Trying to adjust and optimize my build so far for a winter witch being introduced at 3rd level... help and advice is very welcome!
Tiefling Witch (Winter Witch) 3
N Medium outsider (native)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +1
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Defense
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AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10 (+2 Dex)
hp 22 (3d6+8)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +3
Resist cold 5, electricity 5, fire 5
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Special Attacks hexes (cackle, evil eye [dc 15], slumber [dc 15], water lung)
Spell-Like Abilities
Constant—endure elements (cold only)
At will— deathwatch
Witch (Winter Witch) Spells Prepared (CL 3rd; concentration +7):
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Statistics
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Str 9, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 11, Cha 8
Base Atk +1; CMB +0; CMD 12
Feats Extra Hex, Extra Hex
Skills Fly +6, Knowledge (arcana) +10, Knowledge (history) +10, Knowledge (nature) +10, Knowledge
(planes) +10, Perception +1, Spellcraft +10, Use Magic Device +5; Racial Modifiers +4 Fly
Languages Common
SQ cold flesh, patron spells (deception)
Other Gear 150 GP
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Special Abilities
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Cackle (Su) As a move action, extend the duration of other hexes by 1 rd.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Deliver Touch Spells Through Familiar (Su) Your familiar can deliver touch spells for you.
Empathic Link with Familiar (Su) You have an empathic link with your Arcane Familiar.
Endure Elements (Cold only) (Ex) Exist comfortably in cold regions.
Energy Resistance, Cold (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks.
Energy Resistance, Electricity (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Electricity attacks.
Energy Resistance, Fire (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Fire attacks.
Evil Eye -2 (7 round(s)) (DC 15) (Su) Foe in 30 ft takes penalty to your choice of AC, attacks, saves,
ability or skill checks (Will part).
Familiar Bonus: +3 to Bluff checks You gain the Alertness feat while your familiar is within arm's reach.
Share Spells with Familiar Can cast spells with a target of "You" on the familiar with a range of touch.
Slumber (3 rds) (DC 15) (Su) Foe in 30 ft falls asleep for duration, or until damaged or roused by ally
(Will neg).
Water Lung (Su) An air-breathing target can breathe water or an aquatic target can breathe air. This lasts
1 minute. If the witch uses this hex on herself, she can maintain it while she sleeps, allowing her to
safely sleep underwater.
If not winter witch, go with another archetype or just stay base witch? and If I go with a familar, considering it's a campaign where there is a lot of time im in the water, go with the raven, or which familar?
Also not convinced those are the best hex selections. help would be greatly appreciated :)
What's your familiar? And why a Winter Witch?
What's your familiar? And why a Winter Witch?
I was thinking of using a viper snake as a familiar and a winter witch because I liked it's flavor, I was thinking of making use of synergism. But might not be the right route...
What's your familiar? And why a Winter Witch?I was thinking of using a viper snake as a familiar and a winter witch because I liked it's flavor, I was thinking of making use of synergism. But might not be the right route...
I can't think of any great reason not to use it, thought the special hexes seem useless and there are limits on the familiars you can take at 1st level, so you can't take a snake.
I can't think of any great reason not to use it, thought the special hexes seem useless and there are limits on the familiars you can take at 1st level, so you can't take a snake.What's your familiar? And why a Winter Witch?I was thinking of using a viper snake as a familiar and a winter witch because I liked it's flavor, I was thinking of making use of synergism. But might not be the right route...
What special hexes seem useless? A bit more specificity? the DM is allowing me to take the viper snake at 1st level.
is there another familiar that would recommend instead of the snake along with the witch in this type aquatic/pirating campaign?
What special hexes seem useless? A bit more specificity? the DM is allowing me to take the viper snake at 1st level.I can't think of any great reason not to use it, thought the special hexes seem useless and there are limits on the familiars you can take at 1st level, so you can't take a snake.What's your familiar? And why a Winter Witch?I was thinking of using a viper snake as a familiar and a winter witch because I liked it's flavor, I was thinking of making use of synergism. But might not be the right route...
The Winter Witch archetype states...
Winter witches must choose a familiar that is native to the frozen north, even when they themselves operate in other regions. Traditionally, this limits winter witch familiar choices to bat, cat, fox, hawk, owl, rat, raven, or weasel. A winter witch who gains the Improved Familiar feat can select any familiar she desires, save for familiars with the fire subtype.
...and of those I'd probably take the raven.
And the archetype adds a couple of hexes to your list of choices, Frostfoot and Frozen Carcass, both of which I'd have trouble justifying taking over all the better choices.
aquatic campaign witch? and you're not playing a cecaelia? (fell beasts vol. 2 has listings of them for playable characters, see spoiler)
think of all those poor unfortunate souls you're denying aid to!
Cecaelias are defined by their class levels—they do
not possess racial Hit Dice. All cecaelias have the
following racial traits:
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -1 Intelligence
Cecaelias are quick, charismatic creatures but not as
bright as other races.
Speed Cecaelias can swim indefinitely without
making skill checks.
