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Awesome feedback. Thanks!
I thought about Dissonant Whispers, but it didn't feel Witchy enough (or not enough like the feeling I'm going for, which is more of a fairy tale witch. I agree Ray of Sickness is not a great spell (although at least it scales with slot level) but Warlocks already have some good 1st level spells to choose, so this was a flavor choice.
Agreed. Geas it is.
I agree this "fits" well at level 6, but making charms is really soooo thematically Witchy that I really wanted to work that in.
I wish you had kept the 1st level ability you originally had somewhere. I remember that it was an appropriate ability, both thematically and in terms of power.[/quote]
That was the original level 1 Cackle. Yeah, it was ok.
Maybe I should flip them back...make Cackle a relatively minor 1st level ability, and then make charm crafting more powerful. Hmmm...
Misty Escape is essentially the 2nd level spell Misty Step, albeit with twice the range. So I was going for a 2nd level spell.
As written, mine is sort of equivalent to Hold Person in that it takes a single opponent out of combat for 10 rounds if they fail a save, with concentration. Except Hold Person gives everybody free criticals and this one breaks on any damage. So it's really much weaker than a 2nd level spell.
Maybe I'll add a requirement that the attacker is a humanoid or beast.
The two-spell-requirement concerned me, too. One assumption I'm making...which perhaps is my first mistake...is that anybody who really wants to play a Witch is going to get a familiar, either through Tome or Chain boon. So even without making Arcane Eye or Clairvoyance one of their 11 spells they can still "magically view" through they eyes of their familiar.
Immunity to Divination, not just scrying, is a good idea. Although I'd probably make it advantage on saving throws instead of outright immunity, to make it more like damage resistance that other subclasses have.
But either way, divination spells being used on PCs is an edge case in many (most?) campaigns, so it needs something extra. A free Scrying once per Long Rest, as you recommend, fits the bill.
I'm having a hard time letting go of the idea of casting a spell through the Scrying, though....
Yeah, it was supposed to be once per long rest.
While it's very (too) powerful against multiple enemies, it's weaker than some of the other capstones against single enemies. I think I liked this better as a 1st level ability that lasted for 1 round with a smaller radius.
Very. I'm going to process and make another pass. Thanks.
I'm wondering if Dissonant Whispers would be a better option than Ray of Sickness. Especially since I personally see Ray of Sickness as a relatively underpowered spell, even by 1st level spell standards.
I thought about Dissonant Whispers, but it didn't feel Witchy enough (or not enough like the feeling I'm going for, which is more of a fairy tale witch. I agree Ray of Sickness is not a great spell (although at least it scales with slot level) but Warlocks already have some good 1st level spells to choose, so this was a flavor choice.
I also wonder if Geas would be a better option than Dominate Person. With witches you normally think of curses, but magically forcing a person to act against their nature or corrupting them in some way is also related. The afflicted still has choice and freewill, but acting against the witch causes nasty consequences. And as a 1 min casting time with only verbal components, I can imagine a witch or a hag at a public parade or ceremony, calmly whispering nearby and staying out of sight, until the last moment when they approach and point their knobby fingers and call out to their target some dreadful task. The baker that wronged them will feel ill and act in disgust around the dough that he must use in his craft. The banker that denied her the loan to save her home must take a coin and find a way to convince the witch to freely take it back, being haunted by nightmares and psychically tormented until they find a way to do so. Witches don't dominate the free will of others, so much as find ways to twist the natures of others.
Agreed. Geas it is.
I see what you are trying to do with this. But as you have it right now, it doesn't really work for a 1st level ability. For example, how does this compare to 30ft telepathy? Or a short range 1 round area effect charm/fright? I really think this as written would be better as an invocation, and allow you a little more design space to work with it. Otherwise, I might suggest moving it to level 6 and reworking it a bit. If I were to do this ability, I would write it up like this:
Weal and Woe
At 6th level you have learned to observe the golden threads of fate that entangle with the life lines of all creatures, giving you some ability to manipulate probability. When you or another creature within 30ft of you makes an ability check or saving throw, you can use your reaction to grant them advantage. If this target succeeds on the check, then you may choose a new target within 30ft. The next ability check or saving throw they make is made with disadvantage. Once you have used this ability, you must wait until you finish a short or long rest to use it again.
Reasoning: Level 6 is a level all about reactions to alter outcomes and fate. Archfey can get out of danger quick. Fiend can gain a bonus to a save or check. GOO can affect the outcomes of attacks. It's more succinct than Witch's Charm, but still works at what I think the essence of what you're trying to accomplish. As it is right now as a 1st level Patron ability, compared to the others in the PHB its somewhat unwieldy and potentially more powerful. I've heard that Advantage works out to something equivalent to a +5 bonus. So a character would get a consistent +5 bonus over an 8 hour day until they fail. Just seems too much.
