Old World» Witch

A witch acquires her powers by means of a pact with a mysterious entity, known as the witch’s patron. In exchange for granting those powers, the patron may occasionally ask the witch to carry out certain tasks. A witch’s patron may also encourage her to make certain choices in various situations.

The powers of different witches can vary greatly. The beings who serve as witches’ patrons are more different from one another than they are similar; and even two witches who both get their powers from the same patron may choose quite distinct paths.

Witches are also sometimes known as warlocks. (In some locales and cultures, this is a gender-based nomenclature; elsewhere, the distinction is drawn on the basis of what sorts of powers any given practitioner has, with “witch” typically implying more subtle powers, “warlock” more overt ones. However, both terms are generally understood to refer to a magic-user who has made a pact with some otherworldly entity—often assumed to be an evil one—in exchange for power.)

Role: Witches typically live apart from civilized society. In some cases, this is because they hate and oppose all civilization; in other cases, their proclivities lead them to be feared and shunned. Still, not all witches are evil, and some even occasionally aid ordinary people in various ways. Many witches embark on adventuring careers, either in the service of their patron’s inscrutable purposes, or in search of greater power for themselves (or both).

Alignment: Any (depending on choice of patron).

Hit Die: d6.

Class Skills

The witch’s class skills are Craft (any) (Int), Fly (Dex), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Profession (any) (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int) . (Some witches gain additional class skills as part of their pact affinity; see the individual patron descriptions for details.)

Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

The following are the class features of the witch.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Witches are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor interferes with a witch’s gestures, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.

Patron

At 1st level, a witch must select a patron. The patron is a mysterious entity, which imparts knowledge and power to the witch. A witch’s patron is not a god; nevertheless, it is a mighty being, and possesses deep knowledge of many secrets, arcane and otherwise.

The patron’s gifts do not come free. A witch makes a pact with her patron, promising to advance its goals in various ways. The obligations that the patron pact imposes on the witch may be open-ended; what’s more, some patrons communicate their desires only vaguely (and some appear to have no goals or desires at all).

Unlike a cleric with his deity, a witch’s relationship with her patron is not one of worship, veneration, or faith (although there must be some degree of philosophical alignment between a witch and her patron; see Alignment restrictions, below). Some witches do come to respect their patron, or even to hold its goals and ideals as their own; others, conversely, grow to hate their patron, resenting the pact which binds them; still others view the relationship in coldly transactional terms—service exchanged for power.

The benefits which accrue to a witch as a result of her pact with her patron, and the other characteristics of the pact, are as follows. (See individual patron descriptions for details on each of the available patrons.)

Alignment restrictions

In order to select a given patron, a witch must conform to the alignment restrictions listed for that patron. (See Breaking a Pact for the consequences of shifts in alignment in violation of such restrictions.)

Familiar

Although a witch sometimes addresses her patron directly (e.g., via the invoke patron ability), most of her interactions with her patron are mediated by her familiar. A witch’s familiar is a creature which is somehow associated with the patron; often, the patron sends the familiar to the witch, to serve as her companion and to guide her on the path to greater power.

A witch must commune with her familiar in order to prepare spells granted by her patron (see Spells). A familiar also grants the witch other benefits; see Witch’s Familiar for details.

The exact nature of the familiar differs greatly depending on the nature of the witch’s patron; see the individual patron descriptions for details.

Pact affinity

A witch’s connection to her patron alters her in various ways. She may learn to perceive aspects of the world of which most people are unaware; she may gain greater facility with certain skills; and she may change in other ways, both mental and physical. See Pact Affinity, as well as the individual patron descriptions, for details.

Spells

A witch’s patron grants her the ability to prepare and cast any of the spells on the patron’s spell list. (See the individual patron descriptions for each patron’s spell list.) This greatly broadens the witch’s spellcasting options, allowing her to achieve effects which would be impossible with only her own spell knowledge. (See Spells for more details on how the witch prepares and casts patron-granted spells.)

Pact boons

As the witch advances in experience, she learns how to draw on her patron’s power, enhancing her capabilities in various ways. The witch’s patron grants her a boon of her choice at every odd class level.

Death and resurrection

A witch’s patron holds her soul within its grasp, and acts to shield the witch’s spirit from the perils of what lies beyond mortality. If the witch dies, any resurrection attempts make the resurrection check with a +2 bonus (which is cumulative with all other modifiers to the check). At 11th class level, this bonus increases to +4.

However, if the witch has displeased her patron or failed to live up to the terms of her pact, then the patron may instead prevent her soul from returning. In this case, treat the result of any resurrection check as 0 (“Soul is imprisoned or otherwise prevented from returning”), regardless of the die roll or any modifiers. (The witch may bargain with her patron for release, as described on the “Tampering With Mortality” page.)

Familiar

At 1st level, a witch forms a close bond with a familiar, a creature that teaches her magic and helps to guide her along her path. Familiars also aid a witch in other ways; see the Witch’s Familiar section.

A witch must commune with her familiar each day to prepare spells granted by her patron; see the Spells section.

Spells

A witch casts arcane spells—either spells that she knows (usually drawn from the witch spell list), or spells provided to her by her patron (see Patron). These two kinds of spells are accessed in different ways (see Casting known spells and Casting patron-provided spells, below).

To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, a witch must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a witch’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the witch’s Intelligence modifier.

A witch can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level each day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Witch Spells Per Day. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intelligence score (see Table: Bonus Spells per Day).

Casting known spells

A witch can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time, assuming she has not yet used up her allotment of spells per day for the spell’s level.

A witch’s selection of known spells is extremely limited. A witch begins play knowing four 0-level spells (see Cantrips) and two 1st-level spells of the witch’s choice. At each new witch level, she learns one new spell, adding it to her list of known spells. This spell must be drawn from the witch spell list, and may be of any level that the witch can cast.

Note: If a witch takes the Expanded Arcana feat, she may select the new spells known either from the witch spell list or from her patron’s spell list. (See also Expanded Spell Access, below.)

Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered witch level thereafter (6th, 8th, etc.), a witch can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows. In effect, the witch “loses” the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least one level lower than the highest-level witch spell she can cast. A witch may swap out only a single spell at any given level and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that she gains a new spell known for the level. A witch may only replace a spell which is on the witch spell list with another spell which is likewise on the witch spell list; likewise, a spell which is learned from the spell list of the witch’s patron (via Expanded Spell Access or the Expanded Arcana feat) may be swapped out only for another such spell.

Casting patron-provided spells

A witch may also cast spells provided to her by her patron. Unlike spells which she knows, the witch cannot cast patron-provided spells spontaneously; she must prepare them beforehand, as a wizard or cleric prepares spells. To do this, the witch must commune with her familiar for an hour; at the end of this time, the witch may choose to fill some or all of her available spell slots with spells from her patron’s spell list. A spell which has been prepared in this way may be cast once, and then is expended, just as for any other spellcaster who prepares spells.

Spell preparation and spell slots

Daily spell slots which have been used for the preparation of patron-granted spells are not available for spontaneous casting of spells the witch knows. Likewise, a spell slot which has been expended to spontaneously cast a spell that the witch knows cannot be used to prepare a spell granted by the witch’s patron.

As with all arcane spellcasters, all of a witch’s expended spell slots are restored after eight hours of sleep. When she regains spell slots, a witch may choose to retain prepared (and un-expended) spells, or may dismiss them from her mind, freeing up the spell slots for spontaneous casting, or for the preparation of different spells.

Spell list

The witch’s spell list (not including those spells which may be researched or discovered) is as follows:

Cantrips

Witches learn a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume any slots and may be used again. A witch begins play knowing four cantrips, and learns an additional cantrip at 3rd, 5th, and 7th levels (for a maximum of seven cantrips known). A witch may select cantrips either from the witch spell list, or from her patron’s spell list (there is no restriction on how many of the cantrips the witch learns may be selected from either list).

Pact Boon

At 1st level, and every odd class level thereafter, a witch’s patron grants her a boon. Pact boons are typically special abilities which involve drawing on the patron’s power in some way. The witch selects any of the pact boons from her patron’s list (see Patrons). Each pact boon may only be chosen once (unless otherwise noted). Some pact boons have prerequisites, which must be satisfied in order to select that boon.

Augury (Sp)

Starting at 2nd level, a witch can perform an augury once per day. Performing the augury takes 1 minute. No costly material components are required, but the witch must read tea leaves, toss bones or marked sticks, examine the entrails of a freshly killed animal, or use some other sort of divinatory procedure.

Starting at 6th level, the witch may choose to take 10 minutes to perform the divinatory ritual, gaining the benefit of a divination (as the spell).

Starting at 10th level, instead of performing the usual divinatory ritual, the witch may choose to meditate for 30 minutes, whereupon she gains the benefit of a contact other plane spell.

Invoke Patron

Starting at 2nd level, a witch may call out to her patron once per day, beseeching it for aid. If granted, this aid comes in one of two possible forms.

First, the witch may ask her patron a single question, and receive an answer. Although the beings who serve as patrons to witches are not omniscient, they know many things, and in some cases, this knowledge is the greatest benefit of the witch’s pact. Note that patrons vary widely in their willingness to answer questions; and even those patrons who readily share their knowledge often reply in ways that are difficult for the witch to understand. Asking a question in this way is a swift action; the time it takes for the patron to fully convey the answer, if any, may be much longer.

Alternatively, the witch may temporarily gain the benefit of a single pact boon which she does not possess (but which she is eligible to select). Requesting this benefit is an immediate action, and the effect lasts for one minute (unless this duration would be inappropriate given the boon’s effect, in which case the duration may be different; the DM is the final arbiter of when this may apply). Note that requests of this nature, if granted, always incur an obligation to “pay back” the aid by performing some specific tasks or missions for the patron.

Responding to such invocations requires the patron’s active attention, and a witch’s patron may refuse her request for aid.

At 11th level, the witch may invoke her patron twice per day. At 20th level, the witch may invoke her patron without limit (see Pact Finality).

Pact Affinity

A witch’s pact changes her in many ways, as her connection with her patron deepens, and she gains more and more power from it. Some of these changes are beneficial, others neutral, still others detrimental; all, however, are inevitable consequences of proceeding down the path that the witch has chosen.

A specific set of pact affinity effects are associated with each patron, which are listed in the individual patron descriptions. Pact affinity effects come in six stages: minor, lesser, moderate, greater, major, and final; these begin to affect the witch at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, 18th, and 20th class level, respectively. All pact affinity effects are cumulative.

Expanded Spell Access

Upon reaching 4th level, and at every fourth witch level thereafter (8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th), the witch may, at her option, select her new spell known for that level from her patron’s spell list, rather than from the witch spell list. She can then cast this spell without preparing it ahead of time, just as with any other spell she knows.

Pact Finality

At 20th level, the witch attains the zenith of her power. She advances to the final stage of the changes wrought by her pact affinity (which often includes becoming a different type of creature entirely).

A witch of this level may invoke her patron at will, without limit (although the patron retains the option of refusing any particular request).

The patron of a 20th-level witch may no longer withdraw its boons and access to its spells (see Breaking a Pact), regardless of the witch’s actions.

For some witches, attaining to this degree of mastery of the power granted to them by their patron means moving into total alignment with their patron’s philosophical and ideological outlook—becoming a perfect instrument of their patron’s goals (and, accordingly, parting ways forever with the goals and views of ordinary mortals). For others, conversely, such power may finally bring them into direct conflict with their patron, who finds that a servant who cannot be controlled is more trouble than she’s worth.

Breaking a Pact

Once a witch makes her pact with a patron, she is bound to the patron permanently. Barring exceptional circumstances, this bond cannot be truly broken. However, as the terms of the pact allow the witch to draw upon her patron’s power, so the same terms establish the witch’s obligations—and provide for consequences, should those obligations fail to be fulfilled: namely, a withdrawal of access to the patron’s powers.

It is quite rare for a witch’s patron to take such a step, as patrons generally consider the witches whose pacts they hold to be valuable instruments. Still, a witch who repeatedly fails to carry out her patron’s dictates, or in some serious way opposes the patron’s aims, can find her connection to her patron’s power blocked.

Breaking a Pact
Class Level	% Chance to Retain Power
1	1
2	3
3	5
4	8
5	11
6	14
7	17
8	21
9	25
10	29
11	34
12	38
13	43
14	48
15	53
16	58
17	63
18	69
19	75
20	100

When this happens, the witch can no longer prepare spells provided by her patron, nor can she (with few exceptions, e.g. the proficiencies gained by a witch who selects the Rebel’s exalted union pact boon) use her pact boons. (The DM determines, in each case, what it means to lose access to any given pact boon.) The witch retains all other class abilities: she can still cast spells that she knows (including cantrips) or use her augury power; she retains her familiar (but can no longer use it to prepare her patron’s spells, of course); and she still benefits from any pact affinity effects which she has gained. Her patron does not respond when invoked. If the witch dies, her patron can choose to maintain its hold on her soul, causing all attempts at resurrection to fail automatically (see death and resurrection for details). Finally, a witch whose patron has withdrawn its support cannot gain any more levels in the class, until and unless she and her patron reconcile.

Reconciliation between a witch and her patron generally comes at great cost to the witch. At the very least, the patron may require that the witch undertake a specific (usually quite difficult and dangerous) quest before the patron restores her powers.

One further fact complicates this matter. The nature of the pact between witch and patron is such that the witch may be able to retain her access to the patron’s power even against the patron’s wishes. When a witch’s patron chooses to withdraw access to its power, roll a d% and consult the table at right. If the result of this roll is favorable to the witch, she retains access to all of her pact boons, and can prepare patron-provided spells, as normal. (The patron still has the option of refusing to respond when invoked, however, and almost certainly does just that.)

If the witch fails to retain her powers, then she must reconcile with her patron (as described above) in order to restore them. If she succeeds in retaining her powers, then this state of affairs continues until the witch attempts to gain another level in the witch class (or when witch and patron come into direct conflict in some other way, as determined by the DM), at which time the percentile roll to retain the witch’s powers must be made again.

The patron of a witch who has retained access to the patron’s powers despite its wishes may seek to persuade the witch to serve it faithfully once more (perhaps by offering some knowledge the witch greatly desires), or it may send its other servants (possibly even other witches with whom it has pacts) to slay the witch, or it may choose some other course of action. As patrons vary greatly in their natures, goals, and temperaments, thus they also vary in how they react to such betrayal.

Witch’s Familiar

Once she forges her pact with her patron, a witch gain the service of a mystical advisor, a familiar to both serve her and reveal to her secrets unknown to most mortals. A familiar is generally a creature sent by the patron. In many cases, the familiar can take on different forms, according to the witch’s (and its own) desires. See the individual patron descriptions for details on the appearance and abilities of familiars associated with each patron.

The familiar grants special abilities to the witch, as given on the table below. These special abilities apply only when the witch and familiar are within 1 mile of each other.

If a familiar dies or is otherwise lost, the witch must perform a ritual to resurrect, replace, or otherwise recover it. The ritual takes 8 hours to complete and costs 200 gp per witch level. See the individual patron descriptions for details on the means by which a recovered familiar is acquired.

Familiar Basics: Use the basic statistics for a creature of the familiar’s kind (given in the Familiar section of each patron’s description), but with the following changes.

Hit Dice: For the purpose of effects related to number of Hit Dice, use the witch’s character level or the familiar’s normal HD total, whichever is higher.

Hit Points: The familiar has half the witch’s total hit points (not including temporary hit points), rounded down, regardless of its actual Hit Dice.

Attacks: Use the witch’s base attack bonus, as calculated from all her classes. Use the familiar’s Dexterity or Strength modifier, whichever is greater, to calculate the familiar’s melee attack bonus with natural weapons. Damage equals that of a normal creature of the familiar’s kind.

Saving Throws: For each saving throw, use either the familiar’s base save bonus (Fortitude +2, Reflex +2, Will +0) or the witch’s (as calculated from all her classes), whichever is better. The familiar uses its own ability modifiers to saves, and it doesn’t share any of the other bonuses that the witch might have on saves.

Skills: For each skill in which either the witch or the familiar has ranks, use either the normal skill ranks for an animal of that type or the witch’s skill ranks, whichever is better. In either case, the familiar uses its own ability modifiers. Regardless of a familiar’s total skill modifiers, some skills may remain beyond the familiar’s ability to use. Familiars treat Acrobatics, Climb, Fly, Perception, Stealth, and Swim as class skills.

Familiar Ability Descriptions: All familiars have special abilities (or impart abilities to the witch) depending on the witch’s level. The abilities are cumulative.

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st–2nd	+1	8	Improved evasion, share spells, empathic link, speak with master
3rd–4th	+2	9	Deliver touch spells
5th–6th	+3	10
7th–8th	+4	11	Speak with associated creatures
9th–10th	+5	12	—
11th–12th	+6	13	Spell resistance
13th–14th	+7	14	Scry on familiar
15th–16th	+8	15	—
17th–18th	+9	16	—
19th–20th	+10	17	—

Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is in addition to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score.

Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.

Share Spells: The witch may cast a spell with a target of “You” on her familiar (as a touch spell) instead of on herself. A witch may cast spells on her familiar even if the spells do not normally affect creatures of the familiar’s type.

Empathic Link (Su): The witch has an empathic link with her familiar to a 1 mile distance. The witch can communicate empathically with the familiar, but cannot see through its eyes. Because of the link’s limited nature, only general emotions can be shared. The witch has the same connection to an item or place that her familiar does.

Speak with Master (Ex): The familiar and the witch can communicate verbally as if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the communication without magical help.

Deliver Touch Spells (Su): If the witch is 3rd level or higher, her familiar can deliver touch spells (or spell-like or supernatural abilities that require touching a target) for her. If the witch and the familiar are in contact at the time the witch casts a touch spell, she can designate her familiar as the “toucher.” The familiar can then deliver the touch spell or ability just as the witch would. As usual, if the witch casts another spell (or activates another ability) before the touch is delivered, the touch spell or ability dissipates.

Speak with Associated Creatures (Ex): If the witch is 7th level or higher, a familiar can communicate with creatures of a certain sort (these may be creatures of a similar kind to the familiar, or a different category of creatures; see the Familiar section of each patron’s description for details). Such communication is limited by the Intelligence of the conversing creatures.

Spell Resistance (Ex): If the witch is 11th level or higher, a familiar gains spell resistance equal to the witch’s level + 5. To affect the familiar with a spell, another spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the familiar’s spell resistance.

Scry on Familiar (Sp): If the witch is 13th level or higher, she may scry on her familiar (as if casting the scrying spell) once per day.

Patrons

The following patrons are available for witches in the Old World campaign setting.

The Forest Mother

The Forest Mother (or Father; whether any given witch perceives this entity as male or female seems to depends on unknown personal factors) represents the pitiless and cruel power of the natural world. This entity knows much of nature’s deep secrets—not only those of the forest, but the desert, the mountain, and the deep places of the world.

Alignment restrictions

A witch who chooses the Forest Mother as her patron may not be lawful good or lawful evil.

Familiar

The familiar of a witch who chooses the Forest Mother as her patron may be a fungus leshy, a gourd leshy, or a leaf leshy. The creature spends much of its time in disguise as a normal plant of its kind, using its change shape ability.

If the familiar is killed, the witch must grow a new leshy, into which the spirit of her familiar transmigrates.

A leshy familiar can speak with plants similar to itself, and gains the ability to speak with all plant creatures when the witch reaches 7th level.

Familiar statistics (click to expand/collapse)

Fungus Leshy

A fungus leshy looks like a mushroom with teeth. A number of tiny, mismatched eyes dot the upper part of its body. Fungus leshys vary in appearance, typically adopting the form of a mushroom common to the area where they were grown. One fungus leshy may have a classic red, white-dotted mushroom cap, while another might have the spongier and darker contours of a morel, while a third might have the coloration of a pale gray cave mushroom. Fungus leshys are 2 feet tall and weigh 25 pounds, their spongy interiors full of hollows and fluffy spores.

Type plant; Size Small; Speed 20 ft.; AC —; Attack bite (1d6), 2 claws (1d3); Immune electricity, sonic, plant traits; Ability Scores Str 10, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 15; Special Qualities change shape (any Small fungus), darkvision, low-light vision, puffball, spores.

Puffball (Ex): A fungus leshy can spit a puffball as a standard action. If it hits, this attack deals 1 point of damage (this damage is not modified by Strength) and affects the target struck (but not adjacent targets) with the fungus leshy’s spores. The puffball has a range increment of 20 feet.

Spores (Ex): A fungus leshy is riddled with molds and spores. Anytime a fungus leshy takes damage, a cloud of spores bursts from its body, forcing all adjacent creatures to make a Fortitude save or have their vision reduced to 10 feet for 1 minute. Spending a full-round action to wash one’s eyes with water ends this effect. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Gourd Leshy

A gourd leshy walks on legs like tangled vines and has a pumpkin carved with eyes and a mouth for a head. Carving eyes and a mouth into a growing gourd leshy’s “face” is an important part of the growth ritual, for neglecting to do this robs the gourd leshy of its ability to see or speak. The exact nature and appearance of a gourd leshy’s features can vary wildly between individuals, and it’s said that the expression carved into the pumpkin determines the leshy’s personality.

Type plant; Size Small; Speed 20 ft.; AC —; Attack slam (1d3−2 plus ensnare), seed (ranged; 1 plus ensnare); Immune electricity, sonic, plant traits; Ability Scores Str 6, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 15; Special Qualities change shape (any Small gourd), darkvision, ensnare, keepsake, low-light vision, seed.

Ensnare (Ex): The seeds and slam attack of a gourd leshy entangle the target in vines for 2d4 rounds unless the target makes a Reflex save. The target can attempt to burst these entangling vines before the duration expires with a Strength check as a full-round action. The save and burst DCs are Constitution-based.

Keepsake (Su): Gourd leshys can pop off the top of their heads and store a single Fine-sized object such as a dagger or potion inside. While within the leshy’s head, the item is warded by nondetection. In addition, after 24 hours, the item within is cleaned and polished, and, if damaged, repaired as if by a mending spell. Both spell effects have a caster level equal to the leshy’s Hit Dice.

Seed (Ex): A gourd leshy can hurl its seeds as a ranged attack. If it hits, this attack deals 1 point of damage (this damage is not modiffed by Strength) and affects the target with the gourd leshy’s ensnare ability. This attack has a 10-foot range increment.

Leaf Leshy

Leaf leshys have soft, pulpy-looking bodies and wear clothing made of dozens of leaves. Larger leaves cover their shoulders, often giving them the appearance of wearing cloaks, and most adorn their relatively featureless heads with helmets made from pine cones, nuts, or fruit rinds. This leafy layer of clothing functions as masterwork padded armor for a leaf leshy, but not for any other creature. Leaf leshys often wield twigs as makeshift spears.

Type plant; Size Small; Speed 20 ft., climb 10 ft., fly 10 ft. (clumsy); AC +1 armor; Attack shortspear (1d4−1), seedpod (ranged touch; 1 plus deafen); Immune electricity, sonic, plant traits; Ability Scores Str 6, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 13; Special Qualities change shape (any Small tree), darkvision, glide, low-light vision, seedpods.

Glide (Ex): A leaf leshy cannot use its fly speed to hover. When flying, a leaf leshy must end its movement at least 5 feet lower in elevation than it started.

