Introduction
This article covers the remastered version of the Witch. For help with the legacy Witch, see our Legacy Witch Handbook.
The Witch is a spellcaster granted power by a mysterious Patron. The Witch’s core features are very close to the Wizard, and their spellcasting works very similarly, but your choice of Patron Theme allows you to select the spell list of your choice similar to the Sorcerer, and the theme of the class’s features have a distinctly less scholarly bent. DnD 5e players might justifiably see thematic similarities to 5e’s warlocks, but the similarities end there.
Similar to the Wizard, the Witch’s ability to learn any number of spells fromtheir spell list makes them a magical tool box with a tool for every specificproblem one might encounter. Beyond that excellent foundation, the Witch’sability to select their own spell list allows them to fill nearly any role inthe party by selecting your Patron Theme and spells. Like the Wizard, theWitch’s high Intelligence gives you a lot of trained skills at 1st level,making it easy to play your party’s Librarian or to pick up skills to supportother skill-based capabilities.
Beyond their spellcasting, the Witch is the uncontested master of familiars, and their Focus Spells (called “Hexes”) are truly fantastic, and include powerful Hex Cantrips which can often define your character’s best tactical options.
Also see our supporting articles:
- Witch Ancestries and Heritages Breakdown
- Witch Feats Breakdown
- Witch Hexes Breakdown
- Witch Patrons Breakdown
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Disclaimer
- Remaster Changes
- Witch Class Features
- Witch Attributes
- Witch Ancestries and Heritages
- Witch Backgrounds
- Witch Skills and Skill Feats
- Varying Skill Feats
- Witch Feats
- General Feats
- Witch Weapons
- Witch Armor
- Witch Focus Spells – Hexes
- Archetypes
- Witch Multiclass Archetype
Disclaimer
RPGBOT uses the color coding scheme which has become common among Pathfinder build handbooks.
- Red: Bad, useless options, or options whichare extremely situational. Nearly never useful.
- Orange: OK options, or useful optionsthat only apply in rare circ*mstances. Useful sometimes.
- Green: Good options. Useful often.
- Blue: Fantastic options, often essentialto the function of your character. Useful very frequently.
Remaster Changes
Witches can now choose between Patron’s Puppet and Phase Familiar at level 1; previously they were locked into Phase Familiar, which a witch might never use.
Patron Themes have been renamed to “Patrons” and each Patron now provides a completely unique familiar ability, both buffing your Patron options and making Patrons with the same spell list more distinct from one another.
9 feats from the Advanced Player’s Guide have not been reprinted. Hex Wellspring (Refocus 3 points) is no longer necessary, but it’s not clear why the rest were dropped.
The changes to the Focus Spell rules make the Witch’s Hexes much easier to use consistently, dramatically shifting the resource management around Hexes like Cackle.
Witch Class Features
Key Attribute: Intelligence is the Witch’s Key Attribute, and like any spellcaster it’s used for your Spell Attacks and for your Spell DCs. Those are two of your most important stats, so keep your Intelligence as high as you can get it. Intelligence also grants you additional Trained skills at 1st level, allowing you to easily invest in numerous skills, including Lore options which other classes often need to ignore in favor of more important skills.
Hit Points: 6+Con hit points. Fortunately youhave plenty of room to boost your ability scores so your Constitution bonuscan compensate.
Proficiencies: The Witch’sproficiencies are terrible. Your saving throw progression is very slightlyworse than the Wizard’s, which you make up for by having better weaponproficiencies which you’ll almost certainly never use. Like the Wizard, yourhigh Intelligence will give you an abundance of Trained skills at first level,but that’s the best part of your proficiencies beyond spellcasting.
- Perception: Trained at 1st level, and itmaxes out at Expert at 11th level. Expect to rely on allies for Perceptionchecks, and strongly consider Incredible Initiative if you don’t want to golate in the turn order in every fight. You might also consider Canny Acumento boost your Perception proficiency, especially if you take it well before11th level.
- Saving Throws: Only one good saving throw.Will is a great option, but only one good saving throw is still a serioushandicap, and it never improves past Master. Your other saving throws willincrease to expert, but no further. You can take the Canny Acumen feat,but that won’t get you past Expert until 17th level, so you’ll spend most ofyour career with absolutely dismal saving throws compared to yourallies.
- Skills: One skill from your Patron, then3+Int additional Trained skills for a total of 4+Int. 4+ is standard, and thanks tohigh Intelligence you’ll start with numerous skills.
- Attacks: Don’t plan to use weapons beyondvery low levels. You only get simple weapons and never advance pastExpert.
- Defenses: No armor proficiencies, and yourproficiency in Unarmored Defense never increases past Expert. Expect to relyon spells like Mage Armor, and be sure that you have nice sturdy friends tohide behind.
- Spellcasting DC: Standard progression for a fullspellcaster.
1: Witch Patron: See ourWitch Patrons Breakdown.
1: Witch Spellcasting: The Witch is aprepared spellcaster, preparing spells that their familiar knows each dayduring Daily Preparations. Your familiar learns two spells for free everylevel, but can learn more from other sources much like a wizard can add spellsto their spellbook.
