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Wanted to get opinions and suggestions on an Archetype for the Witch class I have been working on.....it's still in the rough draft phase, so have at it ;)
Warlock (Witch Archtype)
Eldritch pact A warlock wields a bonded object that serves as his connection to his patron —a sentient item of often unknown and possibly unknowable purpose.
These items become valuable tools and allies, as both the warlock and the spirits bound within the item typically crave arcane power, but as a bond item becomes more aware, its true motivations manifest, as does its ability to influence its wielder with its ever-increasing ego.
Eldritch bond (Ex): At 1st level, the warlock gains a powerful sentient object that serves as his connection to his patron.
A warlocks spells come from the will of the spirit bound in the object, and It's ability to hold spells functions in a manner identical to the way a witch’s spells are granted by her familiar.
The warlock must commune with his bound object each day to prepare his spells and cannot prepare spells that are not stored in the object.
A warlock when selecting a bonded object begin play with one at no cost.
Objects that are the subject of an eldritch bond must fall into one of the following categories: amulet, ring, staff, wand, or weapon. These objects are always masterwork quality.
Weapons acquired at 1st level are not made of any special material.
If the object is an amulet or ring, it must be worn to have effect, while staves, wands, and weapons must be wielded.
If a warlock attempts to cast a spell without his bonded object worn or in hand, he must make a concentration check or lose the spell. The DC for this check is equal to 20 + the spell’s level.
If the object is a ring or amulet, it occupies the ring or neck slot accordingly.
A warlock can add additional magic abilities to his bonded object as if he has the required item creation feats and if he meets the level prerequisites of the feat. For example, a warlock with a bonded dagger must be at least 5th level to add magic abilities to the dagger (see the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat in Chapter 5).
If the bonded object is a wand, it loses its wand abilities when its last charge is consumed, but it is not destroyed and it retains all of its bonded object properties and can be used to craft a new wand.
The magic properties of a bonded object, including any magic abilities added to the object, only function for the warlock who owns it. If a bonded object’s owner dies, or the item is replaced, the object reverts to being an ordinary masterwork item of the appropriate type.
If a bonded object is damaged, it is restored to full hit points the next time the warlock prepares his spells.
If the object of an arcane bond is lost or destroyed, it can be replaced after 1 week in a special ritual that costs 200 gp per warlock level plus the cost of the masterwork item. This ritual takes 8 hours to complete.
Items replaced in this way do not possess any of the additional enchantments of the previous bonded item.
A warlock with this class feature cannot have a familiar of any kind, even from another class.
This ability replaces the class’s Familiar ability.
Eldritch bond Basics: The pact object is bonded to a particular warlock, much like a familiar, but in more of a partnership than a master-servant relationship.
Intelligence: This is the intelligence score of the bonded object. It starts at 10 and increases by 1 for every two additional levels of the warlock (at 3rd level, 5th level, and so on).
Wisdom and Charisma: As the warlock increases in level, so do the Wisdom and Charisma of the bonded object.
These abilities start at 6 and increase by 1 for every two additional levels of warlock
Ego: A bonded object starts with an ego of 5, and that ego increases as the object becomes more powerful, as per Table 1–4 below. In cases where a wielder and the bonded object come into conflict, like any intelligent item, a bonded object can attempt to exert its dominance using the rules on page 535 of the Core Rulebook. Due to its flexible and powerful nature, a bonded object has a nonstandard ego progression.
Languages and Skills: A bonded object starts with Common as a language. As the bonded object increases in Intelligence, it manifests knowledge of languages and arcane lore. Upon reaching an Intelligence of 12, it gains a bonus language of the GM’s choice, and gains 1 rank in Knowledge (arcana). Each time the bonded object gains a bonus to Intelligence, it gains another language and another rank in Knowledge (arcana).
Senses: A bonded object is aware of everything around it like a creature that can see and hear. It can be blinded and deafened as if it were a creature. It uses the saving throws of its warlock, even if the warlock is not currently wielding the bonded object.
Bonded object Ability Descriptions: A bonded object has special abilities (or imparts abilities to its wielder) depending on the wielder’s warlock level. The abilities are cumulative.
A bonded object normally refuses to use any of its abilities when wielded by anyone other than its warlock, and acts as a masterwork item of its type.
Alertness (Ex): While a warlock is wielding his bonded object, he gains the Alertness feat.
Pact boon (Sp): A bonded object can be used once per day to cast any one spell that the warlock has stored in his bonded object, and is capable of casting, even if the spell is not prepared. This spell is treated like any other spell cast by the warlock, including casting time, duration, and other effects dependent on the warlock’s level.
This spell cannot be modified by metamagic feats or other abilities.
The warlock gains one additional use of this ability for every 5 levels of warlock.
Telepathy (Su): While a magus is wielding or carrying his bonded object, he can communicate telepathically with the spirit bound to it in a language that the warlock and the bonded object share.
Combining bonded object & black blade rules? Neat idea. Dotting.
Not bad. I like it.
I wonder if there is a way to include the Eldritch Blast from the 3.5 version... with a damage that scales like a alchemist bombs.
Combining bonded object & black blade rules? Neat idea. Dotting.
More or less.
I'm not fond of having a pet trailing after me, and wanted an option similer to the Grave walkers poppet.I also wanted an option that makes the Patron a little more "present" mechanically.
