I'm making a winter witch that will go into the winter witch PRC for an upcoming Reign of Winter game.
My current character is posted here. I am a primary shutdown build with my secondary being the party face. We have a hard cap of 18 on starting attributes. The only other character I know for sure right now is a Ranger Archer.
Here's my current progression plan, a blank spot means its up in the air:
Level up:
H1) Misfortune
F1) Extra Hex: Cackle
H2) Evil Eye
F3) Extra Hex: Sleep
4) - -
F5) Accursed Hex
Retrain) Extra Hex Cackle to Additional Traits (should have cackle vest by here)
Magical Knack
Child of the Temple
H6) Scar
F7)
H8) Frozen Caress
F9)
H10) Ice Tomb
F11) Split Hex
H12) Numbing Chill
F13)
H14) Hoarfrost
F15)
H16)
F17)
Possible Feats: Iron Will, Improved Intiative, Great Fortitude, Spell Focus Conjuration, Augment Summoning
I currently have a few things I need to do:
1) Pick a patron. I'd like to pick shadow, but thats out, so out of the winter witch patrons which ones do you think? I know its kind of weak, but I considered winter just because it gives a few blasty spells a level earlier than I'd normally get them, and add one or two I'd never get.
2) Bonus feat. I get a bonus feat from a pretty small list, one of which is spell focus, which is what I'm leaning towards. Giving the witch spell list a look over its got a pretty solid list of conjuration, necromancy and enchantment spells. Obviously, the winter witch is slightly more geared towards blasting than a standard witch, so evocation is an option too. I was thinking of putting it into enchantment, because its a solid list, and I've never played a caster focused on enchantments, and I've played a lot of casters. Of course, the witch is already so mind effecting focused that will short change me a little on the brainless stuff. The good thing about conjuration is it opens up Augment summoning, which is always solid to have. Any suggestions & reason why?
3) Anything else you see I should consider.
Regards!
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In our last campaign, my wife was playing a Winter Witch (archetype) Winter Patron, Winter Witch (PrC) and she loved it. Plus the bonuses to cold spells just works well with the whole total winter combo.
One side effect of note; Breaking out into the songs from "Frozen" at least once per session.
I think it looks pretty solid. Just remember to pick up a familiar that you can use for nifty side tasks unless you are going pure stat boost.
You can grab a metamagic feat to allow your spells to affect undead.
You can grab a metamagic feat to add entangling effects.
You can grab a metamagic feat to ...
Just read up on Metamagic Feats in general.
I would also swap Evil Eye and Misfortune. Evil Eye is 1/round, and is a 1 round effect when they make the save. It can also be used for multiple things on the same creature. The things it does not effect don't come up much at 1st. Misfortune is 1/day/creature, and if they save, too bad.
If your GM will allow it, the Bestiary has Ability Focus. Up the DC of your hexes.
You don't mention what your initial traits are.
Have you looked at the witch guides? There are at least four. See the sticky post at the top of the advice list.
Recently, I had a 5th (6th?) level witch cohort land Ill-Omen on a dragon, and then Blindness. Party was 8th, so dragon was CR for 8th.
/cevah
My current character is posted here.
My starting traits are listed there.
I'm actually pretty familiar with metamagic, though usually I play god wizards or arcane tricksters so I'm taking persistent, intensified, reach, enlarge rods. I rarely actually take those feats though so I'll look into them.
I know theres one for undead but it takes spell focus (necromancy) which kind of seemed to defeat the purpose of specializing in enchantment at that point. I guess I do have a lot of open feat slots though.
I had thought about taking evil eye first(its overall a more consistent and usable debuff I realize), but evil eye doesn't work on everything, where nothing is immune to misfortune.
Yeah, I've read all the witch guides, but none seemed to dwell very heavily into the winter witch archetype or the particular campaign that I'm going into.
I feel the build is relatively solid, just looking for some insight to smooth out the edges.
