The Witchs Handbook
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trancejeremy
Adventurer
The Witch's Handbook is a 64 page softcover book from Green Ronin, priced at the unfortunately standard $14.95 (I got mine used for $10). It's part of their master class series, which introduces a new core class to d20. As you probably can guess from the name, this introduces the Witch, which is one of my favorites. There are several other versions of a witch class for d20, including 2 other stand alone Witch books (The Quintessential Witch from Mongoose and The Way of the Witch from Citizen Games).
I had been very wary of this book because I really really hated one of their other Master Class books (The Assassin), but it looked okay and the price was right. And as it turns out, this has none of the problems that book had, and is actually very good (which in retrospect is perhaps obvious, since the author of this book, Steve Kenson, is one of the best writers in the field , and the ones of the Assassin book are well, not).
The book is divided up into 4 chapters.
The first chapter is the largest, around 25 pages, and deals with classes. It starts by introducing the core Witch Class itself. It has a weak base attack bonus progression, a spell progression like a Sorcerer (max of 6 in each level at 20th level), and gets 4 skill points per level. It has weak saves in fortitude and reflexes, and strong in will, like a sorcerer or wizard. For special abilities, over the range of 20 levels, they get a familiar, 4 bonus feats, timeless body (like a monk) and "A Thousand Faces" which basically lets them cast alter self. They get a d4 for hit dice. It doesn't need to prepare spells, just like a sorcerer.
So, the class is pretty much like a sorcerer. But the spell list is quite a bit weaker, and very short (for instance, there are only six 8th level spells available). While it does add in healing spells, most of the list is charm and sleep spells. So, it's perhaps a bit weaker in power than a wizard in sorcerer (though it does get a couple more skill points).
A few new prestige classes are introduced. These are quite interesting. The first is an Infernal Witch. While that could describe more than one of my ex-girlfriends, it's a witch (or sorcerer, apparently) who makes a deal with a devil or demon lord. It's basically a fairly standard arcane spell caster class with lots of evil special powers.
Then there's the shaper, which is a witch (or druid) that specializes in shape changing.
Next is the Witch Hag, which is a pretty accurate description of the last woman I dated. This mostly seems suited for NPCs or villains. As the name implies it's more or less the classic 'hag', though much like that woman, they start out normal, but gradually turn into one.
The last witch prestige class is the Witch Priestess. It's sort of a Wiccan style witch, though it's not really much different than the core witch (more powers, but basically the same ones).
Lastly is the Witch's Champion. It's for non-witches, but sort of a protector of them. (A similar concept seems to be found in all the other witch books, too, though I've never seen it in real life or in history. I think it's from the Wheel of Time...)
A really nice touch is that each class has example characters, for differing power levels. This is very very useful if you need an NPC in a hurry. A whole NPC table (from levels 1 to 20) would have been nicer, but this is still pretty handy.
The chapter ends with some advice on how to fit witches into your game/campaign. This includes some info on putting them in Freeport
The second chapter is on skills & feats. More detail on the use of the Heal skill, as well as Knowledge (Nature) and a tiny bit on Herbalism. Also introduced is Profession (Fortune Telling). There are a few new feats. It's a pretty short chapters.
Chapter Three is on equipment and such. Detailed are various herbs (not as comprehensive as the Mongoose book or the herbalism section of Occult Lore, but decent), some alchemical medicinal stuff you don't usually see in RPG books but very much a part of every day life - tooth care and contraceptives. There are 3 pages of new potions. And lots of new witch related magic items, cauldrons, staves, etc.
The last chapter is on spells. It starts off with a bit on ritual magic. Basically, it just gives the spell being cast bonus levels. Basically just a cut-rate version of the rules from Relics and Rituals (I'm suprised it didn't include "True Rituals" from that book for witches, which are more or less super-spells that take a lot of people to cast ).
There are several new spells. Most of them are actually upgraded versions of existing spells. Eternal Sleep, Eternal Charm, Massmorph. There are a few others, all pretty witchy. I think a couple of the spells involving age are a bit low in terms of level. Steal Youth is only 4th level, yet is pretty powerful - it adds 1d4 years from a target touched, and gives it to the caster. While it takes a while to cast, it still seems a pretty big effect for a low level spell.
Visually, it has a clean, attractive look, with a very readable font for the larger type used in headers. The art isn't bad, but nothing that makes you go "Wow", although some of the witches hairstyles makes you wonder. Each chapter gets a full page art piece, but a lot are comic book-ish looking, and didn't do much for me.
There's also an index, something I always find useful.
