Why is the Winter Witch Prestige Class not legal for play? (Paths of Prestige)


Pathfinder Society

1/5

I have a friend that was really excited about the flavor of the Winter Witch prestige class and already started making one using GM credits. However, I see that it is not included in the list of approved Prestige Classes from Paths of Prestige

When looking at the Winter Witch Prestige class, I'm really not seeing anything that would be overpowered for players. The witch loses new hexes in exchange for some light Oracle-level flavor abilities, like thawing and sculpting ice and snow, ignoring half of cold resistance, and seeing through blizzards. The winter witch gains one hex, "Ice Tomb", which is quite powerful but is currently legal for regular witches to take at level 10 (same level as the Winter Witch).

Now, all of the things the Winter Witch Prestige gains after level 13 are incredibly powerful, but seeing as this would be after retirement, I don't know why this would be an issue.

Is it really intentionally banned or have all the archetypes not been approved yet? Will other Prestige Classes from Paths of Prestige become available? I see that only 19 out of the 30 are currently approved.

5/5 *

A lot of the prestige classes are not favorable for the campaign in terms of flavor. Most obvious example is Aspis Agent, as it would be in direct conflict with the Pathfinder Society. The White Witches are notoriously... Evil-ish and are usually antagonists in Golarion. A lot of other PrCs are in the same boat.

That said:

1. Mike has stated that some prestige classes may get unlocked by chronicle sheets during season 4/future. White witch might be in that group

2. Your friend could look into the White Witch ARCHETYPE, which if memory serves me correctly is still legal.

Shadow Lodge

It has already been stated that atleast Hellknight Signifier will become legal sometime in September, the same might be true for Winter Witch.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
davidernst11 wrote:


Is it really intentionally banned or have all the archetypes not been approved yet? Will other Prestige Classes from Paths of Prestige become available? I see that only 19 out of the 30 are currently approved.

Some things are meant to be rare. This might be one of those that will be unlocked by special boons.

Shadow Lodge 2/5

CRobledo wrote:

A lot of the prestige classes are not favorable for the campaign in terms of flavor. Most obvious example is Aspis Agent, as it would be in direct conflict with the Pathfinder Society. The White Witches are notoriously... Evil-ish and are usually antagonists in Golarion. A lot of other PrCs are in the same boat.

That said:

1. Mike has stated that some prestige classes may get unlocked by chronicle sheets during season 4/future. White witch might be in that group

2. Your friend could look into the White Witch ARCHETYPE, which if memory serves me correctly is still legal.

This is basically what I've been hearing as well (want to build a gray gardener myself) I really hope that option one is confirmed and quickly as I would love to work my way towards these adventures to "earn" these prestige classes. Also on a slightly tangential note I could totally see a winter witch in pfs as many of them spawn outside irrisen and may bear no connection to the winter witches as an organization. Would also love to see an aspis agent option as a special reward that you earned as either part of going deep under cover with the consortium and learning their secrets or say being an ex agent seeking to use your skills for greater ends.

1/5

That is pretty cool, actually. I'll look forward to playing a scenario where the big bad guy is a Winter Witch (PrC), and maybe that will unlock the Prestige Class for my friend. In the meantime, I'll tell him he can put levels into the regular Winter Witch, hoping one day it will become unlocked, with a chronicle or boon if nothing else.

Still, it would be a weird class to unlock with a chronicle sheet, seeing as you kind of have to specifically choose to be a Winter Witch by level 1 in order to qualify for it.

Grand Lodge 4/5

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Winter witch will become legal in September additional resources, along with Hellknight Signifier. Since I can't guarantee a special boon in a specific scenario for either one, both will be opened up for anyone to take as an option.

5/5 *

Aaaaand there you go

1/5

Thanks Mike! I'll let him know!

Shadow Lodge 2/5

Michael Brock wrote:
Winter witch will become legal in September additional resources, along with Hellknight Signifier. Since I can't guarantee a special boon in a specific scenario for either one, both will be opened up for anyone to take as an option.

Dare I ask? Will the gray gardener become open to play as well *-*?

Grand Lodge 4/5

doc the grey wrote:
Michael Brock wrote:
Winter witch will become legal in September additional resources, along with Hellknight Signifier. Since I can't guarantee a special boon in a specific scenario for either one, both will be opened up for anyone to take as an option.
Dare I ask? Will the gray gardener become open to play as well *-*?

Probably not.

Shadow Lodge 2/5

Michael Brock wrote:
doc the grey wrote:
Michael Brock wrote:
Winter witch will become legal in September additional resources, along with Hellknight Signifier. Since I can't guarantee a special boon in a specific scenario for either one, both will be opened up for anyone to take as an option.
Dare I ask? Will the gray gardener become open to play as well *-*?
Probably not.

Really *-*? I was soo excited after reading him to build a executioner searching for lost relics from his home country with my con boons. Anyway we can get the reasoning behind this?

Grand Lodge 4/5

Sure, I will go against my normal course of action and provide a reason. Let's see if this conversations stays civil or takes a negative turn.

