I like the concept and think it has a ton of potential, but the name doesn't sit well with me. What do you think?
I would have to agree that I do not like the name either. It just gives me the wrong mental image as the name "Witch" is tossed around a lot these days and has been in the past.
Implements should be: Staff, Wand
I think that we should make this leader a ranged only implement only leader. That hasn't been done before in 4e and would really add to the shadow fluff that the only reason she is keeping them alive is to save herself.
I agree with ranged-only, implement-only. I like sticking to witch, but I expect to be outvoted. I'm harkening back to the Wyrd Sisters and the witches from MacBeth. I don't see it being any worse than having an assassin class. I guess I can agree to this: if someone comes up with an equally suitable name that doesn't make people squirm, so be it. But assassin, necromancer, blackguard - these are shadow concepts. I feel like witch is in the same boat - not exactly having a good reputation, historically.
Most definitely no doubts about it ranged implement leader.
I did a quick search and got Medium, Spiritualist, Oracle, Seer… and there was another one.
Channeler… Augurer… Soothsayer? A tad antiquated, I'd venture, but not totally off the mark.
I like the Witch as a name. It's a wide enough open field, I think, that would allow for plenty of shades of characterization in the various builds.
I could see Staves, Wands or Orbs as implements, depending upon how you want to flavor it. Harry Potter to the Baba Yaga to fortune tellers.
I'll post some of my ideas on when I get offa work.
I like Oracle, actually. But I'm seeing this class as a typical witchy kind of person with the theme of talking to the dead/channeling the dead/using angry spirits to fuck over bad guys splashed in.
And I've always thought Oracle would be a great class name.
My problem with witch (and I don't think I'm alone in this) is that it is too gendered to be a class name… Ask 10 people to describe a witch and I'd bet you 10 out of 10 say at some point lapse into a feminine archetype. This would be fine if the masculine version of witch was available 'Warlock' but that's already been taken for some time now.
Personally, I LOVE the name Wyrd. It has the same connotations as witch to many people but without the gendered baggage, if you look it up, it actually means Fate personified which makes sense, plus, it is just one of my all-time favorite words.
Other potential alternatives could be the Fate-Spinner, Auspex, Vaticinator, Diviner
Gendered but good names if others end up not taking issue with it would be Moira or Sybil
Other, less appropriate (but cool names) Rhabdomancer, Oneiromancer.
I understand your point, but I really begrudge having to acknowledge it. Because actually, the gendered usage of witch is a pretty modern invention. Languages are a malleable thing, and I'd like to make witch gender-neutral again. I'm probably fighting a losing battle, but that isn't deterring me (you can see why I've gotten the nickname the Paladin). Still, I can accept Wyrd (please just let the fluff mention witch). Or hey, here's an option: in the official fluff, give a list of in-game terms. Mention Wyrd, witch, oracle, and soothsayer. Basically, give a sidebar explaining that depending on your group, witch may or may not be accepted as a name. And even when it is, maybe an alternative is preferred.
I'm going to have to object to Moira as a class name. It's also a person's name. I would not be able to work on a "Moira class" without thinking of a specific Moira, and I'm sure she would not be pleased to hear witch was a proposed synonym… Just sayin'.
I understand language is malleable but pop culture has already done the damage in this case, I think to the term witch.
I like your proposal though about the fluff side-bar. That makes a lot of sense and opens it up to more culturally specific interpretations so we don't have to out-right nix all the other great names people have suggested.
I'm fine with Moira not being included I was just trying to give as many options as possible.
Can we please use the term "Weirding Way" as a class feature?
Orb, staff, totem, wand. Potter, fortune-tellers, Baba Yaga, and I'm not entirely sure where I picked up that totems should be applicable, but it might have something to do with Voodoo…
I am fine with orb, staff, and wand.
A possible alternative to totems (since they've been strictly primal thus far) would be to create a new implement type. My vote goes to 'Fetish,' which I have already worked into the necro C. I said this on that page, but I think 'Fetishes' could be to shadow what totems are to primal. Think about it, skulls, bone-charms, glyphs, stuffy dolls, eye of newt, breathe of fish, whatever. The work well with the necro flavour and they work well with the wyrd/witch/medium flavour. Making a new implement also drops the baggage of implements that would make no sense (druid totems aren't likely very functional much less flavourful with necro/wyrd powers, but would be able to be used given your options). Moreover, I see totems as being intimately bound up with the spirits of 'The World' rather than 'The Netherworld.'
