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I'm making a winter witch for a home game and possibly pfs. His name is Bruha Brumali, known by the elves as Taboo.
Brumali lived and studied with the elves for years, his intelligence rivaling even the more intelligent members of the elven collegiate. During this time he befriended an elven woman who served as the librarian of the institution and helped guide him in his discovery of secret and ancient knowledge which, as it turns out, was forbidden. Brumali began to learn his magic differently, focusing more and more on communing with his familiar as the book he had been reading and later stolen revealed to him techniques the elves knew little or nothing about. Eventually, the elves who judged his magic as inferior, barbaric and cursed cast him out labelling him 'Taboo', though not without a little fear in their eyes.
He was set forth on a small vessel and sent out to sea, never to return. Eventually his ship crashed and he was stranded on a small island. There he has resided for a decade, and as each stranger arrives, he studies them, judging their capabilities in case they have a way off the island.
He has finally found such a party.
I wanted to emphasize the creepiness that can come with the witch title. To that end, this character wears a mask that he rarely removes. He has long, strawberry blond hair visible around it and from the sides one can see that the skin of his face is fair and smooth. He wears a blouse slotted to reveal his torso in a way bordering on sensual, though one might take note that the skin of his torso is clearly that of a darker skinned, more ethnic person. He speaks with an indecipherable accent- the lilt of a tribesman, the fluidity of elves, the cosmopolitan nature of knowing every language in the game besides secret ones. On his back is a large warhammer made of some strange material (I am thinking cold iron maybe or bone).
So, the idea was that if anyone sees his face he kills them. Period. He does this via slumber and coupe de grace with that warhammer, in secret.
His reasoning is that no one should ever again see the face of his loved one as no one deserves to. He wears a constant disguise making his face appear as that of the youth he so loved.
Brumali wants to protect all things beautiful and preserve them in ice. He seeks the power to make this happen.
He loathes primitive cultures like his own and affords them the barest hint of respect, even becoming openly hostile depending on if they have anything obvious that he values. He will willingly slay an entire village or tribe if given the opportunity. He does favor children, though. Children and elves. To elves and elves alone he will reveal his face without harm. He favors blond children, green eyed children and anyone with both he will whisk away (once strong enough to have his own realm and the power to whisk someone away).
He is brilliant, power hungry, prepared for virtually anything, very determined in his goals and cruel. To reach his goals he intends to keep accurate information about him to a minimum, utilize fear as a tool, perhaps focus on information acquisition so he has the upper hand.
Below are his stats, if you see something wrong or have any better suggestions, I would love to hear them.
Starting level is 7 but this is planned to 20.
Bruha Brumali(Taboo), LN human male witch (winter witch/Winter Witch).
Heart of the Wilds (human alternate racial)
Patron: Trickery, occult or wisdom. Leaning toward trickery and occult (undead yay).
Str 7
Dex 16
Con 12
Int 20
Wis 8
Cha 7
Feats:
Rime spell
Quicken spell
Scribe scroll
Craft wondrous item
Improved initiative
Improved familiar (tripurasura)
Extra hex (2)
Split hex
Spirit talker
Split major hex
Accursed hex(I know we have one too many listed)
Hexes:
Fortune, misfortune, evil eye, slumber, flight, numbing chill, hoarfrost, ice tomb, retribution, abominate, (any other cool grand hex).
Skills:
Know-arcana
Know-planes
Know-nature
Spellcraft
Fly
Linguistics
Stealth
Perception
Use Magic Device
Traits:
Reactionary(combat)
Adopted-elves(social)
Elven reflexes(race)
Magical lineage-frostfall(magic)
Familiar:
Tripurasura with alternate form of a human child with blond hair and green eyes.
Unsure of infiltrator or pilferer archetype. Pilferer seems mechanically stronger and thematically more fitting and the base features of infiltrator are replicatable with spells. The familiar is extremely active and gets played like a PC.
Gear:
Cackling hags blouse.
Stone familiar.
Persistent spell metamagic rod.
