Advice for a Winter Witch

[Val'bryn2]

Okay, playing a Winter Witch in PFS. She's at level 3 right now, 1 XP from level 4, and I'm going to Contraflow, so I think it's time I upgrade my game a little. I'm looking for good tactics to use, possible options for 4th level once I make it, and maybe 5th since I should get there over the convention.

Greta Harcatha, has maxed Diplomacy, Spellcraft, Know Arcana, and Perception, with other skill points split between getting a point in other knowledge skills.

Improved Initiative, Toughness, and Extra Hex for my feats, rabbit familiar giving me a total initiative of +10

Hexes are Evil Eye, Misfortune, and Cackle.

Spells are all 0, Charm Person, Chill Touch, Comprehend Languages, Cure Light Wounds, Mage Armor, Ray of Enfeeblement, Snowball, Unseen Servant, Unshakeable Chill (patron spell), 2nd level: Glitterdust, Invisibility.

Magic Items are: Cloak of Resistance +1, Pearl of Power 1st level, Wayfinder, and wands of cure light wounds, enlarge person, and Mage Armor

I have 16 total Fame, 11 PP available to spend, and a total of 2717 GP that's not been spent yet.

I'm currently looking at branching out a bit, I work best as a debuffer, but may find myself up against creatures I won't be effective against, undead, vermin, etc. I need something to do other than plinking away with Ray of Frost, my go-to option 2. I'm either going to go for buffing or for blasting, unless someone has a third option I'm not thinking of at the moment. Suggestions for which spells I take next, or what the best spells to prepare would be, are welcome.

Oh, and my available books are Core Rulebook, Advanced Player's Guide, Ultimate Magic and Combat, Advanced Race Guide, Advanced Class Guide, Occult Adventures, and Pathfinder Unchained, as well as Ultimate Campaign, Inner Sea Magic, Inner Sea Primer, and a few others.

[Skyler Malik]

I also play a Winter Witch Prestige class in PFS. If you are going the blasting route, be aware cold blasts tend to not do as much damage, they however also provide a debuffing element (most of the spells). I took the Winter domain (mostly because it grants me better cold spells 1 level earlier). She does her job well in Debuffing and secondary cold damage (which has been a life saver in high level scenarios when some swarms can get out of hand).

You are 100% correct that things immune to mind affecting will be a witches worst enemy. My counter to that is, misfortune. Bumping up your misfortune hex with Hexing Runes, and Corset of the Dire Witchcraft and applying split hex to it later, makes it a powerful option against those immune to your mind affects.

If you do decide to go the cold magic route Rime Spell metamagic is basically your best friend.

Also on side note, without improved familiar feat, a Winter Witch can't take the rabbit familiar.

[Val'bryn2]

I should note, I'm using the Winter Witch archetype from Inner Sea Magic.

And how do you figure that I require Improved Familiar? All it says is that it must be a familiar native to the north, and arctic rabbits are well documented, and the hare is specifically introduced as an option in the Reign of Winter Player's Guide.

[Skyler Malik]

I understand that, and it would work in a home game. However in PFS its rules as written, not as intepreted.

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.

Since Rabbit is not one of the familiars listed in that section, in PFS it is illegal to own one without the improved familiar feat.

[Val'bryn2]

"TRADITIONALLY, this limits...." The only restriction is "native to the frozen north" which the arctic hare obviously is, as it's in Reign of Winter, which is an additional resource available in PFS, as an additional familiar option best suited for the frozen north that is Irrisen.

[Skyler Malik]

I agree with you, but because its not specifically listed under the familiars, any gm could ask you to leave the table or play a pregen due to it not being specifically listed there. As such its not legal. When I was playing my winter witch, I picked a fox and reflavored it as a rabbit. Now she has a faerie dragon so it doesn't matter.

[Val'bryn2]

You played it wrong, then. Pathfinder Society specifically disallows reflavoring and reskinning of features. As is, I just got the okay from the local Venture-Captain, so I should be fine.

Edit: sorry, I read over my comment again and realized it was unnecessarily confrontational. My apologies for that part.

[Mahtobedis]

Yeah, Rabbits and Artic Hares are both native to cold climates, which is the only limitation.

This isn't saying "Other things are allowed at GM discretion" Which would mean the listed examples are all you get. It is saying "These are examples of animals native to cold places. If the animal says in it's entry, "yo I live in a cold place," then it's fair game for the winter witch to take.