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Haven't played the class yet so take this with a grain of salt
CLASS FEATURES
Being a 4-slot, light armor, 8 HP caster I wasn't really expecting too much here, and what we get is not too much
SAVE PROGRESSION
- Still don't understand why wizard, sorc, witch and now witchwarper have such awful save progression not getting a single master save until level 17.
QUANTUM FIELD
- Looking at this I'm already not a huge fan, many abilities that require this field are in of themselves actions, and this field cannot be moved without a specific action, so if the enemies walk out of it you have to choose between moving it or casting a spell.
- I would really appreciate if this could move a little bit whenever it was sustained so it wasn't that easy for enemies to get out of.
- Until you get to level 19 and it becomes such a comically absurd radius that this isn't a problem anymore.
PARADOXES
- Here's where things get ugly, starting at level 1 the Witchwarper's Quantum Field really doesn't feel like it does all that much. The passive effects of each of the 4 subclasses feel very anemic in terms of benefit given you are spending an action to put the field down in the first place.
- On top of that, unlike the mystic which has supplementary initial focus spells (i.e. 2 action spells that replace the use of a normal spell), the witchwarper has complimentary focus spells, 1 action or reaction spells that are weaker because they can be used in addition to a levelled spell. This poses a problem for reasons:
- 1) Because most of them rely on Quantum Field, and Quantum Field takes an action to place down in the first place, the 1 action ones are actually hard to use without giving up a spell cast.
- 2) It means that your longevity is not very good at low levels before you start having to use cantrips every turn, and your Quantum Field might as well not do anything without your focus spells.
- The most useful of the initial focus spells is probably Warp Time simply because 10 THP is a lot at level 1, and it doesn't actually require the Quantum Field down to work. Yes it scales rather poorly past there (why its +2 for only 5 THP is a mystery), but its undeniably very strong for the action at low levels. By the point you hit level 7, you'll have your Focus 4s and can stop using this.
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- The advanced focus spells are a bit better - all of them are pretty good except for Accelerate, which is a bit of a headscratcher to have on a caster. Casters usually don't want to cast Haste on themselves, and this is essentially Haste as a focus spell, that can only be self-targetted.
- Forget is something like invisibility 4 with a QF restriction, though unless you Sneak enemies won't have to Seek for you by the invisibility rules (you start hidden rather than undetected if you become invisible while observed), and I don't understand why enemies are even Recalling Knowledge about PCs, so the extra benefit seems a bit questionable.
- Alternate Outcome is a pretty good complimentary spell for your spellcasting.
- World Warp is just a basic blast spell but its fine as a supplementary spell.
- The greater focus spells are a bit of a headscratcher
- Quantum Analysis is essentially just True Strike that you can sustain for the least relevant parts of True Strike
- Parallel Forms, while cool, just isn't very good especially for a 2 action upfront cost and sustain.
- Reality Wipe is okay, adding a dispel magic to a blast, though its weird that the damage doesn't scale with the focus spell's level at all. Given this subclass also has Forget, having a situational focus spell as the Greater one is fine (though it should have +1 for +2d6 damage).
- Time Loop is probably the best one here, incapacitation stings a little but its something like a Paralyze 7 as a focus spell - in combats with single large enemies you can rely on Warp Time instead.
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FEATS
Just going to point out ones that are too weak or too strong
- Anchoring Strike I really do not like the Anchoring trait only being added on hit. Can this just be a Strike with the Anchoring trait? The Witchwarper's strikes are already not going to be amazing.
- Quantum Pulse is probably a mandatory feat so you can get your QF stuff going from round 1 while being able to cast.
- Predictive Positioning is kind of a neat defensive feat.
- Radiant Zone starts the train of "things hard to use", yes if you put down your field and the enemies stay in there + don't die, you can do this and cast a spell. Without Quantum Pulse it's a lot harder to use this. Also this becomes a lot worse when your Quantum Field becomes 100ft radius as its creatures, not enemies. The effect is kind of good though considering no immunity.