I did not notice your link. Since you listed Additional Traits, I thought you should have listed your regular ones along with the feat and hexes. My bad.
You have four traits listed and one flaw. That is equivalent to three, but I recall AP only handed out two. Unless your GM or the AP is doing something I don't know about, you might want to recheck that.
Under Feats, you list a flaw, but I don't see a corresponding extra feat.
Under Spells, you have Blood Money. That is from a different AP. Be sure your GM knows about it, as it is often used for cheese by theory-crafters on the boards. Also note that is does strength damage and you dumped strength. Could be a problem.
You also list Ray of Frost. While on your list, you do not get it for free like the rest of the cantrips. You got to pay for it either as one of your first level spell picks or as a scroll you feed your familiar.
Lastly you wrote "All witch hexes and ray of frost". Should be cantrips, not hexes. :-)
Liquid Ice is 2#, Alchemical Fire is 1#, Haramaki is 1#
At 20.5#, you are closing on your light load. You have no weapon, so you suck at melee. Grab a dagger at 1#, and at least you can try to hurt something without provoking by using the ray of frost spell. If you do go over the light load limit, you loose AC from encumbrance. Get the muleback cords ASAP.
Under Sense Motive, your number does not seem to be correct. I get 1(Wis) + 1(Rank) + 1(Trait) + 3(Class Skill) + 2(Alertness) for 8 total, not 10.
As my own character is also going this route, but as a multiclass dip, I too have looked into what is good. You have CLW prepared. Fine for helping out with the healing, but a shutdown witch is seen better with ill-omen. Also consider leaving a slot open and filling it later in the day after a need shows itself. A witches main stuff is hexes, not spells, so you can do this without much pain. (Works better at later levels.)
/cevah
I did not notice your link. Since you listed Additional Traits, I thought you should have listed your regular ones along with the feat and hexes. My bad.
Yeah, I probably should have listed those.
You have four traits listed and one flaw. That is equivalent to three, but I recall AP only handed out two. Unless your GM or the AP is doing something I don't know about, you might want to recheck that.
GM gave us a 3 to start with, one had to be a campaign trait and 2 others, and then we could pick a flaw.
Under Feats, you list a flaw, but I don't see a corresponding extra feat.
Thats what I'm trying to decide on. He gave us a rather small list to choose from, the only things that interest me is spell focus (any) or possibly skill focus, which is one of my questions. I usually specialize in conjuration, so was considering switching it up to necromancy, enchantment or evocation. Of course I hate SR, but enchantment kind of intrigues me to try, and the witch list seems solid on it.
Under Spells, you have Blood Money. That is from a different AP. Be sure your GM knows about it, as it is often used for cheese by theory-crafters on the boards. Also note that is does strength damage and you dumped strength. Could be a problem.
He's aware, all paizo stuff is open unless specifically banned. I usually use it in conjunction with a pre-charged Blood Reservoir of Physical Prowess for spells like stoneskin communal for a dungeon crawl.
You also list Ray of Frost. While on your list, you do not get it for free like the rest of the cantrips. You got to pay for it either as one of your first level spell picks or as a scroll you feed your familiar.
Lastly you wrote "All witch hexes and ray of frost". Should be cantrips, not hexes. :-)
Was not aware of ray of frost not getting added....guess I'll decide if its worth picking up or not. DOPE! I must have wished it was all hexes!!
Liquid Ice is 2#, Alchemical Fire is 1#, Haramaki is 1#
At 20.5#, you are closing on your light load. You have no weapon, so you suck at melee. Grab a dagger at 1#, and at least you can try to hurt something without provoking by using the ray of frost spell. If you do go over the light load limit, you loose AC from encumbrance. Get the muleback cords ASAP.
I had a plan for dealing with encumbrance, though I can't remember what it was. I know it doesn't kick in until level 4 or 5 though, so yeah it will be close until then. Man, can't believe I forgot a dagger! Thats like a cardinal rule of mine that all characters have a dagger.
