I'm considering planning out an arcane caster in case my current character falls down a well. Role-playing and non-mechanical stuff aside, what are the unique selling points when choosing between a rune witch and a wizard?
Ive not played a caster before so explain it in small words. Is one better than the other at making things go boom? Does choosing one over the other make a big difference to what I do with my turns?
(Don't suggest sorcerer, we have one and I don't want to play one.)
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Rune Witch - Have a Focus Cantrip and option to make your own focus spell list, familiar comes back the next day if dies.
Wizard - More spellslots, thesis is the main defining force of the playstyle.
Wizard would be more explosive than Witch because of more high lvl slots, specially if you pick the Spellblending Thesis, Wizard would have 6 lvl 3 spellslots compared to Witch 3 at lvl 6 per example.
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Also, as I find many of the Wizard class feats uninteresting, and similarly (but less so), the Witch's, you might consider a Wizard multi-class Witch, or a Witch multi-class Wizard. If both Arcane, the multi-class gets the full Arcane spellcasting of the other class (since spellcasting is defined by tradition, not class).
I've built a Sprite Wizard multi-class Witch who rides a Corgi familiar (though you can do the build with many other ancestries). Picked up Lessons of Life for out of combat healing and mid-game multiclasses as an Alchemist (flavored as a sort of witchy potion thing).
Rules are not clear about the Corgi/Witch familiar (as you cannot have two familiars), so you'd have to ask your GM if you do the sprite thing. In my case, just going to treat the Corgi as my witch familiar (and spellbook!) and give it enhanced familiar (similar to how the Familiar Master archetype handles the matter).
The Wizard/Witch is a great general caster who can potentially do all sorts of magic relatively well, but if you really just want a blaster, Sorceror is king (not saying you should run one, just stating a fact).
Also, having INT as your main casting stat means you can have a strong secondary role as the Knowledge person.
Have fun!
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It all comes down to thesis imo for the Wizard. If one of those captures your imagination then the wizard is for you. There's some neat things you can do with them.
I would always multiclass the Wizard into a class that can grab you heal.
Do both. Be a wizard as your main class then multi-class into Witch. Take Spell Blending as your thesis and dump all your low level slots (from both classes) into high level fireballs. The two separate class slots cannot be combined, but nothing stopping you from coloring up your chips with each class’ slots separately.
Rules are not clear about the Corgi/Witch familiar (as you cannot have two familiars), so you'd have to ask your GM if you do the sprite thing. In my case, just going to treat the Corgi as my witch familiar (and spellbook!) and give it enhanced familiar (similar to how the Familiar Master archetype handles the matter).You could also just take a different Ancestry feat and flavour the Witch familiar as a Corgi.
Alas, no mount trait then.
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Alas, no mount trait then.Rules are not clear about the Corgi/Witch familiar (as you cannot have two familiars), so you'd have to ask your GM if you do the sprite thing. In my case, just going to treat the Corgi as my witch familiar (and spellbook!) and give it enhanced familiar (similar to how the Familiar Master archetype handles the matter).You could also just take a different Ancestry feat and flavour the Witch familiar as a Corgi.
The ancestry feat describes giving the Sprite the connection to the Corgi. It then goes on to describe a Corgi.
You can reasonably view mount as being a standard property of the Corgi familiar.Doing it that way is a lighter touch interpretation than what Captain Zoom's group did.
Alas, no mount trait then.Rules are not clear about the Corgi/Witch familiar (as you cannot have two familiars), so you'd have to ask your GM if you do the sprite thing. In my case, just going to treat the Corgi as my witch familiar (and spellbook!) and give it enhanced familiar (similar to how the Familiar Master archetype handles the matter).You could also just take a different Ancestry feat and flavour the Witch familiar as a Corgi.The ancestry feat describes giving the Sprite the connection to the Corgi. It then goes on to describe a Corgi.
You can reasonably view mount as being a standard property of the Corgi familiar.Doing it that way is a lighter touch interpretation than what Captain Zoom's group did.
