Why doesn't a witch get prestidigation?

[Cheeseweasel]

ohako wrote:

How's this one?

A witch can have a crab for a familiar.

A witch can't cast create water, in order to keep her crab happy during adverse conditions.

Now, there's a compelling reason to add a cantrip.

[Drachasor]

Cheeseweasel wrote:

ohako wrote:

How's this one?

A witch can have a crab for a familiar.

A witch can't cast create water, in order to keep her crab happy during adverse conditions.

Now, there's a compelling reason to add a cantrip.

Why? Because it is entirely unclear what your standards are for determining whether a spell ought to be on a spell-list or not.

I'd say thematics play a role in what you said here, except you've dismissed this as a possibility. What is left? That it would be useful for particular choice made for a particular class feature? Well, one can say that about a great many spells for a great many casters.

[Ksenia Skartsen]

ohako wrote:

How's this one?

A witch can have a crab for a familiar.

A witch can't cast create water, in order to keep her crab happy during adverse conditions.

A witch with the Water patron also can't cast create water.

Are there witchy stories where they create water out of nothing? No...except for all that ice magic. That's presumably water ice, right?

Silly player.

In irrisen we conjure ice, then have peseants build fire to melt the ice. Voila! Water.

The post above represents Ksenia, not her player. Her player spent a trait to get her prestidigitation anyway.

[Kthulhu]

Hmmm...doesn't letting peasants build a fire sound like a bad idea to a bunch of witches?

[Benchak the Nightstalker]

I went and asked Jason Bulmahn about it on the "Ask Jason Bulmahn Non-Rules Questions" thread, and here's the response I got:

Jason Bulmahn wrote:

To be honest, its been a very long time since that changed happened, and I do not remember the justification for it. There were some spell list problems that happened at the end of that book's production and I think this might be one of them.

His post can be read here.

I think in my home games, I might add it back to the witch's spell list.

[Voin_AFOL]

Seriously, it's not such a big deal for a GM to add it back to the Witch spell list, or for a player to ask their GM to do so.

In all my years of gaming, I have yet to see someone use this for stage illusionist "coin behind the ear" tricks. What it actually gets used for is a simple utility spell. Sew your clothes back up after a battle. Clean the dirt and blood and gore off so you don't smell like rancid butt when you go meet the king. Light a torch or campfire with the firefinger function. Flavor the trail rations. Chill a bottle of wine.

More devious players have used it to make cover the taste of poison, to tie the guard's bootlaces together, or to make their armor taste nasty so the purple worm doesn't swallow them whole.

[LazarX]

Question wrote:

Feels weird to me. It seems like a standard spell that most, if not all, arcane casters would have.

Because they're NOT your standard wizards and sorcerers, they have a spell list which bridges the arcane and divine, which means they don't get all the shiny toys the pure arcanists or divine get.

[Forseti]

Prestidigitation is another word for sleight of hand. The word itself can be roughly translated as "nimble finger activity".

Now, we all know that witches couldn't possibly do nimble things with their horrible, gnarly fingers.

[graystone]

You guys know this is 2 year old thread nerco right?

[Bandw2]

Question wrote:

Feels weird to me. It seems like a standard spell that most, if not all, arcane casters would have.

they're archetypically not clean...

edit: hahaha, for once i didn't notice the necro.

[Imbicatus]

If anyone reading the thread actually wants prestidigitation on a witch, you can just take the two-world magic trait to add it to your list.

[Bloodrealm]

Bandw2 wrote:

Question wrote:

Feels weird to me. It seems like a standard spell that most, if not all, arcane casters would have.

they're archetypically not clean...

edit: hahaha, for once i didn't notice the necro.

Prestidigitation can be used to soil things as well as clean them! Voila!

[Bloodrealm]

Imbicatus wrote:

If anyone reading the thread actually wants prestidigitation on a witch, you can just take the two-world magic trait to add it to your list.

If I was going to take Two-World Magic, I'd get Create Water, and buy a Cloak of the Hedge Wizard or Apprentice's Cheating Gloves for Prestidigitation.

[Arbane the Terrible]

Benchak the Nightstalker wrote:

If I recall correctly, witches did have prestidigitation in the playtest of the class, but it was removed for the final product (the same was true for wall of thorns, which I thought was a very witch-y spell)

Even more bizarrely, they don't get Hideous Laughter.

[LazarX]

Arbane the Terrible wrote:

Benchak the Nightstalker wrote:

If I recall correctly, witches did have prestidigitation in the playtest of the class, but it was removed for the final product (the same was true for wall of thorns, which I thought was a very witch-y spell)

Even more bizarrely, they don't get Hideous Laughter.

Not quite true. That spell is granted by the Insanity Patron.

If you're looking for something you consider an "appropriate" witch spell that's not on the main list... check the patrons.