Witch Archetypes
While all witches are intimately tied to their familiars, a beast-bonded witch's craft focuses specifically on her familiar bond and developing the relationship with her patron through her familiar.
Whenever the beast-bonded witch is capable of learning a new feat, she may choose to instead have her familiar learn the feat as a bonus feat. The familiar must meet the prerequisites for any feats that it learns this way. If her familiar is lost or dies, the witch can reclaim the feat slots and select new feats for herself, or apply the slots toward her new familiar.
At 4th level, the beast-bonded witch's connection with her familiar strengthens. For the purposes of determining her familiar's powers and abilities, she treats her familiar as if she were one level higher than her actual witch level. This ability replaces the witch's 4th-level hex.
At 8th level, a beast-bonded witch may take the shape of her familiar (or a giant version of her familiar or a similar kind of animal) as if using beast shape II. For example, a witch with a rat familiar can turn into a Tiny rat, Small dire rat, or a larger rodent; one with a cat familiar can turn into a Tiny cat or a Large feline such as a tiger or lion; one with a monkey familiar can turn into a Tiny monkey or a Large gorilla, and so on. The witch can remain in animal form for a number of minutes per day equal to her level. This ability replaces the witch's 8th-level hex.
Twin Soul
At 10th-level, if the witch or her familiar is gravely injured or about to die, the soul of the dying one immediately transfers to the other's body. The two souls share the surviving body peaceably, can communicate freely, and both retain their ability to think and reason. The host may allow the guest soul to take over the body temporarily or reclaim it as a move action. They can persist in this state indefinitely, or the guest can return to its own body (if available) by touch, transfer into a suitable vessel (such as a clone), or take over another body as if using magic jar (with no receptacle). This replaces the witch's major hex at 10th-level.
Hexes
The following witch hexes complement the beast-bonded archetype: beast of ill omen, charm, feral speech, ward.
Major Hexes
The following major hex complements the beast-bonded archetype: beast eye.
Grand Hexes
The following grand hex complements the beast-bonded archetype: forced reincarnation.
Having much in common with necromancers, the gravewalker is obsessed with the occult manipulations of the dead, particularly mindless undead such as zombies. Unlike the creations of standard necromancers, a gravewalker's creations remain forever tied to her will, and she can produce vile apparitions of tremendous power.
Spells
A gravewalker replaces some of her patron spells with the following: 4th—command undead, 6th—animate dead, 12th—create undead, 14th—control undead, 16th—create greater undead. These replace the patron spells
Spell Poppet
Each gravewalker carries around a gristly, inanimate poppet stitched from human skin and stuffed with shards of bone, fingernails, and grave dirt. A gravewalker's spells come from the will of evil spirits residing in the poppet, and its ability to hold spells functions in a manner identical to the way a witch's spells are granted by her familiar. The gravewalker must commune with her poppet each day to prepare her spells and cannot prepare spells that are not stored in the poppet. This ability replaces familiar. The following familiar ability works differently for a gravewalker:
At 3rd level or higher, a gravewalker can use her poppet to deliver touch spells. After casting a touch spell, as a full-round action, the witch can designate a target and stab a pin into her poppet, delivering the spell as a ranged touch attack. The target must be within range of her aura of desecration ability (see below).
Aura of Desecration
At first level, a gravewalker can create a 20-foot-radius aura of evil power. This aura increases the DC of channeled negative energy by +1 and the turn resistance of undead by +1. At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, the radius of the aura increases by 5 feet, to a maximum of 70 feet at 20th level. This ability replaces the witch's 1st-level hex.
At first level, a gravewalker can take control of an undead creature within her aura of desecration by forcing her will upon it (Will negates, using her hex DC). If it fails the save, the creature falls under her control as if she had used command undead (once control is established, the undead remain controlled even if outside the witch's aura). Intelligent undead receive a new saving throw each day to resist her command. The witch can control up to 1 HD of undead creatures per caster level. If an undead creature is under the control of another creature, the witch must make an opposed Charisma check whenever her orders conflict with that creature's. This replaces the witch's hex gained at 4th level.
A gravewalker may take direct control of one of her undead minions within her aura of desecration, as if using magic jar; the witch's poppet acts as the soul receptacle for this ability. The minion gets no saving throw against this ability. This replaces the witch's hex gained at 8th level.
Hexes
The following witch hexes complement the gravewalker archetype: beast of ill-omen, evil eye, misfortune.
Major Hexes
The following major hexes complement the gravewalker archetype: ice tomb, infected wounds, waxen image.
Grand Hexes
The following grand hexes complement the gravewalker archetype: death curse, summon spirit.
Among witches, there are those who devote themselves to the care of others and restrict their practices to the healing arts. They often take the place of clerics in rural communities and may wander the countryside servicing the needs of several small communities.
Patron
A hedge witch's patron is normally one with a healing theme (see page 83).
A hedge witch can channel stored spell energy into healing spells that she did not prepare ahead of time. The witch can "lose" any prepared spell that is not an orison in order to cast any cure spell of the same spell level or lower, even if she doesn't know that cure spell. This replaces the witch's hex gained at 4th level.
A hedge witch can minister to a diseased or poisoned target, redirecting the affliction into herself. For a poisoned target, the witch must tend to him as a standard action; he makes his next saving throw against the poison as normal, but the witch suffers the effects of the failed save instead of the poisoned creature. For a diseased target, the witch must tend to the sick person for an hour; he makes his next saving throw against the disease as normal, but the witch suffers the effects of the failed save instead of the diseased creature. The witch does not actually become poisoned or diseased (and is not contagious and does not need to be cured), but suffers the effects of the affliction as if she had been. The witch normally uses this ability to extend the life of someone near death, giving him time to recover. This ability has no effect if the witch is immune to disease or poison. This replaces the witch's hex gained at 8th level.
Hexes
The following witch hexes complement the hedge witch archetype: cauldron, feral speech, healing, tongues.
Major Hexes
The following major hexes complement the hedge witch archetype: major healing, weather control, witch's brew.
Grand Hexes
The following grand hex complements the hedge witch archetype: life giver.
Sea Witch
A sea witch's affinities are tied to the vast oceans and the rolling waves. Her magic concerns the moon, tides, water, and winds, and she is most at peace when she is upon or near the sea.
Patron
A sea witch cannot choose a patron whose interests or theme opposes that of water (for example, earth or fire).
Spells
A sea witch replaces some of her patron spells with the following: 2nd—touch of sea, 4th—gust of wind, 6th—water breathing, 8th—control water, 10th—cloudkill, 12th—control wind, 14th—control weather, 16th—vortex, 18th—tsunami.
Know Direction
So long as she near a sizable body of water (at least a lake with a diameter of 1 mile or more), a sea witch may cast know direction at will as a spell-like ability.
Sea Creature Empathy
A sea witch can influence the attitude of water-dwelling animals and animals that live along coasts and shores, including birds, as if using wild empathy. The sea witch uses her witch level as her druid level for this ability. If the sea witch has wild empathy from another class, her witch levels stack with the other class's levels to determine her wild empathy bonus for these kinds of creatures. This ability replaces the witch's 1st-level hex.
Hexes
The following witch hexes complement the sea witch archetype: charm, flight, water lung.
Major Hexes
The following major hexes complement the sea witch archetype: hag eye, hidden home, weather control.
Grand Hexes
The following grand hex complements the sea witch archetype: natural disaster.