I like the name Witch. I think it has enough archetypal space to fit the concept, plus it has more name recognition that anything else (except maybe Oracle, but that seems more Psionic to me).
I support Staves, Orbs, and Tomes as implements. Each has a fairly good foundation as being involved with witches and seers in general. As for the healing feature, I don't really like Reweave Fate… it just seems… lacking, somehow. It does what all Leaders do, and that's a problem to me, it feels uninspired and not at all unique.
Re: Chameleon X, I'm glad you support the name, and I agree that Oracle sounds a bit more psionic, and (perhaps more importantly) not Shadow-y enough. I think we need names that are sinister. Shadow classes have a bad reputation, more often being infamous than famous. I think our class names should fit that: assassin, duskblade, necromancer, witch.
As for Reweave Fate, yes, I just made it a standard healing feature. You need to be able to heal to function as a leader, but I wanted the emphasis of the witch to be different. I'd had enough discussions on the WotC forums to see a distrust of Shadow healing. I chose to embrace it rather than fight it. If you think about the fluff we've given the witch and the more general nature of Shadow, it's all about using dark reflections and reaching beyond death. It's not quite the same as life, so it works best if used differently. I gave the witch more power when using Greater Destiny, so it becomes a strong temptation to "heal" less fully. I'm not sure I'm putting this well. Greater Destiny is like THE witch healing healing, and Reweave Fate is more of a balancing factor, making the witch not entirely useless at healing or preventing death.
Actually, it reminds me of an older version. Reweave Fate was more for dire straights - an immediate reaction to a character being damaged or making a death saving throw. It would be more mechanically interesting, and perhaps it better fits the flavor: the witch straddles death's door, and it there that healing works best. So here's a rewritten version:
Reweave Fate
Immediate Reaction
Trigger: You or an ally takes damage while bloodied, fails a saving throw, or is reduced to 0 hit points.
Effect: The target spends a healing surge and regains an extra 1d6 hit points. [Increase with level as normal] In addition, the target can roll a saving throw against one effect a save could end.
Leave everything else as is. Reduced to 0 hit points is a big one (and the main inspiration). While bloodied makes it a bit more useful. The saving throw bit extends the utility (maybe too much?), and it works well with the idea of Reweaving Fate to get a second chance. Plus, it works very well if the triggering save was a death save or ongoing damage.
As a potential feat:
Avoiding Fate
Prerequisites: witch, reweave fate
Benefit: If you use reweave fate when an ally is hit by an attack, the triggering enemy must also reroll the triggering attack and use the new result.
Actually, yeah, I'm liking this one so much better. Feels more witch-y. I'm going to change it.
Does this software limit the number of replies to a single item? I can't seem to put this where I want it to go. Oh well. I never claimed to be tech-savvy.
On the topic of gender assumptions, I'm in total agreement with Omnirahk. There's no reason 'witch' can't be a gender neutral term. Amusingly enough, my Pathfinder character is a male Witch, and I've repeatedly rebuffed the 'warlock' label in and out of character multiple times. I just don't feel it has to be strictly tied to either gender. If the fluff makes no specific reference to the contrary, why would anyone assume it can't be male? Especially if there's appropriate art. (Is there art for the pdf?)
I'd still do the sidebar, though. Couldn't hurt.
Sounds good. And I like Oskar's suggestion that we use Weirding Way as a class feature name. What do you say - is it an appropriate name for the healing word analogue?
Personally dapper, I don't really consider the term 'witch' overtly gendered BUT, since we are making this for the community, I was trying to anticipate what others might think and, while you might not feel that witch has gendered connotations, I feel pretty confident in saying that many people do. That said, I don't want to be a hard-on about it but I do REALLY like the name Wyrd, I feel like it opens up more possibilities than witch by having less connotations generally, gendered or otherwise.
