Wicked Witches

I want an wicked witch for my next game session and I have been playing with the RM2 RoCoII witch profession.

This is quite easily one of the most powerful professions I have ever seen!

In my world spell multipliers are as rare as hen’s teeth. This means that power points are not overly abundant. Permanent magic items are not common either including rune paper. It does exist and the characters do have a few runes (they are all about 5th level) but there is not much of it about.

The witch can create their own potions, spell infused candles and as they are hybrids they can use Symbolic Ways to create standing stones and Rune Mastery to create runes. One ton stones are not actually that uncommon if you live out in the wilds. That gives the witch access to some home made daily items even if they are low level and not movable.

The runes as I have said are hard to make without the rune paper but if they have some then they are easier to make than standing stones and more potable.

Candles and potions though are easy to manufacture and carry around.

I am extremely tempted to give the witch some candles of Sleep V or Sleep VII and let the characters walk off with them. That is going to do their heads in for a while as I am making them roll resistance rolls almost every evening!

This profession can easily have almost unlimited low level magic. Power points can be burned using their most powerful magic as they will have tons of low level stuff just lying around.

I am thinking along the lines of a pretty high level witch as a sole adversary against 5 5th level characters. I am now thinking that I may have to tone down my NPC or they will eat the party alive (you can interpret that last sentence as you wish).

Have any of you use the Witch as a single Foe?

p.s. The boggle-eyed witch is back just because she freaks BriH out!

13 Replies to “Wicked Witches”

  1. I was just thinking of what the Big Bad Evil Guy would be for the next campaign I ran, and now I think I know it will be a Big Bad Evil Gal.

    I hope I have time to make a ‘Witcher’ (essentially a monster-hunter) class for RMU by then, as it would be fun to see the Witch vs. Witch Hunter play out.

  2. Peter, our witches are pretty similar. We use “Simple Imbed” list that is broad enough to cover candles, trinkets, charms etc. Plus some type of Rune/ward list (written magic like hexes), minor healing, divination, charm list and maybe a nature list. That’s a VERY well rounded and competent character. Combined with herb & poison lore and watch out!

  3. Hurin, what would a Witcher need for spell lists?

    Check out my Void Knight base list-it can be adapted to any monster type. Add in detections, a protective magic list (or circles), Ward/Snare spells and self healing and you have a competent monster hunter.

    1. Is that in the Mentalism BASIL lists?

      I haven’t read the Witcher books (I’ve only played the videogames), so this might not be canon. But in the videogames, the Witcher has potions, oils (for swords– does extra damage against certain monsters), bombs (like magical hand grenades, made with exotic reagents), and spells like wards and snares. Basically, if the Witcher knows what enemy he will be facing, he can create a bunch of items that will help him in the battle. A lot of the Witch spells then would actually be quite appropriate for the Witcher too.

      1. Its in the misc SW thread. I never gave it a realm–they are a bit like paladins, but an agnostic ancient order that combines ancient tech with magic. Mentalism or essence would work. Sort of like navigator and loremaster spells–which realm are those?

        1. In one of the supplements I have for SW, the Navigator and Loremaster spells are identified specifically as Arcane lists, though Navigators and Loremasters can take them as base lists.

          When you say the Void Knight is in the ‘misc SW thread’, you don’t mean the downloads section of this website, do you? I looked there but could not find any ‘misc’ section. I believe I’ve downloaded every spell list you’ve posted, but don’t see that one in any of them.

        1. I did play an Alchemist in 4e DnD for a night during a playtest of that system; it was a lot of fun. Though in 4e (and in Pathfinder I am assuming), he was more of a pure caster, whereas the Witcher would be more of a semi in Rolemaster: his spells augment his fighting skills rather than replace them.

          1. Actually, the Pathfinder Alchemist is probably different from the D&D 4E one – it’s a pure Paizo creation whilst the other is Wizards’. Rather than being a spell caster, the Pathfinder Alchemist focuses more on bombs, mutagens and extracts, as well as some more typical alchemical items. It’s not truly front line combat capable, as their role tends to be more artillery than anything else, but they can enhance combat ability with mutagens and extracts. Extracts take the place of spells; they are effectively spells they turn into potions.

            1. Yeah, I just meant that the Witcher in the games at least is a front-line combatant, so should have good weapon skills. So neither the Pathfinder nor the DnD Alchemist really fit the bill, though their spells (especially the Pathfinder ones and the use of mutagens) are quite a good match for the Witcher.

              1. My main thought was that the Alchemist could be scavenged for parts, as it did seem that some of the class features did fit with some of the abilities that you described the Witcher as having.

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