Under Sense Motive, your number does not seem to be correct. I get 1(Wis) + 1(Rank) + 1(Trait) + 3(Class Skill) + 2(Alertness) for 8 total, not 10.
I didn't have my racial abilities input for some reason, I traded out skilled for truespeaker, that where the extra +2 comes from.
As my own character is also going this route, but as a multiclass dip, I too have looked into what is good. You have CLW prepared. Fine for helping out with the healing, but a shutdown witch is seen better with ill-omen. Also consider leaving a slot open and filling it later in the day after a need shows itself. A witches main stuff is hexes, not spells, so you can do this without much pain. (Works better at later levels.)
I'm not sure if we have a healer, or if I'm it, so their more or less filler for now. I figure until we have a wand of infernal healing I can always find a way to use CLW. I should leave a slot open though. Is a witch like a wizard where they can fill slots with 15 minutes?
Any suggestion on patron?
Yeah, i realize there are likely numerous downfalls to the winter witch (cold resistance/immunity just being the tip of that iceberg) but I've decided I will live with it for thematic sake, plus it's the archetype I've been wanting to play anyway.
I am pretty familiar with the wbl issues of APs. I have been apart of 4 aps (on one side of the table or the other) and have never seen one where the party is anywhere close to wbl. I ran three players through carrion crown (yes only three) and through in custom side quests for mote loot and they were still only at 60% wbl.
You also list Ray of Frost. While on your list, you do not get it for free like the rest of the cantrips. You got to pay for it either as one of your first level spell picks or as a scroll you feed your familiar.Was not aware of ray of frost not getting added....guess I'll decide if its worth picking up or not.
It is a damaging cantrip, thus always available as something you can do when a hex will not do. Not so good against cold resistant critters. If you go for a trait that gives -1 SL on metamegic for a single spell, you could apply a 1-level metamagic to it while leaving it a cantrip.
Probably better as a purchase, as it is 1/2 the cost of the 1st level spell you would otherwise pick.
If your GM tosses enemy witches your way, you might be able to harvest more spells from their familiars within 24 hours of the witch's death. Not quite as good as copying an enemy wizard's spellbook, but on the other hand, free.
The spell Infernal Healing is more powerful than cure light wounds, but takes longer, the target pings as evil, and casting it is an evil act. Might be OK for a neutral witch to use occasionally. Depends how tough the alignment play goes.
Man, can't believe I forgot a dagger! Thats like a cardinal rule of mine that all characters have a dagger.
Good. I was worried I might be too nitpicking on your character. I wanted to help, but was not sure of your reaction. :-)
I'm not sure if we have a healer, or if I'm it, so their more or less filler for now. I figure until we have a wand of infernal healing I can always find a way to use CLW. I should leave a slot open though. Is a witch like a wizard where they can fill slots with 15 minutes?
My understanding is that each PFS character should be able to handle their own healing. However, the moment you hand out healing like candy, the party gets careless and dependent on it. Once that happens, you loose those slots because the party "owns" them as cures. Per some guides, a party does not need a dedicated healer. Also, if you leave slots open, then at the end of the day they can be filled with the needed healing or other stuff useful for casting for overnight rest. One good candidate is Endure Elements since it lasts 24 hours. Don't know if it is on your list, but casting long enduring spells at the end of the day lets you have flexibility the next day with your unfilled slots. At low levels, you probably want hexes for offense and spells for defense or utility.
As far as I know, you can gain spells just like a wizard with 15 minutes. I don't know how many, but at least one per 15 minutes, provided you did the hour earlier that day.
Any suggestion on patron?
I know there is a restricted list, but my evaluation was patron before archtype, and I was also only looking at the 2nd and 4th spells since I did not expect to make Witch 6 before the AP ended. You will need to look at all the available patron spells and note which are early entry, which are already on the list, and so on. The guides do a better job than I can of detailing which one is best.
/cevah