Seedpods (Ex): Leaf leshys sprout explosive acorns, pine cones, or other seedpods, and can hurl these as ranged attacks. A seedpod has a range increment of 10 feet and detonates on contact to deal 1 point of bludgeoning damage (this damage is not modified by Strength). Anyone struck by a seedpod must succeed at a Fortitude save or be deafened for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Pact affinity

A witch who chooses the Forest Mother as her patron gains the following pact affinity effects:

Minor (2nd level)

The witch gains Knowledge (nature) and Survival as class skills. She also gains the following ability, usable at will:

Sense Boundary (Su): You can concentrate as a standard action to detect boundaries between natural and unnatural things. This works similarly to detect animals or plants, but what is sensed depends on your surroundings. In a natural environment, you sense the presence of artificial construction, artificial objects of Medium size or larger, and creatures that are either unnatural (undead, aberrations, most constructs, most outsiders) or not native to the given environment and/or carrying artificially made equipment. In a mixed environment such as a dungeon, you sense the nearest boundary between a worked passage and undisturbed strata. In an entirely artificial environment (such as a city or a castle), this power would typically sense nothing at all. In all cases, you sense only the presence of such boundaries, not their nature or locations.

Lesser (6th level)

The witch gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against diseases and poisons from natural sources (venomous creatures, poisonous plants, plague-carrying animals or insects, etc.). This bonus does not apply to saves against artificially created or supernatural poisons or diseases.

The witch becomes increasingly averse to artificial surroundings. If she spends a full day and night in a town, a castle, or other constructed environment, she is sickened until she can spend a like amount of time in a natural environment. This condition cannot be removed by any magical means short of limited wish, wish, or miracle.

Moderate (10th level)

The witch’s sense boundary ability improves. By concentrating for two rounds, she can now determine the locations of the boundaries and general nature (i.e., whether they are unnatural creatures within a natural environment, or artificial construction, etc.)

The witch’s body begins to change. Her flesh heals from injuries quickly, wounds closing and bleeding stopping; she gains fast healing 3. Her skin begins to resemble some natural material—dry leaves, a caterpillar’s bristly surface, clay, etc.

Greater (14th level)

The witch becomes immune to diseases and poisons from natural sources.

The witch is now deeply averse to artificial surroundings. While she is sickened due to having spent time in an artificial environment (i.e., on the second and all subsequent days after first gaining said condition), she cannot regain expended spell slots. (She can regain spell slots as normal after spending a night in a natural environment.)

Major (18th level)

The witch’s sense boundary ability further improves. She can now automatically sense all such boundaries within 120 feet, and may concentrate as a standard action to determine their nature, their size or contours, and their locations.

The witch’s fast healing now becomes regeneration 3, which is stopped for 1 round by injuries from weapons made of steel or other worked metals, or by magical damage that isn’t acid, cold, electric, fire, or sonic. She now looks as if she were formed out of natural materials, resembling her original form only roughly.

Final (20th level)

The witch is no longer the same kind of creature that she was. Her type changes to fey. The witch no longer ages, and has no maximum age—effectively, she becomes immortal.

Spell list

The Forest Mother’s spell list includes the following spells:

Pact boons

The Forest Mother offers the following pact boons:

The Forest Mother: Pact Boons
Pact Boon	Minimum Level	Benefit
Awaken Servant of Nature (Su)	—	You can sacrifice your life force to animate a friendly natural construct.
Beast Eye (Su)	—	You can see through an animal’s eyes.
Blight Curse (Su)	—	You can curse a place or a creature, preventing natural processes.
Briartangle	7th	Your entangle spell creates a field of choking briars.
Earthbond	—	Your powers treat animals and elemental earth creatures in the same way.
Embrace the Wild (Su)	—	You can take on some of the traits of an animal.
Enhanced Summons	—	Your summoned creatures are imbued with nature’s power.
Erosion Curse (Su)	—	You can ruin a constructed object.
Greenbond	—	Your powers treat animals and plants in the same way.
Hostile Territory (Su)	15th	You make the land itself inimical to your enemies.
Magic of the Land [metamagic]	—	You can enhance your spells with the land’s own magic.
Native Land	3rd	The wilderness is home to you, and you move through it freely.
Natural Resurrection	9th	You cannot be truly killed while you live through your natural servants.
Natural Summons	—	You summon natural creatures when casting summon monster spells.
Nature’s Wrath	—	Your spells that are imbued with nature’s power are harder to resist.
Possess Animal (Su)	5th	You can take control of an animal’s body.
Shapes of Nature	—	You can transform yourself or others into natural creatures.
Voices of the Wild (Sp)	5th	Phantasmal sounds of the wilderness bolster your allies and frighten your enemies.

Awaken Servant of Nature (Su)

You can sacrifice your life force to animate a friendly natural construct.

(You must have either the earthbond pact boon or the greenbond pact boon to select this boon.)

You awaken a quantity of natural materials to humanlike sentience, turning it into a construct called a servant of nature. This is a process that takes one hour.

The awakened servant is friendly toward you. You have no special empathy or connection with the creature, although it serves you in specific tasks or endeavors if you communicate your desires to it.

The servant of nature has characteristics as if it were an animated object, except that its Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores are each 1d6+7. It has senses similar to a human’s. The servant can speak one language that you know, plus one additional language that you know per point of Intelligence bonus (if any).

You determine how many Hit Dice the servant of nature should have (which also determines its size; see the animated object page for details). You can create servants which have up to 2 HD more than is normal for a given size of animated object (e.g., you could create a Large servant of nature with 4, 5, or 6 Hit Dice). Your awakened servants of nature have construction points equal to 3⁄4 their HD, rounded down (minimum 1).

You cannot create any single servant of nature that has more Hit Dice than your witch level. Otherwise, there is no limit on how many such servants you can create. However, for every 1 HD of a servant of nature you create, you permanently lose 1 hit point. These lost hit points cannot be restored by any means whatsoever while the servant of nature exists. If a servant you created is destroyed, or you choose to disperse it (a full-round action), the hit points you lost when that servant was created return a day later.

If you have the earthbond pact boon, then you awaken an earthbound servant of nature, which is composed of stone, earth, or sand (somewhat akin to an earth elemental). The servant is considered to be an earth creature for the purpose of interaction with your spells and abilities.

If you have the greenbond pact boon, then you awaken a greenbound servant of nature, which is composed of branches, vines, leaves, and other plant matter (somewhat akin to a shambling mound). The servant is considered to be a plant creature for the purpose of interaction with your spells and abilities.

(If you have both of these pact boons, you can choose which sort of servant to awaken. In all cases, the awakened servant must be constructed from materials that are available in the environment around you.)

Awakened servants of nature do not select special abilities from those listed in the animated object description; rather, they have special abilities available to them depending on their type (earthbound or greenbound). (Those special abilities which are not marked as being exclusive to either type of servant are available to servants of either type.)

Available special abilities (click to expand/collapse)

Additional Attack (Ex, 1 CP): The servant gains an additional slam attack (maximum 4 slams total).

Amorphous Form (Ex, 1 CP, earthbound only): The servant is composed of shifting sand and dust. The servant is amorphous and can do anything sand would be expected to do—hide perfectly atop other sand, form into dunes and drifts, and pour through small openings (although passing through an opening two size categories smaller than the servant takes a full-round action). (Earthbound servants that are made of stone cannot take this ability.)

Climb (Ex, 1 CP, greenbound only): The servant gains a climb speed equal to its base speed.

Constrict (Ex, 1 CP, greenbound only): The servant can crush an opponent, dealing bludgeoning damage equal to the damage of its slam attack, when it makes a successful grapple check (in addition to any other effects caused by a successful check, including additional damage). (Servant must have the grab special ability before it can take this ability.)

Crystal Slash (Ex, 2 CP, earthbound only): The servant’s slam attacks become crystal slash attacks. They deal slashing damage, and their threat range and threat multiplier both increase by 1. (Only earthbound servants that are made of stone can take this ability.)

Distracting Pollen (Ex, 1 CP, greenbound only): The servant may, as a standard action, emit a cloud of red dust in a 10-foot radius centered on itself. All creatures within the red dust have concealment. This dust disperses after 1d4+1 rounds. The servant can use this ability at will, but it must wait 5 rounds between each use.

Dust Vortex (Su, 2 CP, earthbound only): The servant can transform itself into a vortex of sand and dust. This works like an air elemental’s whirlwind ability. Opponents caught in the whirlwind must make a Fortitude save to avoid inhaling the choking dust; those that fail this save risk suffocation. (Creatures that do not need to breathe are immune to this effect.) (Only amorphous earthbound servants can take this ability.)

Earth Glide (Ex, 1 CP, earthbound only): The servant gains a burrow speed equal to its base speed. This ability functions as the earth elemental ability of the same name.

Engulf (Ex, 1 CP, earthbound only): The servant can engulf creatures smaller than itself as a standard action. It cannot make melee attacks during a round in which it engulfs. The servant merely has to move over the opponents, affecting as many as it can cover. Opponents can make attacks of opportunity against the servant, but if they do so they are not entitled to a saving throw. Those who do not attempt attacks of opportunity must succeed on a Reflex save or be engulfed; on a success, they are pushed back or aside (opponent’s choice) as the servant moves forward. The save DC is Strength-based. Engulfed opponents are considered grappled and are trapped within the servant’s body. The servant deals damage to trapped opponents (equal to 1d6 plus its Strength bonus) on each round after the one in which it engulfed them. Opponents that need to breathe risk suffocation. (Only amorphous earthbound servants can take this ability.)

Enhanced Armor (Ex, 1 CP): The servant’s natural armor bonus improves by +3. This special ability can be selected multiple times, up to a maximum of 1 time per 3 Hit Dice that the servant has.

Enhanced Attacks (Su, 1 CP): The servant gains a +1 enhancement bonus on its attack and damage rolls with its natural weapons. This also causes the servant’s attacks to strike as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Entangle (Su, 2 CP, greenbound only): The servant can use entangle as a spell-like ability three times per day.

Entangling Touch (Su, 1 CP, greenbound only): Whenever the servant successfully grabs an opponent, it can choose to entangle that creature. Writhing vines wrap around the target, causing it to become entangled. The servant can continue to conduct the grapple as normal, or can release that opponent, who then remains entangled for 1 minute or until it successfully escapes (see the entangle spell description for details on escaping entanglement). (Servant must have the grab special ability before it can take this ability.)

Exceptional Reach (Ex, 1 CP, greenbound only): The servant gains +5 feet of reach with one melee attack. Increase reach on all attacks for an additional +1 CP.

Fast Healing (Su, 1 CP, greenbound only): The servant gains fast healing 1. For an additional +1 CP, this increases to fast healing 3.

Faster (Ex, 1 CP): One of the servant’s movement speeds increases by +10 ft. (maximum 60 ft.).

Fly (Ex, 2 CP, earthbound only): The servant gains a fly speed equal to its base speed, with perfect maneuverability. (Only amorphous earthbound servants can take this ability.)

Grab (Ex, 1 CP, greenbound only): If the servant hits a creature of any size with a slam attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. The servant has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use the part of its body it used in the grab to hold the opponent. If it chooses to do the latter, it takes a −20 penalty on its CMB check to make and maintain the grapple, but is not itself considered to be grappled. In either case, in successive rounds, a successful check to maintain the grapple automatically deals slam damage. (If the servant also has the constrict special ability, then it deals constriction damage as well.)

Healing Berries (Ex, 1 CP, greenbound only): Nutritious berries grow on the servant’s branches. Every day, 3d4 such berries grow; each berry heals 1 point of damage when picked and eaten. Each berry also provides nourishment as a full meal for a Medium-sized creature.

Luminescence (Ex, 1 CP): The servant glows in the dark, creating a non-magical illumination equal to a torch. It may suppress or reactivate this light as a standard action.

Piercing Attack (Ex, 1 CP, greenbound only): One of the servant’s slam attacks deals piercing damage instead of bludgeoning, and has a ×3 multiplier. For an additional +1 CP, this ability affects all of the servant’s slam attacks.

Sticky Sap (Ex, 1 CP, greenbound only): The servant oozes a strong adhesive that might trap any melee weapon that damages it. When such an attack hits, the servant automatically makes a combat maneuver check (with a +4 racial bonus) against the attacker, as if for a disarm attempt. If the check succeeds, the weapon becomes stuck. You can pull the weapon free as a move action, but any other creature (including the weapon’s owner) must use a standard action (that provokes attacks of opportunity) and must make a successful combat maneuver check in order to pull his weapon free.

Stone (Ex, 1 CP, earthbound only): The servant is made of stone. Its hardness increases to 8 and it gains a +1 increase to its natural armor bonus. (Amorphous earthbound servants cannot take this ability.)

Thorn Fling (Ex, 1 CP, greenbound only): The servant can loose a volley of thorns as a standard action. This attack has a range of 60 feet with no range increment, and affects all targets within a 15-foot-diameter area. Make a single ranged attack for all targets; targets hit by the thorns take piercing damage equal to the servant’s slam attack damage. Thorn fling can be used up to three times per day.

Thorns (Ex, 1 CP, greenbound only): The servant is covered with sharp thorns. Its slam attacks, if any, deal 1d4 additional piercing damage. Anyone striking the servant with unarmed strikes or natural weapons takes the same damage, as does anyone who makes a grapple check against it. When the servant makes a successful grapple check against an opponent, it inflicts the same damage, in addition to any other effects of the grapple.

Trample (Ex, 2 CP): As a full-round action, the servant can attempt to overrun any creature smaller than itself. This works just like the overrun combat maneuver, but the servant does not need to make a check, it merely has to move over opponents in its path. Targets of a trample take an amount of damage equal to the servant’s slam damage + 11⁄2 × Strength bonus. Targets of a trample can make an attack of opportunity, but at a −4 penalty. If targets forgo an attack of opportunity, they can attempt to avoid the trampling creature and receive a Reflex save to take half damage. The save DC is Strength-based. The servant can only deal trampling damage to each target once per round, no matter how many times its movement takes it over a target creature.

Tremorsense (Ex, 1 CP, earthbound only): The servant gains tremorsense with a range of 60 feet.

Trip (Ex, 2 CP): The servant can attempt to trip its opponent as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity if it hits with a slam attack. If the attempt fails, the servant is not tripped in return.

Vine Choke (Ex, 1 CP, greenbound only): When the servant constricts an opponent, choking vines wrap around the creature’s mouth and throat, strangling it. All attack rolls and checks the target makes while being choked suffer a −2 circumstance penalty; if the check involves speaking, the circumstance penalty is −4. If the victim attemts to cast a spell with a verbal component, the concentration check to cast the spell while grappled is made at an additional −6 penalty (for a total of −10). The victim must make a similar concentration check to activate command word items or to use any other abilities that depend on speech. (Servant must have the constrict special ability before it can take this ability.)

Woodsense (Ex, 1 CP, greenbound only): The servant can automatically sense the location of anything within 60 feet that is in contact with vegetation, even if the servant is not in contact with the same vegetation.

If you die, servants of nature which you have awakened lose their sentience and fall apart into inert material after a number of weeks equal to your witch level.

Beast Eye (Su)

You can see through an animal’s eyes.

You can project your senses into an animal within 100 feet, sensing whatever it senses. You cannot control the animal’s actions. You can project your senses from that animal to another within 100 feet of it as a swift action, and can continue to make these sensory leaps, potentially viewing things very far from her actual location. You may return your senses to your own body as a free action. Normal animals get no saving throw against this ability, but animal companions, paladin mounts, and similar unusual animals may resist with a Will save; you may use this ability on your own familiar as if it were an animal.

You can use this ability at will, but may not affect the same animal with it more than once in a 24-hour period.

While this ability is active, your own body continues to function, but is insensate (you perceive nothing via your own senses, effectively being blinded, deafened, etc.).

Blight Curse (Su)

You can curse a place or a creature, preventing natural processes.

You can curse a creature or a plot of land, preventing healing and growth.

Blighting an Area: You can curse an area of farmland or other artificially exploited territory. This takes 1 round, during which time you and your familiar must be in contact with the land to be blighted. The land begins to wither the following day, and over the next week all plants in the area die. Nothing will grow in that area so long as the curse persists. You can affect an area with a radius equal to your witch level × 60 feet.

Blighting a Creature: This is a standard action that requires a melee touch attack, and can be used on any living, natural creature (which excludes aberrations and outsiders, for instance). The creature’s wounds fester and refuse to heal. It is affected as if by a fester spell; additionally, it does not heal naturally, and attempts to use the Heal skill to treat its wounds are made at +10 DC. The creature also takes 1 additional point of damage from physical attacks.

Both types of curse can be removed with a remove curse or similar magic; the DC to remove the curse is 10 + 1⁄2 your witch level + your Intelligence bonus. You can also dismiss the curse as a standard action.

Placing a blight curse costs you 1 hit point, which is permanently lost and cannot be restored in any way while the curse persists. After a blight curse is removed or dismissed, the lost hit point returns the next day.

Briartangle

Your entangle spell creates a field of choking briars.

(You must be at least 7th level to select this boon.)

Whenever you cast entangle, or use any other ability that produces the same effect, you can expend an unused spell of 3rd level or higher as a free action to cause the entangling plants to become thick, choking briars with sharp thorns.

Each entangled creature takes 1d8 points of piercing damage + 1 point per two caster levels when it becomes entangled. In each subsequent round that it attempts to move or break free, it takes a like amount of damage. An entangled creature attempting to cast a spell that has a somatic component, or a material component that it is not already holding (i.e., one that must be retrieved from a spell component pouch or similar), within the briars also takes this damage (and thus must make a successful concentration check or lose the spell).

The thick briars grow to a height of 6 feet, obscuring sight for creatures within. They provide concealment to creatures 10 feet away, and total concealment to creatures 20 feet away.

The briartangle effect is linked to the entangle spell or ability; it has the same duration, ends when the entangle ends or is dispelled, etc.

Earthbond

Your powers treat animals and elemental earth creatures in the same way.

Where possible, all of your spells and abilities that work on animals also work on earth creatures, and vice versa. Thus you can speak with earth elementals when you cast speak with animals, soothe angry xorns when you cast calm animals, etc. (This benefit does not apply when its effects would be impossible or would violate the nature of the affected creatures, e.g. diminish plants cannot have any effect on an earth elemental.)

If you have the greenbond pact boon as well, then (where possible) all of your spells and abilities that work on plants also work on earth creatures, and vice versa.

Embrace the Wild (Su)

You can take on some of the traits of an animal.

As a standard action, you adopt the nature and some abilities of a wild animal. You retain your own form, but you gain the natural and extraordinary senses of the creature you choose, as well as its racial skill bonuses. You undergo minor physical changes that correspond to the abilities you gain (for instance, if you gain the blindsense and Perception bonus of a bat, your ears grow and change shape to resemble a bat’s ears).

You must possess some piece of the animal (hide, skin, feathers, etc.) in order to adopt its nature, and you must have obtained this from the animal yourself. You cannot adopt the nature of an animal which has more Hit Dice than your witch level.

This ability lasts for 10 minutes per witch level, or until you dismiss it (a standard action). You cannot adopt the nature of any given type of animal more than once per day.

Enhanced Summons

Your summoned creatures are imbued with nature’s power.

(You must have the natural summons pact boon, and either the earthbond pact boon or the greenbond pact boon, to select this boon.)

Any animals you summon with your summon monster spells gain an enhancement bonus to their natural armor, as if you had cast barkskin on them.

They also gain one of the following two benefits, depending on whether you have the earthbond pact boon or the greenbond pact boon. (If you have both, you can select which benefit the summoned creatures gain. If you summon multiple creatures with a single spell, all must receive the same benefit.)

Earthbound Summons: Each summoned creature is covered with protrusions of sharp crystal. Its slam attacks, if any, deal additional slashing damage equal to 1d4 + 1 per four witch levels that you have, and strike as magic weapons. Anyone striking the creature with unarmed strikes or natural weapons takes the same damage, as does anyone who makes a grapple check against the creature. When the creature makes a successful grapple check against an opponent, it inflicts the same damage, in addition to any other effects of the grapple. Additionally, the creature gains Improved Bull Rush as a bonus feat, and a burrow speed of 20 feet.

Greenbound Summons: Each summoned creature is covered with sharp thorns. Its slam attacks, if any, deal additional piercing damage equal to 1d4 + 1 per four witch levels that you have, and strike as magic weapons. Anyone striking the creature with unarmed strikes or natural weapons takes the same damage, as does anyone who makes a grapple check against the creature. When the creature makes a successful grapple check against an opponent, it inflicts the same damage, in addition to any other effects of the grapple. Additionally, the creature gains Improved Grapple as a bonus feat, and fast healing 3.

Erosion Curse (Su)

You can ruin a constructed object.

Erosion Curse
Level of Expended Spell Slot	No. of 10-ft. cubes affected
6th	4
7th	16
8th	64
9th	256

You summon the powers of nature to erode a construct or an object within 30 feet. This erosion deals 1d6 points of damage per 2 witch levels, ignoring hardness and damage reduction.

If used against a construct or an object in another creature’s possession, the construct or the creature possessing the object can attempt a Will saving throw (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your witch level + your Intelligence bonus) to halve the damage.

If used against an object larger than Large size, this ability only affects a 10-foot cubic section of the object. You can expend an unused spell slot of 6th level or higher to make this ability affect larger objects; see Table: Erosion Curse.

Alternatively, you can expend an unused spell slot of 6th level or higher to make this ability affect multiple constructs or objects of Large size or smaller. This allows you to affect a number of such targets equal to the square root of the number of 10-foot cubes indicated on the table.

Once an object or a construct is damaged by this erosion, it cannot be the target of this ability again for 24 hours. Natural constructs (such as awakened servants of nature) are immune to this curse.

Greenbond

Your powers treat animals and plants in the same way.

Where possible, all of your spells and abilities that work on animals also work on plants, and vice-versa. Thus you can speak with plants when you cast speak with animals, command animals when you cast command plants, etc. (This benefit does not apply when its effects would be impossible or would violate the nature of the affected creatures, e.g. diminish plants cannot have any effect on animals, nor can animal messenger be used on plants.)

If you have the earthbond pact boon as well, then (where possible) all of your spells and abilities that work on plants also work on earth creatures, and vice versa.

Hostile Territory (Su)

You make the land itself inimical to your enemies.

(You must be at least 15th level to select this boon.)

You place a curse on a region of natural territory one mile in radius. There must be no artificial constructions or worked or otherwise unnaturally altered areas within the region to be cursed, else the curse fails.

You can only have one such cursed region at a time. Placing this curse is a full-round action, and must be done when you are within the region to be cursed; you must be able to see the center of the region when you place the curse. You, your familiar, and any creatures you summon, conjure, or create are immune to the effects of the curse. Any natural creatures that are native to the area are immune to the effects as well. You may designate up to one additional creature per witch level to likewise be immune to the curse’s effects.

Within the cursed region, all creatures (except those who are immune) find the environment to be more hostile. The specific effects of this depend on the climate and terrain type.