Your choice of spellcasting tradition will be determined by your Patron. Allfour traditions are available to the Witch.
1: Familiar: As central to the Witch as aspellbook is to the Wizard, your familiar is also unusually powerful comparedto other familiars. Where most characters start with 2 familiar powers andmight get up to 6 with several feats, the Witch’s familiar starts with 4 andgets up to 8 without spending a single feat (4 base, 3 as you level, 1 from your Patron), but can reach 12 with two feats. This allows your familiar to beuseful, versatile, and heavily customizable.
For helpwith your familiar, see ourPractical Guide to Familiars.
1: Hex Spells: The Witch’s Focus Spells.You’ll get one by default and you may get more from your Patron.
- Patron’s PuppetPC1: Free Actions are very powerful.
- Phase FamiliarPC1: Great if you tend to put your familiar in harm’s way, such as by havingit deliver touch spells.
1: Hex Cantrips: A second pool of cantrips.Hex Cantrips are still a Hex, so you’re still limited to one Hex per round, but they’re Cantrips so you can use them without spending a Focus Point. Most Hex Cantrips have a 1-Action casting time, making them a great way to spend an Action before or after casting a 2-Action spell.
For more help selecting Focus Spells, see our Remastered Witch Hexes Breakdown.
Witch Attributes
The Witch’s ability score needs are extremely simple.
Str: Dump.
Dex: AC and saves.
Con: HP and saves.
Int: Your Key Attribute.
Wis: Perception and saves.
Cha: Dump.
Witch Ancestries and Heritages
Boosts to Intelligence are crucial. Ancestries which provides boosts toIntelligence and either Dexterity or Constitution while providing flaws ineither Strength or Charisma are ideal. In addition, innate spells can add evenmore spellcasting options, though they will be Charisma-based in most cases,so look for utility options and buffs.
For more help selecting an Ancestry and Heritage, see our Witch Ancestries and Heritages Breakdown.
Witch Backgrounds
Boosts to Constitution and to either Dexterity or Constitution are ideal.Look for Intelligence-based skills.
If you’re having trouble deciding, here are some suggestions:
- Cultist
- Fortune Teller
- Hermit
Witch Skills and Skill Feats
You get Skill Increases at 3rd and 5th level to raise skills to Expert, increases at 7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th level to raise skills to Master, and increases at 15th, 17th, and 19th level to raise skills to Legendary. That means that you can maximize at most three skills, and the rest of your skills might not advance beyond Trained.
You get Skill Feats at even-numbered levels, giving you a total of 10 Skill Feats (and maybe another from your Background) by 20th level. Generally, you want to invest these feats in the same skills which you are choosing to maximize, though in some cases you may want to grab feats from skills which don’t require that you be more than Trained.
- Acrobatics (Dex): Surprisingly importantbecause it’s used for maneuvering while flying.
- Cat Fall: Being knocked prone whileflying is an easy way to counter flying creatures, and enemies can do itjust as easily to you as you can do it to them. Cat Fall will reduce theeffective distance you’ve fallen, allowing you to take less damage froma fall. However, the effects of Cat Fall scale based on your Proficiencylevel, so it may not be worth the skill feat unless you plan to increaseyour proficiency in Acrobatics.
- Arcana (Int): A crucial knowledge skill.
- Arcane Sense: If you can make DetectMagic free, you should cast it frequently any time that there’s even aremote chance that you’ll encounter magic. You’re going to maximizeArcana anyway, so this will get better as you gain levels. Of course,Detect Magic is a Cantrip which you could get by several means, andnormal Cantrip scaling will be faster than waiting to become Legendaryin Arcana.
- Unified Theory: Your Intelligence willalways exceed your Wisdom, so your Arcana will always exceed your Natureand Religion, so at the very least this is a numeric boost to thoseskills. More importantly, you don’t need to spend Skill Increases onNature, Occultism, or Religion.
- Athletics (Str): Strength is your dumpstat.
- Crafting (Int): You’re probably thesmartest person in the party, and someone in the party needs it tohandle magic runes. Also, Scroll Savant is really good.
- Deception (Cha): Witches are not a greatFace since they have no dependence on Charisma.
- Diplomacy (Cha): Witches are not a greatFace since they have no dependence on Charisma.
- Intimidation (Cha): Casting a spell istypically a 2-Action Activity, which means that in many rounds you’ll have aspare Action and not much to do with it. In those situations, Demoralize isa great use of an Action. However, that spare action may also be importantfor the Sustain a Spell action.
- Lore (Int): You have the Intelligence toback up Lore, so pick up a variety of different Lore skills.
- Medicine (Wis): You’ll have enoughWisdom to make Medicine viable, but hopefully you’ll be in a party withsomeone else who can cover it so that you can focus on Intelligence-basedskills.
- Nature (Wis): Despite being Wisdom-based,Nature may be an important skill for the Witch so that you can identifyspells being cast by other spellcasters.