Omni, just my two cents but I was imagining the 'Weirding Way' feature as a third, static, build-defining benefit so that class features were thus:
Weirding Way
Healing Word Analogue
Ritual Caster/Alchemist
Also, just some text from the wiki article on witchcraft:
witchcraft is believed to have the power to influence the mind, body or possessions, malicious magic users can become a credible cause for disease, sickness in animals, bad luck, sudden death, impotence and other such misfortunes
So… witches have Raistlin's curse? They trade hope/have the ability to see time?
I think that could be one major element i.e. they make a deal or have some life event that allows them to manipulate fate and see 'beyond the veil' of death (in a more traditional perspective of necromancy i.e. as a form of divination through communication with the dead). This would be more in-line with the oracular 'medium' type witch; a soothsayer, fortune-teller, mystic, whatever.
Another major element is that they can cast hexes, cause disease or impotence, and manipulate nature's darker aspects. This would be the more stereotypical 'hag,' warlock, or witch-doctor who works malicious, 'black magic' and has some sort of aura of 'maleficium'.
There's also the archetype of the 'white witch,' which could work here as a build more aligned with the natural flows of life and death. This sort would see The World and The Otherworld as two sides of the same coin without privileging either but rather, shaping the natural cycles between them to now preserve and now destroy. This witch could be more of a fey-ish sort aligned with the different seasons, the new moon, and other various natural cycles of death and birth. We could potentially draw from the more naturalistic neo-pagan sort of witches for inspiration in this regard.
Another thought: If we use the second achetype idea, the 'Weirding Way' option could maybe include a power called 'Evil Eye.'
Well, yes, that is what inspired me. When I first started asking "what is a witch, and how is it different from a warlock or shaman?" that's what I thought of. Having taken a class or two on the subject, I learned that accusations of witchcraft often fell upon people who creeped society out, and that was often the elderly spinsters and bachelors - alone, isolated, and no longer able to contribute to society in any of the traditional senses. They often created a great deal of unease because their advanced age became a constant reminder of death. From there it was easy to leap to those who are close to death and see it in ways much closer than the norm. Which immediately made me think of Raistlin. But yes, I'd like to design this class so Raistlin might actually be an example of a male witch (or witch/wizard hybrid).
Then might I suggest making either Intelligence or Charisma the primary score? Raistlin's less than thirty, and a lot of emphasis was put on his intelligence and force of will. So a build using some arrangement of Int/Cha would actually hit that nail on the head, especially considering the whole MotP&P thing. :3
Though I'm afraid I'm not quite up to snuff on most of the other possible sources, so I'm not sure how well that fits compared to those. So, just my 2cp, do as you will. :3
So, I finally got a version of the Underdark book and I read up on Incunabula. According to their flavour, they are servants of Vecna that collect all manner o secret knowledge, which they store in libraries and/or trade with others. They utilize a ritual called the unveiling where they eat a creatures brain and thus gain all its knowledge (I'm gonna eat'cher brain and getcha knooooowledge!). They also live in the Shadowdark, originate from Nerull's dead kid, have an ancestral memory, and utilize undead servants….
I'm thinking this class would be perfect for Warlock, Wyrd, Necro, and Bard and so I designed it with those in mind. I'm making them with +2 Int and a choice of either +2 Con or Cha. I think that the Incunabula would have a very strong tradition of Wyrd's (the oracular kind) so my vote for primary ability score with Wyrd goes to Int with Cha and Con as secondaries.
I could also see the weird using wisdom instead of Con in some cases though.
+2 Int, +2 Con or Wis, I'd thought. Good for wizards and the more bookish invokers and necromancers, as well as artificers, swordmages, and Con'locks.
Plus this class. :3
You know, I was thinking about Wisdom some more and I don't know that it's better than Charisma for Inc's, because, as I read it, they tend to have a society built around bartering for secrets. Secrets are a kind of currency for them and bartering information strikes me as a very Charisma driven activity, really, bartering anything strikes me that way… I'm posting my draft of the Inc's though so feel free to give me feedback on that page.
Aye, go for it, then. I already claimed the darklings anyway, so~ :3
Just a pet peeve, but:
In my opinion, ability scores - whether for race or class abilities - should never be assigned based primarily on what class (or race) is supposed to be "good at it."