I agree this "fits" well at level 6, but making charms is really soooo thematically Witchy that I really wanted to work that in.
I wish you had kept the 1st level ability you originally had somewhere. I remember that it was an appropriate ability, both thematically and in terms of power.[/quote]
That was the original level 1 Cackle. Yeah, it was ok.
Maybe I should flip them back...make Cackle a relatively minor 1st level ability, and then make charm crafting more powerful. Hmmm...
This is way more powerful than other 6th level abilities granted by warlock Patrons. Compare this to the fiend, that gets a d10 bonus to a save or ability check, the GOO that forces disadvantage on one attack with a possible advantage to attack that target, or the Archfey that gets a quick escape. If you were to keep this, I would change it as follows to keep it in line with the power level of other Patrons:
Poof!
At 6th level, you have learned to curse those that would harm you, giving you a chance to more easily deal with them. When a creature makes an attack roll against you, you can use your reaction to change your attacker into a toad. Your attacker maintains their normal statistics, but cannot speak, attack, cast spells, or move more than 10ft. This change lasts until the start of your next turn, or until the target takes damage. Once you have used this ability you cannot use it again until you have finished a short or long rest.
Reasoning: This makes it more like the Archfey's Misty Escape. But instead of running, it temporarily removes a combatant from the field for a round.
Misty Escape is essentially the 2nd level spell Misty Step, albeit with twice the range. So I was going for a 2nd level spell.
As written, mine is sort of equivalent to Hold Person in that it takes a single opponent out of combat for 10 rounds if they fail a save, with concentration. Except Hold Person gives everybody free criticals and this one breaks on any damage. So it's really much weaker than a 2nd level spell.
Maybe I'll add a requirement that the attacker is a humanoid or beast.
This ability is kind of all over the place. For one, in order for it to work it assumes that the warlock has a means of scrying an individual and has an enchantment spell to use. You don't grant this warlock Scrying as a bonus spell, and even if you did, a Warlock does not autmoatically get their Patron spells. They only expand the list that warlocks can choose from (I disagree with this and have homebrewed that warlocks get their Patron spells automatically, but that's a bit off topic). It also requires the Warlock to use a minimum of 2 of their spell slots to take full advantage of, assuming they have taken Scrying and an enchantment spell. If I were writing up this ability, I would do so like this:
Mirror, Mirror
At 10th level you become a master of magical scrying. Once per long rest, you may cast the Scrying spell without expending a spell slot. When cast in this way, you do not require a focus, but you must have access to some reflective surface (such as a mirror, a calm pool of water, a polished knife, ect).
In addition, you are immune to divination spells. If someone attempts to cast a divination spell on you, you may make a Wisdom saving throw against the caster's Spell Save DC. If you succeed, you are able to shape and influence what information the caster can gather. You cannot provide false information, but you can determine selectively what information the caster gathers. The caster remains unaware that anything is wrong with the spell. If you fail this Wisdom save, the divination magic used against you simply fails.
Reasoning: Initially I thought immunity to only scrying. If done like this, casting a spell through the scrying might be appropriate, given how seldom this is likely to arise in a normal game. Immunity to divination spells is a bit more powerful and more likely to come up. But to be honest, outside of spells like Scrying, True Sight, or Locate Object or Creature I'm not sure what spells exist that this would impact. So I don't know if that in itself is too powerful an ability for level 10. It has much less combat utility than the other Patrons, and nothing prevents scrying your companions, so I have a feeling that it might be ok.
The two-spell-requirement concerned me, too. One assumption I'm making...which perhaps is my first mistake...is that anybody who really wants to play a Witch is going to get a familiar, either through Tome or Chain boon. So even without making Arcane Eye or Clairvoyance one of their 11 spells they can still "magically view" through they eyes of their familiar.
Immunity to Divination, not just scrying, is a good idea. Although I'd probably make it advantage on saving throws instead of outright immunity, to make it more like damage resistance that other subclasses have.
But either way, divination spells being used on PCs is an edge case in many (most?) campaigns, so it needs something extra. A free Scrying once per Long Rest, as you recommend, fits the bill.
I'm having a hard time letting go of the idea of casting a spell through the Scrying, though....
Looking at the Archfey or the Fiend, this is a bit too powerful against multiple enemies. I would say limit it to one, and you would probably be ok (similar to the Archfey ability in terms of structure and power). Alternatively, you could have it force disadvantage on all attacks or saves for all those who fail the save within range, but if done that way I wouldn't have it last longer than "until the start of your next turn." Also, you should add that it recharges on a short or long rest (unclear on recharge rate in your description).
Yeah, it was supposed to be once per long rest.
While it's very (too) powerful against multiple enemies, it's weaker than some of the other capstones against single enemies. I think I liked this better as a 1st level ability that lasted for 1 round with a smaller radius.
I hope this is helpful!
Very. I'm going to process and make another pass. Thanks.