All I know is I want to have a pixie with a lance mounted on a corgi with functional wings so I can reenact playing the old school video game Joust. Why won’t they let me?!?!?!
The ancestry feat describes giving the Sprite the connection to the Corgi. It then goes on to describe a Corgi.
You can reasonably view mount as being a standard property of the Corgi familiar.
Familiar are Tiny animals, the ancestry feat specifically gives a Small size Corgi to use as a mount.
You could have a normal familiar as a Corgi but it would be iny & too small to use as a mount.
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Alas, no mount trait then.Rules are not clear about the Corgi/Witch familiar (as you cannot have two familiars), so you'd have to ask your GM if you do the sprite thing. In my case, just going to treat the Corgi as my witch familiar (and spellbook!) and give it enhanced familiar (similar to how the Familiar Master archetype handles the matter).You could also just take a different Ancestry feat and flavour the Witch familiar as a Corgi.The ancestry feat describes giving the Sprite the connection to the Corgi. It then goes on to describe a Corgi.
You can reasonably view mount as being a standard property of the Corgi familiar.Doing it that way is a lighter touch interpretation than what Captain Zoom's group did.
Much as I respect your posts and guides, I very much disagree. Your suggestion is very heavy handed and goes far beyond "flavoring". Flavoring implies that rules are being bent a little bit, not literally tossed out.
My suggestion just combines the two familiars much in the same way as is done for the Familiar Master archetype (the GM using such in lieu of any real rules covering such situations). The only rule being BENT is that you cannot have two familiars rule, but we get around that by not having two familiars.
Your way, you have to break the familiar size rule AND give the familiar the mount trait (again flat out breaking the rules). It does have the advantage of not costing you an Ancestry feat, but if you want your Corgi to move faster, you'll need to spend a class feat to take Enhanced Familiar. Or you decide it's not really a Corgi and you don't need to take Scent and instead take Fast Movement.
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Go ahead and disgree with me, especially if you have a reason. That is how I learn. I've made my share of mistakes.
I don't have any problem with what you have done. I think it is a reasonble GM ruling.
Mount is not a Familiar ability to be taken. Is it not just a property of a Corgi? It is described inside an ancestry feat, but there is nothing inside that feat that hints or requires the feat to give the Corgi a special ability. After all, all Corgis do have a fairy saddle. It is on their back and you can't take it off.
Is not a Corgi a Familiar my Elf can take if she wants? OK I get that the Elf can't ride it. Can't any witch get given a Corgi by their Patron? And if she is a Sprite can she not then use the mount ability.
I just don't see why, that just doesn't work as written.
Maybe make a new thread to debate Corgi / Mount edge cases and house rules? The OP hasn't indicated they have any interest in being a sprite.
Well the OP hasn't indicated they aren't interested either: in fact, after the OP they haven't said anything so it's quite hard to say what is or isn't relevant. For instance, they COULD be quite interested in sprites and knowing there might be an issue with Corgi Mount and a witches familiar might be a reason to take wizard instead. As such, it seems a bit too soon to try and filter what's being posted.
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The ancestry feat describes giving the Sprite the connection to the Corgi. It then goes on to describe a Corgi.
You can reasonably view mount as being a standard property of the Corgi familiar.
Familiar are Tiny animals, the ancestry feat specifically gives a Small size Corgi to use as a mount.
You could have a normal familiar as a Corgi but it would be iny & too small to use as a mount.
I don't see that rule as changing the Corgi size, just as defining that Corgi are an exception to the normal size rules for Familiars.
The Corgi itself at 10-14kg and 25-30cm tall at the sholder is probably on the small side of small. But I don't believe there are any actual size guidelines.
I don't see that rule as changing the Corgi size, just as defining that Corgi are an exception to the normal size rules for Familiars.
The Corgi itself at 10-14kg and 25-30cm tall at the sholder is probably on the small side of small. But I don't believe there are any actual size guidelines.
In that case, the Corgi is not available as a familiar option without the Ancestry feat.