Assign ability scores based on the thing's fluff - if it's strong, it gets +Str; if it's tough or resolved, it gets +Con; if it's agile/fast, it gets +Dex; if it's cunning/smart, it gets +Int; if it's wise or perceptive, it gets +Wis; if it's personanable, manipulative, alluring, or something similar, it gets +Cha.
If those fluff traits happen to line up with favored classes (and in nearly all cases, they should) - great. For the Incunabula, +Int makes sense (with their focus on knowledge), +Con makes sense (with their seemingly problem-free existence in the Shadowfell); for the other stat bonus, make the decision not based on "which class should they be good at," but on which stat makes more sense. I'd say the fluff for the race is… "loose" at the moment (to put it lightly - there's very little said about them, that I can find) - so fill in the gaps. My impression is that they would be more Charismatic than Wise - but that's mostly just a gut feeling, with no clear fluff to back it up.
Ha! I rambled a bit.
Well, yeah. My impression was one of dogmatism… like drow. They zealously follow precepts of a given deity (Vecna). In this case, I would imagine they are all intelligent by any measure (+Int) and have a tendency toward durability (+Con) due to their apparent ease of life in the Shadowfell. As to the rest? Facilitators. Wisdom helps to divine fact from fiction, separate something worthy of adding to the library from dreck that should be discarded.
Also, the fluff indicates use of torture. So, questions of whether they should get Wis aside, I would insist on a bonus to Heal checks. :3
That would be my curse, that I spit out classes first and try to justify it afterward. The end result is the same, though; they have the chosen ability scores, and we know why they have the chosen ability scores.
Frito, I wasn't trying to pick their bonuses based on class options, what I was saying is that, thematically, they represent a very strong leaning towards Wyrds, Necromancers, Bards, and Warlocks. But, since we're making BOTH the Wyrd class AND the Incunabulum, I wanted to make sure they were compatible. My decision was based entirely on fluff though:
Wyrd - looking beyond death, seeking the forbidden knowledge of fate, etc. is EXACTLY what incunabula are supposed to do.
Necromancer - it says that, via their Unveiling ritual, they often create undead servants, which they live side-by-side with in their society.
Warlocks - makes sense that they would enter into a pact in order to gain more power/knowledge (these terms are probably closely conflated in the incunabulum tongue)
Bards - bards might be merry minstrels OR they might be dirge-singers, lore-masters, etc. which fits in with the inc's, perhaps they have a highly sophisticated musical/poetic tradition that weaves together the most powerful of their secrets as a way of predicting the future or manipulating it.
Funnily enough they also lend themselves well to the ardent and artificer classes but I intend to downplay these in favour of the above via feats.
I'm pretty sure he was talking to me. ^_^;;
Based on discussion and a few ideas said discussion put into my head, I've updated the class. Here's the changes:
- Reweave Fate has been changed to an immediate interrupt, set to trigger when your ally most needs it. Basically, I decided the witch's real healing is most reactionary. Their powers come from being close to death, and so they are most effective on those closest to death. That would actually be an interesting theme to work into witch powers: being more effective on bloodied targets.
- At Oskar's suggestion, I added an Evil Eye power. Exact mechanics are pretty iffy, but I think you get the idea: since a witch's power comes from seeing Death, I made the Evil Eye a matter of seeing your foe's death and helping to make it happen. It's kind of leadery, kind of off-strikery. In ways, I feel it's like a magically-themed warlord: you help your allies realize their full potential.
- Weirding Way finally developed. I'd said before that a witch does two main things by seeing people as they are in death: seeing enemy's downfalls and seeing allies' greatness. I opted to make that the distinction of the builds. A Doom Seer foretells an enemy's doom and helps make it happen. An Agent of Fate sees great things in store for an ally, and helps make them happen. I think Agent of Fate is a bit more like a traditional leader, while a Doom Seer is an off-controller. I think the mechanics are pretty rough though. Just a placeholder, as it were. Unless you think they're good? Anyone have any better ideas? I don't particularly like tying the build to a 1/encounter class feature (which probably could use fixing too. Maybe save ends, this power recharges when the enemy saves?)
And here's a thought: I dropped the phrase off-striker. Maybe it's not the best term. But what I mean is a class that increases allies' damage output rather than its own. We don't see much of that. How do you feel about making that a key part of how the witch leads? I feel like the warlord also acts as a passive striker like that (free basic attacks). So, what do you say?