- Quantum Transposition... finally lets you move your Quantum Field, at level 6, rather than having to Dismiss it or let it drop from not sustaining, then put it back up.
- Butterfly effect is neat
- Twisted Dark Zone is very good, quite weird that it requires a check against your class DC rather than spell DC, the only difference between the two is that class DC doesn't become legendary at level 19.
- Reality's Anchor doesn't stack right?
- Complete Transposition is a very cool feat that I wish was earlier level, this kind of forced movement effect is great team support. Also weird that its class DC again.
QUANTUM FIELD
I think it's supposed to compete with casting slotted spells, and only smoothly work with warp spells and other actions. An anchoring action plus a spell is very tight and limiting. An anchoring action plus a strike (or after missing an Anchoring Strike), move, grenade, whatever is going to happen more often. The focus spells help you have more actions to move/strike, be tougher in melee, inflict off-guard, etc, which are helpful with strikes while also maintaing the QF and won't allow you do be doing all this while also casting a 2 action slotted spell.
Edit: Anchoring Spells (3rd level) class features makes this much easier if you're in/adjacent to your field (aura, defensive use, or mixing it up near/next to enemies also in the field). Just have a signature spell you like to cast in that situation to get the sustain on the QF.
Paradoxes QFs:
Analyst certainly seems designed to open with something like Warp Reality plus Recall Knowledge plus a Strike (reaction warp spell if you miss) or move or grenade or skill action. (Or Warp Reality, cast, and get your free RK next round somehow.) If you don't want to RK or have your warp spell insurance don't activate the field until you have a helpful zone feat.
Anomaly's QF can be more helpful than people think, there's a lot of concentrate actions out there, including on monster stat blocks. "They can just move away" but they have to first lose an action and figure out why before that would occur to them, and losing an action to move will often be a positive. Warp Terrain does lots of good things either for the party (cover creation) or lockdown on the enemy (greater/difficult terrain or Mist to drop AOEs on while they suffer miss penalties).
Gap Influenced is the most straightforwardly beneficial QF at first glance. I'm annoyed at all the people up in arms over it ending if they hit you - you expect unrestricted full concealment for no expendable resource cost?! That's a focus spell or slotted spell (albeit often a reaction) from other classes. Besides, they'll have MAP on the second try.
This is the one I foresee being used most often before a zone feat comes in to enhance.
Precog everyone loves to hate on this, but to me it's not obviously worse than the others. Sometimes you don't want to RK two things at once (or for free in the second round), sometimes no one tries to use a concentrate action (and usually makes the flat check), sometimes no one shoots at you (and usually makes the flat check), but you or your allies often want to move, and often 5' can make the difference between making it to a better/effective spot or not. Once you've got Debris Zone you're making enemies extra slow trying to advance or retreat.
FOCUS SPELLS
One thing to note, is that these are considerably more powerful than ordinary focus spells, often resembling certain slotted spells. The anchoring trait, requiring you to have a QF up/sustained to have access, is the implicity action tax to allow that to happen. So you have to balance Player: "Quantum Field, I am disappoint," with QF: "Player, I am giving you access to some of the strongest focus spells."
Accelerate: I think it's possible to build a shooty WW, they've got the feats for Anchoring Strike (I don't love it, but it's there) and Spellsurge Ammo. So if you've got a free action QF activation from Quantum Pulse, you can Accelerate, then Strike with Spellsurge Ammo as your opening turn. All subsequent rounds you have an extra strike or move, making the 2 action slot spell plus anchoring action (plus strike/move) economy much easier.
Alternate Outcome: Disadvantage on a save spell is great. Combine with Butterfly Effect feat and you can maximize your slotted save or suck spells. I guess some synergy with the analyst QF doing RK to identify low saves? Maybe, but not that important.
Forget: This seems to go well with an aura, although you can also cover an ally who is mixing it up with enemies also inside the QF. Like Acclerate, this works as a Quantum Pulse round 1 opener, or otherwise it's your round 2 anchoring action, leaving you one action to do something else. So very powerful, but awkward when trying to work with slotted spellcasting in early rounds.
