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So I've lost my fair share of arcane casters, and I've been itching to try one out again. I have a level 2 witch. However, now I'm starting to get that sinking feeling, as this is often where I lose it with my Arcane characters.
Right now she's got 14hp, and only an 11 AC. I have a wand of mage armor which I use pretty liberally. What general tips/items should I shoot for so I don't bite it the way I normally do with my caster characters.
Well you're in luck because casters have all the options for staying alive!... at least mid to late game.
That being said (and it may seem obvious) here are some pretty basic tips to keep your survival up mainly in the early game transitioning over!
In no order...
1. Get a good Constitution and Dexterity Score.
- No you don't need a 16+ in these, but even a couple of 14's can mean the difference between a hit early on (when you are most vulnerable) and a miss. Not only that, they help to boost your weaker saves; which help against the deadly early game diseases and poisons. It also boosts the fabled superstat... Initiative (more on that later). Its not always worth going 18+2 into a main casting stat!
2. Utilize favored class points.
- As a witch you can learn spells by copying them into your spell--- ahem familiar. You act as a wizard when it comes to learning stuff, so while the extra spells known may be neat short term, long term you can pitch some money and learn those early spells anyway. What is harder though is finding HP. That extra 2-3 point buffer might be the difference between dropping to -14 and dying or dropping to -12 and having a couple turns.
3. Position(ess) kind of sounds like squishiness
- While its not always fun to be out of the limelight, remember that you won't have the survivability if you do take a hit; keep yourself back and utilize your range on your spells. While it may be tempting to set up a Melee Touch Attack; remember that you are now in the fray and it is difficult to get out. You can 5 Foot Step as much as you want but you can be followed. To remedy this, use your meatier allies as cover and use them and their threaten zone to keep people out of your face. A friendly fighter with a longspear can cover that thin hallway for you and give some breathing room.
4. Spell selection.
- While not (all) relevant to the Witch, spells such as Mirror Image, Displacement, Blink, Blur and concealment will help much more than most AC sinks. You have your Hexes to fall back on, so if you need to dedicate some slots to protection do so! Remember you can always leave a slot open and prep it later if you have the time to do it. Remember there are Cantrips such as Daze as well which stop attacks flat. Ear-Piercing Scream stops a person in their tracks. A single target who is not attacking is better than any AC in a one on one fight.
5. Grab a Mithral Buckler at some point.
- While somewhat cheesy, the famed Mithral Buckler has no Arcane Spell Failure and no Check Penalty for anyone to use. It may have cost a little but remember it can be upgraded as the game goes on. While not as effective as a Shield for most of the game, it does serve the purpose if the spell isn't available or you want the slot.
6. Toughness.
- Yes its boring, but so is twiddling your thumbs when the boss kills you by a few points. Refer back to 2.
7. Position, position, position.
- Yes this is a rehash. Yes it is that important. The best way to not be hit is to not be ABLE to be hit. Use cover, use darkness, cliffsides, large obstructions, flight, invisibility, earthglide, etc. Remember that you have more options than most players would, being a caster. These spells also serve dual purposes, they aren't strictly survival! That Fly can be used when you don't need it to help that same melee fighter who forgot his bow (always!), that invisibility (greater) can help set up the lower BAB targets by attacking Flatfooted AC, that Deeper Darkness now cut the enemy off from his friends.
8. Go first.
- When you go first as a caster you set the tempo of the fight. You determine which areas are filled with grease, pits, tentacles, etc. You determine which bottleneck you want to fight in (if at all). You can separate friends from each other and divide the enemies up. Going last means you are vulnerable and your enemies can cover that distance on you. They make their own space inside yours and thats not good :(
9. Don't be afraid to wait though.
- Sometimes going first isn't the best, so you can always Hold or Ready Actions as well. You might not want to walk into 3 guys to attempt a 30 foot Slumber, but you can definitely ready an action to Slumber the first foe to walk into the range. Remember that threaten one thing earlier? This is like that! You can even help hop your allies up by creating a safe space, which will then give you a safe space as well. Teamplay!
10. There's always Total Defense.
- A pretty subpar option, but if you're desperate and help is almost there, you can always use the Total Defense action to help a little bit more.
Also keep in mind that Hexes are mainly (SU) abilities and don't provoke attacks of opportunity for using them in threatened ranges... So it may be better than the Total Defense option.
Sorry it was pretty vague it was late at night when I posted this but hopefully you pick up at least something useful.
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Stay in back. Once you have access to them, use additional defensive spells. I'd advise prioritizing Dex ahead of everything but Int, but it seems a bit late for that.
Witch is hard to be specific on, because what defensive spells you have depends somewhat on your Patron. That said, next level you get access to False Life and Ironskin, both of which are immensely helpful in the 'staying alive' game. As does being able to fly, once you get access to that.
Alright, first and foremost, you have to be asking yourself "Why am I getting hit?" Usually if you, the squishy 2nd level arcane caster are getting hit, one of three things are happening.
1) You are far too close to melee. Don't do it. You aren't meant for it, and this is the sort of thing that you simply want to be as far away from as possible. Take a look at the range on your spells. If you can stay at the outer limit of that, yet still somehow within reach of a healer, you are golden.
2) Your party members aren't protecting you. Remember, the front liners are supposed to take the brunt of the damage for you. If they aren't positioning themselves between you and your opponent's weapon, there is something wrong.