I'm liking it, I don't have much commentary on the specifics but a potential third build could be Agent of Shadows, sort of someone who conceals destiny for their own ends or who can look into the past and dredge up 'old karma' if you will in order to harm present enemies or something. Could have powers named like Chains of the Past, Haunting Memories, Hidden Victory/Defeat, Beguiling Fog… IDK just an idea.
I'm not sure how to fit it in, but I would REALLY like to see this class have some options that allow it invoke pestilence, plagues, and/or poisons. That seems very witchy.
Re: Agent of Shadows, sounds good. And you're right about plagues, pestillences, and poisons. It actually fits in well with some powers I started brewing up. If we throw in the "speaker to the dead" aspect (original definition of necromancy), it opens up some interesting powers. Along the lines of "peering through the veil, you see that someone died here in great rage. You call upon the spirit, who returns to wreak vengeance." So the witch can summon The Grudge. Ooh boy.
And sample powers:
Seed of Discord
You draw out discontent in your foes, encouraging them to seek vengeance for small slights.
** At-Will * Charm, Implement, Shadow
Standard Action Ranged** 10
Attack: Wisdom(?) vs Will
Hit: The target makes a basic attack against a secondary target of your choice. On a hit, the secondary target grants combat advantage until the end of your next turn.
Frailty of Age
You replace your foe's vitality with shadowstuff, letting them feel the weakness of old age.
At-Will * Implement, Necrotic, Shadow
Standard Action Ranged 10
Attack: Wisdom vs Fortitude
Hit: Wisdom modifier necrotic damage, and the target is weakened until the start of your next turn.
You Die Alone
Your foe is supposed to die alone and abandoned. You make it so.
Daily * Implement, Psychic, Shadow
Standard Action Ranged 10
Hit: The target gains an aura 1 (save ends). The target's allies take 10 psychic damage when they enter the aura or end their turn there. When no allies are in the aura, the target grants combat advantage and gains vulnerable 5 all.
Spirit of the Frozen
Someone froze to death here once. You draw forth the echoes of their death, and it seems likely that your enemies will share their fate.
Daily * Cold, Implement, Shadow, Zone
** Standard Action Area* burst 1 within 10 squares
Target: all creatures in burst
Attack: Wisdom vs Fort
Hit: 1d8+Wis cold damage, and the target is slowed (save ends).
Effect: You create a zone that occupies the burst. The zone lasts until the end of your next turn. Creatures in the zone take an extra 1d8 cold damage whenever they are hit.
Sustain Minor. The zone persists, and each enemy in the zone takes 5 cold damage.
Well, that's the gist of it. They were thrown together in a hurry, but I think you get the idea I'm going for. These are probably generic or Agent of Doom powers.
I think You Die Alone should have an added effect for Agent of Doom: a penalty the saving throw. It might be too much if it equals your secondary ability modifier, so how about just -2? Or it could be a penalty to just the first saving throw. Speaking of secondary ability modifiers, I had thrown out Int and Con previously (before deciding on the Agents of Doom and Fate). Do those still sound good? And which goes with which witch? :P I'm thinking intelligence with Doom, constitution with Fate, but that's mostly just because seeing doom everywhere is probably depressing but will make you quite the cynic. It sounds a tad more cerebral. No good reason, really. On a more mechanics side, it does make a witch/shaman multiclass/hybrid very easy. That may be a good thing or a bad thing. But if we embrace it, Doom = Int means a doom witch and stalker spirit shaman go together really well, which just feels right.
The new dragon article on the awakened psion has a mechanic called delve that I think could be nicely reworked for the witch. For the psion, when you attack and hit vs. will, you can draw information from the mind. It might be interesting you twist the mechanic a little for the witch so she can 'see the past/causality/karma/threads of fate', there is an amplified version as well, which allows you more manipulation of the mind (psion) or fate (wyrd) but at a cost. The article is unearthed arcana so we would need to refine it but the general idea is very cool and would work with the fate element of the wyrd.
WAT
They actually had something interesting? Really?