Desert: Temperature is more extreme (hotter in warm deserts, colder in cold deserts) by two temperature bands. Sandstorms or snowstorms (as appropriate for climate) blow through once every 1d4 hours, lasting 1d6 × 10 minutes, and leaving drifts of sand or snow in their wake. Survival checks made to locate food, water, or shelter have their DCs increased by 10.

Forest: A canopy of rotting leaves blocks the sun and all the trees are strangely twisted. Spaces with light undergrowth have heavy undergrowth instead, and spaces covered with heavy undergrowth grasp at passersby as if an entangle spell had been cast on them. Survival checks to navigate have their DCs increased by 10. Perception checks to notice creatures using stealth have their DCs increased by 10.

Hills: Light undergrowth becomes heavy undergrowth in hill terrain, and slopes seem steeper than their elevation would indicate. It takes 2 squares of movement to move uphill on a gradual slope, and 4 squares to move uphill on a steep slope. Cliffs have frequent overhangs and are made of crumbling rock, requiring a DC 25 Climb check to ascend or descend.

Marsh: Half the undergrowth spaces in the marsh become quicksand. Mists and swamp gases obscure visibility completely past 60 feet; Perception checks to hear anything past this distance have their DCs increased by 10. Survival checks to avoid quicksand and other dangers have their DCs increased by 10.

Mountain: The mountains become places of jagged peaks, slippery slopes, and howling winds. Cliffs and chasms require a DC 25 Climb check to scale. Creatures who fail Climb checks or make loud noises have a 10% chance of starting an avalanche. Altitude effects are one category worse.

Plains: The frequency of thunderstorms and tornados is quadrupled. Half the spaces with undergrowth (light or heavy) grasp at passersby as if an entangle spell had been cast on them. The plain is riddled with pits, crags, and roots; creatures must proceed at half speed or risk a 10% chance per round of being tripped (Reflex DC 15 negates).

Underground: Surfaces become more unstable and difficult to navigate safely. Natural stone floors take 4 squares of movement per space to enter. Survival checks to determine direction, depth, slope, etc. have their DCs increased by 10. Perception checks to notice natural hazards have their DCs increased by 10.

In addition to the terrain-specific effects, using spells like wind walk, tree stride, or any other ability that allows creatures to travel quickly via natural means cannot be used to exit the cursed region. Creatures attempting to use such abilities invariably find themselves returning to the region (usually ending up deeper within, or in a part of the cursed area which they have not explored).

Affected creatures attempting to survey the cursed region from the air, or by any other means except by traveling within it, must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your witch level + your Intelligence bonus) or gain an incorrect and misleading understanding of the region’s geography. (The DM should roll this save in secret for a player character, as the character cannot know whether the save succeeded.) This is a mind-affecting effect. This befuddling property takes effect whenever any creature within the cursed region attempts to gain information about the region’s geography; thus if one member of a party of intruders surveys the area, succeeds on his Will save, then returns to his fellows to report what he has seen, all party members who hear the report must now make the same save, or gain a distorted understanding of what they have heard.

Spells like commune with nature, stone tell, speak with plants, and any other magical means of interacting with the natural world to gain information about the cursed region fail automatically if attempted by creatures who are not immune to the curse’s effects. Even animals and other natural creatures native to the area refuse to aid interlopers; they always start out as unfriendly (at best) in attitude, and the DCs to influence their attitude are increased by 10.

You can withdraw the curse at any time as a standard action. Otherwise, its effects are permanent, but may be removed with a remove curse spell, or any other effect which can remove a curse. The DC to remove the curse is 12 plus your witch level. Any spell (except wish or miracle) used to remove the curse must be cast at the exact center of the affected region, or it fails automatically. (If the curse is linked to a natural feature—see below—it must instead be cast at the location of that feature.)

You can make the curse harder to remove by linking it to some permanent natural feature of the land that is located within the region to be affected. This might be a huge, gnarled tree; a massive boulder; a small grotto; or anything else you select. (It cannot be a creature, however.) Whatever object or terrain feature you choose, it cannot occupy more than a 60-foot cube in dimensions, and must be accessible from the surface (it cannot be buried underground). It may, however, be hidden or disguised by any means, mundane or magical, that you wish to use. You may likewise place any protections you like on or around the object or terrain feature.

If you link the curse to a natural feature in this way, the DC to remove it increases by 10. Destroying or disjoining the linked object or feature removes the curse automatically. (The linked natural feature is considered to have a caster level equal to your witch level for the purposes of disjunction.)

Magic of the Land [metamagic]

You can enhance your spells with the land’s own magic.

Whenever you are in a natural environment, you can attempt to draw on ambient natural magic to enhance your spell. This ability works only with spells gained via the witch class (either spells you know, or spells granted to you by your patron).

When you cast a spell, you can make a Knowledge (nature) check as a free action, against a DC of 15 + 2 × the spell’s level. If you succeed, the spell is cast at +1 caster level. For every 10 points by which you beat the check DC, the spell’s caster level increases by an additional +1.

However, if you fail this check, the spell is cast at −1 caster level. For every 10 points by which you fail the check, the spell’s caster level decreases by an additional −1. If this would reduce the spell’s caster level to 0 or lower, the spell has no effect at all.

This is a metamagic effect (and this pact boon is considered to be a metamagic feat for all spellcasting purposes). A spell thus modified uses up a spell slot of the same level as the spell’s actual level. Note that unlike most metamagic effects, this ability cannot be applied to a spell when it is prepared; it must be applied at the time of casting (but may be applied to prepared spells in the same way as it is applied to spontaneously cast spells).

Native Land

The wilderness is home to you, and you move through it freely.

(You must be at least 3rd level to select this boon.)

You leave no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. (You may choose to leave a trail if so desired.)

If you have the earthbond pact boon, then you can move through areas of rubble, shifting sand, steep slopes, etc., without taking the normal penalties for difficult terrain, taking penalties to skill checks, or suffering any other impairment. Magical effects like spike stones still affect you (except those you caused yourself, to which you are immune). This benefit likewise does not apply to difficult terrain caused by water, mud, quicksand, or other liquid or similarly yielding surfaces.

If you have the greenbond pact boon, then you may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at your normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. Thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion, however, still affect you (although you are immune to any such effects that you caused yourself).

As a full-round action, you can expend an unused spell slot (of any level) to change the coloring of your skin and clothing to match any natural environment. Your coloration changes instantly to match the background of any new natural environment you enter, with no effort on your part. This effect grants you a +10 circumstance bonus on Stealth checks. Casting any spells, activating any spell-like or supernatural abilities, or making any attacks breaks the effect. The effect is likewise broken if you pass into an artificial, constructed, or altered environment. It otherwise lasts indefinitely.

You can expend an unused spell slot of 4th level or higher as a standard action to extend all of these effects to all allies within 60 feet of you. The effect is broken for any creature that moves out of range from you. Any affected ally who takes an action that would break the camouflage effect ends that affect for themselves only.

Natural Resurrection

You cannot be truly killed while you live through your natural servants.

(You must be at least 9th level, and have the awaken servant of nature pact boon, to select this boon.)

If you are killed while at least one servant of nature that you awakened exists, you are automatically returned to life by that creature. If you have multiple servants of nature, the one that resurrects you is the one which has the most hit dice. If there are multiple servants of nature which satisfy that criterion, the one closest to the place where you died is the one which brings you back.

One day after you die, the servant of nature which will resurrect you retreats to the nearest sheltered natural location (a cavern, a secluded grove, etc.) and constructs a cocoon composed of the same materials that form its body. Within this cocoon, a new body begins to grow, identical to your body at the time of your death. It takes a number of days to grow your new body equal to 21 minus the servant’s Hit Dice.

When your new body is complete, your spirit returns from the afterlife to inhabit it, assuming you succeed on the resurrection check. For the purpose of the resurrection check, the caster level of the resurrection spell is equal to the HD of the servant of nature which is attempting to bring you back, and you are considered to be of the same faith as the servant.

If the resurrection check fails, the servant of nature continues trying to bring you back until such time as it succeeds, or the time limit for its independent existence elapses.

Natural Summons

You summon natural creatures when casting summon monster spells.

Whenever you cast a summon monster spell, you select from the list of creatures for the summon nature’s ally spell, instead of the standard summon monster creature list.

The effects of this pact boon apply only to summon monster spells which you know and cast yourself, not spells you cast from a wand or scroll; such spells still use the standard list of summonable creatures.

Nature’s Wrath

Your spells that are imbued with nature’s power are harder to resist.

(You must have the magic of the land pact boon to select this boon.)

When you use your magic of the land ability to alter a spell that allows a saving throw, the bonus or penalty to the spell’s caster level also applies to the spell’s save DC.

Possess Animal (Su)

You can take control of an animal’s body.

(You must be at least 5th level, and have the beast eye pact boon, to select this boon.)

You project your spirit into the body of an animal whose senses you are currently sharing via beast eye, forcing it to behave as you direct. Your witch level must exceed the animal’s Hit Dice, and the animal may attempt a Will save (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your witch level + your Intelligence bonus) to resist possession. If the save succeeds, you cannot continue sharing the animal’s senses; you then incur the same consequences as a successful possession ending (see below).

If the animal fails the save, its soul remains in its body but has no control over it while your spirit is there. You can control an animal’s body for a number of rounds equal to your witch level. You can also surrender possession as a free action.

While in the animal’s body, you keep your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores, as well as your effective witch class level, but you otherwise have all of the animal’s normal statistics. You cannot cast spells, but can use your spell-like and supernatural abilities. You cannot activate any supernatural or spell-like abilities that the animal may have. Furthermore, for every 2 points of damage taken by the animal body while you are possessing it, you take 1 point of damage. If the animal body is killed while you are possessing it, you must make a DC 10 Fortitude save or die as well.

When your possession of an animal ends (either because the maximum duration elapsed, or you voluntarily chose to surrender possession, or the animal was killed), you must either shift your senses to another eligible animal within range (if any) as an immediate action, or else end the beast eye effect (thus returning to your own senses).

If your body is destroyed while your spirit is in the animal’s body, you die at the end of the possession effect’s duration.

Shapes of Nature

You can transform yourself or others into natural creatures.

(You must have either the earthbond pact boon or the greenbond pact boon to select this boon.)

This pact boon adds several spells to the list of spells which the Forest Mother provides to you as patron-granted spells.

If you have the earthbond pact boon, then the elemental body spells are added to your patron spell list. You may only use these spells to assume the form of earth creatures; however, you are not limited to common earth elementals, but may also take the form of stone spikes, etc., as long as they are also elementals with the earth subtype.

If you have the greenbond pact boon, then the plant shape spells are added to your patron spell list.

(If you have both of these pact boons, then both sets of spells are added to your patron spell list.)

Each added spell is added to your patron spell list at the same spell level as that spell’s level on the sorcererer/wizard spell list.

When you cast one of these spells, you may choose to cast it as a touch spell (targeting one living creature), rather than as a personal spell. When cast in this way, the spell allows a Will save to negate the effect, and is subject to spell resistance.

Voices of the Wild (Sp)

Phantasmal sounds of the wilderness bolster your allies and frighten your enemies.

(You must be at least 5th level to select this boon.)

You must expend an unused spell slot of at least 2nd level as a standard action to use this ability. Voices of the wild creates the sensation that invisible nature spirits and sussurating voices are all around you. This effect, which extends in a 30-foot-radius emanation from you, is a boon to you and your allies and a bane to your enemies.

You and all allies in the area gain a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects. These bonuses go up by +1 for every 4 witch levels you have past 5th (to a maximum of +4 at 17th level).

Each of your enemies within the area who fails a Will save is shaken. Each round, every affected enemy gets a new Will save to shake off this effect. An enemy who makes a successful save need not make any more saving throws for the duration of the spell. Creatures immune to fear are immune to this effect.

If you expend a spell slot of 4th level or higher when using this ability, then enemies who fail their Will saves are frightened. Those who succeed on their saves are shaken for 1d4 rounds.

Voices of the wild lasts for 1 round per witch level. It is a mind-affecting phantasm effect.

The Dreamer in the Deep

The Dreamer in the Deep is a thoroughly inhuman power that slumbers deep beneath the earth. It is not a conscious mind that makes contact with a witch and offers her a pact, but rather, the dreams of an ancient and alien entity—dreams which offer glimpses of lost magical secrets, and seductive visions of transformation and empowerment. The Dreamer in the Deep never asks or commands anything of those who make pacts with it, but sometimes it sends dream-visions, so insistent and intense that they are hard to ignore—usually warnings of some dire outcome.

When invoked via the witch’s invoke patron ability, the Dreamer does not answer questions directly; rather, the witch makes contact with the dreaming mind of her patron, and relevant information may (or may not) reveal itself in the form of visions, vague impressions, sensations, etc.

Alignment restrictions

A witch who chooses the Dreamer in the Deep as her patron may not be lawful good.

Familiar

The familiar of a witch who chooses the Dreamer in the Deep as her patron is a worm-like creature, about 3′ long, with mucus-slick skin and a circular sucking mouth filled with rows of sharp teeth.

If the familiar is killed, a replacement (after the witch completes the ritual to gain a new familiar) makes its way to the witch from the subterranean depths; the witch must retrieve her new familiar from a well, an underground waterway, etc.

The familiar gains the ability to speak with aquatic animals and magical beasts (and similar aquatic creatures), and with intelligent corporeal aberrations, when the witch reaches 7th level.

Familiar statistics (click to expand/collapse)

Type aberration (aquatic); Size Tiny; Speed 10 ft., swim 20 ft.; AC —; Attack bite (1d3−2); Ability Scores Str 6, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 13; Special Qualities amphibious, blindsense, change shape, darkvision, low-light vision.

Amphibious (Ex): The familiar can breathe air or water with equal ease.

Blindsense (Ex): The familiar has blindsense with a range of 60 feet, which only works in water (or another electrically conductive liquid).

Change Shape (Ex): The familiar can assume the shape of any Tiny animal, such as a cat or weasel, although it retains its lamprey-like mouth and filmy, whitish eyes in any form it takes. This affects the familiar’s movement modes and attacks, but no other statistics.

Pact affinity

A witch who chooses the Dreamer in the Deep as her patron gains the following pact affinity effects:

Minor (2nd level)

The witch gains Diplomacy and Linguistics as class skills. She also gains the following ability, usable at will:

Sense Enchantment (Su): You can concentrate as a standard action to detect the presence of enchantment magic (as detect magic, but only for the specified type of effect). You sense only the presence of auras, not their number, strength, or location. This ability can also be used in your sleep (you must go to sleep with the intention of using this power, and when you awaken naturally, the results are present in your mind); in such a case, the area of this ability is an emanation with a radius of 300 feet.

Lesser (6th level)

The witch’s ability to tell the difference between imagination and reality begins to erode. She takes a −1 penalty on Will saves to disbelieve illusions, and a −1 penalty on saves against enchantments and similar magical effects that cause her to believe something, convince her of something, or alter her perceptions or beliefs in any way. (These penalties stack with all similar penalties from other sources.)

Moderate (10th level)

The witch’s sense enchantment ability improves. By concentrating for two rounds, she can now determine the number of auras and the strength of the strongest aura in the area (as per detect magic). If she uses this ability in her sleep, its radius is now one-quarter of a mile.

Greater (14th level)

The witch’s ability to tell the difference between imagination and reality erodes further. The saving throw penalties described in the lesser pact affinity entry increase to −2.

Major (18th level)

The witch’s sense enchantment ability further improves. She can now automatically sense the presence of enchantment effects within 60 feet, without needing to concentrate. By concentrating for one round, she can determine the number of auras and the strength of the strongest aura; if she concentrates for two rounds, the witch can determine the strength and location (or direction, if the source is out of line of sight) of each aura. If she uses this ability in her sleep, its radius is now one mile.

Final (20th level)

The witch gains the power of dream travel, usable at will as a spell-like ability.

Spell list

The Dreamer’s spell list includes the following spells:

Pact boons

The Dreamer in the Deep offers the following pact boons:

The Dreamer in the Deep: Pact Boons
Pact Boon	Minimum Level	Benefit
Bind Thrall (Su)	—	You can bind a creature to your will permanently.
Coercive Spell [metamagic]	—	Your spells sap the will of your enemies.
Dreamcasting	9th	When you cast spells in a dream, they take effect in reality.
Enter Dream (Sp)	7th	You can enter a creature’s dreams, and search through its memories.
Graft Flesh ✲	—	You can modify your body, or the bodies of your thralls.
Inscribe Ancient Symbol (Sp) ✲	Varies	You have mastered one of the ancient arcane symbols.
Insidious Images [metamagic]	—	Your illusions worm their way into the minds of those who perceive them.
Reanimate Ancient Creature (Sp)	—	You can bring a prehistoric creature back to life.
Steal Memories	9th	You can erase memories from a dreamer’s mind.
The Master’s Voice (Sp)	—	When you speak, your words are supernaturally persuasive.
✲ May be taken multiple times.

Bind Thrall (Su)

You can bind a creature to your will permanently.

You can make a charm or compulsion spell permanent on a creature, making it your thrall. You can use this ability on a creature which is under the effect of one of the spells listed below, which you have cast. You must make a permanent alteration to its body, which incorporates a special arcane symbol of binding. You can do this via branding, scarification, a tattoo, or even by implanting a metal plate bearing the symbol into the subject’s flesh. Regardless of method, the symbol must be placed upon the exterior of the subject’s body (i.e., it must be visible, not hidden beneath the skin or similar), although it may be covered up with clothing, armor, etc.

The following spells may be made permanent via this ability:

• charm person
• charm monster
• charm monster (mass)
• dominate monster
• dominate person

You must sacrifice part of your own life force to bind a creature to your will in this way. For every Hit Die that the creature has, you permanently lose one hit point, which cannot be restored in any way whatsoever while the subject is bound to you. If the subject later gains Hit Dice—such as by gaining class levels—you correspondingly lose more hit points, in the same proportion. You cannot bind a creature if it has more Hit Dice than your witch level; likewise, a thrall you have bound cannot gain Hit Dice in any way if doing so would cause it to have more HD than your witch level. If a thrall which you have bound is killed, or the bond dissolved, the hit points you lost when that thrall was bound return a day later.

You must complete the binding procedure before the spell’s duration has elapsed. Once you have completed the procedure, the duration of the spell for which the binding was done changes to permanent. The spell can no longer be permanently dispelled while the binding holds; it can only be suppressed temporarily (as if casting dispel magic on a magic item). The caster level of the bound spell, for the purpose of dispel checks, is always equal to your current witch level (even if you originally cast the spell when you were of a lower level than you currently are). No action that you take toward the thrall (other than dissolving the bond), nor any order that you give, can cause it to permanently break free of the charm or compulsion.

In the case of charm spells, hostile acts taken by you or your allies toward your thrall allow the creature to make a Will save with a −10 penalty; if it succeeds on this save, the thrall’s attitude changes to unfriendly for as long as you continue acting in a hostile manner toward it, and thereafter until you win an opposed Charisma check against the thrall, by verbally or otherwise reassuring the creature of your friendship. Even if you do not do this, the thrall’s attitude reverts to friendly 10 minutes after you discontinue your hostile actions.

In the case of compulsion spells, a subject forced to take actions against its nature receives a saving throw with a penalty of −10 to resist taking that particular action, but even if it succeeds, it still remains your thrall despite its minor mutiny. Once the thrall makes a successful saving throw to resist a specific order, it makes all future saving throws to resist taking that specific action without a penalty.

You can dissolve the bond at any time, by touching the thrall as a full-round action. The spell which was made permanent immediately ends. Furthermore, if any other mind-affecting spells or effects that you used are still active on the thrall, the creature immediately gets new saving throws against each such effect; success on the save ends that effect also. The thrall henceforth gets a +2 bonus on saves against any mind-affecting spells or abilities that you use on it; should this experience repeat, the bonuses are cumulative.

Dissolving a bond of this nature is difficult. The thrall’s death breaks the bond, as does a disjunction spell. Otherwise, the physical alteration made to the thrall’s body must be removed or thoroughly defaced. (This is almost invariably quite painful for the thrall.) Once this is done, the bound spell’s duration ends immediately. Certain esoteric mental techniques may also be able to free a thrall from such bondage (although invariably at great cost and risk). A thrall who has been liberated from its bondage against your will (i.e., by any means other than your voluntary release) is forever immune to all of your mind-affecting powers.

Coercive Spell [metamagic]

Your spells sap the will of your enemies.

You can alter a spell that deals damage to foes so that any living creature dealt damage by the spell takes a −2 penalty on Will saves for 3 rounds. (Penalties from multiple coercive spells do not stack.)

This is a metamagic effect (and this pact boon is considered to be a metamagic feat for all spellcasting purposes). A spell thus modified uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.

Dreamcasting

When you cast spells in a dream, they take effect in reality.

(You must be at least 9th level, and have the enter dream pact boon, to select this boon.)

When you enter a creature’s dream, mind-affecting spells that you cast that affect the subject’s dream-self can take effect on the dreamer also. You must make a dream focus check (with the usual consequences; see the enter dream pact boon description for details) against a DC of 15 + the spell’s level to cause a spell you cast in the dream to be effective in reality.

A dreaming subject takes a −2 penalty to saving throws against mind-affecting spells and effects, cannot activate class abilities (and thus cannot use, e.g., abilities that grant rerolls of saving throws, etc.), and does not benefit from magic items that protect against such attacks. (Note that none of these deficiencies apply to a lucid dreamer who is aware that he is dreaming.) Passive immunities or resistances (due to, e.g., racial or class abilities) still apply, however.

Because you are more tightly connected to the world of dreams, you are more susceptible to certain types of mental manipulation. You take a −1 penalty on saves against enchantment and illusion spells and effects when in the physical realm. (This penalty stacks with any similar penalties due to other pact boons or your pact affinity effects.)

Enter Dream (Sp)

You can enter a creature’s dreams, and search through its memories.

You can touch a sleeping creature as a standard action. The creature must be in a natural (not magically induced) sleep, and it must have been asleep for at least one hour.

The subject is permitted a Will save (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your witch level + your Intelligence bonus) to resist your intrusion. If this save succeeds, the subject wakes up if it succeeds on a DC 10 Perception check. Otherwise, you may try to enter the same creature’s dreams again. The Perception check to wake up after a successful Will save decreases by 5 each time.

If the subject fails its save, you instantly fall asleep as well (so it is advisable to use this ability only when there are no threats around you). You find yourself in a dreamscape—the manifestation of the subject’s sleeping mind as it conjures up sensations and experiences for the dreamer.

The environment you find yourself in is determined by the dreamer’s mind, and thus may contain the widest variety of terrain, conditions, objects, creatures, etc. Regardless of any other contents of the dreamscape, it always contains the subject’s dream-self (although it is impossible to predict what form the dreamer will take within the dreamscape, so identifying the dreamer within the dream is difficult).

Your own dream-self is identical to your normal self. You have the same appearance, abilities, equipment, etc. You can cast spells, use abilities, etc., just as you normally can. Of course, these are all dream analogues, so spells cast within the dream do not use up spell slots in reality, consumable items used in the dream are not actually used up, etc. All effects are applied to elements of the dreamscape, and have no effects outside it. In particular, spells cast on the dreamer’s dream-self have no effect upon the subject in reality. (And the subject’s dream-self does not have the knowledge and memories of the dreamer; it is the dreamscape itself which contains these, not the manifestation of the dreamer within it.)