I'm not really interested in trying to replicate the 3.5 warlock either, and wanted to go with something that was tied more to folklore.
You can always take the Arcane blast feat ;)
At first I was concerned about the Archetype replacing only one ability.
What do people think, should I shoot for at least one more replacement ability ?
Or is it OK as is ?
The black blade magus gets a free bad ass magical weapon. You've just combined bonded object and and improved familiar. I'd actually let it improve into a magical item all its own ala the black blade rules and have it either cost him a couple of hexes as it improves or slows patron spells by a level or two. YMMV
As it stands currently, I was trying to keep it balanced with the trade off of the Witches familiar.
But I'm not resistant to the idea of trading some hex slots, to improve the bonded item further....
Since it can already be enchanted into a magical item, as per the Arcane bond ability (as if you had the appropriate feats), what would you suggest ?
A decrease in cost to enchante ?
One ability I had considered, was allowing material component free casting, while weilding your bond item...
I'd love to hear idea's
How about it costs you your 4th and 8th level hex, but you can enchant that item without having to take the enchant(whatever) feat.
That's already built in, as per Arcane bond ;)
I like it as is. Good stuff, but to give it even more flavor I'd like if the witch sacrificed more to make it even MORE warlocky.
OK. what do you think of this idea ?
Vassal (Su): You accept your patrons otherworldly presence into your body and manifest a hint of it's presence. The warlocks features shift into those of a cold and alien being of logic, a creature of primal chaos, an angelic presence, or a fiendish monster, as appropriate to his patron, for a number of rounds per day equal to his level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive, but they must be spent in 1-round increments. The Cackle hex can be used to increase the duration of this effect.
You gain additional abilities as noted below.
Anarchic aspect: You gain the following abilities: an additional +2 bonus to Constitution, DR 10/lawful, resist acid 10, electricity 10, and sonic 10, a +4 bonus on saves against poison, blindsense 30 feet, and a fly speed of 60 feet (good maneuverability). You gain a bite attack dealing 2d6 points of damage. Your natural weapons and any weapons you wield
are considered chaotic-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage resistance.
Axiomatic aspect: You gain the following abilities: an additional +2 bonus to Strength, DR 10/chaotic, resist cold 10, electricity 10, and fire 10, a +4 bonus on saves against poison, low-light vision, and a fly speed of 60 feet (good maneuverability). You gain 2 slam attacks dealing 1d6 points of damage each. Your natural weapons and any weapons
you wield are considered lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage resistance.
Celestial aspect: You gain the following abilities: a +2 bonus to Dexterity, DR 10/evil, resist acid 10, cold 10, and electricity 10, a +4 bonus on saves against poison, low-light vision, and a fly speed of 60 feet (good maneuverability). You gain 2 slam attacks dealing 1d6 points of damage each. Your natural weapons and any weapons you wield are considered goodaligned for the purpose of overcoming damage resistance.
Fiendish aspect: You gain the following abilities: an additional +2 bonus to Strength, DR 10/good, resist acid 10, cold 10, and fire 10, a +4 bonus on saves against poison, see in darkness, and a fly speed of 60 feet (good maneuverability).
You gain 2 claw attacks dealing 1d6 points of damage each. Your natural weapons and any weapons you wield are considered evil-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage resistance.
When used to assume an anarchic, axiomatic, celestial, or fiendish aspect, this ability is a chaotic, lawful, good, or evil
effect respectively.
This ability replaces the warlocks 10th level major hex.
What determines which aspect you can manifest? Is it a standard action to enter this form?
I would say either a standard or move action.
Aspect should be determined by your patron, although I admittedly always have at least a loose idea about who or what the patron is.
So for example, the Chelaxian warlock, that triggered this idea, would take the fiendish aspect, as it's a Cabal devil bound to his item, even though he is personaly LN.
What determines which aspect you can manifest? Is it a standard action to enter this form?
Standard (or move action) would probably work just fine.
The aspect taken would depend on the nature of either the spirit bound in your bonded object, or your patron itself.
For example, the character that triggered these ideas is a Chelaxian warlock (LN) with the dimensional witch archetype.
The spirit bound in his item, is a Cable devil, so he would manifest the fiendish type.
Could he also manifest the axiomatic aspect from the lawful side?
I think it totally fits the theme, but at the same time I wonder how useful it would be. I can't imagine that most level 10 witches would run around in melee combat, so those bonuses to strength and slams aren't going to get used a lot (if at all).
At 10th level the flight hex lasts for 10 minutes so it is probably better then the flight given by the ability.
So what you get is darkvision/low-light vision, three resistances, and +4 versus poison. For the resistances you are better off casting a spell when you need it. And the other two abilities are rather meh.
I think the ability is really flavorful and balanced, it's just that if I were a witch I wouldn't take that hex. I feel what I would gain from the hex can't compare to some of the other hexes.
Don't forget the DR...pretty useful for a squishy....
But I've been wondering the same thing.....flavorwise it fit's wonderfully, but it's a bit blah in application for a 10th level slot.
I'm trying to come up with some other ideas, that will work for any patron the warlock may have chosen
With an archetype like this available, why would anyone make a standard witch?
For the same reason they may, or may not choose to use any other witch archetype.
It's not like this out performs the base class and renders it moot....It's just one particuler flavor.