Quicken metamagic rod.
Selective metamagic rod.
Rime spell metamagic rod.
Threnodic spell metamagic rod.
Extend spell metamagic rod.
Rod of abrupt hexes.
Martyr's tear
Mask of the skull
Pearls of power
Witching gown or corset of dire witchcraft-undecided.
Ring of sustenance
Silken ceremonial armor (spellstoring-vampiric touch always).
Mithril buckler
Tentacle cloak or cloak of resistance-like tentacle cloak if I get the witching gown).
Hexing doll
Long-arm bracers
Gloves of arrow snarring
Merridian belt or stat belt
Amulet of natural armor or hand of glory and ring of wizardry x
Ring of protection
Backpack of holding.
There are some things I want/need based on the familiar or theme.
Bluff and disguise seem like they need to be on his list of skills along with intimidate and diplomacy and probably an additional knowledge skill; perhaps history or....I don't know. Dungeoneering? As he doesn't need to max linguistics, fly or perception, he will have plenty of spare points as he levels and acquires more int.
I would love to have witch knife and amplified hex but they aren't needed.
Also, water lung, beast eye, beast speech, soothsayer, scar, disguise and have eye all call me. I am tempted to remove cackle and get the hex from the blouse alone.
I could also drop craft wondrous item and even scribe scroll, but together those seem really, really potent for a prepared caster with high ambitions. Obviously, these are ignored in society.
I know the post is lengthy, sorry. Any thoughts before this guy is locked in stone?
How the heck is he Lawful Neutral when he is willing to kidnap children and slaughter whole villages of people?
How the heck is he Lawful Neutral when he is willing to kidnap children and slaughter whole villages of people?
I'm going to second this... That is definitely more of an evil alignment area. Also, how do you have 3 Traits? I didn't see Extra Traits feat, the standard is only two Traits.
The stats don't match the description very well. Not sure you will even be able to carry the warhammer that you want to coup with. The tanked cha sorta kills his RP concept. But I guess you need to tank everything to get those stats. I do think that he seems more evil than neutral, I saw nothing to balance his blatant evil acts. I will say he sounds like a great CE NPC though, one I would use as a long term villain.
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Actually, I envisioned him as lawful neutral due to the fact that all the things said above are sort of a code he goes by. No one is permitted to see the face of his loved one- any who do must die. He feels responsible for his death and by extension all the green-eyed blond haireds. They are his responsibility. How else can he protect them if they are scattered about and out of his reach?
And those savage, uncivilized tribals aren't worth the dirt they walk on. He rose from the ignorance and primitive ideas. But they won't. They're actively narrow minded and representative of ignorance, superstition, and unrefined beliefs.....and look at how it shows its face? His poor cherished love is gone-murdered! He has to stop them, all of them, before they spread their ideas, their...their...disease, across the land!
So, I figure if he has a personal code (hurt not children, spare all elves, slay all savages, protected the green-eyeds) and it is all towards a big related goal, he might still count as lawful. Since he is not entirely evil, but sure as heck not good, I figured he was lawful neutral. I definitely don't see him as chaotic, but perhaps lawful evil.
@Faelyn, the adopted trait allows for you to immediately select a race trait to benefit from. By itself, it does nothing so I still essentially have two traits.
One thing I like is how his heart of the wilderness fits his background and his adopted (elves) fit his background...power and story perfectly melded!
@Rhaleroad, the 12 con sucks, for sure. But keep in mind that heart of the wilderness gives him 1/2 his level in additional -con he can drop to. So he is a bit tougher than he would seem. Also he has a constant endure elements against cold and cold resistance that eventually becomes immunity. So there is an inherent durability that is not represented in his stats but is represented as part of his class and racial background. His spells (false life, spell stored vampiric touch, spited vampiric touch, wave shield, etc) all directly reinforce the ability to withstand assault. Of course, once he can boost his con he certainly will.
