NPC Spellcasters, Witch or Adept

[TheAuldGrump]

I just put the finishing touches on a setting I wrote for hire (payment was a computer... gotta love the barter system ). Totaling up the NPC spellcasters I have twenty-four witches out of forty-five spellcasters, most just got changed to the Hedge Witch archetype from Ultimate Magic. Most consist of little more than a space in a town/village/outpost stat block, name, level, and archetype, if any.

The setting is based loosely on the French and Indian War, Orcs standing in for Indians, Elves standing in for the French, and Humans (with Dwarf allies and mercenaries) taking the part of the Brits - most of the area is deeply rural, wizards and clerics thin on the ground; adepts taking the place of lay ministry, and witches pretty much everything else - from midwives to the Hag on the point.

So, for that setting, at least, the witch has become the default spellcaster.

How have your spellcastering NPCs been numbering?

The Auld Grump

 

[Crothian]

I would use a mix. I like the idea of the witch class but over using it as it is more specialized would at times not fit the NPC. I use the class the NPC needs no matter what the spellcasting class it is.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I would use a mix. I like the idea of the witch class but over using it as it is more specialized would at times not fit the NPC. I use the class the NPC needs no matter what the spellcasting class it is.

I tend to think of the Witch as the folk magicians - not much education by way of books, bridging the gap between secular and divine. Sometimes sought as healers, sometimes feared as dangerous and unpredictable, often both. Bokor, hexenfolk, midwife, all come under the Witch umbrella, at least for me.

The archetypes in UM really helped round the class a bit, the hedge witch filling the healer niche quite well.

The Auld Grump

 

[Kaiyanwang]

In my humble opinion is more a matter of power level.

The Witch/Adept ratio in your setting could be one of the "parameters" of how magical it is. More Witch, more magic, because is a PC class compared to the NPC-only, at least namely, adept.

You could keep both for diversity. I don't use NPC classes, 'tough, and the witch can be very "different" in his characterizations, depending on patron and hex choice.

 

[pawsplay]

I think if Adept didn't fit the bill, I would be inclined to mix Witch and Expert levels for a lot of NPCs. But I am fairly stingy with PC classes and levels for NPCs.