Parallel Forms: For two actions lets you have a free stride to two different locations, then do two single actions. So you could intimidate two different people quite far apart, strike (MAPless) two different people, cast two single action spells, etc. On the first round you're most often paying a focus spell to get a free stride, an extra body, and take MAP off your second strike. Once at rank 8th you're heightened, so it's better Accelerate. Again, a potentially cool opener if you have Quantum Pulse - QF is up, you've moved two versions of you two different places, and you get a couple of skill/strike or one action spell actions.
Quantum Analysis: This does get you Sure Strike in the first round, but it also effectively upgrades any imprecise sense you have to precise within your QF. Know the square they're in, you hit them. Beyond playing games with things like darkness, you can cast through holographic walls. Among other things, it saves you needing the anti-invisibility spells in your repertoire.
Reality Wipe: I don't think the lack of scaling damage is a mistake, because the autoscaling counteract AREA dispel magic is pretty unprecedented. You're by far the best spell breaker I can recall Paizo publishing in this version.
Time Loop: I like this a lot. People would learn not to care about incapacitation a lot more if came on focus spells or multitarget spells. Both?!
Warp Presence: A better Genie's Veil, and I already liked all those reaction conceal spells.
Warp Probability: Works well with anchoring strike feat. If you hit, great, you sustained your QF this round. If you miss, reaction reroll, and you sustained your QF this round. No action cost or disruption to your remaining actions. If you hit, you also keep it around for save insurance.
Warp Terrain: Flexible terrain manipulation, with options to hinder foes, help allies, and not entirely overlap with the difficult terrain zone feat even at 1st rank when it's fairly basic. I think this one is probalby particularly strong with the feat to move the QF, since it stacks with any zone effect you have. Chasing people trying to run away with permanent difficult (or greater difficult!) terrain or mist that inflicts miss chances (if your party has counters or AOEs) plus a feat zone effect is good.
Warp Time: It's good at 1st, not so good after that. The damage is "what if Daze, but a focus spell and one action," and the temp HP don't scale very well, probably to avoid obsoleting force fields. A rank 1 WT gives 10 THP, vs a level 1 FF giving 6 THP. A rank 3 WT gives 15, vs a level 4 FF and 14. Rank 5 20HP, level 10 26THP. Rank 7 25 THP, Level 13 32THP, and Rank 9 is 30THP, vs level 16 and 37THP.
World Warp: Fireball damage (d12 vs 2d6), but small 10' burst vs 20', and fort vs reflex. Also random damage type and effects, wtih good debuffs on crit fails.
ANCHORS
These seems like pretty weak/negligible effects. Maybe they aren't expected to be more and are just flavor with light mechanics, but if the dev team thinks players are actually going to use them they need to think again. The anchor benefits will come up sometimes (I guess), but some of the anchoring actions are so bad I don't think you use them even when you can.
Core Memories: Ok, free changeable assurance, with potential to also get Automatic Knowledge, is helpful. But the anchoring action requires: (1) I am stunned 2 or slowed 1 for a duration longer than the current round [and know it], (2) have my QF up, and (3) can afford to burn an action removing/reducing these effects for future benefit in return for a RK check. I mean if the alternative is stunned 2 for 1 minutes it's an easy choice, but what does that? If it's slow 1 for one minute maybe I just don't sustain (or activate) the QF to get a 2 action spell off now rather than tank this turn and hope for better. It seems too situational.
Focal Point: I have a 30% chance not to be disrupted by reactions when casting spells. I guess the Lesser Deaths will be 5% less deadly now. Rare issue that is usually manageable to avoid. The action to reduce clumsy by 1 or suppressed for 1 round will come up more often, probably, but again I'm not sure this is worth an action to remove. (Hahaha, Synesthesia caster! I will spend three turns slowly removing clumsy from myself!)
Tangible Object: The best of the bunch, maybe? The illusion/hologram thing might be useful, and as far as the action goes if I'm stupefied 1 I'm definitely taking the action to remove it first thing in my turn before casting a spell. Fear, maybe not, and if I'm stupefied 2+ I don't know.