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Wow, OK, your follow up rationale for the alignment serves to make him seem MORE evil, not a justification for Lawful or Neutral. Your "code" is to massacre anyone who sees your face? That's not a code, that is a sociopath. As for the "savage, uncivilized tribes"? Again, not a code, that is a pogrom of genocide.
Interesting character all in all, but very much evil. He might be Lawful Evil, tyrannical and driven... but really he seems more like he is Neutral Evil because honestly, it is all about him, his deeds and drives are purely selfish and self serving... regardless of the twisted reason he uses to justify them... and that is best represented by the NE alignment.
I mean, you even picked an embodiment of evil as your familiar in an evil outsider.
I would second the comments about his stats not matching the description, he seems rather frail and weak... perhaps the character is older than imagined or seems?
Traits:
Reactionary(combat)
Adopted-elves(social)
Elven reflexes(race)
Magical lineage-frostfall(magic)
First, Reactionary and Elven Reflexes don't stack.
Second, even with Adopted, you still have 3 traits listed.Third, Elven Reflexes requires Race: Half Elf, not Elf.
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As far as his description goes it has nothing to do with his statistics. I never described him as 'being a large man, well built and hulking with muscle. With every step the earth quakes and his barrel chest seems ready to burst with yet more muscle'. Exageration aside, he looks quite average for a Caucasian headed black guy who wears a mask and a blouse....quite average. -_-
I did state that his themes were about endurance and the like- he has heart of the wilderness and can endure cold weather. He doesn't need to eat thanks to his ring of sustenance. I was not referring to endurance in purely a combat manner but overall. A survival kind of endurance and durability. Being able to survive naked in the arctic, without food, and having some in-combat durability and plenty of spells and tricks designed to extend that durability in a fight seemed to be exactly what I was referencing. So I feel like he hits the head on every mark, though I would like more con and will get it through items over time. But as I tried stating this all before I suppose I'm not making much of a case in my defense. Still, con comes later. What stats do you feel fit the concept better?
The warhammer is not a weapon he fights with. As long as he can physically swing it- cool. Its purpose is for coup de graces out of combat and to potentially confuse the hell out of enemies. If it is really undermining the character image or some such I could easily scrap the warhammer (and the slumber hex with it as the coupe de grace was the entire inspiration to take that hex).
Lastly, thanks for ruining my day and pointing out the trait overlap. Bye bye +2 initiative. I didn't realize that both gave a trait bonus. *sigh*
Not that it matters now but adopted specifically allows you to take the race traits of another race. So if the requirement is race: god. I can be adopted by a god and say to hades with the requirement.
It was late. I did put down three traits. Don't post after bedtime. Lesson learned. The good news is that we have an in-game system where traits can be purchased (but come with a drawback). So I guess I could have three traits if I want.
Of all the feats on his list, accursed hex seems the weakest but also seems rather strong once you get to 11th level and have split hex.
Are there any of these feats that I am overvaluing or can ignore in a home game and feel good about not having? Scribe scroll and craft wonderous item seem like I could afford to drop them but they reduce my reliance on shops and others, extend my options and make various items which are otherwise prohibitively expensive for their effect, much more palatable. These are directly opposed to the extra hex feat and the list of additional hexes I would want which ultimately serve a similar function of increased versatility/durability. For the moment, these two crafting feats seem like the ideal two to take and as if they are worth a hex or more, each.
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OK, I forgot to post this earlier. My bad.
So alignment concerns aside, I wanted to look at both theme and mechanics.
Feats:
Accursed hex
Amplified hex
Split hex
Split major hex
Extra hex
Extra hex
Spirit talker
Improved familiar
Improved initiative
Rime spell
Craft wondrous item.
I dropped quicken spell since I figure a rod will work just as well or better and provide improved flexibility.
I dropped scribe scroll since scrolls are cheap and I can purchase any circumstantial scrolls needed and likely split that cost with the party. Moreover, I intend to craft a stone familiar, removing the backup spell benefit scrolls would normally provide.
The only thing I really want is the extra hex feat once or twice more but I am not sure there is anything worth swapping it for. Maybe accursed hex?
