Witch

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Overview & Creation

Some gain power through study, some through devotion, others through blood, but the witch gains power from her communion with the unknown. Generally feared and misunderstood, the witch draws her magic from a pact made with an otherworldly power. Communing with that source, using her familiar as a conduit, the witch gains not only a host of spells, but a number of strange abilities known as hexes. As a witch grows in power, she might learn about the source of her magic, but some remain blissfully unaware. Some are even afraid of that source, fearful of what it might be or where its true purposes lie.   Role: While many witches are recluses, living on the edge of civilization, some live within society, openly or in hiding. The blend of witches’ spells makes them adept at filling a number of different roles, from seer to healer, and their hexes grant them a number of abilities that are useful in a fight. Some witches travel about, seeking greater knowledge and better understanding of the mysterious powers that guide them.

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Class Features

The following are the class features of the witch:  

Hex

Witches learn a number of magic tricks, called hexes, that grant them powers or weaken foes. At 1st level, a witch gains one hex of her choice. She gains an additional hex at 2nd level and for every 2 levels attained after 2nd level, as noted on Table: Witch. A witch cannot select an individual hex more than once.   Unless otherwise noted, using a hex is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The save to resist a hex is equal to 10 + 1/2 the witch’s level + the witch’s Intelligence modifier.  

Patron Spells

At 1st level, when a witch gains her familiar, she must also select a patron. This patron is a vague and mysterious force, granting the witch power for reasons that she might not entirely understand. While these forces need not be named, they typically hold influence over one of the following forces.   At 2nd level, and every two levels thereafter, a witch’s patron adds new spells to a witch’s list of spells known. These spells are also automatically added to the list of spells stored by the familiar. The spells gained depend upon the patron chosen. Each patron is listed by its theme. Its actual name is up to the GM and the witch to decide.   See a complete list of witch patrons here.  

Witch’s Familiar (Ex)

At 1st level, a witch forms a close bond with a familiar, a creature that teaches her magic and helps to guide her along her path. Familiars also aid a witch by granting her skill bonuses, additional spells, and help with some types of magic. This functions like the wizard’s arcane bond class feature, except as noted in the Witch’s Familiar section.   A witch must commune with her familiar each day to prepare her spells. Familiars store all of the spells that a witch knows, and a witch cannot prepare a spell that is not stored by her familiar. A witch’s familiar begins play storing all of the 0-level witch spells plus three 1st level spells of the witch’s choice. The witch also selects a number of additional 1st-level spells equal to her Intelligence modifier to store in her familiar. At each new witch level, she adds two new spells of any spell level or levels that she can cast (based on her new witch level) to her familiar. A witch can also add additional spells to her familiar through a special ritual.  

Major Hex

Starting at 10th level, and every two levels thereafter, a witch can choose one of the following major hexes whenever she could select a new hex:

• Agony (Su)
• Animal Skin (Su)
• Beast Eye (Su)
• Beast’s Gift (Su)
• Cook People (Su)
• Delicious Fright (Su)
• Drugged (Su)
• False Hospitality (Su)
• Hag’s Eye (Su)
• Harrowing Curse (Su)
• Hidden Home (Sp)
• Hoarfrost (Su)
• Ice Tomb (Su)
• Infected Wounds (Su)
• Major Ameliorating (Su)
• Major Healing (Su)
• Nightmares (Su)
• Pariah (Su)
• Prophecy (Su)
• Regenerative Sinew (Su)
• Restless Slumber (Su)
• Retribution (Su)
• Speak in Dreams (Sp)
• Steal Voice (Su; Tiefling)
• Vision (Su)
• Waxen Image (Su)
• Weather Control (Su)
• Witch's Bounty (Su)
• Witch's Charge (Su)
• Witch’s Brew (Ex)
• Withering (Su)

 

Grand Hex

Starting at 18th level, and every two levels thereafter, a witch can choose one of the following grand hexes whenever she could select a new hex.

• Abominate (Sp)
• Animal Servant (Su)
• Curse of Nonviolence (Su)
• Death Curse (Su)
• Death Interrupted (Su)
• Dire Prophecy (Su)
• Eternal Slumber (Su)
• Forced Reincarnation (Su)
• Lay to Rest (Sp)
• Life Giver (Su)
• Natural Disaster (Su)
• Summon Spirit (Sp)
• Witch’s Hut (Su)

 

Favored Class Bonuses

 

Race/Group	Bonus
Dwarf	Add +¼ natural armor bonus to the AC of the witch’s familiar.
Elf	Add one spell from the witch spell list to the witch’s familiar. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the witch can cast. If the witch ever replaces this familiar, the new familiar knows these bonus spells.
Gnome	The witch gains ? of a new witch hex.
Half-Elf	Add one spell from the witch spell list to the witch’s familiar. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the witch can cast. If the witch ever replaces this familiar, the new familiar knows these bonus spells.
Half-Orc	Add 1 skill rank to the witch’s familiar. If the half-orc ever replaces this familiar, the new familiar gains these bonus skill ranks.
Halfling	Add +¼ to the witch’s caster level when determining the effects of the spells granted to by the patron.
Human	Add one spell from the witch spell list to the witch’s familiar. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the witch can cast. If the witch ever replaces this familiar, the new familiar knows these bonus spells.

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Starting Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
• (a) a quarterstaff or (b) a dagger
• (a) a component pouch or (b) an arcane focus
• (a) a scholar’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack

Alternatively, you can start with a number of gold pieces based on your class (3d4 x 10 gp) and spend them on items from the Equipment chapter from the Player’s Handbook.
 

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Spellcasting

A witch casts arcane spells drawn from the witch spell list. A witch must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time.   To learn or cast a spell, a witch must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a witch’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the witch’s Intelligence modifier.   A witch can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Witch. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intelligence score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells).   A witch may know any number of spells. She must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour communing with her familiar. While communing, the witch decides which spells to prepare.   Cantrips   Witches can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on Table: Witch under “Spells per Day.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again. Cantrips prepared using other spell slots, due to metamagic feats for example, are expended normally.

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Subclass Options

Subclass/Archetype	Description
Backwoods Beldam	These strange and often solitary witches have a strong connection to curses, the evil eye, and hyenas.
Dimensional Occultist	A dimensional occultist sacrifices some of her mastery over hexes in return for increased planar lore— she spends much of her time researching and communing with otherplanar spirits, often through her familiar or via the study of ancient texts, and has an increased mastery over various conjurations and other extraplanar effects. She can even travel between dimensions as she gains power.
Gingerbread Witch	A sweet tooth lures the gingerbread witch’s victims to doom.

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