I haven't seen anything recent on the class ability in question -
Found here and the update and below
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.
The class itself raises the caster level every level except the first one.
My rules questions are as thus:
If a class has access to spellcasting, is it a class feature or a separate ability for that class?
If spellcasting from a class is a class feature, does winter witchcraft also increase it as per the wording of the ability?
If spellcasting is a class ability, would it be treated separately from other features that the winter witchcraft ability modifies?
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I've seen more threads on the winter witchcraft ability focus on hexes than the spellcasting aspect.
Witch 5/Winter Witch 2 = CL 6 or
Witch 5/Winter Witch 2 = CL 8
is my question in a nut shell.
Spellcasting increases according to the column in the table titled 'spells per day'. Every winter witch level except the first increases the effective witch level for spellcasting. I wish they had just kept it for all levels, as having to remember that your Witch (winter witch) 5 / Winter witch 5 is level 10 for hexes and such but only level 9 for spells is annoying. But, there it is.
Your first equation is correct. Generally speaking, you never achieve an overall caster level higher than your total character level. (Individual spells or classes of spells may be increased by feats, traits, and class features specific to them.)
Further,
W5/WW4 = CL 8
W5/WW6 = CL 10
W5/WW10 = CL 14
and after that it's back to normal witch levels, unless you have some other class in mind.
Okay, thank you for the reply.
It's just a little weird wording in the ability. Where is says other witch class abilities. So that is why I asked.
There is another class that modified the class features of a previously selected class.
I will admit that if spellcasting is increased twice with the winter witch prc, that would be extremely broken. The spirit of the wording does seem to imply that it is not meant for the spellcasting side of the witch, just the other special features.
Where as, the rule as it is written could be interpreted as that it counts twice. This does get me thinking that the ability could add to the free spells gained at each level for the witch however instead of increasing the actual CL or spells/day feature.