You can, if you wish, simply watch the dream unfold, making no attempt to affect the dreamscape in any way. However, due to the unpredictable nature of dreams, it is very unlikely that the subject’s dreams will naturally manifest the information that you seek. Thus you may wish to exert your will upon the dreamscape, guiding the dream to shift in subject matter.

To guide the dream, you must first clearly formulate what you wish to find; typically this is a memory or a piece of knowledge. Then, you make a dream focus check against DC 20. Your modifier for this check is 1⁄2 your witch level plus your Wisdom modifier.

If you succeed, the dream shifts in such a way as to show you the information you’re looking for. The means by which this happens may vary—you might find yourself observing remembered events, watching the dreamer relate something he knows to a friend, etc.

Every time you make a dream focus check (regardless of whether you succeed or fail), the dreamer makes a Wisdom check. (If the dreamer has at least 5 ranks in Sense Motive, he receives a +2 bonus on this check.) The DC for this check is whatever result you got on your dream focus check. The dreamer gets a cumulative +5 bonus on this check each time after the first. If this Wisdom check succeeds, the dreamer wakes up immediately after the current “scene” of the dream concludes. If the check fails, the dream continues. However, if the check fails by 5 or less, the dreamscape reacts in some way to your presence, possibly putting you (or, rather, your dream-self) in danger. (Note that any harm to your dream-self generally manifests as mental ability damage or similar injury to the mind.)

While the dream persists, you can continue attempting to guide it, learning as much information as you are able to. You can attempt to wake up at any time; this is also a dream focus check, against DC 10. If you successfully awaken without having caused the dreamer to also wake up, then the dreamer will not remember your intrusion (nor anything else out of the ordinary) when he awakes. If your actions cause the dreamer to wake, then he remembers the last thing he dreamt about (although he may not understand that you entered his dreams).

Note that while most creatures that dream have no ability to control their dreams (nor even to be aware that they are dreaming), a very rare few creatures are capable of lucid dreaming. Entering such a creature’s dreams may be dangerous; if a lucid dreamer realizes your intrusion, he can use his control of the dreamscape against you (and can even prevent you from waking, trapping your mind in the dreamscape).

Graft Flesh ✲

You can modify your body, or the bodies of your thralls.

You can grow and implant modifications to your body. These grafts merge with (or, in some cases, replace) your own flesh, becoming a part of your body. This pact boon may be gained multiple times; each time you gain this boon, you learn a new graft from the list below. (Some grafts may themselves be selected multiple times; when you select such a graft each time after the first, you learn the listed modification to the base graft. See each graft’s description, below, for details.) You can then grow and implant such a graft into your own body at any time you wish. (You can also implant a graft into any of your thralls, if you have such; see Grafting Thralls, below.)

Growing a graft takes one day. (You may only grow one graft at a time; however, you can adventure and otherwise engage in normal activity while you wait for the graft to grow.) Implantation takes one hour. There is no cost to growing and implanting a graft into yourself.

Grafts are not magical, and require no special resources to function. They heal if damaged, just as any other body part, and are restored along with the rest of your body if you are resurrected (e.g., by a resurrection spell). However, if a graft is completely removed, a regenerate spell restores your original, unmodified body part. A limited wish, wish, or miracle spell can revert a modification.

Externally visible body modifications affect the way that you are perceived by others. For every such visible modification, you incur a +1/−2 modifier to reaction rolls (to a maximum of +4/−8).

Additional Eyes: You implant additional eyes into your head, allowing you to see in multiple directions at once. You gain a +4 bonus to visual Perception checks, and all-around vision (thus you can no longer be flanked).

Amorphous Form: You ingest a living substance, produced by your familiar, which rearranges and reshapes your internal organs. You become partially immune to critical hits, gaining the benefit of the light fortification armor property.

Arms: You modify the muscles in your arms, allowing them to apply greater force. Your Strength increases by 2. This modification may be selected twice; the increases to Strength stack.

Bite: Your modify your jaw, changing its shape and implanting stronger muscles; you also apply a substance to your gums that causes your teeth to fall out. New teeth, long and needle-sharp, grow in their place. You gain a bite attack. This is a secondary natural weapon, which deals 1d4 points of damage. You are no longer able to eat vegetable matter, and require meat to sustain you.

Claws: You modify the skin and flesh of your hands and forearms, implanting powerful claws. You gain a pair of claw attacks; these are primary natural weapons, which deal 1d4 points of damage.

Eyes: You excise your eyes, and implant new ones in their place. The new eyes resemble those of an octopus. Your new eyes grant you darkvision. (Both eyes must be replaced in order to gain this benefit.)

Legs: You modify the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your legs, cutting existing tissue and implanting additional muscle tissue to augment it. After the modification, your legs are stronger, and can bend and flex in new ways. Your base land speed increases by 10 feet, and you gain a +2 bonus to Climb and Swim checks. This modification may be selected twice; the increases to speed and the skill bonuses stack.

Scales: You apply a treatment to your skin that makes you grow silvery, fish-like scales, which grow tougher as you grow closer to your patron. You gain a natural armor bonus of +1 per three witch levels.

Stinger: You implant a venom sac and a stinger at the end of your tail. You can no longer make tail slap attacks, but you gain a sting attack instead. This is a secondary natural weapon which deals 1d4 points of damage and exposes an injured creature to a poison (1 step Dexterity damage, cure 1 save, 1/round for 4 rounds; the DC is Constitution-based).

Tail: You attach a long, sinuous tail, which extends from the base of your spine. The tail cannot be used for manipulations, but it provides stability (granting you a +4 bonus to Acrobatics checks made to balance, as well as a +4 bonus to your CMD to resist being tripped). You can also make tail slap attacks; your tail is a secondary natural weapon, which deals 1d6 points of damage.

Tentacle: You implant a tentacle (about half as long as you are tall) somewhere on your torso. You can hide the tentacle under loose clothing when you are not using it. You cannot use the tentacle to wield weapons or make melee attacks, but you can use it to retrieve small, stowed objects carried on your person as a swift action, or to perform similar minor manipulations (the tentacle lacks the dexterity of fingers, however, so you cannot use it to make skill checks that would normally require the sort of fine manipulation that can only be done with your hands). The tentacle also grants you a +2 bonus to Climb checks and a +2 bonus to your CMB to start or maintain a grapple. You can select this modification up to four times, gaining a new tentacle each time. The bonuses from multiple tentacles stack.

Tongue: You modify your tongue, extending it and implanting a gland that secretes a paralytic toxin. With a successful grapple check against a creature whom you are already grappling, you can touch that creature with your tongue, exposing them to the toxin. (You can also use your tongue attack against an immobilized, helpless, or pinned creature, with no grappling required.) A creature exposed to the toxin secreted from your tongue must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your witch level + your Constitution bonus) or be paralyzed for 1 minute. A creature that fails its save must make another save after the minute has passed; if it fails this second save, it is paralyzed for 1d4 hours.

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Grafting Thralls: If you also have the bind thrall pact boon, you may modify your thralls with any of the grafts listed above. Applying grafts to your thralls is not free, however; while your connection with your patron allows your body to accept the grafts easily, the bodies of other creatures tend to reject foreign parts, and counteracting this reaction is difficult and expensive.

Applying a graft to a thrall requires the expenditure of 1,000 gp, plus an additional 1,000 gp for every graft that the thrall has already; this goes to purchase components for a special potion that suppresses the normal rejection reaction, and allows the graft to be incorporated. This potion is an alchemical item, and requires the Alchemy skill to create. (You may have another character create this potion for you.) If you are applying the first graft to a thrall, the potion’s item level is 3, and the craft DC is 20; each already-applied graft increases the item level and the craft DC by 1. The potion has no costly special ingredients (your familiar provides you with the only special ingredient that is needed, at no cost to you).

When you apply a graft to a thrall, the thrall must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 2 for every graft the thrall already has). Success means that the thrall’s body has accepted the graft. Failure means that the graft is rejected; it must be excised immediately, or the thrall dies within minutes. A thrall that survives a failed implantation must succeed at a Will save (against the same DC) or go permanently insane. Failing the Fortitude save by 5 points or more results in the thrall’s immediate death; uncontrolled alterations propagate rapidly through the thrall’s body, which quickly melts into a puddle of blood and flesh. (This is also what happens, with no saving throw permitted, if you attempt to implant a thrall with a graft without first administering the anti-rejection potion.)

Certain grafts may be incompatible with some kinds of creatures, on account of physical mismatch or for other reasons. The DM is the final arbiter of such compatibility.

Inscribe Ancient Symbol (Sp) ✲

You have mastered one of the ancient arcane symbols.

You learn to quickly inscribe one of the potent, ancient runes of magic. This pact boon may be gained multiple times, selecting a different ancient symbol each time from the list below. Each ancient symbol has its own level requirement (listed below), which must be met in order to select it when you gain this boon.

To inscribe an ancient symbol, you trace the faintly glowing symbol in the air, using a staff or similar implement; the ancient symbol becomes active immediately, lasting 10 minutes per witch level (or until discharged, if applicable). You must expend an unused spell slot to inscribe an ancient symbol (see each symbol’s description for the level of spell slot that must be expended).

To be effective, an ancient symbol must always be placed in plain sight and in a prominent location. Covering or hiding the rune renders the symbol ineffective.

An ancient symbol affects all creatures within a 60-foot radius except for you and any individuals you specify at the time of its casting (up to 1 creature per level, all of whom must be present and within range of the effect at casting time). The save DC for any effects of an ancient symbol that allow a saving throw is 10 + 1⁄2 your witch level + your Intelligence bonus.

You may have only one ancient symbol of each kind active at any one time. You may erase an inscribed ancient symbol as a standard action; you must touch the glowing rune in order to erase it. You cannot inscribe an ancient symbol if its area of effect would overlap with that of another ancient symbol.

Dispel magic can remove an ancient symbol. Read magic allows you to identify an ancient symbol with a successful Spellcraft check (DC 19).

The following symbols are available:

Death (17th level): One or more creatures within the radius, whose combined total hit points do not exceed 150, must succeed at Fortitude saves or die. The symbol affects the closest creatures first, skipping creatures with too many hit points to affect. The symbol lasts until it has affected 150 hit points worth of creatures. This is a death effect. You must expend an unused spell slot of 8th level or higher to inscribe this symbol.

Discord (13th level): All creatures with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher within the radius who fail a Will save immediately fall into loud bickering and arguing. Meaningful communication is impossible. If the affected creatures have different alignments, are from mutually antagonistic races or nations, or are otherwise on opposed sides of some philosophical or ideological conflict, there is a 50% chance that they attack each other. Bickering lasts 5d4 rounds. Fighting begins 1d4 rounds into the bickering and lasts 2d4 rounds. This is a mind-affecting effect. You must expend an unused spell slot of 6th level or higher to inscribe this symbol.

Fear (11th level): Creatures within the radius who fail a Will save are afflicted as if by a fear spell. This is a mind-affecting effect. You must expend an unused spell slot of 5th level or higher to inscribe this symbol.

Hopelessness (11th level): All creatures within the radius must attempt Will saves. If the save fails, the creature suffers from hopelessness for 3d4 × 10 minutes and submits to simple demands from foes, such as to surrender or get out. The effect is similar to that of the suggestion spell. If no foes are present to make demands, there is a 25% chance that a hopeless creature proves unable to take any action except hold its ground. If the creature remains free to act, there is a 25% chance it retreats from the rune at normal speed. In either case, the creature can defend normally if attacked. This is a mind-affecting effect. You must expend an unused spell slot of 5th level or higher to inscribe this symbol.

Insanity (15th level): One or more creatures within the radius, whose combined total hit points do not exceed 150, become insane (as the insanity spell; Will negates). The symbol affects the closest creatures first, skipping creatures with too many hit points to affect. The symbol lasts until it has affected 150 hit points worth of creatures. This is a mind-affecting effect. You must expend an unused spell slot of 7th level or higher to inscribe this symbol.

Pain (9th level): Creatures within the radius suffer wracking pains that inflict a temporary Dexterity penalty of one step on the Dexterity damage track and impose a −4 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and ability checks (Fortitude negates). Both effects last 2d10 × 10 minutes. You must expend an unused spell slot of 4th level or higher to inscribe this symbol.

Persuasion (11th level): All creatures within the radius must succeed at Will saves to resist. If the save fails, affected creatures become friendly to you as though subjected to charm monster. This is a mind-affecting effect. You must expend an unused spell slot of 5th level or higher to inscribe this symbol.

Sleep (9th level): Creatures within the radius fall into a catatonic slumber if they have fewer Hit Dice than your level − 2 (Will negates). Sleeping creatures cannot be awakened for 3d6 × 10 minutes. This is a mind-affecting effect. You must expend an unused spell slot of 4th level or higher to inscribe this symbol.

Stunning (11th level): One or more creatures within the radius whose total hit points do not exceed 250 become stunned (Fortitude negates). The symbol affects the closest creatures first, skipping creatures with too many hit points to affect. The symbol lasts until it has affected 250 hit points worth of creatures. You must expend an unused spell slot of 5th level or higher to inscribe this symbol.

Insidious Images [metamagic]

Your illusions worm their way into the minds of those who perceive them.

You can alter certain illusion spells to twist the minds of creatures who interact with them, so that the affected subjects cannot discern the true nature of what they perceive. An illusion spell thus modified imposes a −4 penalty on any Will saves made to disbelieve the illusion (note that only creatures who interact with the illusionary phenomena are allowed such a save). Furthermore, any creatures who fail their disbelief saves become convinced that they have conclusively verified the reality of what they perceive, and treat all attempts to convince them otherwise as obvious foolishness or madness. This is a mind-affecting compulsion effect, which has the same duration as the illusion spell itself.

The following spells may be modified in this way:

• hallucinatory terrain
• major image
• minor image
• mirage arcana
• permanent image
• persistent image
• silent image

This is a metamagic effect (and this pact boon is considered to be a metamagic feat for all spellcasting purposes). A spell thus modified uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.

Your ability to create deeply persuasive illusions makes you more susceptible to similar magic yourself. You take a −1 penalty on saves against enchantment and illusion spells and effects. (This penalty stacks with any similar penalties due to other pact boons or your pact affinity effects.)

Reanimate Ancient Creature (Sp)

You can bring a prehistoric creature back to life.

Drawing on your patron’s memories of the unfathomably deep and long-forgotten past, you can use the fossilized remains of a prehistoric creature to return that creature to life.

Reanimate Ancient Creature
Completeness of Remains	Duration
complete	Instantaneous
incomplete	1 day/level
partial	1 hour/level
fragment	1 minute/level

In order to use this ability, you must have in your possession the remains of the creature to be reanimated. The state and completeness of the remains determines how long the reanimation lasts; see Table: Reanimate Ancient Creature. The meaning of the completeness categories is given below.

Complete: A whole skeleton or exoskeleton, with no parts missing or seriously damaged.

Incomplete: A skeleton or exoskeleton with only a small number of missing parts, or with a minority of parts severely damaged.

Partial: Remains recognizable as a whole creature, but with much of the skeleton or exoskeleton missing or mostly destroyed.

Fragment: Not even recognizable as a whole creature; possibly just a single piece (a tooth, a bone, etc.; however, it must be something that is unambiguously identifiable as a body part).

Regardless of completeless, the creature’s remains must be separated from any containing strata (i.e., they must be extracted from the rock, soil, ice, or other medium in which they were preserved). Reanimating a creature takes one minute, and you must expend an unused spell slot of a level equal to one-third of the creature’s Hit Dice, rounded down (minimum 1st level), or higher.

This ability works only on the remains of living, corporeal creatures of any the following types: aberration, animal, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid. The creature must have been dead for at least a full geological epoch.

The reanimation process creates skin, flesh, organs, etc., and assembles these parts appropriately, using the skeleton or exoskeleton as a framework. If the remains are not complete, then all missing bones or other rigid components are conjured as well, and all such parts which were damaged are repaired. The fully restored creature is then given life. The reanimated creature has the statistics of a typical creature of its kind.

You have no special connection with the reanimated creature. The creature’s behavior depends on its intellect. A reanimated creature of animal intellect (Intelligence score of 1 or 2) is friendly toward you. If you can communicate with the creature, it may perform specific tasks for you, although it will generally resist any requests that require it to act in a way contrary to its nature. A newly reanimated creature is typically hungry, so unless you have prepared food for it, the creature will wander off in search of food. Creatures of higher Intelligence behave according to their alignment and disposition, although they recognize intuitively that you are responsible for returning them to life. Mindless creatures simply follow their instincts.

If the creature’s remains were complete, then the duration of the reanimation effect is instantaneous; the reanimated creature is indistinguishable from a normal creature which was born (or hatched, etc.) in the usual way. (It may even reproduce if it naturally has that capability, although practical obstacles may stand in the way of this.) Otherwise, when the effect’s duration expires (or when it is dispelled), the creature (including the original preserved remains) crumbles into dust. Likewise, if a reanimated creature dies or is killed, it crumbles into dust, leaving behind no corpse. Thus any given set of remains may only be used to reanimate a creature once.

Steal Memories

You can erase memories from a dreamer’s mind.

(You must be at least 9th level, and have the enter dream pact boon, to select this boon.)

Having entered a creature’s dreams and seen one of its memories, you can erase that memory from the subject’s mind, effectively causing the creature to have selective amnesia about that event, episode, fact, etc.

You must succeed on a DC 20 dream focus check (with the usual consequences; see the enter dream pact boon description for details) to erase a memory that you have just witnessed.

A creature whose memory has been affected in this way does not necessarily become aware right away that it is missing a memory; however, the creature is under no particular compulsion on the subject, and may realize the lack in the course of its normal activity. Depending on circumstances, the victim may attribute the missing memory to anything from simple forgetfulness to some unknown curse or hostile magic.

If the erased memory was of some fact or knowledge, nothing prevents the subject from learning this fact or gaining this knowledge again, either in the same way as it was learned the first time or in any other way. If the erased memory was of some event the subject experienced, the subject may subsequently learn of what transpired (by hearing an account of the event from others, by reading his own diary, etc.), though the experiential memory of the episode remains missing.

Restoring an erased memory is difficult. The greater restoration, limited wish, wish, or miracle spells can reverse memory erasure. Certain esoteric mental techniques may also be able to restore an erased memory, by gathering disparate scraps or echoes from other parts of the victim’s mind.

The Master’s Voice (Sp)

When you speak, your words are supernaturally persuasive.

You can expend an unused spell slot as a swift action to gain a bonus on Charisma checks made to influence an intelligent creature. The bonus is +2 if you expend a 1st-level spell slot; +4 if you expend a 3rd-level spell slot; +6 if you expend a 5th-level spell slot; and +8 if you expend a 7th-level spell slot. The effect lasts for 10 minutes, and works only on a single target (chosen when you activate the ability).

You must speak (either verbally or via telepathic contact, if you possess such an ability) in order to apply the bonus granted by this effect, and the creature you speak to must be able to hear and understand you. To the target, your words sound persuasive; your phrasing, your intonations, and all other aspects of your speech are subtly shaped so as to match the target’s unconscious preferences, beliefs, and biases. This is a language-dependent, mind-affecting effect.

You must be within 60 feet of the target when you first activate this ability, but need not necessarily stay within that range afterwards. The target receives no saving throw against this ability, nor is there any lingering aura that can be detected on the target afterwards (since it is not enchantment magic, and does not affect the target’s mind in any way). However, if your check to influence the target (whatever sort of check it may be) fails, the target is entitled to a DC 25 Sense Motive check to realize that there is something odd about the interaction.

Any effect that would prevent you from using detect thoughts on the target also renders this ability useless.

The Gaunt Man

The Gaunt Man is an immensely intelligent, coldly rational entity, who possesses nigh-incomprehensibly advanced knowledge on a bewildering variety of topics. Whenever he makes his presence known, the world seems somehow smaller and more squalid; an unaccountable depressive mood lingers afterwards. Witches who make a pact with this being have been known to go mad from trying to understand the Gaunt Man’s relentlessly precise yet vaguely contemptuous missives.

Alignment restrictions

A witch who chooses the Gaunt Man as her patron may be of any alignment.

Familiar

The familiar of a witch who chooses the Gaunt Man as her patron dwells on the Ethereal Plane (and thus is invisible from the Material Plane). It interacts with Material Plane beings (such as the witch with whom it is associated) by projecting an incorporeal image across the planar boundary; this is typically a Tiny animal of some sort (although it may be anything else).

If the familiar is destroyed, it reforms (after the witch completes the ritual to gain a new familiar) within 24 hours.

The familiar gains the ability to speak with creatures native to the Ethereal Plane when the witch reaches 7th level.

Familiar statistics (click to expand/collapse)

Type construct; Size Tiny; Speed fly 60 ft. (perfect); AC —; Attack —; Ability Scores Str —, Dex 18, Con —, Int 8, Wis 16, Cha 10; Special Qualities transdimensional projection.

Transdimensional Projection (Su): The familiar can project an incorporeal image onto the Material Plane. This image may take the shape of any creature, of any size that is no larger than Small and no smaller than Diminutive. The range of this ability is 5 feet (i.e., the familiar must be adjacent to the image, and the image’s movements are limited by the familiar’s move speed).

The familiar can activate or deactivate the projection as a standard action. When the projection is not active, the familiar’s presence is undetectable to all Material Plane creatures except the witch (who automatically senses the familiar’s presence if it is within 60 feet). (Regardless of whether the projection is active, the familiar is, of course, visible to any creature which can see into the Ethereal Plane, e.g. via the see invisibility spell.)

The projection has visual and auditory qualities, but is otherwise insubstantial, just like any other incorporeal creature. The image cannot be attacked and is unaffected by most spells and effects; dispel magic dispels the image, but the familiar can reactivate the projection on its next turn. The familiar’s projection can manipulate physical objects approximately as a mage hand spell can (although it is not limited to non-magical objects). Attended objects get a saving throw to resist such manipulation; the save DC is Charisma-based.

Pact affinity

A witch who chooses the Gaunt Man as her patron gains the following pact affinity effects:

Minor (2nd level)

The witch gains the following ability, usable at will:

Sense Energy (Su): You can concentrate as a standard action to detect the presence of energy fields. This works like detect magic, except that you can detect non-magical energy as well as that created by magical effects. You sense only the presence of energy fields, not their number, strength, or location. Energy fields include static or ongoing spell effects such as wall of fire or wall of force, or other effects that actively generate some sort of energy effect. (A magical effect that is active in an area is not necessarily an energy field; for instance, you would not detect an active alarm spell with this ability.)

Lesser (6th level)

The witch becomes more emotionally withdrawn, her affect more flat, and her mental landscape calmer and more level. She finds it difficult to relate to ordinary people, taking a −2 penalty on all social skill and ability checks when interacting with sapient creatures that exhibit social behavior (this includes members of all humanoid races, with extremely rare individual exceptions), and a +0/−2 modifier to reaction rolls for such creatures. However, the witch gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against emotion effects of any sort (i.e., spells that induce fear, despair, joy, humor, etc., as well as alchemical substances that have similar effects, creature abilities such as frightful presence, the effects of the Intimidate skill, etc.).