Ultimately, when you compare it to the Mongoose witch book, I think this comes up a bit short. It's half the size, yet only $5 cheaper. I also think the Mongoose Witch is closer to the normal core classes in terms of power. Although this is more flexible than the Mongoose witch (thanks to the on the fly casting like a sorcerer), I also think it's is a bit weak compared to core classes (I think this witch is too much like a weak druid, or sorcerer with a wussy spell list - other than the age spells, anyway. I would probably compensate by giving them a d6 or even d8 for hit dice). On the other hand, some feel the Mongoose witch isn't right, because it can cast fireballs*, so if you feel like that, this could very well be the style of witch for you.
All in all, it's a very solid product. Even at full price, it's easily worth the money. B+
(I made a table of comparisons between this and the Mongoose Witch book, but since this doesn't support HTML, you're out of luck
, you should have read it on my web site)
*though in the Wizard of Oz, one of the Wicked Witchs did in fact throw fireballs, and is perhaps where the fireball spell came from. Neither book has flying monkeys, thankfully (I hate those things).
I had been very wary of this book because I really really hated one of their other Master Class books (The Assassin), but it looked okay and the price was right. And as it turns out, this has none of the problems that book had, and is actually very good (which in retrospect is perhaps obvious, since the author of this book, Steve Kenson, is one of the best writers in the field , and the ones of the Assassin book are well, not).
The book is divided up into 4 chapters.
The first chapter is the largest, around 25 pages, and deals with classes. It starts by introducing the core Witch Class itself. It has a weak base attack bonus progression, a spell progression like a Sorcerer (max of 6 in each level at 20th level), and gets 4 skill points per level. It has weak saves in fortitude and reflexes, and strong in will, like a sorcerer or wizard. For special abilities, over the range of 20 levels, they get a familiar, 4 bonus feats, timeless body (like a monk) and "A Thousand Faces" which basically lets them cast alter self. They get a d4 for hit dice. It doesn't need to prepare spells, just like a sorcerer.
So, the class is pretty much like a sorcerer. But the spell list is quite a bit weaker, and very short (for instance, there are only six 8th level spells available). While it does add in healing spells, most of the list is charm and sleep spells. So, it's perhaps a bit weaker in power than a wizard in sorcerer (though it does get a couple more skill points).
A few new prestige classes are introduced. These are quite interesting. The first is an Infernal Witch. While that could describe more than one of my ex-girlfriends, it's a witch (or sorcerer, apparently) who makes a deal with a devil or demon lord. It's basically a fairly standard arcane spell caster class with lots of evil special powers.
Then there's the shaper, which is a witch (or druid) that specializes in shape changing.
Next is the Witch Hag, which is a pretty accurate description of the last woman I dated. This mostly seems suited for NPCs or villains. As the name implies it's more or less the classic 'hag', though much like that woman, they start out normal, but gradually turn into one.
The last witch prestige class is the Witch Priestess. It's sort of a Wiccan style witch, though it's not really much different than the core witch (more powers, but basically the same ones).
Lastly is the Witch's Champion. It's for non-witches, but sort of a protector of them. (A similar concept seems to be found in all the other witch books, too, though I've never seen it in real life or in history. I think it's from the Wheel of Time...)
A really nice touch is that each class has example characters, for differing power levels. This is very very useful if you need an NPC in a hurry. A whole NPC table (from levels 1 to 20) would have been nicer, but this is still pretty handy.
The chapter ends with some advice on how to fit witches into your game/campaign. This includes some info on putting them in Freeport
The second chapter is on skills & feats. More detail on the use of the Heal skill, as well as Knowledge (Nature) and a tiny bit on Herbalism. Also introduced is Profession (Fortune Telling). There are a few new feats. It's a pretty short chapters.
Chapter Three is on equipment and such. Detailed are various herbs (not as comprehensive as the Mongoose book or the herbalism section of Occult Lore, but decent), some alchemical medicinal stuff you don't usually see in RPG books but very much a part of every day life - tooth care and contraceptives. There are 3 pages of new potions. And lots of new witch related magic items, cauldrons, staves, etc.
The last chapter is on spells. It starts off with a bit on ritual magic. Basically, it just gives the spell being cast bonus levels. Basically just a cut-rate version of the rules from Relics and Rituals (I'm suprised it didn't include "True Rituals" from that book for witches, which are more or less super-spells that take a lot of people to cast ).
