "This ability replaces the major hexes and/or grand hexes gained at levels 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20."
I'm also aware that there's no benefit to also taking the Prehensile Hair hex, but could there be a line to the effect that the effects don't combine? That would remove the possibility of someone asking "What if I take White Haired Witch at level 1, and Prehensile Hair at level 2; do I get some kind of improvement?"
Finally, should the WHW archetype also allow for the same flavour as the Prehensile Hair hex, insofar as allowing the user to animate their facial whiskers?
One other point, there is an errata on this archetype that changes the action cost on all these powers. They are no longer free actions, they've been updated to swift actions now.
Link, please. d20pfsrd does not include this, and that's such a horrendously awful nerf to an already crappy archetype I really do need to see it to believe it.
One other point, there is an errata on this archetype that changes the action cost on all these powers. They are no longer free actions, they've been updated to swift actions now.Link, please. d20pfsrd does not include this, and that's such a horrendously awful nerf to an already crappy archetype I really do need to see it to believe it.
If the errata has been applied, it'll be in the PDF.
Wow, that is horrific. PF Society people complained WHW was overpowered?! And the designers actually nerfed the archetype for everyone based on that? And by a post in some thread, not in an FAQ or errata or the like? Just...no words...
Neither of those is broken, either. >_>
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
They didn't even fix it before they "fixed" it.
Now another question on this topic.
I have a players looking be a Monk/WHW would he use his unarmed strike damage when making an attack with the hair?
for that matter would he gain all the approriate monk bonuses when grappling with the hair?
hello?
As far as I know he would get the bonuses as long as they are not attack specific, but not the unarmed strike damage.
The hair is a natural weapon, it does not use unarmed damage. Note he cannot add natural attacks to the end of a flurry of blows, but can to basically any other full attack action. Add in how borked the whole flurry rules are right now, and I suggest he play a Master of Many Styles or perhaps Maneuver Master for his monk archetype, to get rid of flurry of blows for something more synergistic with the hair.
|
However, if the monk/white-haired witch were to take the feats Feral Combat Training (white hair) and Monastic Legacy, then he could not only add the white hair as part of the flurry, but also the monk's unarmed strike damage would apply as well. Of course, that would mean that your monk could not lose Still Mind as a class feature (required for Monastic Legacy), but half of your witch levels would apply to the monk levels for the purpose of determining unarmed strike damage.