Moderate (10th level)

The witch’s sense energy ability improves. By concentrating for two rounds, she can now determine the number of energy fields in the area, and the approximate strength of each.

The mental discipline required by the powers her patron grants sharpens and clarifies the witch’s mind; she gains a +1 intrinsic bonus to her Intelligence score.

Greater (14th level)

The witch’s mentality shifts further away from that of ordinary members of her kind; her emotional responses are now nearly nonexistent. The penalties and bonuses described in the lesser pact affinity entry are all doubled. Furthermore, whenever the witch makes a successful save against any emotion effect, any of the witch’s allies who would also be subject to the same effect, and who can see the witch, gain a +2 bonus to their saves against the effect.

Major (18th level)

The witch’s sense energy ability further improves. She can now automatically sense the energy fields within 60 feet of her, without needing to concentrate. By concentrating for one round, she can determine the number of such energy sources and the strength and nature of the strongest one; if she concentrates for two rounds, the witch can determine the strength and location location (or direction, if the source is out of line of sight) of each energy source.

The witch’s mental faculties advance further; the intrinsic bonus to her Intelligence score increases to +2.

Final (20th level)

The witch’s mind is now wholly devoid of emotion. She takes a −10 penalty on social skill and ability checks (in such circumstances as are described in the lesser pact affinity entry). However, she is completely immune to emotion effects of any sort. Furthermore, whenever the witch would (if not for this immunity) be subject to an emotion effect, any of the witch’s allies who would also be subject to the same effect, and who can see the witch, gain a +4 bonus to any saves against the effect.

Spell list

The Gaunt Man has no spell list.

Pact boons

When you gain any of the pact boons offered by the Gaunt Man, you lose one spell of your choice from your list of spells known, in effect forgetting that spell. (You may instead elect to forfeit learning a new spell for that level. This option is not available if you gain a pact boon via the Extra Pact Boon feat.)

The Gaunt Man offers the following pact boons:

The Gaunt Man: Pact Boons
Pact Boon	Minimum Level	Benefit
Acceleration (Su)	—	You can speed up a creature briefly.
Celerity (Su)	13th	You can greatly accelerate yourself.
Concussion Blast (Su)	3rd	You can blast enemies with force.
Concussion Blast (Improved) (Su)	5th	Your concussion blast can strike multiple enemies and knock them back.
Deflection (Su)	9th	You can reflect a ranged attack back at its originator.
Dissipating Ray (Su)	—	You can disperse physical matter with a ranged attack.
Dissipating Touch (Su)	—	Your touch disperses physical matter.
Energy Burst (Su)	7th	You can create an explosion of energy.
Energy Conversion (Su)	9th	Your inertial armor can absorb and discharge energy.
Energy Ray (Su)	—	You can blast enemies with energy.
Energy Wall (Su)	7th	You can create a wall of energy.
Extend Range (Su)	—	You can make your ranged powers reach further.
Force Screen (Su)	—	You can create a disc of force that blocks attacks.
Force Wall (Su)	9th	You can create a wall of force.
Implosion (Su)	15th	You can telekinetically crush an enemy.
Inertial Armor (Su)	—	You can surround yourself in a barrier of force.
Telekinetic Sphere (Su)	15th	You can encapsulate one creature in a mobile force globe.
Telekinesis (Su)	—	You can move objects with your mind.
Telekinesis (Improved) (Su)	—	You can use your telekinetic power in new ways.
Touchsight (Su)	5th	You can perceive your surroundings by telekinetic sensation.

Acceleration (Su)

You can speed up a creature briefly.

You can bend space around a creature as a standard action, granting that creature an additional move action on their next turn (or on your current turn, if you choose to affect yourself with this power). This move action can be taken at any time, before or after any of the subject’s normal actions for the round. Alternatively, an accelerated creature may forgo the extra move action, and instead make one extra attack when taking a full attack action. In either case, an accelerated creature also gains a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class and a +1 bonus to Reflex saves. The effects of acceleration do not stack with haste or similar abilities.

You must touch a creature to grant this benefit. An unwilling target may attempt a Will save (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your witch level + your Intelligence bonus) to resist this effect.

You can expend an unused spell slot when using this power to augment it in several ways. All of the listed augmentation effects are cumulative (that is, the effect of expending a 3rd-level spell slot also includes all effects of expending any lower-level spell slots, etc.).

If you expend a 1st-level spell slot, then the range of this power is 30 feet, and you do not need to make a touch attack to affect a creature with it.

If you expend a 2nd-level spell slot, then you can use this power as a swift action.

If you expend a 3rd-level spell slot, then you can affect an additional number of targets equal to your Intelligence bonus. All targets must be within 30 feet of each other. If you wish, you may affect fewer targets than your maximum; for every one target by which you reduce the number of targets affected, the effects of the power last for one additional round.

Optionally, you may apply this power in reverse, causing deceleration instead of acceleration. In this case, affected targets are slowed, and can take only a single action (either a move or a standard action) on their turn. Decelerated targets also take a −2 penalty to Armor Class and a −1 penalty to Reflex saves. The effects of deceleration do not stack with slow or similar abilities.

Celerity (Su)

You can greatly accelerate yourself.

(You must be at least 13th level, and have the acceleration pact boon, to select this boon.)

You must expend an unused spell slot of 6th level or higher as a swift action to use this power. When you do so, you enter another time frame, speeding up so greatly that all other creatures seem frozen, though they are actually still moving at normal speed. You are free to act for 1 round of apparent time. You can cast spells, use powers, move, or perform other types of actions, subject to the restrictions outlined below.

While you are accelerated, other creatures are invulnerable to your attacks and powers. This means you cannot target a creature with any attack or power. However, a spell or power you use that affects an area and has a duration longer than the remaining duration of your celerity effect has its normal effect on creatures in the area once this power ends.

You can affect an unattended object but not an object held, carried, or worn by another creature. You are undetectable by any means while your celerity lasts.

Normal and magical fire, cold, acid, and the like can still harm you, and you are still susceptible to the effects of energy fields of various sorts.

When your celerity expires, you resume acting during your current turn in the standard time frame. You are shaken for 1 round upon your return to the standard time frame.

If you expend a spell slot of a level higher than 6th, you can make the celerity effect last longer, or affect additional creatures, or both. For each level of the expended spell slot beyond 6th, you can either affect one additional target within 30 feet, or make the effect last for one additional round for all affected targets. Unwilling targets may attempt a Will save (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your witch level + your Intelligence bonus) to resist being affected by celerity.

Concussion Blast (Su)

You can blast enemies with force.

(You must be at least 3rd level to select this boon.)

A subject within 120 feet that you select is pummeled with telekinetic force for 1d6 points of force damage. You can choose to have this power deal an equal amount of nonlethal damage instead. Concussion blast always affects a subject within range that you can see, even if the subject is in melee or has cover or concealment (you cannot use this power against creatures with total cover or total concealment).

Nonmagical, unattended objects (including doors, walls, locks, and so on) may also be damaged by this power.

You can use this power as a standard action at will. If you expend an unused spell slot when using concussion blast, the damage done by the blast is increased by 1d6 per level of the spell slot.

Concussion Blast (Improved) (Su)

Your concussion blast can strike multiple enemies and knock them back.

(You must be at least 5th level, and have the concussion blast pact boon, to select this boon.)

When you expend a spell slot to augment your concussion blast, you may sacrifice one or more dice of damage (i.e., reduce the damage dealt by the blast, by that many d6s) in order to modify the blast in one or both of the following ways.

Additional Targets: You may reduce the damage dealt by your concussion blast by one or more dice to have the blast strike additional targets, dealing the same damage to all targets. For every die of damage you sacrifice, you can hit one extra target. All targets struck by the blast must be within 15 feet of each other.

Toppling Push: You may also choose to reduce the damage dealt by your concussion blast by two dice to knock opponents back. For each opponent struck, make a check against that creature’s CMD; your bonus on this check is your witch class level + your Intelligence bonus + 1 per every die of damage dealt by the blast. If you succeed, that opponent is pushed back 5 feet and knocked down. For every 5 points by which you beat an opponent’s CMD, they are pushed back an additional 5 feet.

You may apply both of the above modifications to your concussion blast simultaneously. The reductions in damage dice stack. In all cases, you cannot reduce the damage done by your concussion blast to less than 1d6. If your chosen modifications would reduce the blast to less than one die of damage, then you cannot modify your concussion blast in that way.

Deflection (Su)

You can reflect a ranged attack back at its originator.

(You must be at least 9th level, and have the inertial armor and telekinesis pact boons, to select this boon.)

Whenever your inertial armor is active, you can, as an immediate action, send an attack that misses you hurling back toward its source. You must expend an unused spell slot of 4th level or higher to use this power. You can deflect any ranged attack directed against you so long as it uses an attack roll to determine whether or not it strikes you. If an attack misses you, the attacker must make a second attack roll against its own Armor Class, using all of the applicable modifiers of the original attack and if it hits, the attacker takes the attack’s damage and suffers all the other consequences of getting struck with that attack. You cannot deflect attacks that miss you for any reason besides a failed attack roll (such as concealment). Similarly, you cannot deflect attacks that actually do strike you but simply fail to do any harm.

Dissipating Ray (Su)

You can disperse physical matter with a ranged attack.

(You must have the dissipating touch pact boon to select this boon.)

When you expend a spell slot to augment your dissipating touch, you may sacrifice two dice of damage (i.e., reduce the damage dealt by the attack by 2d6) in order to use it as a ray instead of a melee touch attack. The dissipating ray has a range of 60 feet. A ranged touch attack is required to hit a target with the ray.

Dissipating Touch (Su)

Your touch disperses physical matter.

A disruptive energy limns your hand, and your mere touch disperses the surface material of a corporeal foe or object. Your successful melee touch attack deals 1d6 points of damage. This damage ignores all forms of hardness or damage reduction.

Any creature or object reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by this power is entirely disintegrated, leaving behind only a trace of fine dust. (A disintegrated creature’s equipment is unaffected.)

You can use this power as a standard action at will. If you expend an unused spell slot when using dissipating touch, the damage done is increased by 2d6 per level of the spell slot.

Energy Burst (Su)

You can create an explosion of energy.

(You must be at least 7th level, and have the energy ray pact boon, to select this boon.)

When you expend a spell slot to augment your energy ray power, you may sacrifice two dice of damage (i.e., reduce the damage dealt by the attack by 2d8) to hurl the ray’s energy as a small orb at a point within 120 feet, where it bursts and creates an explosion with a radius of 20 feet. The explosion creates almost no pressure. All within the explosion’s area must succeed at a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your witch level + your Intelligence bonus) or take the damage; those who succeed take half damage.

Energy Conversion (Su)

Your inertial armor can absorb and discharge energy.

(You must be at least 9th level, and have the energy ray and inertial armor pact boons, to select this boon.)

Whenever your inertial armor is active, the first 10 points of either cold or fire damage that you would take in a round is instead absorbed and stored by the field of force that surrounds you. When this happens, your inertial armor gives off a visible glow (reddish orange if fire damage was absorbed; pale blue if cold damage was absorbed).

Up to 30 points of cold or fire damage may be absorbed before the armor’s “buffer” is filled; when this buffer is full, the inertial armor no longer absorbs energy damage of that type. The buffer can only hold one type of energy (cold or fire) at a time; if the buffer currently holds absorbed fire damage, then any absorbed cold damage is subtracted from the buffer, and begins to add to the buffer only when no more absorbed fire damage remains (and vice versa).

You can discharge your inertial armor’s energy buffer harmlessly at any time as a standard action. Alternatively, you can use it to augment your energy ray. When you use your energy ray power, if there is any energy in your inertial armor’s buffer, you can choose to discharge the buffer completely, increasing the energy ray’s damage by 2d8 for every 10 points of absorbed damage in the buffer. (You cannot choose to discharge only some of the energy stored in the buffer; you must discharge all of it.) The energy ray must deal the same type of energy (cold or fire) as the energy in the inertial armor’s buffer. This is otherwise functionally equivalent to expending an unused spell slot to augment your energy ray (and thus you cannot augment a single use of energy ray both by discharging your inertial buffer’s absorbed energy and by expending an unused spell slot—you must choose one or the other).

If you have augmented your inertial armor by expending a spell slot to increase the armor bonus it provides, the armor’s energy absorption capabilities are increased as well. For every level of the spell slot you expended, the amount of energy the armor can absorb per round is increased by 3 points, and the capacity of the buffer is increased by 10 points.

Energy Ray (Su)

You can blast enemies with energy.

You create a ray of energy that shoots forth from your fingertip and strikes a target within 60 feet, dealing 1d8 points of damage, if you succeed on a ranged touch attack with the ray. You choose, when using this power, whether it should agitate matter (dealing fire damage) or drain heat (dealing cold damage).

You can use this power as a standard action at will. If you expend an unused spell slot when using energy ray, the damage done is increased by 2d8 per level of the spell slot.

Energy Wall (Su)

You can create a wall of energy.

(You must be at least 7th level, and have the energy ray pact boon, to select this boon.)

You can expend an unused spell slot of 3rd level or higher to draw unstable ectoplasm from the Ethereal Plane and form it into an immobile, vertical sheet of energy. This may be formed in the shape of either a flat sheet or a ring. If a flat sheet, it can be of any width and height (in increments of 10 feet), so long as it is rectangular in shape and its total area is no greater than four 10-foot squares per witch level. If a ring, it is 10 feet in height, and its radius is 5 feet per witch level; the height may be increased (in 10-foot increments) by reducing the radius proportionally. In either case, the wall need not be anchored in any way (you can create a free-floating curtain of energy in mid-air, if you so choose). The wall must be no further than 180 feet away from you at its closest point; you must also be able to see where you are placing the wall (although intervening objects are no obstacle, so long as they do not block your vision, and so long as they do not extend to the Ethereal Plane).

One side of the wall, selected by you, sends forth waves of energy, dealing 2d6 points of damage to creatures and objects within 10 feet and 1d6 points of damage to those beyond 10 feet but within 20 feet. The damage dealt by the wall is either cold or fire, chosen by you when you manifest the wall. (If you manifest this power in the form of a ring of energy, you choose whether the waves of energy radiate inward or outward from the ring.)

The wall is opaque but insubstantial, and it offers no physical barrier to creatures or objects passing through it. However, anything passing though the energy wall takes 2d6 points of damage + 1 point per witch level; a successful Reflex save (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your witch level + your Intelligence bonus) halves this damage.

If you manifest the wall so that it appears where creatures are, each creature takes damage as if passing through the wall.

If any 10-foot square of wall takes 20 points of damage or more in 1 round from its opposite energy type (cold if the wall is fire, fire if the wall is cold), that square of wall goes out. (Do not divide cold damage by 4 or fire damage by 2, as normal for objects.)

The energy wall lasts for as long as you concentrate, plus 1 round per witch level after you cease concentrating on it. If the spell slot you expend when creating the wall is 5th level or higher, the energy wall instead lasts for 10 minutes per witch level. If the spell slot you expend is 7th level or higher, the energy wall instead lasts for 1 day per witch level.

Extend Range (Su)

You can make your ranged powers reach further.

(You must have at least one other pact boon to select this boon.)

When you expend an unused spell slot to augment a power with a fixed range (such as energy ray or concussion blast), you may expend an additional spell slot, of the same or higher level, to quadruple the power’s range.

Force Screen (Su)

You can create a disc of force that blocks attacks.

You create a mobile disk of force that hovers in front of you. The force screen provides a +2 shield bonus to Armor Class (which applies against incorporeal touch attacks, since the force screen is a force effect). Since it hovers in front of you, the effect has no armor check penalty associated with it. The force screen is normally invisible, but briefly becomes visible (as a faint, translucent disc) when it blocks an attack.

You can create the force screen as a standard action, and it lasts for 10 minutes. You may dismiss the force screen as a free action.

If you expend an unused 2nd-level spell slot when creating the force screen, the shield bonus increases to +4. If you expend an unused 5th-level spell slot, the shield bonus increases to +6. If you expend an unused 8th-level spell slot, the shield bonus increases to +8.

Force Wall (Su)

You can create a wall of force.

(You must be at least 9th level, and have the force screen pact boon, to select this boon.)

You can expend an unused spell slot of 4th level or higher to create an invisible and immobile vertical wall of force. This may be formed in the shape of either a flat sheet or a ring. If a flat sheet, it can be of any width and height (in increments of 10 feet), so long as it is rectangular in shape and its total area is no greater than one 10-foot squares per witch level. If a ring, it is 10 feet in height, and its radius is 5 feet per 3 witch levels; the height may be increased (in 5-foot increments) by reducing the radius proportionally. In either case, the wall need not be anchored in any way (you can create a free-floating curtain of force in mid-air, if you so choose). The wall must be continuous and unbroken when formed. If its surface is broken by any object or creature, the spell fails. The wall must be no further than 60 feet away from you at its closest point; you must also be able to see where you are placing the wall.

A force wall can be damaged by spells as normal, except for disintegrate, which automatically destroys it. It can be damaged by weapons and supernatural abilities, but a force wall has hardness 30 and a number of hit points equal to 20 per your witch level. A mage’s disjunction can dispel the wall.

Breath weapons and spells cannot pass through a force wall in either direction, although dimension door and similar effects can bypass the barrier. It blocks ethereal creatures as well as material ones (though ethereal creatures can usually circumvent the wall by going around it, through material floors and ceilings). Gaze attacks can operate through a force wall.

The force wall lasts for 1 round per witch level. If the spell slot you expend when creating the wall is 7th level or higher, the force wall instead lasts for 1 hour per witch level.

Implosion (Su)

You can telekinetically crush an enemy.

(You must be at least 15th level, and have the telekinesis pact boon, to select this boon.)

You can expend an unused spell slot of 7th level or higher as a standard action to telekinetically crush a corporeal creature within 60 feet. Your target collapses in on itself, taking 10 points of damage per your witch level. A successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your witch level + your Intelligence bonus) halves the damage. A creature reduced to 0 hit points or lower by this power is crushed into an unrecognizable pile of blood and gore.

Implosion has no effect on creatures in gaseous form or on incorporeal creatures.

Inertial Armor (Su)

You can surround yourself in a barrier of force.

You can generate a tangible field of force that provides a +4 armor bonus to Armor Class. Unlike mundane armor, inertial armor entails no armor check penalty or speed reduction. Because inertial armor is composed of force, incorporeal creatures can’t bypass it the way they do normal armor.

Your inertial armor can be invisible or can appear as a colored glow, at your option.

Additionally, inertial armor grants you a bonus to Reflex saves against attacks that deal physical damage. This bonus is half as large as the bonus to Armor Class.

Finally, when inertial armor is active, any falling damage you take is halved.

You can create inertial armor as a standard action, and it lasts for 8 hours. If you expend an unused spell slot when creating inertial armor, the bonus to AC increases by an amount equal to the level of the spell slot.

Telekinetic Sphere (Su)

You can encapsulate one creature in a mobile force globe.

(You must be at least 15th level, and have the force wall and telekinesis pact boons, to select this boon.)

You must expend an unused spell slot of 7th level or higher as a standard action to use this power. A globe of shimmering force encloses a creature you select within 60 feet, provided the creature is small enough to fit within the diameter of the sphere, which is 1 foot per your witch level. The sphere contains its subject for up to 10 minutes. You can dismiss the sphere as a standard action.

The sphere functions as a force wall. Nothing can pass through the sphere, inside or out, though the subject can breathe normally.

Creatures or objects inside the globe are nearly weightless. Anything contained within an telekinetic sphere weighs only one-sixteenth of its normal weight. You can telekinetically lift and move anything in the sphere that normally weighs 10,000 pounds or less. The telekinetic control extends from you out to 120 feet after the sphere has succeeded in encapsulating its contents.

You can move objects or creatures in the sphere by concentrating on it. You can begin moving a sphere in the round after using the power. If you concentrate on doing so (a standard action), you can move the sphere as much as 30 feet in a round. If you cease concentrating, the sphere does not move in that round (if on a level surface) or descends at its falling rate (if aloft) until it reaches a level surface, or the power’s duration expires, or you begin concentrating again. If you cease concentrating (voluntarily or due to failing a Concentration check), you can resume concentrating on your next turn or any later turn during the spell’s duration.

The sphere falls at a rate of only 60 feet per round, which is not fast enough to cause damage to the contents of the sphere.

You can move the sphere telekinetically even if you are in it.

Telekinesis (Su)

You can move objects with your mind.

You can move an object by concentrating your mind upon its current location and then the location you desire, creating a sustained force.

Telekinesis
Spell slot level	Maximum weight of object
1st	50 lbs.
2nd	150 lbs.
3rd	300 lbs.
4th	500 lbs.
5th	750 lbs.
6th	1,050 lbs.
7th	1,400 lbs.
8th	1,800 lbs.
9th	2,250 lbs.

You must concentrate to maintain this power. The range of this power is 120 feet. You can move an object up to 20 feet per round. A creature can negate the effect on an object it possesses with a successful Will save or with power resistance. The weight can be moved across the ground or through the air. This power ends if the object is forced out of range. If you cease concentration, the object falls or stops.

You can drop a weight and pick up another during the power’s duration, as long as you don’t stop concentrating on maintaining the power. An object can be telekinetically manipulated as if you were moving it with one hand.

If you spend at least 5 rounds concentrating on an unattended object, you can attempt to break or burst it as if making a Strength check, except that you apply your key ability modifier to the check instead of your Strength modifier.

You can use this power at will and at no cost on objects weighing up to 25 pounds. To affect heavier objects, you must expend an unused spell slot. The level of the spell slot determines the maximum weight of an object you can affect; see Table: Telekinesis.

Telekinesis (Improved) (Su)

You can use your telekinetic power in new ways.

(You must have the telekinesis pact boon to select this boon.)

Your telekinesis power becomes more capable and flexible. You gain the following options when using it.

Telekinetic Thrust: You can create an instantaneous force, hurling one or more objects or creatures. You can hurl one object or creature per witch level, as long as all are within the power’s range and each is no more than 10 feet away from another one. Each object or creature can be hurled a maximum distance of 10 feet per level.

The number of objects you can hurl at any given target is limited by the relative sizes of the hurled object and the target. At any given target, you can only hurl one object of the same size as, or larger than, that target. Objects smaller than the target count as one-half of an object of the next highest size category, for this purpose. (Thus you could hurl a Medium-sized barrel at a human, but not two such barrels at the same human. Alternatively, you could hurl two cats and a dog—i.e., two Tiny creatures and one Small one—at the same orc, because those animals add up to one Medium-sized object.)

You must succeed on ranged attack rolls (one per creature or object thrown) to hit the target of the hurled items with the items, applying your Intelligence modifier to the attack roll instead of your Dexterity modifier. Hurled weapons deal their standard damage (your Strength bonus does not apply; arrows or bolts deal damage as daggers of their size when used in this manner). Other objects deal damage ranging from 1 point per 25 pounds of weight (for less dangerous objects such as an empty barrel) to 1d6 points per 25 pounds of weight (for hard, dense objects such as a boulder), to a maximum of 20d6.

Creatures are allowed Will saves to negate the effect, as are those whose held possessions are targeted by this power.

If you use this power to hurl a creature against a solid surface, it takes damage as if it had fallen half the distance that you hurled it.