Speaking of hexes:
Evil eye
Misfortune
Disguise
Discord
Flight (extra hex)
Cackle (via item)
-
Ice tomb
Hoarfrost
Numbing chill
Retribution
I have room for a single extra hex and am wondering which to go with.
The list is between fortune, water lung, coven, slumber, and Waxen Image.
I removed scar, weather control and hidden home from the list of desirables for various reasons but these remaining hexes all offer raw power I lack and want, or open up theme and/or versatility that would otherwise be problematic to get or emulate.
I did decide that the trickery patron was best and so many of the thematic decisions were made with that in mind.
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I considered dipping oracle of waves to slow things, actually. But the cost is pretty steep. The winter witch PRC costs me a spellcasting level and the archetype gobles up a hex. Since this is a home game, it means that I may need to be concerned about my grand hexes. Fortunately, I only particularly care for one.
There are also a lot of really good cold spells besides snowball. Furthermore, being a witch and taking such a heavily spell focused suite of feats seems counterintuitive. I feel that the witch class has at best, mild focus on spellcasting as a primary tool. Witch knife with the proper patron, spell focus, or maybe follow a tree, then everything else is about hexes. Otherwise, why not play a wizard or oracle?
As far as freezing everything goes, Rime spell and your cold descriptor spells will always entangle. That's a penalized attack and half movement. This is what makes the oracle dip so attractive. Adding slow on top of these effects is essentially preventing enemy movement. As it roinds dowm to five feet and they can no longer five foot step.
I did not see anything that the sorceror could do that was more attractive. Also, adding damage to the cold spells, while nice, seems unnecessary. We're not focused on blasting for large amounts of damage but on really controlling what the enemy can and cannot do. It just so happens that our blasts are an effective debuff and bfc tool.
Is it worth being two caster levels behind for one round of slow on our cold spells? I'm thinking that pure witch is the way to go here unless I can be convinced otherwise.
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@Ms Pleiades, That is exactly what crossed my mind! Lol
OK, let's assume he is neutral evil. I can see that.
Am I shooting his effectiveness in the foot by taking the listed hexes and feats?
Fortune, Water Lung, Coven (with the collar of dire witchcraft), slumber and Waxen Image: are any of these more or less important to his theme or to functionality as a pc with the listed hexes above? Are any of these worth losing a feat he's taken, if so, which one?
Paizo forums, help me through indecision 2015!!
Well, it may not be much help but in my experience, I wish I'd taken fortune in place of misfortune for my witch. The witch always has loads of debuffs, so I tend to rarely use misfortune. In contrast, buffs are few and far between for the witch.
Slumber is useful for knocking out minions, I find. But, I try not to use it too often. Spamming an ability becomes dull quickly for all concerned.
Waxen image sounds cool, but I haven't reached major hex level yet.
Water lung and coven, personally I'd have no use for. But, you know the vibe you're after with your witch. There's been a bit of criticism for "useless" witch's hexes here. But personally, I find there are more cool ones than I can take even with extra hex abuse.
Thought long and hard about winter witch prestige myself. But, ultimately decided straight vanilla witch was going to be a better choice for me. Definitely a cool prestige class though. Have fun.
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Winter witch is a strong option but it costs you a caster level and a hex and you feel their absence. Mine is seventh level and has four spells remaining after facing off against some giants. If I had the ability to cast fourth level spells, I would have more spells available. The caster level loss hurts.
Similarly, that missing hex sure could go a long way to shrinking my list of hexes wanted.
Coven by itself is no good. I would need the collar of dire witchcraft...no, maybe it is called the collar of the unbound coven. Anyway, I would need that and to recruit two other have or witches to make it useful. But having a coven is pretty powerful. Lots of free unlimited use at will sla's. Our game world has witches listed as uncommon at best, generally rare. So witch specific magic gear is going to be a problem (making craft wondrous item seems like a wise decision).