Slow Cecaelias aren’t designed for land movement.
They only move 20 ft. on land.
Low-light vision Cecaelias can see twice as far as
humans
Amphibious Cecaelias can breathe both air and
water
Ink Cloud Cecaelias can create an ink cloud, as per
the creature description.
Jet Cecaelias can jet as per the creature description.
Improved Grapple Cecaelias get Improved Grapple
as a racial feat, without needing the prerequisites.
Racial Skills: Cecaelias get a +4 to Escape Artist
checks and a +8 to Swim checks.
Languages: Cecaelias begin play speaking Aquan
and Common. Cecaelias with high Intelligence
scores can choose any of these bonus languages:
Draconic, Elven, Halfling, Terran.
just ask my DM if that would be game with him... Didn't even think of the Cecaelia,that sounds awesome. agreed... poor souls. hahaha
What would you add to the cecaelia build to stack well?
ummm... maybe i'm missing something, but it seems (really) unlikely that your DM will feel that a CR 5 creature is appropriate for a character for APL 3....
have you considered a human? you'd lose 2 dex and your resistances, but you get cold resist back (next level from your class) and fire resist is gonna be mostly useless underwater, and it opens up racial heritage... water lung only lasts 1 minute, then you need to either spend a standard action to renew or start holding your breath (and become unable to use spells)- 1 minute duration means that every round of combat there's a cumulative 10% chance that the ability runs out... now, if you instead spend your new human bonus feat on racial heritage [undine] and the feat you were going to spend on water lung you spend on aquatic ancestry, then you permanently gain the amphibious subtype (allowing you to breath water and air equally well), and it increases your swim speed by +10 (which some DMs will dismiss because you don't have a swim speed, but others will add to your effectively 0 swim speed- for a total 10' swim speed, which grants you +8 racial to swim checks and lets you not roll for some things).
just something to think about. obviously, if your DM okays the 6HD squid-man that would be more advantageous, except for the penalty to Int (which i'm sure was supposed to be -2, not -1)...
edit: rereading the spoiler, i'm guessing that the intention is that they don't gain the normal racial HD, which makes them a much more reasonable option, though i'd still be careful about taking a -2 Int... that is by far the most important stat for a witch.
Nate, I agree with you on that, I'm actually being given the okay to use the compsognathus... The DM didn't okay a Cecaelia. I like your idea on the human. That solves a plethora of issues I was going to encounter being underwater and wanting to cast. So def changing the build to human, taking racial heritage to undine and taking aqautic ancestry. That solves a lot of issues that I was encountering. What do you think about the familiar combo? and if I got ability focus and accursed hex? or would you go another routes... what are your thoughts?
its hard to give specific advice for a familiar at 3rd level without knowing exactly how your time will be distributed above/below water... the compsognathus is nice (+4 init is sick, and it does have a swim speed), but it doesn't have any ability to breathe underwater which obviously could be a problem. the giant isopod is an interesting option (+1 nat armor) but is slow and will have problems if you go out of the water... dwarf caiman breathes air but can hold its breath for a long time, so that might be an option...
your best bet would probably be to take the Evolved Familiar feat... you'd need a 13 in Cha, but witches are SAD enough you should be able to get away with that; the bigger issue is that it would eat up your last feat. it would, however, let you take a comsognathus and give it the Gills evolution (so it would also be able to freely breathe both air and water). either way, i'd suggest taking improved familiar at 5th (take a water elemental at 5th and probably a tidepool dragon starting at 7th). if you took evolved familiar at 3rd and then pick up a familiar that can breath water at 5 or 7, you can change the evolution (cold resistance is a really thematic option for a winter witch; other choices include scent, skilled, and improved natural armor).
i like accursed hex and ability focus. if you opt not to take evolved familiar and improved familiar, taking them right away on Slumber will be fairly sick; if you do take the familiar feats (or are patient and have faith that you'll be playing til higher level) take accursed hex at 7 (or at 5th with imp. familiar at 7), and take ability focus at 11th on Ice Tomb (which is probably my favorite hex, and perfect for a winter witch).
its hard to give specific advice for a familiar at 3rd level without knowing exactly how your time will be distributed above/below water... the compsognathus is nice (+4 init is sick, and it does have a swim speed), but it doesn't have any ability to breathe underwater which obviously could be a problem. the giant isopod is an interesting option (+1 nat armor) but is slow and will have problems if you go out of the water... dwarf caiman breathes air but can hold its breath for a long time, so that might be an option...
your best bet would probably be to take the Evolved Familiar feat... you'd need a 13 in Cha, but witches are SAD enough you should be able to get away with that; the bigger issue is that it would eat up your last feat. it would, however, let you take a comsognathus and give it the Gills evolution (so it would also be able to freely breathe both air and water). either way, i'd suggest taking improved familiar at 5th (take a water elemental at 5th and probably a tidepool dragon starting at 7th). if you took evolved familiar at 3rd and then pick up a familiar that can breath water at 5 or 7, you can change the evolution (cold resistance is a really thematic option for a winter witch; other choices include scent, skilled, and improved natural armor).
i like accursed hex and ability focus. if you opt not to take evolved familiar and improved familiar, taking them right away on Slumber will be fairly sick; if you do take the familiar feats (or are patient and have faith that you'll be playing til higher level) take accursed hex at 7 (or at 5th with imp. familiar at 7), and take ability focus at 11th on Ice Tomb (which is probably my favorite hex, and perfect for a winter witch).