The weight limit of your telekinesis power is halved when you use it in this way, and applies to the total weight of all hurled objects. You do not need to concentrate to use telekinesis in this way, and the power’s duration ends immediately after you use it.

Telekinetic Maneuver: You can affect a foe by concentrating your mind upon its current status and the status you desire, once per round. You can perform a bull rush, a disarm, a grapple (including a pin), or a trip. Resolve these attempts as normal, except that they don’t provoke attacks of opportunity, you use your witch level in place of your base attack bonus, you use your Intelligence modifier in place of your Strength modifier, and a failed attempt doesn’t allow a reactive attempt by the target (such as normally allowed on disarm or trip attempts). You also get a +2 bonus on your CMB check for every full factor of 2 by which the weight limit of your telekinesis exceeds the weight of the opponent you are trying to affect. No save is allowed against these attempts.

The weight limit of your telekinesis power is halved when you use it in this way. The power lasts for as long as you concentrate, up to 1 round per witch level.

Touchsight (Su)

You can perceive your surroundings by telekinetic sensation.

(You must be at least 5th level to select this boon.)

You generate a subtle telekinetic field of mental contact, allowing you to “feel” your surroundings even in total darkness or when your sight would otherwise be obscured by your physical environment. Your touchsight field emanates from you out to 5 feet. You ignore invisibility, darkness, and concealment, though you must have line of effect to a creature or an object to discern it. You do not need to make Perception checks to notice creatures; you can detect and pinpoint all creatures within the range of your touchsight. In many circumstances, comparing your regular senses to what you learn with touchsight is enough to tell you the difference between visible, invisible, hiding, and concealed creatures.

If you expend an unused 2nd-level spell slot as a standard action, the range of your touchsight increases to 30 feet for 10 minutes. If you instead expend a 4th-level spell slot, the range of your touchsight increases to 60 feet for 10 minutes. In either case, you may expend an additional spell slot of the same level to extend the duration of the increased touchsight range to 4 hours.

The Lurker in Gloom

The world dims slightly when the Lurker in Gloom makes its presence known, and vague, disquieting movements can be glimpsed in the gathering shadows. Witches who make a pact with this entity often feel as though something is reaching for them, something which is very far away—and yet, somehow, much too close for comfort. The Lurker in Gloom seems to be intimately acquainted with all the myriad corners of the multiverse, and offers tantalizing hints of insight into the deep secrets of the structure of reality.

Alignment restrictions

A witch who chooses the Lurker in Gloom as her patron may be of any alignment.

Familiar

The familiar of a witch who chooses the Lurker in Gloom as her patron is a quasi-real shadow creature, which usually takes the form of a small animal.

If the familiar is destroyed, it reincorporates at the next twilight after the witch completes the ritual to restore her familiar. If the familiar is dismissed or banished, it likewise returns at the next twilight.

The familiar gains the ability to speak with creatures of darkness and shadow when the witch reaches 7th level.

Familiar statistics (click to expand/collapse)

Type outsider; Size Tiny; Speed 30 ft.; AC —; Attack according to shape; Ability Scores Str 6, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 15; Skills +8 racial bonus to Stealth checks made to hide in shadows; Special Qualities change shape, darkvision, hide in plain sight, light aversion, low-light vision, meld with shadow, shadow shift.

Change Shape (Su): The familiar can take the form of any nocturnal or crepuscular animal of Tiny or Diminutive size. (It has no natural form.) This transformation affects the familiar’s movement modes and attacks, as well as size modifiers to attacks and Armor Class, but no other statistics.

Light Aversion (Ex): The familiar cannot abide any light brighter than shadowy illumination. It hides in the witch’s shadow (using its meld with shadow power) whenever the witch enters an area of normal or bright light. If this is impossible (e.g., if the witch suddenly finds herself illuminated from all sides, casting no shadow), the familiar uses its shadow shift power to escape, and does not return until the witch calls for it (which can only be done in the shadows).

Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): When it is in an area of shadowy illumination, the familiar can hide even when it is being observed.

Meld with Shadow (Su): The familiar can hide in the witch’s shadow as a move action, effectively becoming invisible and insubstantial. No attack or spell can affect the familiar in this state, but neither can the familiar use any of its abilities until it re-emerges (likewise a move action). The familiar will not emerge from the witch’s shadow if she is in an area that is any brighter than shadowy illumination.

Shadow Shift (Sp): The familiar can travel to the Shadow Realm, or return to the Material Plane, at will and as a standard action. This ability works as the plane shift spell, except that the familiar cannot take other creatures with it, and when it returns to the Material Plane, the familiar always appears within the witch’s shadow.

Pact affinity

A witch who chooses the Lurker in Gloom as her patron gains the following pact affinity effects:

Minor (2nd level)

The witch gains Acrobatics, Climb, and Stealth as class skills. She also gains the following ability, usable at will:

Sense Darkness (Su): You can concentrate as a standard action to detect the presence of undead (as detect undead) or magical effects related to negative energy, darkness or shadow (as detect magic, but only for the specified type of effect). You sense only the presence of auras, not their number, strength, or location, nor the specific nature of the sensed auras.

The witch gains low-light vision, if she did not have it already.

Lesser (6th level)

Color begins to drain from the witch’s body; her skin, hair, and even her clothes and other worn equipment take on an increasingly faded and gray tone. Light becomes unpleasant for her, and she gains the following trait:

Light Sensitivity (Ex): You are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell. (The penalty from this effect also applies to the caster level of your spells and spell-like abilities.)

When casting light spells (e.g. light, daylight, etc.), the witch must now use a spell slot one higher than the spell’s level.

The witch also gains cold resistance 5.

Moderate (10th level)

The witch’s body and worn equipment become almost entirely devoid of color. This grayness now extends to the witch’s mind; her emotions deaden, and her physical senses dull. She takes a −2 penalty to Bluff, Diplomacy, Perception, and Sense Motive checks (as well as any similar checks that involve social interaction). However, she gains a +4 bonus to saving throws against emotion effects and effects that are based on visual or other sensory perception (e.g. color spray).

The witch’s sense darkness ability improves. By concentrating for two rounds, she can now determine the number of auras and the strength and nature of the strongest aura in the area (as per detect magic and detect undead).

Greater (14th level)

The penalty imposed by the witch’s light sensitivity trait doubles (to −2), and now applies (albeit at half strength) even in normal light conditions.

When casting light spells, the witch must now use a spell slot two higher than the spell’s level.

The witch’s cold resistance increases to 10.

Major (18th level)

The witch is now almost incapable of experiencing strong emotions, and the world feels to her as gray and dull as she looks to others. Her penalties to Perception and social skill checks double (to −4). However, her bonuses to saving throws against emotion effects and effects that are based on other sensory perception also double (to +8).

The witch’s sense darkness ability further improves. She can now automatically sense the presence of undead and magical effects related to negative energy, darkness or shadow within 60 feet of her, without needing to concentrate. By concentrating for one round, she can determine the number of auras and the strength and nature of the strongest aura; if she concentrates for two rounds, the witch can determine the strength, location (or direction, if the source is out of line of sight), and nature of each aura.

Final (20th level)

The witch leaves mortality behind, and becomes a shade—a creature who has joined with the power of the Shadow Realm. Her type changes to outsider (and she gains the native subtype). She becomes immune to cold. Light becomes anathema to her—she is sickened in bright light, and nauseated in direct natural sunlight (the latter also applies if she fails a saving throw against a sunbeam or sunburst spell). She can no longer cast any spells which produce light. Finally, the witch no longer ages, and has no maximum age—effectively, she becomes immortal.

Spell list

The Lurker’s spell list includes the following spells:

† Ghouls and ghasts only.
‡ Shadows and wraiths only.

Pact boons

The Lurker in Gloom offers the following pact boons:

The Lurker in Gloom: Pact Boons
Pact Boon	Minimum Level	Benefit
Cause Darkness (Su)	—	You can blanket an area in darkness.
Channel Energy (Su)	—	You can channel negative energy.
Cold and Dark	9th	The darkness you create resembles the most desolate parts of the Shadow Realm.
Dark Citadel (Su)	15th	You create a permanent fortress in the Shadow Realm.
Darkness Beyond Death (Su)	13th	Those who die in the darkness you create rise as shadows.
Deeper Gloom	7th	The darkness you create is a true microcosm of the Shadow Realm.
Echoes of Magic	—	You can send your familiar to the Shadow Realm to seek out echoes of spells.
Echoes of Memory	—	You can send your familiar to the Shadow Realm to seek out echoes of memory and knowledge.
Eclipse [metamagic]	—	Your shadow spells extinguish light.
Fell Animate [metamagic]	7th	Your damaging spells can cause slain enemies to rise as shadows under your command.
Gift of Shadow (Su)	—	As your patron bestows power upon you, so you can share your power with allies.
Grasping Shadows (Su)	7th	The darkness you create thickens and congeals, and impedes your enemies’ movements.
Impenetrable Darkness (Su)	7th	The darkness that surrounds you is blacker than the deepest night.
Land of Nightmares (Su)	7th	The darkness you create is full of terrors.
Shadow Blend (Su)	—	You can disappear into the shadows.
Shadow Shaping (Su)	5th	You can create small objects out of shadow-stuff.
Shadow Shaping (Greater) (Su)	9th	You can create structures out of shadow-stuff.
Shadow Sight (Su)	—	You can see more in darkness than most people can in light.
Shadow Step (Su)	9th	You can quickly step between distant shadows.
Shadow Summons	—	You summon shadow creatures when casting summon monster spells.
Shadow Travel (Sp)	11th	You can travel through shadows across long distances.
Sustaining Shadow (Ex)	5th	Your bodily needs are provided by the power of the Shadow Realm.

Cause Darkness (Su)

You can blanket an area in darkness.

As a standard action, you can infuse your surroundings with shadow-stuff pulled from the Plane of Shadow, causing the illumination level in an area with a radius of 20 feet (an emanation centered on your position) to drop one step, from bright light to normal light, from normal light to dim light, or from dim light to darkness. (You cannot reduce the illumination level further than that.)

This region of darkness is stationary; it does not move with you. The darkness lasts for as long as you are within the affected area, and for 1 minute after you leave it; if you re-enter the area before the darkness has faded, its duration is renewed (you need not spend another action to renew it). You can only have one region of created darkness at a time; when you use this ability, any previously created regions of darkness that are still active immediately dissipate.

Cause darkness does not extinguish light sources (either natural or magical) in its area; such light sources can still increase the level of illumination where their area of effect overlaps with the area of the created darkness. The radius of all light sources within the area of darkness is halved, however.

When you gain this pact boon, you also gain the ability to see perfectly in darkness (but not supernatural darkness).

At higher levels, your ability to cause darkness becomes more powerful, as described below.

4th level: The radius of the created darkness increases to 40 feet.

6th level: Your cause darkness ability now reduces the illumination level by two steps. The radius of the created darkness increases to 60 feet, and the region of darkness lasts for 10 minutes after you leave it.

8th level: The radius of the created darkness increases to 90 feet, and the region of darkness lasts for 30 minutes after you leave it.

10th level: Your cause darkness ability now reduces the illumination level by three steps. The radius of the created darkness increases to 150 feet, and the region of darkness lasts for 1 hour after you leave it.

12th level: The radius of the created darkness increases to 300 feet, and the region of darkness lasts for 4 hours after you leave it.

14th level: At your option, you can cause darkness as a swift action instead of a standard action. The radius of the created darkness increases to 600 feet, and the region of darkness lasts for 8 hours after you leave it.

16th level: The radius of the created darkness increases to 1⁄4 mile, and the region of darkness lasts for 1 day after you leave it.

18th level: The radius of the created darkness increases to 1 mile, and the region of darkness lasts for 1 week after you leave it. You can cause darkness as a free action.

Channel Energy (Su)

You can channel negative energy.

You can channel negative energy like a cleric, using your witch level as your effective cleric level when determining the amount of damage caused (or healed, for undead) and the DC. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 1 + your Charisma bonus (minimum 1/day).

At 4th level, you gain a +4 bonus on saving throws against channeled negative energy, death effects, and energy drain.

At 8th level, you are no longer harmed by channeled negative energy (when it is used to harm living creatures). Additionally, you are now healed by channeled negative energy (when it is used to heal undead).

Cold and Dark

The darkness you create resembles the most desolate parts of the Shadow Realm.

(You must be at least 9th level, and have the cause darkness, channel energy, and deeper gloom pact boons, to select this boon.)

The entire area of your created darkness is infused with cold and negative energy. This has the following effects:

• Fire spells, and any spells that use positive energy (including healing spells), are impeded within the area (see the deeper gloom pact boon description).
• Save DCs for channeled negative energy used in the area are increased by 2.
• All undead within the area gain a +2 bonus to their channel resistance.
• The temperature in the area is lowered by two temperature bands (but no lower than cold, i.e. 0 °F).

At 13th level, the effects are stronger:

• Save DCs for channeled negative energy used within your created darkness are increased by an additional 2 (for a total increase of 4).
• Undead within the area gain an additional +2 bonus to their channel resistance (for a total of +4).
• Temperature in the area is lowered by three temperature bands (but still no lower than cold).

Dark Citadel (Su)

You create a permanent fortress in the Shadow Realm.

(You must be at least 15th level, and have the cause darkness, deeper gloom, shadow shaping, and greater shadow shaping pact boons, to select this boon.)

You create a demiplane on the edge of the Plane of Shadow, within which is a private stronghold built out of shadow-stuff. The demiplane is a bounded space with a radius of 10 feet per class level (and expands to those dimensions, if you gain levels in the witch class after first creating the demiplane). It has the same planar traits and general characteristics as the rest of the Shadow Realm, but you can otherwise determine the environment within the demiplane, including factors such as atmosphere, water, temperature, and the general shape of the terrain, according to your desires.

In the center of the demiplane is a fortress, which must fit within an area of radius 5 feet per level, but otherwise may be of any shape, design, construction, and interior and exterior characteristics you please. You cannot use this ability to create magical effects within the fortress, except for the guards and wards effect (see below), although you can, of course, cast protective wards or other spells in the fortress as you can in any other structure. You can reshape the fortress at any time, so long as you are within the demiplane.

The interior of the fortress is protected by powerful abjurations, as a guards and wards spell cast at your witch level. You decide what protections the guards and wards spell provides (within the limitations of the spell), can change what defenses are granted once per day, and can dismiss or reactivate the guards and wards as a full-round action while you are in the demiplane.

You can access your demiplane at any time via a portal that appears on your command whenever you are within the area of darkness created by your cause darkness ability. Conjuring or dismissing the portal is a standard action, which you may do from either side of it. (Note that whenever you are within your demiplane, you are also considered to be within the area of your created darkness; and all of your abilities that improve your cause darkness ability also apply within your demiplane.) The portal can have any appearance you wish.

As it is in the Plane of Shadow, a creature cannot travel to your demiplane using etherealness or astral projection, but it can be accessed via a shadow walk spell.

Darkness Beyond Death (Su)

Those who die in the darkness you create rise as shadows.

(You must be at least 13th level, and have the cause darkness, channel energy, and fell animate pact boons, to select this boon.)

Any living creature that could normally be raised as an undead shadow and that does not possess more Hit Dice than twice your caster level, that dies within the area of your created darkness, rises as a shadow under your control in 1d4 rounds. A creature that has at least 9 HD rises as a greater shadow instead. Shadows created by this effect do not have the create spawn ability.

The standard rules for controlling undead (see animate dead) apply to newly created undead gained through this ability. Shadows which exceed your HD limit for controlling undead stay within the area of your created darkness, but otherwise act independently (typically attacking any living creature except you or those on whom you have bestowed a gift of shadow). When your created darkness fades, any uncontrolled shadows in the area depart to the Shadow Realm.

Deeper Gloom

The darkness you create is a true microcosm of the Shadow Realm.

(You must be at least 7th level, and have the cause darkness pact boon, to select this boon.)

You weave a direct connection to the Plane of Shadow when you use your cause darkness ability, and the region within the darkness you create takes on some of the planar traits of that dark realm. This has several effects.

Quasi-real effects and entities that are made of shadow-stuff are 10% more real when cast within this dark region (e.g., lesser shadow conjuration is 30% real instead of 20%).

Light spells are impeded: any spellcaster attempting to cast such spells within the dark region created by your cause darkness ability must succeed at a Spellcraft check (DC 20 + twice the spell’s level) or have the spell fizzle. Furthermore, when you activate your cause darkness ability, any light spell within the area is suppressed if you succeed on a dispel check against it (as if using the area version of greater dispel magic). (Such spells are not dispelled, only suppressed; durations continue to elapse, but if any duration remains when your created darkness fades, the suppressed light spells resume functioning.)

(Note that light spells, even if not suppressed, or if cast successfully, have their ranges halved in the area of your created darkness.)

Finally, all shadow spells (spells or spell-like abilities with the shadow descriptor, or that manipulate shadow-stuff) are cast at +1 caster level within the area of your created darkness.

Echoes of Magic

You can send your familiar to the Shadow Realm to seek out echoes of spells.

(You must have the echoes of memory pact boon in order to select this boon.)

You must tell your familiar what spell you wish it to retrieve. The familiar then uses its shadow shift power, departing to seek the spell you requested. Once your familiar is sent out to fetch a spell, it cannot be recalled; it is gone for the duration of the search. While it is gone, you receive none of the benefits of your familiar, nor can you prepare spells granted by your patron, etc.

The time that your familiar takes to retrieve a spell depends on whether the spell is on the witch spell list. To retrieve a spell that is on the witch spell list (but which you do not know), the familiar must search for a number of minutes equal to 1d4 + the spell level.

You may also ask your familiar to retrieve spell from the sorcerer/wizard list which is not on the witch spell list, but which you have seen the effects of and identified with a successful Spellcraft check. If you wish to cast such an arcane spell, your familiar must search for a number of minutes equal to 10 × (1d6 + the spell level). Such spells take up two spell slots (of a level equal to or greater than the spell’s level) instead of one.

To determine its success in retrieving the desired spell, the familiar must succeed at a DC 20 Spellcraft check. Modify the check as follows:

• +1 per witch class level
• +4 if the spell is on the witch spell list
• −2 per level of the desired spell
• −1 per increase in level caused by the use of a metamagic feat
• −2 per attempt after a failed check the familiar makes to retrieve the same spell in the same day

If the familiar succeeds at its Spellcraft check, it reappears at your side and (assuming that you still have an unused spell slot—or two unused spell slots, for spells not on the witch spell list—of the appropriate level, or higher, available) imparts the prepared spell to your mind (just as if you had prepared the spell normally); the spell is then available to be cast, in the same way as a spell which you prepare from your patron’s spell list. If the check fails, the familiar returns without the spell. A failure by 5 or more results in the familiar being detained for an additional 2d4 minutes.

Spell Echoes
Class Level	Degree of Spell Reality
1st–5th	20%
6th–10th	40%
11th–15th	60%
16th–20th	80%

Spells retrieved in this way are dark echoes of spells cast long ago. They are only quasi-real, in the same way as a shadow conjuration spell creates partially real effects. The degree of reality of a retrieved spell echo depends on the witch’s class level, according to Table: Telekinesis. Spells retrieved via spell echoes have the shadow descriptor (in addition to any other descriptors they may have).

Light spells cannot be retrieved via echoes of magic.

Metamagic Feats: You may use metamagic feats you possess to modify the spells your familiar fetches from the Shadow Realm. The familiar simply fetches the spell with the metamagic feats applied. As with other prepared spells, the application of the metamagic feat does not increase the spell’s casting time.

Echoes of Memory

You can send your familiar to the Shadow Realm to seek out echoes of memory and knowledge.

You pose a question to your familiar, which may be on any topic or in any field of expertise (e.g., anything which a Knowledge check would normally be required to answer). The question may be as difficult or complex as you like, but harder questions take longer to answer (see below). (Note, however, that in some cases, making a Knowledge check to determine the answer to a question may require examining something, interacting with something, or taking other actions; in such a case, this ability is likely to be useless.)

When you have explained to your familiar what you wish to know, the familiar uses its shadow shift power, departing to seek out the answer to your question. Once your familiar is sent out to find a memory echo, it cannot be recalled; it is gone for the duration of the search. While it is gone, you receive none of the benefits of your familiar, nor can you prepare spells granted by your patron, etc.

After a certain amount of time (which depends on the difficulty of the question; see below) has elapsed, your familiar makes a check with a bonus equal to your class level plus the familiar’s Intelligence modifier, and compares the result to the question’s DC.

If the check is successful, then the familiar has found the answer you sought; otherwise, no answer could be found. Either way, the familiar returns to your side and reports on its success or failure, imparting the answer (if such was found) to your mind. Repeated attempts to find the answer to a question always use the same die roll result as the first attempt, so trying again is usually pointless (unless the modifier to the check changes).

Memory Echoes
Question DC is at least…	Time Required
10	1d6 rounds
15	1d6 minutes
20	1d6×10 minutes
25	1d6 hours
30	1d6 days
35	1d6 weeks
40	1d6 months

The DM sets the check DC for a question; this DC is usually the same as the DC for a Knowledge check that would yield an answer to the question (in the broadest applicable Knowledge subskill), although in some cases may be determined in some other manner.

The time that it takes your familiar to seek out an answer to a question depends on the question’s DC, as given on Table: Memory Echoes.

As you generally do not know the DC for a question you ask (the DM sets it in secret), you may wish to limit the time that your familiar spends looking for the answer. (For instance, you might instruct your familiar to return after one hour, or after three days, etc.) If your familiar runs out of time, no check is made; you may then send your familiar back out (with a longer time limit, or none at all) for another attempt to find an answer to the same question, if you wish to do so.

Your familiar can attempt to answer harder questions by taking more time to search for the answers. By taking an amount of time corresponding to the next highest DC bracket on the table, the familiar gains a +5 bonus on its check to find the answer. (For questions with a DC of 40 or greater, this increases the time required to find the answer to 1d6 years.)

Likewise, your familiar can attempt to find the answer to your question more quickly. By accepting a −5 penalty to its check to find the answer, the familiar reduces the amount of time it spends searching down to the next lowest DC bracket on the table. (Answers to questions with a DC of 10 cannot be retrieved more quickly, however.)

Eclipse [metamagic]

Your shadow spells extinguish light.

(You must have the cause darkness pact boon to select this boon.)

Your shadow spells that affect an area automatically extinguish light sources in their area of effect if the spell level of the light source is no higher than the level of the shadow spell (or if it is a natural light source, such as a torch).

You can also add the shadow descriptor to a spell that normally lacks it, by weaving shadow-stuff into the spell’s effect. This is a metamagic effect (and this pact boon is considered to be a metamagic feat for all spellcasting purposes). A spell thus modified uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.

Fell Animate [metamagic]

Your damaging spells can cause slain enemies to rise as shadows under your command.

(You must be at least 7th level, and have the channel energy pact boon, in order to select this boon.)

You can alter a spell that deals damage to foes. Any living creature that could normally be raised as an undead shadow and that does not possess more Hit Dice than twice your caster level, when slain outright by a fell animated spell, rises as a shadow under your control at the beginning of your next action. If your caster level is 11 or higher, then a creature that has at least 9 HD rises as a greater shadow instead. Shadows created by this effect do not have the create spawn ability.

