Witches spell list

[Warren Specter]

I noticed that detect undead is not on the witches spell list, or did i miss an errata somewhere?

Any help would be great.

[Mabven the OP healer]

You get it as a 2nd level bonus spell if you choose a Plague patron.

[Warren Specter]

Not really what the player had in mind for her character, I think. Is there another way she could learn it?

[Richard Leonhart]

ask the GM nicely, it's not that big of a deal, is it?
also, while (s)he's at it, ask for the flying monkey spell. I bet it was designed with the witch in mind, she didn't get it.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Witch spell list is all sorts of "wtf?"

They don't get Hideous Laughter. They don't get Hideous-freaking-Laughter!!! I can't THINK of a more iconic "witch spell" than that (ok, maybe baleful polymorph, which they do get)! And they get almost every other enchanment (compulsion)...

(Yeah, a patron offers it. That's dumb. All witches should have Hideous Laughter. :) )

[CalebTGordan]

While doing the spell guide, I keep coming across spells that I think should be on the witch spell list. This disappoints me because I am going to be playing my first witch soon, and there are spells that I would love to have access to that are also very well suited for the witch.

[StreamOfTheSky]

After doing a witch handbook and rating / going through all their spells, you really do notice many many holes where it's like, "why isn't this a witch spell?"

I'm starting to think that not just having a poor and narrowly focused spell list, but also missing several notably strong spells from the few areas witch DOES cover (like enchantment) was paizo's twisted method of "balancing" the power of the hexes, in particular the save or lose ones like Slumber and Ice Tomb. At least, that's the only explanation that makes sense to me.

[CalebTGordan]

Maybe someone should compile a list of spells that should be on the list and post it for players and GMs who wouldn't mind expanding the lists for their home game.

Who knows, maybe we could stir up enough interest to convince Paizo to add a few of them.

[pad300]

Yes, the witches spell list has pretty much always been a little gimped. They have avoided giving them "power" spells, presumably for balancing effect. They have also tried not to cut into other classes "niche".

For example, to avoid stepping on the cleric/oracle toes, they avoided any form of ability damage healing (unless you get into the healing patron). To avoid stepping on the toes of arcane buff effects, no haste (and no Blessing of Fervor, the clerical equivalent either).