Witch questions

[qutoes]

Started a witch char. And there few things I'm not sure about.

1) what type of ability is their hex ? Sla, super natural?

2)how does cackle work ? If I evil eye someone and they make their save can cackle on my next turn to extended it another turn ?

3) is there anyway to up the save DC on hexs like spell focus does for spells ?

Thanks for the help .

[StreamOfTheSky]

1) Each hex should say. There are some of each. I think Su is the most common, though.

2) Yes. You can also spend a turn cackling twice to add +2 rounds to the duration, and then next round not have to cackle at all. It's not something you have to do each round to keep the duration alive. You're just adding an untyped bonus of +1 to the number of rounds remaining, effectively.
Also as a side note, the enemy does not need to hear your cackling to be affected by it (though if you're in an area of silence, you could not cackle), plugging their ears doesn't protect them, nothing about it requires them to hear it like bardic aubible component performances do.

3) Ability Focus from the Bestiary. Some DMs don't allow players to access the bestiary feats, but RAW there's nothing against it, and most players will be accessing the book for polymorph forms, summoned creatures, mounts, etc... anyway.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Ok, here's a list of all the hexes with their ability type. Ex = extraordinary; Sp = Spell-like; Su = supernatural. All I did was strip the text out, each hex says what it is right after the name.

Spoiler:

Unless otherwise noted, using a hex is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The save to resist a hex is equal to 10 + 1/2 the witch’s level + the witch’s Intelligence modifier.

Blight (Su)
Cackle (Su)
Cauldron (Ex)
Beast of Ill-Omen (Su)
Charm (Su)
Child-Scent (Ex)
Coven (Ex)
Disguise (Su)
Evil Eye (Su)
Feral Speech (Su)
Flight (Su)
Fortune (Su)
Healing (Su)
Misfortune (Su)
Nails (Ex)
Poison Steep (Sp)
Prehensile Hair (Su)
Scar (Su)
Slumber (Su)
Swamp Hag (Sp)
Tongues (Su)
Unnerve Beasts (Su)
Ward (Su)
Water Lung (Su)

Major Hexes:

Spoiler:

Agony (Su)
Beast Eye (Su)
Cook People (Su)
Hag’s Eye (Su)
Hidden Home (Sp)
Hoarfrost (Su)
Ice Tomb (Su)
Infected Wounds (Su)
Major Healing (Su)
Nightmares (Su)
Retribution (Su)
Speak in Dreams (Sp)
Vision (Su)
Waxen Image (Su)
Weather Control (Su)
Witch’s Brew (Ex)

Grand Hexes:

Spoiler:

Death Curse (Su)
Dire Prophecy (Su)
Eternal Slumber (Su)
Forced Reincarnation (Su)
Life Giver (Su)
Natural Disaster (Su)
Summon Spirit (Sp)
Witch’s Hut (Su)

[qutoes]

Nice .. totally missed it .

4) what damage type is hair ? Lol

[Varin Artusk Darkthane]

Piercing I believe. And thanks SOTS I just started a scarred witchdoctor and thus helped. Also ability focus would have to be taken for each hex separately right?

[qutoes]

Varin scarred witch doctor is great arch-type . I almost made my witch one . But I wanted to play a goblin not a orc .

[Mathwei ap Niall]

I believe the hair hex is typed like a hand for unarmed strike damage so ive always flagged it as bludgeoning. Raw however doesnt state what type however.

[Michael Sayre]

Varin Artusk Darkthane wrote:

Piercing I believe. And thanks SOTS I just started a scarred witchdoctor and thus helped. Also ability focus would have to be taken for each hex separately right?

Correct.

"Ability Focus
One of this creature's special attacks is particularly difficult to resist.

Prerequisite: Special attack.

Benefit: Choose one of the creature's special attacks. Add +2 to the DC on all saving throws against the special attack on which the creature focuses.

Special: A creature can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time the creature takes the feat, it applies to a different special attack."

[Varin Artusk Darkthane]

Yeah but my ac and social bite. Two things I'm not used too lol plus this is my first witch.