Even if you kill several creatures with a single fell animated spell, you can’t create more Hit Dice of undead than twice your caster level. The standard rules for controlling undead (see animate dead) apply to newly created undead gained through this metamagic ability. Any uncontrolled shadows (or those which you release from your control) depart to the Shadow Realm.

This is a metamagic effect (and this pact boon is considered to be a metamagic feat for all spellcasting purposes). A fell animated spell uses up a spell slot two levels higher than the spell’s actual level.

Gift of Shadow (Su)

As your patron bestows power upon you, so you can share your power with allies.

(You must have one of the pact boons listed below to select this boon.)

As a standard action, you can touch a willing creature and bestow upon it a small fraction of the power granted to you by the Lurker in Gloom. An affected creature gains all of the following benefits which you possess:

• ability to see in darkness (as per the cause darkness pact boon)
• ability to see in supernatural darkness (as per the impenetrable darkness pact boon)
• ability to hide in shadows (as per the shadow blend pact boon)
• immunity to your dark mire effect (as per the grasping shadows pact boon)
• bonus to saving throws against channeled negative energy, death effects, and energy drain (as per the channel energy pact boon)
• immunity to the damaging effect of channeled negative energy (as per the channel energy pact boon)
• fast healing when in an area of darkness or shadows (as per the sustaining shadow pact boon)
• immunity to the effects of your land of nightmares pact boon

If the granted benefit is one which has degrees of effectiveness, the affected creature gains that benefit only to the degree that you possess it yourself. (For example, if you can see in supernatural darkness only to a range of 60 feet, the affected creature likewise gains the ability to see in supernatural darkness to a range of 60 feet.)

The bestowed powers persist indefinitely, but you may withdraw your gift from an affected creature as a standard action (there is no range limit on this effect). You may bestow your gift of shadow to a number of creatures simultaneously equal to your Intelligence bonus plus one-half your witch class level; if you wish to bestow power on additional creatures after that, you must first withdraw your gift from some of those currently affected by it.

Bestowing power on a creature creates a connection between that creature and you. As long as the two of you are on the same plane, and the affected creature is alive, you are aware of it. If you have the cause darkness pact boon, and the affected creature is within the area of your created darkness, you can sense its position unerringly, regardless of any effect that might prevent you from perceiving it.

Grasping Shadows (Su)

The darkness you create thickens and congeals, and impedes your enemies’ movements.

(You must be at least 7th level, and have the cause darkness pact boon, to select this boon.)

This pact boon grants you two abilities.

Dark Mire (Su): When you use your cause darkness ability, you may choose for the darkness you create to impede movement within it. This may manifest as thick sheets of sticky, grey webbing; or as a mire of muddy, tar-black water; or as tangles of dark vegetation; or in some other manner of your choice. The entire area of your created darkness becomes difficult terrain.

Flying, gaseous, and incorporeal creatures do not suffer the reduction in movement speed, nor do shadow creatures of any kind (which are entirely immune to the effects of the grasping shadows). You are likewise immune to the effects of this ability.

You can cause the dark mire effect to commence or to cease as a standard action, as long as you are within the area of your created darkness.

Shadow Grasp (Su): Whenever the dark mire effect is active, you can command the strands of shadow-stuff to actively attempt to entwine and grasp your enemies. Select one creature which you can perceive which is on the ground (or a flying creature within 10 feet of the ground) anywhere within the area of your created darkness. As a standard action, you can cause grasping strands of shadow-stuff to attempt to grapple this creature, as a black tentacles spell. Add your Intelligence bonus as an additional modifier to the CMB of the grasping strands.

The grasping strands are quasi-real; affected creatures are entitled to a Will save (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your class level + your Intelligence bonus). Those who succeed gain a +8 bonus to their CMB and CMD against being grappled. (If you have the deeper gloom pact boon, this bonus is only +4.)

Creatures that are immune to dark mire are likewise immune to shadow grasp.

You must concentrate to maintain the shadows’ grasp; if you stop concentrating, the grasping strands release any grappled creatures, and stop attempting to grapple.

At 11th level, shadow grasp affects all eligible targets in a 20-foot radius from a point you specify (so long as all such targets are within the area of your created darkness). The grasping strands are also considered to be Huge creatures, receiving a +8 bonus due to Strength and a +2 size bonus. Flying creatures within 15 feet of the ground can now be grappled.

At 15th level, shadow grasp affects all eligible targets in a 60-foot radius from a point you specify (so long as all such targets are within the area of your created darkness). The grasping strands are also considered to be Gargantuan creatures, receiving a +12 bonus due to Strength and a +4 size bonus. Flying creatures within 20 feet of the ground can now be grappled.

Impenetrable Darkness (Su)

The darkness that surrounds you is blacker than the deepest night.

(You must be at least 7th level, and have the cause darkness pact boon, to select this boon.)

When you are within an area of darkness, you can, as a standard action, radiate deeper darkness (as the deeper darkness spell) to a radius of 60 feet (causing the affected area to be plunged into supernatural darkness). Because you are the source of this darkness, the effects moves with you (but never extends beyond an area that is otherwise dark).

You also gain the ability to see in supernatural darkness to a radius of 60 feet.

The effect of your impenetrable darkness ability counts as a darkness spell of a level equal to 1 + one-third your class level (rounded down), for the purpose of interacting with light spells.

Selecting this boon also causes all darkness spells and effects which you cast or create to count as one spell level higher than they otherwise would be, for the purpose of interacting with light spells. Your darkness and shadow spells and spell-like abilities also become harder to dispel: the DC for dispel checks made when attempting to dispel such spells and effects that you cast or create is increased by 4.

At 11th level, the radius of your impenetrable darkness effect increases to 120 feet. You can now see in supernatural darkness to a radius of 120 feet.

At 15th level, the radius of your impenetrable darkness effect increases to 180 feet. You can now see perfectly in supernatural darkness.

Land of Nightmares (Su)

The darkness you create is full of terrors.

(You must be at least 7th level, and have the cause darkness pact boon, to select this boon.)

The shadows in the area of your created darkness are mental as well as physical, and the darkness therein takes on the frightening, disorienting quality of a nightmare.

Creatures within your created darkness must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your class level + your Intelligence bonus) upon entering the area (or when you first create the darkness). Those who fail perceive their surroundings as being filled with disquieting features—the vegetation writhes disturbingly and is covered with strange growths, flickering ghost-lights can be seen in stands of trees, odd moaning and howling noises are heard upon the wind, etc. In the distance, titanic monoliths loom, shadowed against the horizon.

Affected creatures are shaken for as long as they remain within the area, and for 1d4+1 rounds thereafter. The disorienting sensations also impose a −10 penalty to Perception checks for all creatures who fail their saves.

You can choose whether this pact boon’s effects will be active when you use your cause darkness ability. You can also activate or deactivate the effects as a standard action whenever you are within the area of your created darkness.

You are immune to all effects of this ability.

Shadow Blend (Su)

You can disappear into the shadows.

When in any poorly lit or shadowy area, you can blend with the surrounding darkness as a move action, gaining total concealment. You effectively becomes invisible, although effects that detect or dispel invisibility, such as see invisibility and invisibility purge, are ineffective against shadow blend. Moving does not break this effect, though attacking does. Artificial illumination, even a light or continual flame spell, does not negate this ability, though a daylight spell or more powerful spell with the Light descriptor does, as does natural sunlight.

Shadow Shaping (Su)

You can create small objects out of shadow-stuff.

(You must be at least 5th level to select this boon.)

You can create a nonmagical object of nonliving matter as a standard action. The object is quasi-real, formed of material drawn from the Plane of Shadow. The object’s degree of reality depends on your class level, in the same way as that of spell echoes (see Table: Spell Echoes). This applies to the object’s hardness and hit points. Anyone who interacts with the created object is entitled to a Will save (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your class level + your Intelligence bonus) to disbelieve in the object’s reality; those who fail treat the object as fully real.

The object you create can be made of vegetable matter, stone, or base metals. (It cannot be made of precious or rare metals, gems, alchemical substances, etc.) The volume of the item created cannot exceed 1 cubic foot per caster level. You must succeed on an appropriate skill check (usually a Craft check) to make a complex item.

Attempting to use any created object as a material component for a spell causes the spell to fail.

When you create an object with this ability, you are holding or grasping it. The created object persists indefinitely, without any effort from you, if you keep it on your person or maintain physical contact with it (thus you can use this ability to create clothing, melee weapons, etc.). If the created object leaves your possession, you must concentrate to maintain it; if you break concentration for two rounds, the item dissipates. If you travel further than Medium range (100 ft. + 10 ft./lvl) away from the created object, this is also equivalent to breaking concentration on it.

Shadow Shaping (Greater) (Su)

You can create structures out of shadow-stuff.

(You must be at least 9th level, and have the cause darkness and shadow shaping pact boons, to select this boon.)

Within an area of dim illumination or darkness (such as that created by your cause darkness ability), the volume of an object you can create with your shadow shaping ability is increased tenfold (to 10 cubic feet per level).

If you use this ability to create structures, they must be anchored or supported appropriately (you cannot create free-floating structures). You can use this ability to create simple walls, bridges, ramps, stairs, etc. with no skill check needed, but more complex structures still require an appropriate skill check to form in the desired shape. (Note that large sections of load-bearing structures should generally be no less than 6″ thick in order to support useful amounts of weight. Regardless of its shape or composition, no structure you create with this ability can support more than 500 lbs. per level.)

If you use this ability within the area of darkness created by your cause darkness ability, the created structures persist for as long as the created darkness does, without you needing to remain in physical contact with them or to concentrate on maintaining them.

Shadow Sight (Su)

You can see more in darkness than most people can in light.

(You must have the cause darkness pact boon to select this boon.)

You gain superior senses in darkness. When you are in an area of darkness (not just dim light), you perceive the life force of creatures within 60 feet of you who are also within the same area of darkness (i.e., there is a continuous path from you to a creature, interrupted by nothing that blocks line of effect, all parts of it in darkness) as with a deathwatch spell.

At 7th level, the range of this enhanced perception increases to 120 feet.

At 11th level, this ability also allows you to sense the positions of any living or undead creatures within its range, as if you possessed blindsense.

At 15th level, this ability allows you to see all things as they truly are, as with a true seeing spell (except that you do not gain the ability the focus your vision to see into the Ethereal Plane).

At 19th level, the range of this enhanced perception increases to 300 feet.

Shadow Step (Su)

You can quickly step between distant shadows.

(You must be at least 9th level, and have the shadow blend pact boon, to select this boon.)

You can travel between shadows as if by means of a dimension jump spell. The limitation is that the magical transport must begin and end in an area with at least some shadow. The shadow step ability may be used at will, but no more than once per minute. You can move up to 40 feet in a single shadow step. Using this ability is a move action.

At 12th level, you can move up to 160 feet in a single shadow step. At 15th level, you can move up to 640 feet in a single shadow step. At 18th level, you can use shadow step once every three rounds.

You can bring other creatures with you when you step through shadows, but the maximum distance you can move is divided by the total number of creatures (including yourself) affected by the ability. (Your familiar does not count as a separate creature for this purpose.)

Shadow Summons

You summon shadow creatures when casting summon monster spells.

Whenever you cast a summon monster spell, you select from a modified list of summonable creatures, instead of the standard list. See the summon shadow creature page for details.

The effects of this pact boon apply only to summon monster spells which you know and cast yourself, not spells you cast from a wand or scroll; such spells still use the standard list of summonable creatures.

Shadow Travel (Sp)

You can travel through shadows across long distances.

(You must be at least 11th level, and have the shadow step pact boon, to select this boon.)

You can use shadow walk as a spell-like ability. This ability is usable at will, but only once per hour.

Sustaining Shadow (Ex)

Your bodily needs are provided by the power of the Shadow Realm.

(You must be at least 5th level, and have the shadow blend pact boon, to select this boon.)

Your bond to the Plane of Shadow allows you to absorb dark energies, mitigating certain biological needs. You no longer need to eat or drink, and incur no penalties from going without food or water (although you remain capable of eating and drinking, if you wish to do so). You also gain fast healing 1 whenever you are in an area of darkness or shadows.

At 10th level, you only need 1 hour of sleep per night (but you must still rest for 8 hours to regain your spell slots for the next day). You now gain fast healing 3 whenever you are in an area of darkness or shadows.

At 15th level, you gain immunity to nonmagical diseases and poisons. You now gain fast healing 5 whenever you are in an area of darkness or shadows.

At 20th level, you no longer need to breathe, and require no sleep at all. In place of fast healing, you now gain regeneration 5 whenever you are in an area of darkness or shadows; damage from light or fire stops your regeneration for 1 round.

The Elder

The Elder was a mortal once. A sense of both longing and outrage, and a vague intimation of memories of another life, accompany her presence. She (or he? it’s never quite clear) seems uninterested in revealing anything about her former life, or about her knowledge of history. However, the Elder appears to care deeply about humans and other civilized races, whom she calls her “children”, and will readily impart her wisdom (on a variety of topics) to a witch who makes a pact with her.

Alignment restrictions

A witch who chooses the Elder as her patron may not be chaotic.

Familiar

The familiar of a witch who chooses the Elder as her patron is an invisible, shapeless force, akin to an unseen servant; unlike the latter, however, the familiar is not mindless, but has a basic intelligence and a rudimentary personality.

If the familiar is somehow destroyed or disjoined, it manifests again on the morning of the following day after the witch completes the ritual to restore her familiar.

The nature of the sort of creatures with which the familiar gains the ability to speak when the witch reaches 7th level is unknown.

Familiar statistics (click to expand/collapse)

Type construct; Size Medium; Speed 30 ft.; AC —; Attack —; Ability Scores Str 2, Dex 16, Con —, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10; Special Qualities immaterial.

Immaterial (Ex): The servant is an invisible presence made of diffuse magical force. It cannot be visually perceived in any way (see invisibility and even true seeing reveal nothing), although detect magic can reveal its presence. The servant can exert no more than 20 pounds of force. It cannot be attacked directly, but it is susceptible to area effects that deal energy damage. The servant cannot be targeted with dispel magic, but the area version of greater dispel magic, or a mage’s disjunction, can affect it.

Pact affinity

A witch who chooses the Elder as her patron gains the following pact affinity effects:

Minor (2nd level)

The witch gains Use Magic Device as a class skill. She also gains the following ability, usable at will:

Sense Magic (Su): You can concentrate as a standard action to detect the presence of magic auras (as detect magic). You sense only the presence of auras, not their number, strength, or location. The range of this ability is 120 ft. (twice that of detect magic).

Lesser (6th level)

The witch finds her thoughts being invaded by contact with other minds—other witches, also bound by pacts with the Elder. This involuntary contact exerts no control over the witch’s actions, but does make it more difficult to retain a firm grasp on her mental integrity. She takes a −2 penalty on concentration checks and a −2 penalty on checks to recall events that have happened to her. However, she gains a +2 bonus on all Knowledge checks, and a +2 bonus on saving throws against any effects that fascinate, hypnotize, or otherwise capture her mind’s focus.

Moderate (10th level)

The witch’s sense magic ability improves. By concentrating for two rounds, she can now determine the number of auras and the strength of the strongest aura in the area (as per detect magic). Additionally, the witch can concentrate on a specific creature within range to determine its spellcasting ability, as per arcane sight.

Greater (14th level)

The voices and images intruding upon the witch’s mind multiply further, and mix more thoroughly with her own thoughts. The bonuses and penalties listed in the lesser pact affinity entry are doubled.

Major (18th level)

The witch’s sense magic ability further improves. She can now automatically sense the presence of spell effects within 120 feet, without needing to concentrate. By concentrating for one round, she can determine the number of auras and the strength of the strongest aura; if she concentrates for two rounds, the witch can determine the strength and location (or direction, if the source is out of line of sight) of each aura. Additionally, by concentrating on a specific creature within range, the witch can determine what spells or magical effects are active on it, as per greater arcane sight.

Final (20th level)

The witch’s mind fully adapts to the unceasing mental communion she experiences. She is immune to effects which fascinate, hypnotize, or otherwise capture her mind’s focus. Additionally, when the witch dies, her soul does not pass on to any afterlife, but goes directly to her patron. Resurrection checks to bring her back to life always succeed, and resurrections never result in side effects (ignore the side effects roll entirely).

Spell list

The Elder’s spell list includes the following spells:

† Retain only.

Pact boons

The Elder offers the following pact boons:

The Elder: Pact Boons
Pact Boon	Minimum Level	Benefit
Arcane Device Use	—	You can use arcane magic devices more easily.
Arcane Preparation	—	You can prepare spells from magical writings.
Bonus Feat ✲	—	You gain a feat.
Efficient Metamagic	—	You can use metamagic more efficiently.
Enchant Item	—	You can create magic items.
Fundaments of Magic	—	You gain a better grasp of the fundamentals of spell construction.
Spellpool (Sp)	—	You can retrieve spells from a common pool.
Spontaneous Metamagic	—	You can modify any spell with metamagic feats on the fly.
✲ May be taken multiple times.

Arcane Device Use

You can use arcane magic devices more easily.

You can use scrolls, wands, and other devices with spell completion or spell trigger activation as a 1st-level wizard.

Additionally, you gain a +4 bonus on Use Magic Device checks made to cast arcane spells from magic devices of any sort, provided that you have identified the spell or spell-like effect you are trying to trigger.

Arcane Preparation

You can prepare spells from magical writings.

(You must have the fundaments of magic pact boon to select this boon.)

You can prepare a spell from any arcane magical writing that contains that spell, such as a wizard’s spellbook or an arcane scroll.

You must first decipher the magical writing, via the Spellcraft skill, read magic, or by some other means. Once you have deciphered the writing, you can attempt to use it at any time thereafter to prepare the spell it contains.

Arcane Preparation
Spell Level	Total Spell Slot Levels Required
1st	3
2nd	8
3rd	16
4th	24
5th	34
6th	44
7th	56
8th	68
9th	81

To prepare a spell from a magical writing which you have successfully deciphered, you must spend a length of time studying the written spell equal to ten minutes per spell level. At the end of this time, you make a Spellcraft check against DC 20 + the spell’s level; if you succeed, you have successfully prepared the spell. If you fail, the spell is not prepared. You may retry as many times as you wish, taking the same amount of study time for each attempt; you receive a cumulative +1 bonus to your check for every failed attempt.

As you do not have a wizard’s extensive training, a spell you prepare in this way is much more difficult to hold in your mind than spells which are prepared for you (e.g., patron-granted spells prepared via your familiar, or spells retrieved from the spellpool). A spell prepared via this ability occupies one or more spell slots, whose levels must sum to the number indicated on Table: Arcane Preparation for the spell’s level. This total may be made up of spell slots of any level in any combination, with the caveat that at least one of the constituent spell slots must be of at least as high a level as the spell being prepared. (Note that the listed spell slot level total is a minimum requirement; you may exceed it if you wish. For example, you can use three 3rd-level spell slots to prepare a 2nd-level spell, as their spell slot levels sum to 9, which is at least as high a total as the 8 spell slot levels required to prepare a 2nd-level spell via this ability.)

You may apply metamagic effects to a spell prepared in this way, either via efficient metamagic or in the normal way.

If using efficient metamagic, additional spell slot requirements are calculated normally. (For example, if preparing a quickened 4th-level spell via arcane preparation and with efficient metamagic, you would use up spell slots totaling 24 spell levels, with at least one of these being 4th-level or higher; plus four additional spell slots, each of which is at least 4th-level.)

If applying metamagic effects normally (without efficient metamagic), increases in spell slot level due to metamagic effects modify the required total number of spell slot levels needed to prepare the spell directly (i.e., they do not modify the spell’s level for the purpose of calculating the required spell slot total, but rather are added on to the total afterwards), and also increase the spell’s effective level for the purpose of the requirement to have at least one constituent spell slot be of a level at least as high as that of the spell. (For example, if preparing a quickened 4th-level spell slot via arcane preparation but without efficient metamagic, you would use up spell slots totaling 28 spell levels, with at least one of these being 8th-level or higher.)

A spell prepared via this ability cannot be contributed to the spellpool. This ability also does not allow you to learn any spells which you could not otherwise learn.

Bonus Feat ✲

You gain a feat.

You gain one of the feats listed below. This pact boon may be gained multiple times.

• Allied Spellcaster
• Empower Spell^M
• Enlarge Spell^M
• Expanded Arcana
• Extend Spell^M
• Bouncing Spell^M
• Dazing Spell^M
• Disruptive Spell^M
• Ectoplasmic Spell^M
• Elemental Spell^M
• Focused Spell^M
• Heighten Spell^M
• Improved Counterspell
• Intensified Spell^M
• Lingering Spell^M
• Magical Aptitude
• Maximize Spell^M
• Merciful Spell^M
• Persistent Spell^M
• Preferred Spell
• Quicken Spell^M
• Reach Spell^M
• Selective Spell^M
• Sickening Spell^M
• Silent Spell^M
• Spell Penetration
  • Greater Spell Penetration
• Spell Perfection
• Still Spell^M
• Thundering Spell^M
• Widen Spell^M

(A superscript ^M denotes a metamagic feat.)

You must meet the prerequisites of any feat you select.

Efficient Metamagic

You can use metamagic more efficiently.

(You must have the fundaments of magic pact boon, and at least one metamagic feat, to select this boon.)

Instead of using higher-level spell slots to prepare and cast spells modified by metamagic effects, you can apply metamagic effects to a spell by expending extra spell slots. These spell slots must be of a level equal to or higher than that of the spell being modified by the metamagic feat. If you are preparing a spell, you must choose to prepare the metamagic-enhanced version of the spell, using up the additional spell slots to hold the prepared spell. If you are casting a spell spontaneously, the additional spell slots must be unused spell slots (i.e., they cannot have spells prepared in them).

The number of extra spell slots required is equal to the spell level adjustment of the feat. (For example, if you wanted to cast a quickened cure light wounds, you would expend one spell slot for the cure light wounds, plus four additional unused spell slots of 1st level or higher.) All extra spell slots expended must come from your witch spell slots, even if you have spell slots from other classes.

You can apply more than one metamagic feat to a spell. You must simply pay the additional cost in spell slots. (For instance, if you wanted to cast a stilled and silent fear spell, you would have to spend two spell slots in addition to the fear spell: one for Still Spell and a second for Silent Spell.)

You cannot apply a metamagic feat to a spell if doing so would normally (i.e., without efficient metamagic) cause that spell to require using a spell slot of a higher level than the highest level of spell you can cast. (For example, you cannot use efficient metamagic to quicken a 1st-level spell unless you are able to cast 5th-level spells.)

Efficient metamagic cannot be used to apply the effects of the Heighten Spell feat. (In other words, a heightened spell still takes up a spell slot of the level to which you are heightening the spell.) However, you can apply other metamagic effects to a heightened spell; the original (not heightened) spell level is used to determine what level the additional spell slots used by efficient metamagic must be.

Enchant Item

You can create magic items.

You learn the technique of creating permanent magic items, such as wands, staves, magic rings, magical weapons and armor, etc.

You must learn or research recipes for any magic items you wish to craft. In some cases, the physical construction of the item itself may have additional requirements, separate from the requirements for imbuing the item with magical properties.