3) Your GM is unfairly targetting you. Seriously, there is no reason why a 2nd level arcane caster should be targeted by... really anyone. You look like the least threatening person on the battlefield for crying out loud. Mindless creatures and animals generally attack the closest things to them and more intelligent creatures that you would be fighting at this level see Conan as the threat, not you. It's kind of hard to pay attention to the spellcaster mucking up the battlefield when there is a 7 foot tall barbarian gutting them with a sword. It doesn't matter if you look weak, the enemies have to prioritize. At later levels, sure, because enemies are also more likely to be used to fighting spellcasters, and you are much more dangerous, but not at level 2.
If all else fails, get Toughness and hope for the best.
Its noy just about things that you can or can't do. its anout what everyone does. Have friends who are willing to protect you. Work with your party.
On items - an armored kilt has no ASF or check penalty (likewise silken ceremonial armor) & could be worth getting once you can afford +1 spell storing armor.
If your familiar could feed a potion of cure light wounds to you, get a supply.
It's sometimes worth buying a warhorse just for the mobility to stay out of reach; not so much indoors, obviously. Flying/levitating can require an action to start up & it's much easier to already be riding. Spellguard bracers help with the concentration checks that riding imposes.
3) Your GM is unfairly targetting you. Seriously, there is no reason why a 2nd level arcane caster should be targeted by... really anyone. You look like the least threatening person on the battlefield for crying out loud. Mindless creatures and animals generally attack the closest things to them and more intelligent creatures that you would be fighting at this level see Conan as the threat, not you. It's kind of hard to pay attention to the spellcaster mucking up the battlefield when there is a 7 foot tall barbarian gutting them with a sword. It doesn't matter if you look weak, the enemies have to prioritize. At later levels, sure, because enemies are also more likely to be used to fighting spellcasters, and you are much more dangerous, but not at level 2.
A level 2 witch is scarey.
So is a level 2 wizard, sorcerer or arcanist with color spray, sleep or charm person.
It might not be worth getting ripped to shreds by Conan to do it(operative word there is "might"), but if they get the opportunity and are at least half way intelligent then absolutely they should strongly consider going after the arcane caster.
A level 2 witch is scarey.
So is a level 2 wizard, sorcerer or arcanist with color spray, sleep or charm person.
It might not be worth getting ripped to shreds by Conan to do it(operative word there is "might"), but if they get the opportunity and are at least half way intelligent then absolutely they should strongly consider going after the arcane caster.
I think the idea is that they don't look scary. If you're a bandit attacking a convoy, you're much more likely to be paying attention to the soldiers than the scribes.
A late level wizard/etc will be decked out with so many magic items that they could be literally glowing, but in the early levels they don't look much different to a commoner. As a GM you should have to justify why your bandits are intentionally taking damage from the barbarian just to attack that little old guy in pyjamas standing at the back. Just as the characters shouldn't be "Meta-Gaming", neither should the GM.
If the setting you're playing in is high/epic fantasy maybe everyone would recognise a wizard/witch/etc, but for most settings they just look like people
A level 2 witch is scarey.
So is a level 2 wizard, sorcerer or arcanist with color spray, sleep or charm person.
It might not be worth getting ripped to shreds by Conan to do it(operative word there is "might"), but if they get the opportunity and are at least half way intelligent then absolutely they should strongly consider going after the arcane caster.
I think the idea is that they don't look scary. If you're a bandit attacking a convoy, you're much more likely to be paying attention to the soldiers than the scribes.
A late level wizard/etc will be decked out with so many magic items that they could be literally glowing, but in the early levels they don't look much different to a commoner. As a GM you should have to justify why your bandits are intentionally taking damage from the barbarian just to attack that little old guy in pyjamas standing at the back. Just as the characters shouldn't be "Meta-Gaming", neither should the GM.
If the setting you're playing in is high/epic fantasy maybe everyone would recognise a wizard/witch/etc, but for most settings they just look like people
If the party is attacking the bandits it is a fair assumption on the bandits' part that the guy without so much as a leather vest standing in the back isn't there to look pretty while his buddies are fighting for their lives. By far the most likely explanation is that the guys without armor are arcane casters.
If the bandits are ambushing the party, assuming the unarmored casters are non-combatants is legitimate right up until the point that the caster makes 3 bandits taste the rainbow (color spray). Then they know the unarmored guy is a caster.
Dont be afraid to stay back and run if stuff get dangerous. You should never stand where a bad guy can get to you without sufflering at least one AoO. If you have strong melee support you can use your self as bait. And remember if you dont run away from a guy that can hit you you will have to take him Down. Generally dont try to be a hero and live with the martials getting the glory, your time with come. But as a witch you dont have all the defensive options of a wizard so learn to love your sword swinging friends.
There is a lot of good advice above.
There is an old thread here called building a balanced party, link http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p576&page=4?On-building-a-balanced-group-w orking-out-just#161.
The author obviously knows what he is talking about and one of his points is that Pathfinder does not allow you to shield your spell casters from melee very well. Intelligent opponents will take the attack of opportunity and walk past the fighter, [try to] murder the wizard et al to death then deal with the fighter types later.
There is a lot you can do to get your AC up once you have the resources. In a recent campaign I was playing a cerebremancer with an AC of around 38 while my nephew had a summoner with an AC of 17. It was a matter of prioritising making your character able to survive. Be like the cerebremancer. Of course this does not help much at level 2.
But at level 2 most foes Will die if the figther hit with his AoO.