[thejeff]

qutoes wrote:

2)how does cackle work ? If I evil eye someone and they make their save can cackle on my next turn to extended it another turn ?

No, you can't. You have to cackle while it's still in effect and it expires at the beginning of your next turn. You have to put the hex on as your standard action and then cackle as your move in the same turn.

Once it's on, you can cackle twice and get some leeway as StreamOfTheSky said.
Or, of course, you can lay another evil eye or misfortune or something down and cackle to extend them both.

It's really nice to have a mount as a witch, so you can hex/cast, cackle and still move.

[StreamOfTheSky]

That is true, it does make the initial debuffing difficult, you pretty much have to follow it up with cackle right then and there. If you had to move to get within hexing range, it's possibly not even worth trying to evil eye or misfortune that round, as you won't be able to extend it before it runs out (if they save vs. evil eye).

Yes, you'd need ability focus for each hex. Fortunately, there aren't too many good offensive ones that have saves anyway. I'd pick it for Slumber, Ice Tomb, ...maybe Misfortune and/or Retribution, that's about it. Evil Eye you don't care if they save or not, because you have cackle.

I have no idea what damage type the hair is RAW. I'd probably have it be bludgeoning or slashing. What kind of damage do tentacles do? It should probably be the same as that. Similar shape and methods of attack. Lash out with it, use it to grab and squeeze, etc...

[Askanipsion]

StreamOfTheSky wrote:

1You can also spend a turn cackling twice to add +2 rounds to the duration, and then next round not have to cackle at all.

I did not know a Witch could do that by cackling twice in a turn....wow puts a new spin on my Witch.

Thanks for the info

[Varin Artusk Darkthane]

Question SOTS. My mask as a scarred witchdoctor. Does it give me alertness and such like a real familiar. It seems to but the wording is very strange. It also seems to have one half my Hp and other stuff I'm kinda confused.

[Aioran]

thejeff wrote:

qutoes wrote:

2)how does cackle work ? If I evil eye someone and they make their save can cackle on my next turn to extended it another turn ?

No, you can't. You have to cackle while it's still in effect and it expires at the beginning of your next turn. You have to put the hex on as your standard action and then cackle as your move in the same turn.

Once it's on, you can cackle twice and get some leeway as StreamOfTheSky said.
Or, of course, you can lay another evil eye or misfortune or something down and cackle to extend them both.

It's really nice to have a mount as a witch, so you can hex/cast, cackle and still move.

Evil Eye lasts for a round if they fail the will save. So yes, you can cackle and extend it even if they fail.

[thejeff]

Aioran wrote:

thejeff wrote:

qutoes wrote:

2)how does cackle work ? If I evil eye someone and they make their save can cackle on my next turn to extended it another turn ?

No, you can't. You have to cackle while it's still in effect and it expires at the beginning of your next turn. You have to put the hex on as your standard action and then cackle as your move in the same turn.

Once it's on, you can cackle twice and get some leeway as StreamOfTheSky said.
Or, of course, you can lay another evil eye or misfortune or something down and cackle to extend them both.

It's really nice to have a mount as a witch, so you can hex/cast, cackle and still move.

Evil Eye lasts for a round if they fail the will save. So yes, you can cackle and extend it even if they fail.

Only if you do so on your move action after your use it on the same turn. A one round duration expires before the beginning of your next turn and cackle would only extend it if it was still active. As I said above.

I originally thought it worked as you suggest, but a closer reading shows otherwise.

[Varin Artusk Darkthane]

Bump

[LazarX]

thejeff wrote:

qutoes wrote:

2)how does cackle work ? If I evil eye someone and they make their save can cackle on my next turn to extended it another turn ?

No, you can't. You have to cackle while it's still in effect and it expires at the beginning of your next turn. You have to put the hex on as your standard action and then cackle as your move in the same turn.

Once it's on, you can cackle twice and get some leeway as StreamOfTheSky said.
Or, of course, you can lay another evil eye or misfortune or something down and cackle to extend them both.

It's really nice to have a mount as a witch, so you can hex/cast, cackle and still move.

Directing a mount is a move action. Unless you've got the animal companion or simmilar class feature.