The other abilities & feats providing a familiar only allow for Tiny animals, not small ones (discounting the one giving inanimate object or Leshies, which are still Tiny).
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I don't see that rule as changing the Corgi size, just as defining that Corgi are an exception to the normal size rules for Familiars.
The Corgi itself at 10-14kg and 25-30cm tall at the sholder is probably on the small side of small. But I don't believe there are any actual size guidelines.In that case, the Corgi is not available as a familiar option without the Ancestry feat.
The other abilities & feats providing a familiar only allow for Tiny animals, not small ones (discounting the one giving inanimate object or Leshies, which are still Tiny).
Still not agreeing with your point
the text includes Most familiars were originally animals
and also Some familiars are different
That is hardly a binding rule that excludes other options.
Whether or not the Corgi is a familiar option available only with a feat or not is a GM decision. The rules do not require it to be done that way, but yes I get that some GMs will see it like that.
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Still not agreeing with your point
the text includes Most familiars were originally animals
and also Some familiars are different
That is hardly a binding rule that excludes other options.Whether or not the Corgi is a familiar option available only with a feat or not is a GM decision. The rules do not require it to be done that way, but yes I get that some GMs will see it like that.
You omitted that part from the same text: You can choose a Tiny animal you want as your familiar
And the part about different familiar directly mention the Druids for whom the Feat clearly stipulate the different familiar.
After a very quick check, the only feat that mention a small animal (apart from Corgi Mount) is the Alchemical Familiar which is described as a Small creature.
By your interpretation, any Witch could have a horse or some other mount as their familiar.
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Absolutely not, horse? That is a straw man.
There is another rule that defines that a Corgi can be a familiar. There is no contradiction here at all. The fact that you can select a Tiny animal, also does not stop you selecting a leshy plant, or a Star Orb rock, or a Corgi small animal.
They all have extra rules enabling them.
Yes they all have some availability restrictions. Whether or not you require the enabling feat, or if that familiar is otherwise available is a GM choice. Their defining rules say that they are familiars.
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But you need specific feats to have access to a Leshy Familiar or a Star orb, they are not accessible with most basic abilities granting a Familiar.
Case in point, a Witch need the Wortwitch feat to get access to a Leshy Familiar, and apart fro the Star Orb, only a Witch with Baba Yaga as a Patron get access to an Object Familair.
(of course all of that can be waived byt the ST).
Allowing a Small Familiar with the mount ability for free (without a specific feat of a sepcific Ancestry) is quite the power up.
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The Wortwitch feat gives a number of good abilities to the Witch apart from the familiar so how much of the value there is in the familiar swap is unclear.
The Baba Yaga patron is not necessarily paying anything either for the ability to turn any object into a familiar either. The other patrons just get descriptive text here.
The mount trait is size gated so its hardly much of a problem.
Being Small rather than Tiny is a difference but its not much.
The only reason that we are having this discussion is that two abilities clash ( a Sprite with a Corgi wanting to be a Witch)
So either way the GM is going to have to make a ruling here.
Given that Corgis are probably common animals maybe someone else will want one to. I really don't see it as a balance problem any bigger than a normal Sprite/Corgi is. In fact its much smaller. I suspect for non Sprites the GM will just hand over a Tiny Corgi and use the main rules.
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It's definitely not really a balance problem. TBH I've always been kind of mystified as to why Paizo even specified that familiars are tiny animals by default anyways. It doesn't really serve any purpose.
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Do both. Be a wizard as your main class then multi-class into Witch. Take Spell Blending as your thesis and dump all your low level slots (from both classes) into high level fireballs. The two separate class slots cannot be combined, but nothing stopping you from coloring up your chips with each class’ slots separately.
Back to the main topic, I second this. Maybe that particular thesis isn't your style but you could still take another thesis other than the familiar thesis and then you still get a familiar with Witch dedication (though an initially weak one) and you can also get access to another spell list and get it up to master proficiency with your casting stat still maxed out.