- Occultism (Int): On par with Arcana, andyou have plenty of Intelligence to make it work.
- Bizarre Magic: Most enemies won’t beable to identify your magic, and the few that can will rarely care.
- Performance (Cha): There is no way for theWitch to make use of this short of things like the Goblin Song feat.
- Religion (Wis): Despite beingWisdom-based, Religion may be an important skill for the Witch so that youcan identify spells being cast by other spellcasters.
- Society (Int): The closest thing you’llget to a Face skill.
- Stealth (Dex): With poor Perception, Stealthcan be a good way to improve your Initiative rolls.
- Survival (Wis): Too situational.
- Thievery (Dex): Essential in any party, and with no armor you’ll need enough Dexterity that this is viable.
Varying Skill Feats
- Recognize Spell: With high Intelligence,passable Wisdom, and easy access to spellcasting-related skills, the Witchis perhaps the best-suited character to identifying enemy spells. You alsohave access to Counterspell and other means to counteract magic, so beingable to identify spells as a Reaction can be a powerful tool against enemyspellcasters.
- Quick Recognition: Using a FreeAction means that you can identify spells multiple time between turns,which is crucial against multiple enemy spellcasters or if you need yourReaction for something else.
Witch Feats
The Witch’s Class Feats include spellshape options, additional familiar powers, and access to additional focus spells and Focus Spells via Witch Lesson feats.
For help selecting Class Feats, see our Witch Class Feats Breakdown.
General Feats
- Armor ProficiencyPC1: Improving your armor options will mean that you don’t need to invest asmuch in Dexterity. Your proficiency from this will advance as the same rateas your Unarmored Defense proficiency, too, so it remains impactful at highlevels.
- ToughPC1: You have among the lowest hp in the game and no armor proficiency, somore hit points are very welcome.
Witch Weapons
Witches have very little reason to use weapons beyond very low levels.
- Crossbow (Any): Crossbows are expensive,you’re not very good with them, and it takes at least one Action to load so you can’tfire them every round while casting spells in most cases. Still, at low levels havinga loaded crossbow at the beginning of combat lets you use any spare Actions to attack if your Hex Cantripsdon’t offer anything useful at the moment.
- Dagger: Your best melee weapon option, but doyour best to never actually use it.
Witch Armor
- Explorer’s Clothing: Basically just afancy outfit that you can apply magic runes to. Mage Armor is probablyenough if it’s on your spell list, but most witches will go for Explorer’sClothing.
Witch Focus Spells – Hexes
Hexes are the Witch’s Focus Spells. They have a variety of interesting effects, many of which are really powerful. Notably, many Hexes (including Hex Cantrips) have a 1-minute duration and must be Sustained, making the Cackle Hex a powerful option (though expensive since it is itself a Hex and therefore consumes a Focus Point) until you can get Effortless Concentration at 16th level.
Hex Cantrips are still a Hex, so you’re still limited to one Hex per round, but they’re Cantrips so you can use them without spending a Focus Point. Most Hex Cantrips have a 1-Action casting time, making them a great way to spend an Action before or after casting a 2-Action spell.
For more help with focus spells, see our Witch Focus Spells Breakdown.
Archetypes
This is not a comprehensive list of archetypes which might be useful for this class. For more on archetypes, see our archetype handbooks.
- Familiar Master: If you’re leaning into your familiar,the Familiar Master may be a better option than the Witch’s feats which grant additional powers.
- Wizard: More Intelligence-basedspellcasting.
Witch Multiclass Archetype
The Witch’s Hexes offer a few interesting options for other spellcasters, but most of the Witch Multiclass Archetype’s appeal is the additional spellcasting. The feats related to familiars can generally be access more easily with the Familiar Master archetype, but if you want both a better familiar and more spellcasting (maybe you’re a wizard and just couldn’t bring yourself to play witch), you might do well here.
Because this is a spellcasting archetype, be sure to check the rules for spellcasting archetypes.
- Witch Dedication: A familiar (whichalready costs a class feat in most cases), one cantrip, and one Trainedskill. A fantastic deal for a single class feat. The familiar does notgain the Witch’s unusually larger number of familiar powers.
- Basic Witch Spellcasting:Intelligence-based spellcasting from whatever tradition your patreon grants.Excellent for other Intelligence-based spellcasters such as the Magus andthe Wizard.
- Basic Witchcraft: Some of the Witch’slow-level feats are broadly appealing, such as Cackle and Cauldron, but most of them arespellcasting-focused and will mostly only appeal to other spellcasters who often already havethe same feats.
- Advanced Witchcraft: Very few featoptions which are appealing outside of the class. Most of the Familiar-focused options canbe found in the Familiar Master archetype, and the Focus Spell-related feats may not beworthwhile since you’re getting them much later than a witch would.
- Patron’s Breadth: I would wait to takethis until you have Expert Witch Spellcasting (or at least until you’reclose to taking it), but the extra spell slots are excellent.
- Expert Witch Spellcasting: Morespells.
- Master Witch Spellcasting: More spells.