[thejeff]

LazarX wrote:

thejeff wrote:

It's really nice to have a mount as a witch, so you can hex/cast, cackle and still move.

Directing a mount is a move action. Unless you've got the animal companion or simmilar class feature.

As near as I can tell, it's only a move action to direct a mount if it isn't combat trained. No class feature required. I could be wrong about that, do you have a reference?

[LazarX]

thejeff wrote:

LazarX wrote:

thejeff wrote:

It's really nice to have a mount as a witch, so you can hex/cast, cackle and still move.

Directing a mount is a move action. Unless you've got the animal companion or simmilar class feature.

As near as I can tell, it's only a move action to direct a mount if it isn't combat trained. No class feature required. I could be wrong about that, do you have a reference?

You're right. A combat trained mount does require a Ride Check DC 10 to execute this as a free action. The DC to maintain control with an untrained mount is 20. And that check is a move action. Check the text of the Ride skill.

[thejeff]

LazarX wrote:

thejeff wrote:

LazarX wrote:

thejeff wrote:

It's really nice to have a mount as a witch, so you can hex/cast, cackle and still move.

Directing a mount is a move action. Unless you've got the animal companion or simmilar class feature.

As near as I can tell, it's only a move action to direct a mount if it isn't combat trained. No class feature required. I could be wrong about that, do you have a reference?

You're right. A combat trained mount does require a Ride Check DC 10 to execute this as a free action. The DC to maintain control with an untrained mount is 20. And that check is a move action. Check the text of the Ride skill.

Actually the DC 10 check is to have the mount attack. Guide with knees takes no action and is DC 5.

So, a light war horse for my witch!

[LazarX]

thejeff wrote:

LazarX wrote:

thejeff wrote:

LazarX wrote:

thejeff wrote:

It's really nice to have a mount as a witch, so you can hex/cast, cackle and still move.

Directing a mount is a move action. Unless you've got the animal companion or simmilar class feature.

As near as I can tell, it's only a move action to direct a mount if it isn't combat trained. No class feature required. I could be wrong about that, do you have a reference?

You're right. A combat trained mount does require a Ride Check DC 10 to execute this as a free action. The DC to maintain control with an untrained mount is 20. And that check is a move action. Check the text of the Ride skill.

Actually the DC 10 check is to have the mount attack. Guide with knees takes no action and is DC 5.

So, a light war horse for my witch!

The Guide with Knees is a check only for controlling your mount with no hands. (An issue for archers, spellcasters holding something, two hand martials, and sword and board characters) Aside from that the check itself does nothing. Moving with your mount is still a move action.

[thejeff]

LazarX wrote:

thejeff wrote:

LazarX wrote:

thejeff wrote:

LazarX wrote:

thejeff wrote:

It's really nice to have a mount as a witch, so you can hex/cast, cackle and still move.

Directing a mount is a move action. Unless you've got the animal companion or simmilar class feature.

As near as I can tell, it's only a move action to direct a mount if it isn't combat trained. No class feature required. I could be wrong about that, do you have a reference?

You're right. A combat trained mount does require a Ride Check DC 10 to execute this as a free action. The DC to maintain control with an untrained mount is 20. And that check is a move action. Check the text of the Ride skill.

Actually the DC 10 check is to have the mount attack. Guide with knees takes no action and is DC 5.

So, a light war horse for my witch!

The Guide with Knees is a check only for controlling your mount with no hands. (An issue for archers, spellcasters holding something, two hand martials, and sword and board characters) Aside from that the check itself does nothing. Moving with your mount is still a move action.

Even a combat trained mount? I though we just agreed otherwise.

Mounted Combat wrote:

Your mount acts on your initiative count as you direct it. You move at its speed, but the mount uses its action to move.

[Arbane the Terrible]

Askanipsion wrote:

StreamOfTheSky wrote:

1You can also spend a turn cackling twice to add +2 rounds to the duration, and then next round not have to cackle at all.

I did not know a Witch could do that by cackling twice in a turn....wow puts a new spin on my Witch.

My DM specifically forbid this in his campaign. :(

Is Ice Tomb completely useless against undead, since it needs a fort save? And what's its range?