This means the coven hex will take some effort and obviously will have limited applications once it does. But the rewards are also pretty tangible. One possible goal for the character is to probably gather witches in great number and essentially create irisin. He'll be the Baba Gaga of his world. Not sure on that yet, but it's an idea. The coven hex seems appropriate toward that end. But maybe I am giving the sla's too much hype. Dream, vision, baleful polymorph, forcecage, reincarnate, speak with dead, bestow curse, blight, commune, control weather, animate dead, mind blank, and veil are all on the list and free to cast as long as 3 witches in the coven take a full round action to do so. Moreover, the collar let's me use transformation on myself and DC 15 hold person.
I feel like I am dazzled by sparkly lights but the reality is that the collar and the hex will prove possibly quite useless.
Slumber is obviously potent.
Water lung frees up a 3rd level spell slot or two or even three. Plus sleeping under water. Common. That's way cool and thematic.
Fortune is powerful.
Waxen image has a lot of cool in and out of combat applications.
At the moment I am leaning toward waxen image, water lung and fortune.
Anyone have experience with accursed hex or have thoughts on it?
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Winter witch prestige class doesn't actually lose a caster level if the base class is a witch. The "Winter Witchcraft" ability completely supersedes the "Spells per day" ability, since "other witch class abilities" includes "Spells" and "Patron Spells".
Not full spell progression, though. Winter witchcraft stacks with an explicit list except for "effects of her [...] other class abilities". This means she has full caster level, but not full progression.
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OK, just hit 8th level and finally have fourth level spells. I'm the lowest level in my group (everyone else is 10 except for a single level 9). Again, enemies have max HP and focus isn't on dealing damage.
Here are my spells:
1.) Wave shield, identify, I'll omen, charm person, enlarge person, beguiling gift, mask dweomer, mount, animate rope, frost bite, unseen servant, hex vulnerability, mage armor.
2.) Mirror image, frostfall, adhesive blood, false life, investigative mind, blindness/deafness, mirror hideaway, feast of ashes, haunting mists.
3.) Major image, ice spears, vampiric touch, vomit swarm, air geyser, stinking cloud, dispel magic, excruciating deformation.
4.) Wall of ice, hallucinatory terrain, wandering star motes.
My hexes are:
Misfortune
Evil eye
Flight
Discord
Fortune (will retrain to disguise later)
Cackle (from blouse).
Is my list solid or missing anything? I just got fourth level spells and wandering star motes is another will save that is mind affecting. But it seems pretty strong for what it does. Wall of ice seems too versatile to pass up. My utility is abysmal, I know. But it is there in first level spells at least. Not sure how to use the hallucinatory terrain just yet.
Anyway, am I missing anything here? I purchased several scrolls during the last session but wasn't sure if they were purchased successfully since combat started while I was shopping.
I can speak all languages known in the game (24 int and linguistics) so comprehend languages is off. I was thinking of buying scrolls of carrion compass, longarm, sure casting, inflict and cure light wounds, air bubble and animal purpose training. I'm broke so can't afford much more than a few scrolls (had to pay for my improved familiar at level 7).
Suggestions, welcome.
Winter witch prestige class doesn't actually lose a caster level if the base class is a witch. The "Winter Witchcraft" ability completely supersedes the "Spells per day" ability, since "other witch class abilities" includes "Spells" and "Patron Spells".Not full spell progression, though. Winter witchcraft stacks with an explicit list except for "effects of her [...] other class abilities". This means she has full caster level, but not full progression.
Winter witches give up spell progression and a caster level on spells but not hexes or other abilities. WW level 1 spells per day = +0.
Spells per Day
At the indicated levels, a winter witch gains new spells per day and patron spells as if she had also gained a level in the witch class. She does not, however, gain other benefits a character of that class would have gained except for additional spells per day and an increased effective level of spellcasting.
Winter Witchcraft
Levels of the winter witch prestige class stack with witch levels for determining when she learns new hexes, the effect of her hexes and other witch class abilities (including archetype abilities), the abilities of her witch's familiar, and the level at which she can select major hexes or grand hexes.