Are we going to start making powers, or are we waiting until the class features are pinned down? I like what I see so far, and I could easily see this class relying a lot on immediates and free actions triggered when enemies do stuff.
Yeah, I guess it's time to get started on the powers already. Sorry for the long absence. Here's an open call to powers - it's the one thing that really slowed down my previous attempts at homebrewing classes. Does anyone know how to code powers? I don't. I'll write up a few tonight and put them up, but I could use someone's help in getting them up properly.
All righty, I have a few powers. Also, I added a third Weirding Way. Sure it's more work, but it's basically the equivalent of adding in Shadow Power after a PH4-esque introduction. Just enough support to put our work on par with existing official stuff. I went with Agent of Plague as a strongly sub-controller class. The fluff describes how it's really different from an Agent of Doom. The latter is a bit more one target, while the former spreads the misery around. Anywho, here are some new powers.
Steal Sight
Muttering a curse, you deprive your foe of his eyes. Depending on your nature, you may loan them to an ally.
Encounter * Implement, Shadow
Standard Action * Ranged 10
Attack: Wisdom vs Fortitude
Hit: 1d6+Wis damage, and the target is blinded until the end of its next turn.
Agent of Doom: Aftereffect: The target treats all creatures more than one square away as having concealment until the end of its next turn.
Agent of Fate: Choose 1 ally within range. While the target is blinded, the chosen ally gains a +2 power bonus to ranged attack rolls and perception checks and ignores the penalty for making attacks at long range.
Note: Agent of Fate needs paring down I think. I could probably split it into a couple of powers (say a heroic and epic one). I like the possible uses of the perception bonus, but it's no big deal. That said, it does also suggest other neat powers: stealing an enemy's stealth or even invisibility. Or stealing an enemy's healing? Oh, that'll make enemies hate the witch - a true foil.
I've got more, but I've got to go. Post later.
And I'm back (way sooner than expected). Here's the rest of the powers I came up with.
Face of a Loved One level 2 daily utility
As your foe attacks, you or an ally suddenly appear to be a loved one. They try to avert the blow, and if they fail, the guilt drives them mad.
Immediate Interrupt
Trigger: An enemy attacks you or an ally.
Effect: The enemy takes a penalty to the triggering attack roll equal to your Wisdom modifier. If the triggering attack still hits, the triggering enemy takes 2d6 psychic damage.
NOTE: I suppose less damage but a daze might better fit the flavor text (hey, that could be a higher level version), but I like the description a DM could give is this damage slays the foe. "As your enemy swings in for the blow, he suddenly sees his mother impaled on his own sword. Wracked with guilt, he takes his own life, and only as he gasps his last breath does he realize the trick." Now that's a witch power.
Born Defender
Your ally has always been known for coming to the aid of her friends. Only you know how legendary she will become for it.
Immediate Reaction
Trigger: An ally marks a foe.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter, creatures marked by the triggering ally take an extra -1 penalty to attacks that do not include the triggering ally as a target. In addition, whenever the triggering ally is hit by an attack, he or she gains temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier.
I really like this one. Again, I could see a family of similar powers - ways to really help one ally perform their role even better. Who knows? Maybe even throw in a leader one, allowing a witch to truly excel as a 5th character. Just think about it, a power that triggers when an ally uses a healing power, making the triggering power heal even more. Certainly makes the witch play surprisingly well with others for its asocial fluff.
And now a couple for the new build:
Virulent Plague level 9 daily
Immediate Reaction
Trigger: An enemy saves against an effect that a save can end.
Effect: Make an attack that is Close burst 2 centered on the triggering enemy.
Attack: Wis vs Fort
Target: All enemies in burst
Hit: 1d6+Wis necrotic (or poison?) damage and ongoing 10 necrotic damage.
Agent of Plague: Aftereffect: ongoing 5 necrotic damage.
The Plagues Never End level 3 encounter
Immediate Reaction: An enemy saves against an effect that a save can end.
Attack: Wis vs Fort
Hit: ongoing 10 damage.
It certainly builds a theme for the Agent of Plague build. That said, as I think more about it, I wonder if it's too niche. Sure, the fluff makes it pretty separate, but the powers might start feeling too much alike. Then again, I've only done literal plagues and not other natural disasters. So maybe there's hope yet.