There are several new spells. Most of them are actually upgraded versions of existing spells. Eternal Sleep, Eternal Charm, Massmorph. There are a few others, all pretty witchy. I think a couple of the spells involving age are a bit low in terms of level. Steal Youth is only 4th level, yet is pretty powerful - it adds 1d4 years from a target touched, and gives it to the caster. While it takes a while to cast, it still seems a pretty big effect for a low level spell.
Visually, it has a clean, attractive look, with a very readable font for the larger type used in headers. The art isn't bad, but nothing that makes you go "Wow", although some of the witches hairstyles makes you wonder. Each chapter gets a full page art piece, but a lot are comic book-ish looking, and didn't do much for me.
There's also an index, something I always find useful.
Ultimately, when you compare it to the Mongoose witch book, I think this comes up a bit short. It's half the size, yet only $5 cheaper. I also think the Mongoose Witch is closer to the normal core classes in terms of power. Although this is more flexible than the Mongoose witch (thanks to the on the fly casting like a sorcerer), I also think it's is a bit weak compared to core classes (I think this witch is too much like a weak druid, or sorcerer with a wussy spell list - other than the age spells, anyway. I would probably compensate by giving them a d6 or even d8 for hit dice). On the other hand, some feel the Mongoose witch isn't right, because it can cast fireballs*, so if you feel like that, this could very well be the style of witch for you.
All in all, it's a very solid product. Even at full price, it's easily worth the money. B+
(I made a table of comparisons between this and the Mongoose Witch book, but since this doesn't support HTML, you're out of luck
, you should have read it on my web site)*though in the Wizard of Oz, one of the Wicked Witchs did in fact throw fireballs, and is perhaps where the fireball spell came from. Neither book has flying monkeys, thankfully (I hate those things).
Vanuslux
Explorer
The Witch's Handbook is one of Green Ronin's Master Class products, this one presenting their take on the witch as a core class. I picked this up because I hoped it would fit into my campaign's post-apocalyptic feel. A naturalist spellcaster sounded like a perfect fit and over all I'm pleased with what I see.
Appearances - The Witch's Handbook is an attractive 64-page soft-cover with a pleasing cover. The interior art is very good and the layout is easy on the eyes.
Contents -
Chapter 1 - The Way of the Witch: Here we are presented with the Witch core class, which is basically a sorcerer with a more nature oriented spell selection that is ultimately pretty limited. That's pretty much how I would have wanted them to do it, but I would have preferred the witch get a little something else to make them more distinct from the sorcerer class at lower levels. All in all, however, it works.
Also in this chapter are prestige classes. We're given the Infernal Witch, the Shaper, the Witch Hag, the Witch Priest/Priestess, and the Witch's Champion. The Prestige classes seem too potent. For instance, three of them have full caster progression and get other spiffy stuff at every level. Why would anyone take straight Witch levels after qualifying for one of these classes? No good reason that I can see.
The chapter closes out with a brief overview of common elements of witchy life, such as initiations and covens and how they might fit into a campaign. Nothing that will surprise those who are even the most passingly familiar with witch lore.
Chapter 2 - Skills and Feats: This chapter brings us some information of new uses for skills that a witch would likely appreciate and some feats. I liked most of the feats, especially Swarm Shape and Healing Trance. The only one I question the balance of is Spell Trap. It seems a bit cheap to make the trap permanent and there's nothing preventing it from being used with beneficial spells. So for 80xp and 200gp a witch could use Spell Trap and Cure Light Wounds to create a battery of infinite healing usable by the whole party. And since Spell Trap can be used on objects, not just places, the party can take their infinite healing with them everywhere.
Chapter 3 - Tools of the Craft: Here we get some meager but sufficient information on herbalism, ritual items, and alchemical preparations. There's not really enough here to be useful except maybe the plant toxins. A witch wanting to make any actual use of herbalism will likely want to find another source. The chapter also has a nice selection of magic items such as the Cauldron of Brewing, the Rod of Ritual, and Witch's Dagger. I'm rarely very concerned with magic items, but the ones presented here earned my appreciation. I found the inclusion of several new potions to be especially appropriate.
Chapter 4 - The Craft of the Wise: This chapter deals with the magical aspect of being a witch. There are some obligatory rules on ritual magic, but anyone serious about ritual magic will want a better source. There's some info about places of power and times of power (moon phases and sabbats). Most importantly we get the witch's spell list and some new spells. I like the selection of spells the witch gets from a flavor standpoint. In combat, the witch will be pretty limited but not useless as a support caster and healer. The witch will shine better in the area of dealing with NPCs, being able to charm and beguile quite efficiently.