The impression I've gotten has been that we will spend about about 70% on land and 30% on water, and that undead, possibly other witches and npcs without minds and the like so I have to take into consideration sometimes if my objects don't have mind some of the things I have render useless.
I have the patience, I think I like it built out that way than the prior combo. being able to have the compso being able to freely breathe both air and water is pretty sick, thanks. I already had Ice Tomb in mind and using ability focus on that would def be a sealer. I am going to wait to take accursed at 5th w imp familiar.
In RL, the Thrush is native to cold areas. My DM let me get it, so you can get one for the +3 Diplomacy and Talking.
/cevah
Thank you. Taking the comp, thrush is interesting but i think there are better suited choices.
Nate, deciding on human or elf. think im going to go with human and the rac heritage...
Thanks for merging the threads, Chris.
Finally made my build! Let me know any tweaks recommended
Crysaenthe
Human Witch (Winter Witch) 3
LN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses Perception +2
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Defense
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AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10 (+2 Dex)
hp 17 (3d6+3)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +4
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft., swim 11 ft.
Special Attacks hexes (frozen caress, slumber [dc 15])
Spell-Like Abilities
Constant—endure elements (cold only)
Witch (Winter Witch) Spells Prepared (CL 3rd; concentration +7):
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Statistics
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Str 9, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 11
Base Atk +1; CMB +0; CMD 12
Feats Aquatic Ancestry, Improved Familiar, Racial Heritage
Traits indomitable faith, magical knack, resilient
Skills Craft (ships) +8, Knowledge (arcana) +10, Knowledge (history) +10, Knowledge (nature) +10,
Knowledge (planes) +10, Perception +2, Profession (sailor) +6, Sense Motive +2, Spellcraft +9, Swim +11,
Use Magic Device +10
Languages Azlanti, Common, Sylvan, Tengu, Thassilonian
SQ amphibious, cold flesh, patron spells (deception)
Other Gear Cloak of resistance +1, 150 GP
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Special Abilities
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Amphibious (Ex) You can survive indefinitely on land.
Deliver Touch Spells Through Familiar (Su) Your familiar can deliver touch spells for you.
Empathic Link with Familiar (Su) You have an empathic link with your Arcane Familiar.
Endure Elements (Cold only) (Ex) Exist comfortably in cold regions.
Familiar Bonus: You gain the Alertness feat while your familiar is within arm's reach.
Frozen Caress (Su) Whenever the winter witch casts a touch spell, she can infuse the magic with cold
as a swift action. This grants the spell the cold descriptor, and adds 1d4 points of cold damage to the
spell’s effect. If the touch spell allows a saving throw, a succ
Magical Knack (Witch [Winter Witch]) +2 CL for a specific class, to a max of your HD.
Racial Heritage (-Choose-) You count as another race for the purpose of prerequisites.
Share Spells with Familiar Can cast spells with a target of "You" on the familiar with a range of touch.
Slumber (3 rds) (DC 15) (Su) Foe in 30 ft falls asleep for duration, or until damaged or roused by ally
(Will neg).
Swimming (11 feet) You have a Swim speed.
Familiar:
Väli
Coral Capuchin
N Tiny magical beast (aquatic)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +6
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Defense
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AC 17, touch 15, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dex, +2 size, +2 natural)
hp 8 (2d10+2)
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +4
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (good), swim 30 ft.
Melee bite +7 (1d3-2/×2)
Space 2.5 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks cursed bite
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Statistics
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Str 6, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 13, Cha 7
Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 11
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Climb +6, Perception +6, Sleight of Hand +8, Spellcraft +2, Stealth +15 (+19 in coral reefs), Swim
+10, Use Magic Device +1; Racial Modifiers +4 Sleight of Hand, +4 Stealth in coral reefs
Languages Common (can't speak)
SQ amphibious, improved evasion, moisture dependency
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Special Abilities
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Amphibious (Ex) You can survive indefinitely on land.
Climbing (30 feet) You have a Climb speed.
Cursed Bite (DC 12) (Su) Victim takes 1d6 dam every 10 min out of water but can hold breath 2x as
long (Fort neg).
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Flight (40 feet, Good) You can fly!
Improved Evasion (Ex) No damage on successful reflex save; half on failed save.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Moisture Dependency Can stay out of water for Con hours, then takes 1d6 damage every hour.
Swimming (30 feet) You have a Swim speed.---------------------------
The other party memebers are, goblin rogue, elven druid, halfing bard, undine cleric, orc barb, slyph sorcerer
I was also wondering on the side something that would allow me 1 slot spell from any other spell list, without taking anything too major from my build...