Gray Gardeners generally never leave Galt. They serve as executioners almost exclusively and only in Galt. The only time they ever really leave Galt is to hunt down traitors to the nation of Galt, not go to collect lost artifacts. Essentially, they don't care about lost artifacts of Galt. They only care about bringing traitors of the country to justice. They simply don't fit into the Pathfinder Society.

On a side note, this particular PrC would be particularly troublesome in Eyes of Ten, part 1.

Shadow Lodge 2/5

Michael Brock wrote:

Sure, I will go against my normal course of action and provide a reason. Let's see if this conversations stays civil or takes a negative turn.

Gray Gardeners generally never leave Galt. They serve as executioners almost exclusively and only in Galt. The only time they ever really leave Galt is to hunt down traitors to the nation of Galt, not go to collect lost artifacts. Essentially, they don't care about lost artifacts of Galt. They only care about bringing traitors of the country to justice. They simply don't fit into the Pathfinder Society.

On a side note, this particular PrC would be particularly troublesome in Eyes of Ten, part 1.

Thank you for the quick answer Sir, though I am sad that my gray gardener with catch off guard won't see the light of day in organized play I am happy to at least get a good answer from the top. Will say though here's hoping that we get a reason for them to join up later...

Side question: may I ask why this would be trouble with the eyes of the ten?

Grand Lodge 4/5

doc the grey wrote:


Thank you for the quick answer Sir, though I am sad that my gray gardener with catch off guard won't see the light of day in organized play I am happy to at least get a good answer from the top. Will say though here's hoping that we get a reason for them to join up later...

Side question: may I ask why this would be trouble with the eyes of the ten?

Have you played or GMed part 1 yet? If not, I don't want to spoil it for you.

Dark Archive 4/5

If you keep making all this cool stuff legal I'm going to go broke.

Shadow Lodge 2/5

Michael Brock wrote:
doc the grey wrote:


Thank you for the quick answer Sir, though I am sad that my gray gardener with catch off guard won't see the light of day in organized play I am happy to at least get a good answer from the top. Will say though here's hoping that we get a reason for them to join up later...

Side question: may I ask why this would be trouble with the eyes of the ten?

Have you played or GMed part 1 yet? If not, I don't want to spoil it for you.

No not yet, part of why I was so interested in all this as I am just starting to get PFS games running near where I live and was looking into stuff I might want to run with my friends who are all new to PFS play and almost never get to see me actually play (I'm usually the gm). Suffice it to say I'm torn on whether I still want to just make an abadaran inquisitor from galt, my nagaji druid, or the lamashtan/azathtoh worshiping kellid oracle.

Silver Crusade 4/5

doc the grey wrote:
Michael Brock wrote:
doc the grey wrote:


Thank you for the quick answer Sir, though I am sad that my gray gardener with catch off guard won't see the light of day in organized play I am happy to at least get a good answer from the top. Will say though here's hoping that we get a reason for them to join up later...

Side question: may I ask why this would be trouble with the eyes of the ten?

Have you played or GMed part 1 yet? If not, I don't want to spoil it for you.
No not yet, part of why I was so interested in all this as I am just starting to get PFS games running near where I live and was looking into stuff I might want to run with my friends who are all new to PFS play and almost never get to see me actually play (I'm usually the gm). Suffice it to say I'm torn on whether I still want to just make an abadaran inquisitor from galt, my nagaji druid, or the lamashtan/azathtoh worshiping kellid oracle.

Having recently played Eyes of the Ten, I know what he's talking about. Let's just say that the retirement arc takes place partially in Galt, and leave it at that. Given the political situation in the nation of Galt, playing other characters from that nation probably wouldn't be an issue, but playing a Gray Gardener might be.

Shadow Lodge 2/5

Fromper wrote:
doc the grey wrote:
Michael Brock wrote:
doc the grey wrote:


Thank you for the quick answer Sir, though I am sad that my gray gardener with catch off guard won't see the light of day in organized play I am happy to at least get a good answer from the top. Will say though here's hoping that we get a reason for them to join up later...

Side question: may I ask why this would be trouble with the eyes of the ten?

Have you played or GMed part 1 yet? If not, I don't want to spoil it for you.
No not yet, part of why I was so interested in all this as I am just starting to get PFS games running near where I live and was looking into stuff I might want to run with my friends who are all new to PFS play and almost never get to see me actually play (I'm usually the gm). Suffice it to say I'm torn on whether I still want to just make an abadaran inquisitor from galt, my nagaji druid, or the lamashtan/azathtoh worshiping kellid oracle.

Having recently played Eyes of the Ten, I know what he's talking about. Let's just say that the retirement arc takes place partially in Galt, and leave it at that. Given the political situation in the nation of Galt, playing other characters from that nation probably wouldn't be an issue, but playing a Gray Gardener might be.

Cool can't wait to run some of these with some of my regular players, I know my buddies torn between a 2 weapon fighter and a cad and I can't wait to see whatever else crops up for this game.

Dark Archive 5/5

Michael Brock wrote:
Winter witch will become legal in September additional resources, along with Hellknight Signifier. Since I can't guarantee a special boon in a specific scenario for either one, both will be opened up for anyone to take as an option.

any chance the false priest prestige class will become available?

My sorcerer is waiting....

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