The new spells aren't anything spectacular, but they do help round out the witch's spell choices. Some are cool, such as the ninth-level Call the Wild Hunt, which summons an outsider called a Huntsman that rides on a Nightmare and is accompanied by a whole mess of fiendish dire wolves. I'm a bit annoyed that there wasn't a CR given for the huntsman in case I wanted to have this spell used against my players. Since it's terribly unlikely that the party would face the caster of this spell and the results of it in the same encounter and could concievabley never even see the caster of the spell, I don't think such an encounter should fall into the rule of summoned creatures falling being factored into the summoners CR. I've always thought that rule was a load of hogwash anyway.
In Conclusion: I don't have any of the other books which present the witch as a core class, so I can't make comparisons. Standing on it's own, I find it quite satisfying for the price. I would have liked to have seen more in depth herbalism and ritual magic, but it really wouldn't have fit and there are plenty of products to help fill that role. What is important is that the witch is playable and interesting straight out of the book. It's all very well done and I think anyone interested in adding the witch as a core class should at least give it a good look through.
Appearances - The Witch's Handbook is an attractive 64-page soft-cover with a pleasing cover. The interior art is very good and the layout is easy on the eyes.
Contents -
Chapter 1 - The Way of the Witch: Here we are presented with the Witch core class, which is basically a sorcerer with a more nature oriented spell selection that is ultimately pretty limited. That's pretty much how I would have wanted them to do it, but I would have preferred the witch get a little something else to make them more distinct from the sorcerer class at lower levels. All in all, however, it works.
Also in this chapter are prestige classes. We're given the Infernal Witch, the Shaper, the Witch Hag, the Witch Priest/Priestess, and the Witch's Champion. The Prestige classes seem too potent. For instance, three of them have full caster progression and get other spiffy stuff at every level. Why would anyone take straight Witch levels after qualifying for one of these classes? No good reason that I can see.
The chapter closes out with a brief overview of common elements of witchy life, such as initiations and covens and how they might fit into a campaign. Nothing that will surprise those who are even the most passingly familiar with witch lore.
Chapter 2 - Skills and Feats: This chapter brings us some information of new uses for skills that a witch would likely appreciate and some feats. I liked most of the feats, especially Swarm Shape and Healing Trance. The only one I question the balance of is Spell Trap. It seems a bit cheap to make the trap permanent and there's nothing preventing it from being used with beneficial spells. So for 80xp and 200gp a witch could use Spell Trap and Cure Light Wounds to create a battery of infinite healing usable by the whole party. And since Spell Trap can be used on objects, not just places, the party can take their infinite healing with them everywhere.
Chapter 3 - Tools of the Craft: Here we get some meager but sufficient information on herbalism, ritual items, and alchemical preparations. There's not really enough here to be useful except maybe the plant toxins. A witch wanting to make any actual use of herbalism will likely want to find another source. The chapter also has a nice selection of magic items such as the Cauldron of Brewing, the Rod of Ritual, and Witch's Dagger. I'm rarely very concerned with magic items, but the ones presented here earned my appreciation. I found the inclusion of several new potions to be especially appropriate.
Chapter 4 - The Craft of the Wise: This chapter deals with the magical aspect of being a witch. There are some obligatory rules on ritual magic, but anyone serious about ritual magic will want a better source. There's some info about places of power and times of power (moon phases and sabbats). Most importantly we get the witch's spell list and some new spells. I like the selection of spells the witch gets from a flavor standpoint. In combat, the witch will be pretty limited but not useless as a support caster and healer. The witch will shine better in the area of dealing with NPCs, being able to charm and beguile quite efficiently.
The new spells aren't anything spectacular, but they do help round out the witch's spell choices. Some are cool, such as the ninth-level Call the Wild Hunt, which summons an outsider called a Huntsman that rides on a Nightmare and is accompanied by a whole mess of fiendish dire wolves. I'm a bit annoyed that there wasn't a CR given for the huntsman in case I wanted to have this spell used against my players. Since it's terribly unlikely that the party would face the caster of this spell and the results of it in the same encounter and could concievabley never even see the caster of the spell, I don't think such an encounter should fall into the rule of summoned creatures falling being factored into the summoners CR. I've always thought that rule was a load of hogwash anyway.
In Conclusion: I don't have any of the other books which present the witch as a core class, so I can't make comparisons. Standing on it's own, I find it quite satisfying for the price. I would have liked to have seen more in depth herbalism and ritual magic, but it really wouldn't have fit and there are plenty of products to help fill that role. What is important is that the witch is playable and interesting straight out of the book. It's all very well done and I think anyone interested in adding the witch as a core class should at least give it a good look through.
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