I transferred the feats to the feat section and created a page for powers. Just thought it would look better this way. Hope nobody objects.
God, I love the concept behind this class. So much.
Why thank you. I'm still working on powers and everything, but it's slow going. I'd like to see a few more people contributing. But right now I seem to be focusing on a string of dailies "You Die…." Such as You Die Alone, You Die by Treachery, You Die by Poison, and You Die by the Savage Beast. They're all daily powers that give advantage to a certain type of attack against them. For example, You Die Alone gives the target an aura that damages its allies and makes it grant combat advantage and/or gain vulnerability to damage when no allies are in the aura, You Die by Poison gives the target vulnerability to poison and makes attacks against the target deal poison damage (I'm working on wording that makes the vulnerability to poison only apply to attacks that dealt poison damage without this power - purely thematic nerf, really). You Die by the Savage Beast is a real pain to make simple though. To fit with the flavor text, it should affect animal companions, summoned creatures, and wild shaped druids. The simplest I've come up with is selecting one creature that fits that category to affect. But I'm wondering if it might be more satisfying to make it affect summoned creatures, and allow you to give them commands in addition to their actual summoner. And have them gain combat advantage for such an attack. Honestly, I really like that as something we haven't seen before. It fits with the general goal of a leader that actually specializes in his or her team - powers that require certain ally choices to really work, but as a result make your allies' powers work so much better than normal. I think effectively doubling what a summoned creature can do fits that bill nicely. As long as the power specifies an allies' summoned beast.
I really like that idea as well. Brings about the imagery of a witch finally deeming how a certain creature will die.
I'll be honest, I have never played a leader in my life. Mostly a defender and controller guy. And I see where you're coming from with leaders picking powers that are specialized for their specific party, but I think it would be better to create powers that would be appealing for players across the board. If we go about it like the necromancer is currently going, we'd have 4 powers per level, so maybe a few specialized ones would be alright…
I know this has been brought up a lot, but its been bothering me lately. I'm thinking that we need a better name. Every time I've brought up Shadow Done Right, the witch class is always ignored because of the name, which is a crime. >:( I pondered about it for a while and thought of a few other names: Fateweaver, Deathwarden, Deathwarder, Fatekeeper, Oracle, and Seer are all names I could get behind. 'Specially, Fateweaver.
I can help you out when it comes to the class, but like I said, I have never played a leader in my life. I'm sure I'll revert back to defender/controller type attacks, but I'll try.
It's been far too long since I've worked on this class. Or looked at any of this project, really. Doesn't look like anyone else has touched the witch in my absence. I think I can get some work done this weekend. But in the meantime, I guess transferring the powers to the witch powers thread would be useful. I still haven't figured out any of that coding…
(I dunno why it posted my response to that other thread…)
But I still love this concept so much.
Since I finished the Necromancer, I figured I'd start helping out with this one. I went ahead and changed the name like Ekio suggested. If it's unwanted, I can always change it back. I also added some at-will powers. I'll work on filing the powers in this thread into the appropriate pages when I get some more free time.
Hey, thanks. Not sure when I'll get back to contributing my share. And hey, so many people object to "witch" that I guess we can go with Fateweaver. I still think people are being oversensitive, but I haven't walked a mile in the shoes of anyone with grounds to take offense.
The easiest way to do the coding is just to find a power on this wiki that has the same format, go to edit, copy+paste the power block into your new page, and then just change the words around until you get what you want. for example:
Lightning Barrage | Assassin Attack 1 |
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You attack your foe with your weapons in such a quick flurry that it looks like only one attack.
At-Will • Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding two light blades
Target: One creature
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC (main weapon)
Hit: 1[W] + Dexterity modifier + 1[W] (off-hand weapon) damage
Level 21: 2[W] + Dexterity modifier + 2[W] (off-hand weapon) damage
Becomes…
Not by Chance | Witch Attack 1 |
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Your brief glimpse into the future allows you to guide your allies when to strike.
At-Will • Implement, Psychic, Shadow
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Attack: Wisdom vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d8 + Wisdom modifier psychic damage and the next attack against the target made by you or your allies gains a +2 power bonus to the attack roll.
Level 21: 2d8 + Wisdom modifier psychic damage.