Consult your DM for details on the requirements for creating specific types of items.

Fundaments of Magic

You gain a better grasp of the fundamentals of spell construction.

You gain a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks made to identify or understand spell effects in use, a +2 bonus on checks made to research new spells or to do unusual things with existing spells, a +2 bonus on dispel checks, and a +2 bonus on opposed caster level checks of any kind.

Spellpool (Sp)

You can retrieve spells from a common pool.

The spellpool is a matrix of abstract arcane structures, to which you (and certain others) are linked. Your familiar is your link to the spellpool. Spells may be sent to the spellpool, and retrieved from it. Spells retrieved from the spellpool are considered to be prepared, similarly to the way you prepare your patron’s granted spells via your familiar.

Calling a Spell: You need not be in any particular location to access the spellpool (although you must be on the Material Plane). Calling a spell from the spellpool requires you to have an open, unused spell slot of the appropriate level. You can call only for spells of a level that you could normally cast. You can call a number of spells per day whose total levels do not exceed half your caster level (minimum of 1). (Thus, a 5th-level witch could call one 2nd-level spell or two 1st-level spells per day, assuming she had open slots and her spellpool debt wasn’t too high; see below.)

When you call a spell, you take a full-round action to concentrate on your familiar (this provokes attacks of opportunity), which must be within 5 feet of you. The spell appears in your mind at the beginning of your next turn (in an open spell slot of the appropriate level or higher), and can be used immediately. The spell remains in your mind until the next time you regain spell slots. (You cannot choose to retain the retrieved spell in your mind in the way that you can retain other prepared spells.)

Spell Availability: The spellpool can, in principle, provide any spell on the witch spell list or any spell on the Elder’s patron spell list. The spells actually available in the spellpool change daily, based on the contributions of member casters. The chance that a desired spell is available is determined by the DM. (Generally, any given spell of the highest level that you can cast has a 10% chance of being available, with the chance increasing by 10% for every spell level below that.)

If a spell is available and called, you may later attempt to call for the same spell with the same chance of availability minus 5%; however, if a spell is unavailable, you cannot check for it again until the following day. If a desired spell is unavailable, you can continue checking other spells until an available spell is revealed, which does not add any time to the full-round action required for calling a spell.

Spellpool Debt: Every time you call a spell from the spellpool, you incur a debt. You must return to the spellpool a spell which you have prepared (i.e., a patron-granted spell, prepared via your familiar), or else a spell which you know. The returned spell must be of the same level (or higher) as the spell you called. Alternatively, you may return multiple spells, whose levels add up to at least the same number as the level of the called spell. (A spell modified by metamagic feats is stripped of those metamagic effects when it is returned to the spellpool, thus it counts only as a spell of its normal level.) Returning a spell is a full-round action, like calling a spell, and depletes a prepared spell slot, or uses up a spell slot for the day, as if the spell had been cast.

Your spellpool debt debt need not be repaid immediately. You can accumulate a spellpool debt totaling a number of spell levels equal to three times your witch level before facing penalties. (Thus, 10th-level witch could call up to 30 levels of spells from the spellpool. However, upon incurring 31 or more spell-levels of debt, her access to the sellpool is automatically suspended until she reduces the debt to 30 or below.)

You may also “pay” ahead of time, sending spells to the spellpool without having an outstanding spellpool debt (thus giving you a “positive balance,” so to speak). You may accumulate such a positive balance totaling a number of spell levels equal to three times your witch level; after that, the spellpool accepts no more spells from you until you have reduced your balance by calling spells from it.

Spontaneous Metamagic

You can modify any spell with metamagic feats on the fly.

(You must have the fundaments of magic pact boon, the efficient metamagic pact boon, and at least one metamagic feat, to select this boon.)

You can use efficient metamagic to apply metamagic effects to any spell, regardless of whether it is a spell that you know and are casting spontaneously, a patron-granted spell which you have prepared via your familiar, or a spell which you have retrieved from the spellpool. (This is the only way to apply metamagic feats to spells acquired from the spellpool.)

Furthermore, the spell slots you expend to pay for metamagic effects need not be empty; you may also expend spell slots which hold prepared spells. In effect, you “lose” the prepared spells, using the spell slots which held them as if they were unused spell slots.

Additionally, applying a metamagic feat to a spontaneously cast spell using efficient metamagic no longer increases the casting time of the spell. (Applying a metamagic feat to a spontaneously cast spell in the normal way—i.e., by expending a higher-level spell slot—still increases the spell’s casting time.)

The Rebel

A reckless, restless energy flows from the Rebel; of all patrons, she is the one who most enthusiastically encourages witches who make a pact with her to seek adventure, to go into dangerous places and to take risks for the pursuit of knowledge and power. The Rebel’s knowledge is broad and eclectic; she seems to desperately wish to share all that she knows, but is constrained by unknown external forces that limit what knowledge she can impart.

Alignment restrictions

A witch who chooses the Rebel as her patron may not be evil or lawful.

Familiar

The familiar of a witch who chooses the Rebel as her patron usually appears in the form of some small forest creature. The familiar’s rarely-seen true form seems to be an incorporeal ball of light.

If the familiar is killed, it returns (after the witch completes the ritual to gain a new familiar) the next day, just before dawn. If the familiar is dismissed or banished, it likewise returns just before the next dawn.

When the witch reaches 7th level, the familiar gains the ability to speak with all creatures that have a language, as though using a tongues spell.

Familiar statistics (click to expand/collapse)

Type outsider (chaotic, good); Size Tiny; Speed fly 60 ft. (perfect); AC +2 natural armor; Attack —; Immune electricity, petrification; Resist cold 10, fire 10; Ability Scores Str 6, Dex 20, Con 10, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 14; Special Qualities alternate form, change shape, darkvision, low-light vision, poison resistance, spell-like abilities.

Alternate Form (Su): As a standard action, the familiar can shift between a corporeal form and the form of an incorporeal ball of twinkling, multicolored light, about a foot across. While incorporeal, the familiar sheds light if it wishes, providing illumination with any radius it wishes up to 30 feet. Changing the amount of light it sheds is a free action that the familiar can perform once per round. In light globe form, the familiar can fly with a speed of 60 ft. (with perfect maneuverability), but cannot physically attack. (The familiar cannot fly in corporeal form unless the shape it assumes has natural flight capabilities.)

Change Shape (Su): When it is corporeal, the familiar can take the form of any Tiny or Diminutive forest creature, like a sparrow, a stoat, a bat, etc. This transformation affects the familiar’s movement modes and attacks, as well as size modifiers to attacks and Armor Class, but no other statistics.

Poison Resistance (Ex): The familiar has a +4 racial bonus on saving throws against poison.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): At will—detect magic; 3/day—detect evil, faerie fire.

Pact affinity

A witch who chooses the Rebel as her patron gains the following pact affinity effects:

Minor (2nd level)

The witch gains the following ability, usable at will:

Sense Wrongness (Su): You can concentrate as a standard action to detect evil magic, non-harmless charms or compulsions, or any magic that binds or imprisons creatures (as detect magic, but only for the specified type of effect). You sense only the presence of auras, not their number, strength, or location.

The witch gains a +4 bonus to saving throws against fear and pain effects.

Lesser (6th level)

The witch gains a +4 bonus to saving throws against charms and compulsions.

Increasingly, the witch finds injustice and evil to be viscerally offensive, and finds it difficult to resist trying to solve such things when she encounters them. When she witnesses or encounters a clearly evil act, or a seriously unjust situation, she may resist the urge to intervene only at the cost of being sickened for a full day afterwards. (This condition, being of a spiritual nature, cannot be removed by curative effects such as lesser restoration.) She may suppress this reaction for one minute with an act of will; this requires a standard action and a successful Will save against DC 20.

Moderate (10th level)

The witch’s sense wrongness ability improves. By concentrating for two rounds, she can now determine the number of auras and the strength and nature of the strongest aura in the area (as per detect magic).

The witch becomes immune to fear and pain.

The witch gains damage reduction 5. Damage from evil-aligned cold iron weapons, or vile damage of any sort, overcomes this damage reduction.

Greater (14th level)

The witch becomes immune to charms and compulsions.

The witch gains spell resistance equal to 12 + her witch level against evil spells and spell-like effects.

The witch now finds the very presence of supernatural evil to be viscerally disturbing. Whenever she is within the area of an evil spell or magical effect, or within 30 feet of a supernaturally evil creature (such as a devil, most intelligent undead, a powerful cleric of an evil god, etc.) or object, she is automatically sickened for as long as she remains there, and for 1d4 minutes thereafter. She may suppress this reaction for one minute with an act of will; this requires a standard action and a successful Will save against DC 20 (or a save DC appropriate to the source of the evil aura, whichever is higher).

Major (18th level)

The witch’s sense wrongness ability further improves. She can now automatically sense the presence of the previously listed kinds of magical effects, without needing to concentrate. By concentrating for one round, she can determine the number of auras and the strength and nature of the strongest aura; if she concentrates for two rounds, the witch can determine the strength, location (or direction, if the source is out of line of sight), and nature of each aura.

The witch’s damage reduction increases to 10.

Final (20th level)

The witch’s bond with her patron changes her mind and soul irrevocably. She is now an outsider (though still native to the Material Plane).

The witch no longer takes ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any penalties she may have already incurred, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the witch still dies of old age when her time is up.

Spell list

The Rebel’s spell list includes the following spells:

Pact boons

The Rebel offers the following pact boons:

The Rebel: Pact Boons
Pact Boon	Minimum Level	Benefit
Aura of Tenacity (Su)	3rd	You inspire spiritual resilience in nearby allies.
Bonus Feat ✲	—	You gain a feat.
Desperate Effort (Su)	—	You call on reserves of strength and will to perform desperate deeds.
Disdain Hardship (Su)	—	You push through physical hardships, and help others do likewise.
Empyreal Radiance (Su)	7th	Your light rays shatter magical deception and evil.
Exalted Might (Su)	5th	Your exalted union fortifies your body.
Exalted Resistance (Su)	7th	Your exalted union allows you to resist energy attacks.
Exalted Union (Su)	—	You become an avatar of your patron’s power.
Exalted Vigilance (Su)	3rd	Your patron helps you anticipate danger when you are joined.
Greater Puissance	—	You have maintained a focus on martial training.
Light Ray (Su)	—	You can blast enemies with a ray of light.
Righteous Glare (Su)	13th	Your gaze slays or terrifies your enemies.
Unstoppable (Su)	9th	You cannot be restrained.
Warcry (Su)	5th	Your battle-cry makes your enemies cower in fear.
✲ May be taken multiple times.

Aura of Tenacity (Su)

You inspire spiritual resilience in nearby allies.

(You must be at least 3rd level to select this boon.)

Allies within 10 feet of you gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against fear and pain. This bonus doubles if the fear or pain effect is caused by an evil spell or magical effect, or by an innate ability of an evil creature.

As a standard action, you can exhort allies within range of your aura who are affected by any fear or pain effects to shake off such effects; this allows affected allies to immediately make new saving throws against all applicable effects.

At 7th level, your aura of tenacity also applies to charms and compulsions.

Bonus Feat ✲

You gain a feat.

You gain one of the feats listed below. This pact boon may be gained multiple times.

• Arcane Armor Training
  • Arcane Armor Mastery
• Arcane Strike
• Combat Casting
• Combat Expertise
• Dodge
• Expanded Arcana
• Improved Initiative
• Quick Draw

Alternatively, you may select any combat feat not listed here. (You may only choose this option once.)

You must meet the prerequisites of any feat you select.

Desperate Effort (Su)

You call on reserves of strength and will to perform desperate deeds.

Your patron grants you the strength for a desperate effort in a time of need. You can use this ability as a free action, even when it is not your turn, and you gain one of the benefits listed below. At the beginning of your next turn, you become fatigued (or exhausted if you are already fatigued, etc.).

• Desperate Parry: Gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC against one attack that you are aware of. (Must declare before the results of the attack are revealed.)
• Desperate Save: Gain a +4 bonus on a saving throw against one attack that you are aware of. (Must declare before the results of the save are revealed.)
• Desperate Speed: Move at double speed for one round or take an additional 5 foot step.
• Extra Attack: When performing the full attack action, make 1 extra attack.
• Focused Skill Check: Take 10 on a skill check even when you normally couldn’t.
• Opportunist: Make an extra attack of opportunity in a round.
• Prodigious Strength: Double your carrying capacity for one round or gain a +4 bonus to a single Strength check (or Strength-based skill).
• Turn the Blow: Automatically negate an opponent’s critical hit (turning it into a normal hit).
• Vicious Blow: Automatically confirm a critical without making an additional attack roll. (Must be declared before checking whether the critical is confirmed.)

If you use this ability during an exalted union, the union ends at the beginning of your next turn, immediately after you become fatigued. (Consequently, the results of the Fortitude save to avoid fatigue at the end of an exalted union are worse by one step than they otherwise would be.)

Disdain Hardship (Su)

You push through physical hardships, and help others do likewise.

You gain Endurance as a bonus feat.

You can also expend an unused spell slot (of any level) to cure one creature of fatigue and nonlethal damage caused by any of activities or conditions listed in the Endurance feat description (as well as that caused by lack of sleep). If a creature is exhausted due to such circumstances, you reduce the exhaustion to fatigue. You must touch a creature as a standard action to use this ability. A creature may only be the subject of this ability once per day.

Empyreal Radiance (Su)

Your light rays shatter magical deception and evil.

(You must be at least 7th level, and have the light ray pact boon, to select this boon.)

Your light ray dispels illusions and evil spell effects. Make a dispel check, as with the targeted version of the dispel magic spell, for every such effect struck by the light ray (or affecting a creature or object struck by the light ray), using your witch class level as the caster level.

If you have the exalted union pact boon, you can use this ability at no cost once every 10 minutes during the duration of a union. Otherwise, you must expend an unused 3rd-level spell slot to use this ability.

You can only use this ability once per round, even if you attack with light rays multiple times in a round.

Exalted Might (Su)

Your exalted union fortifies your body.

(You must be at least 5th level, and have the exalted union pact boon, to select this boon.)

For the duration of your exalted union, you gain a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength and Dexterity. You also gain a +2 natural armor bonus (this does not stack with any natural armor you may already have).

At 9th class level, these bonuses increase to +4.

At 13th class level, these bonuses increase to +6.

At 17th class level, these bonuses increase to +8.

Exalted Resistance (Su)

Your exalted union allows you to resist energy attacks.

(You must be at least 7th level, and have the exalted union pact boon, to select this boon.)

For the duration of your exalted union, you gain cold and fire resistance 10.

At 13th class level, these resistances increase to 20.

Exalted Union (Su)

You become an avatar of your patron’s power.

You channel the Rebel’s power, partially uniting with her mind and spirit.

For the duration of the union, you are in direct mental contact with your patron. She sees what you see, hears what you hear, and otherwise shares your perceptions of your surroundings. (You remain in complete control of your body.) You can communicate telepathically with your patron, although you do not have complete access to one another’s thoughts. Owing to the great differences in mental attributes, your ability to understand one another is imperfect (but improves with time and levels); however, basic emotional valence, desires, and attitudes come across in all cases.

The exalted union additionally grants you the following benefits:

• For the duration of the exalted union, you are considered to have the maximum number of ranks for your level in Diplomacy, Intimidate, Perception, and Sense Motive.
• During the exalted union, your mental ability scores increase to the following values (if any score is already at least that high, it does not change): Intelligence 14, Wisdom 14, Charisma 16.
  • At 11th class level, your mental ability scores instead increase to the following values during the exalted union (if they are not already that high): Intelligence 16, Wisdom 16, Charisma 18.
• Your combat ability improves while the union lasts: your base attack bonus increases by a number equal to (1 + your witch level) ÷ 4, rounded down.
• For the duration of the union, you gain a slam attack. This is a primary attack, which deals 1d6 damage + your Strength modifier.
  • At 5th class level, your slam attack is considered to be magic and good-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
• When you initiate the union, you gain 3 temporary hit points per class level.

Initiating the exalted union is a full-round action. Either you or your patron can end the exalted union at any time, as a free action.

A successful dismissal or banishment spell cast on you ends the exalted union immediately, if the spell succeeds (though you are otherwise unaffected, assuming that you would not normally be affected by the spell in question). Your patron’s presence is considered to be an outsider with Hit Dice equal to your witch level, for the purpose of determining the effect of such a spell. After your patron’s presence is dismissed or banished in this way, you cannot initiate an exalted union for 24 hours.

Exalted Union
Duration was at least…	Save DC
1 round	15
1 minute	20
10 minutes	25
1 hour	30
4 hours	35
8 hours	40

When the exalted union ends, you must make a Fortitude save. Failure means that you are fatigued for twice as long as the union lasted. Failure by 5 or more means that you are exhausted for that duration, then fatigued for an equal amount of time. Failure by 10 or more means that you are enervated for that duration, then exhausted for the same length of time, then fatigued for the same length of time. For every 5 points of failure margin beyond 10, you take one step of Constitution damage. Additionally, if you fail this Fortitude save by 10 or more, you must also make a Will save against the same DC, or suffer one step of Charisma damage (which likewise increases by one step for every 5 points of failure margin).

The DC of the save depends on how long the union lasted (see Table: Exalted Union). (An exalted union cannot last more than 24 hours.) The DC also increases by 5 for every previous time that day that you initiated an exalted union.

When you select this pact boon, you also gain proficiency with light armor and with a single martial weapon of your choice. (You gain this benefit at all times, not just for the duration of an exalted union.) You gain proficiency with an additional martial weapon for every six witch class levels that you have.

While an exalted union is active, you do not incur arcane spell failure chance when you cast patron-granted spells (that is, spells which you have, via your familiar, prepared from the Rebel’s spell list).

You can use your increased ability scores and base attack bonus during the union to fulfill the prerequisites of feats, for the purpose of selecting feats. (Note that you only gain the benefits of a feat you have so long as you continue to fulfill its prerequisites.)

Exalted Vigilance (Su)

Your patron helps you anticipate danger when you are joined.

(You must be at least 3rd level, and have the exalted union pact boon, to select this boon.)

For the duration of your exalted union, you gain an insight bonus to AC and Reflex saves, equal to your Wisdom bonus. The same bonus applies to your initiative rolls.

Greater Puissance

You have maintained a focus on martial training.

(You must have the exalted union pact boon to select this boon.)

You gain proficiency with medium armor. You also gain Weapon Focus with every weapon which your exalted union pact boon grants you proficiency with.

Light Ray (Su)

You can blast enemies with a ray of light.

As an attack action, you cause a ray of light to spring forth from your hand to strike a target within 60 feet. This is a ranged touch attack which deals 1d6 points of damage, allows no save, and overcomes all forms of damage reduction (except that which is overcome by adamantine weapons, which includes the hardness of objects).

If you have the exalted union pact boon, you can use this ability at will and at no cost for the duration of an exalted union. Otherwise, you must expend an unused spell slot (of any level) as a free action to gain the use of light rays for one round.

If your base attack bonus is high enough to grant you multiple attacks, you can use a full attack action to attack with light rays multiple times per round, making the usual adjustments to your attack bonus for each light ray after the first. Likewise, effects (such as haste) which grant you an additional attack when you take a full attack action allow you to make that additional attack with your light ray.

At 5th level, and at every 4th level thereafter, the damage done by your light rays increases by 1d6.

At 7th level, and at every 4th level thereafter, the range of your light rays increases by 30 feet.

Righteous Glare (Su)

Your gaze slays or terrifies your enemies.

(You must be at least 13th level to select this boon.)

Your eyes flare with burning light, and you gain a gaze attack; creatures who meet your gaze are affected depending on their alignment and their Hit Dice. Evil creatures within 60 feet of you who have 5 HD or fewer must make a successful Will save (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your witch level + your Charisma bonus) or die. Even if the save succeeds, such creatures are frightened for 2d10 rounds. Neutral or good creatures, and evil creatures with more than 5 HD, must succeed on a Will save or suffer the fear effect.

For every 2 witch levels you have beyond 13th, the Hit Die threshold below which evil creatures are slain by this ability increases by 1 HD.

Activating this ability is a swift action. You can maintain the gaze attack for up to 1 round per witch level. You can dismiss the gaze attack as a free action.

If you have the exalted union pact boon, you can use this ability at no cost once during the duration of a union. Otherwise, you must expend an unused 6th-level spell slot to use this ability.

Unstoppable (Su)

You cannot be restrained.

(You must be at least 9th level to select this boon.)

You gain a +8 bonus to CMD against being grappled, to your CMB to escape a grapple, and to saving throws against effects that would slow, restrain, or bind you in any way.

If you have the aura of tenacity pact boon, your aura now also applies to the aforementioned effects.

Warcry (Su)

Your battle-cry makes your enemies cower in fear.

(You must be at least 5th level to select this boon.)

You unleash a tremendous battle cry that causes creatures within a 30-foot cone to cower in fear for 1d4 rounds. Any creature that fails its Fortitude save loses its Dexterity bonus to AC and can take no actions. Foes gain a +2 bonus to hit cowering creatures.

If you have the exalted union pact boon, you can use this ability at no cost once per minute during the duration of a union. Otherwise, you must expend an unused 2nd-level spell slot to use this ability.

The Enigma

The Enigma wants nothing, asks nothing, and answers no questions. It’s hard to say whether this entity is even aware of those with whom it makes pacts; witches who choose this patron often have the impression that the entity is not even a mind, but rather, perhaps, an impersonal force, which somehow reacts, in an automatic and unconscious way, to seekers after power whose minds and desires have a certain “shape”. Disturbingly, witches who choose the Enigma as their patron find themselves changing over time, becoming more alien in both soul and body.

Note: The Enigma, unlike other witch patrons, cannot be invoked via the the witch’s invoke patron ability.

Alignment restrictions

A witch who chooses the Enigma as her patron may be of any alignment.

Familiar

The familiar of a witch who chooses the Enigma as her patron starts out as an ordinary animal, of any sort that may be a wizard’s familiar. Becoming the witch’s conduit to her unfathomably alien patron changes the creature, altering its physical form in increasingly strange ways. By the time the witch has attained a high class level, her familiar is utterly unrecognizable as the sort of animal that it once was.

If the familiar is killed, a new animal takes its place (after the witch completes the ritual to gain a new familiar); the replacement quickly exhibits the same transformations which affected the previous familiar.

When the witch reaches 7th level, the familiar gains the ability to telepathically communicate with all intelligent creatures that do not normally speak a language. The range of this ability is 30 feet.

Familiar statistics (click to expand/collapse)

See the list of wizard familiars for the base statistics of such creatures. Initially, the witch’s familiar differs from these only in that its type changes to aberration; statistics are otherwise unchanged. As the witch advances in level, her familiar increasingly exhibits the same sort of physical changes as are listed in the pact affinity descriptions for the Enigma.

Pact affinity

A witch who chooses the Enigma as her patron gains the following pact affinity effects:

Minor (2nd level)

The witch gains Intimidate and Sense Motive as class skills. She also gains the following ability, usable at will:

Sense Thoughts (Su): You can concentrate as a standard action to detect the presence of thinking minds (as detect thoughts). You sense only the presence of thoughts or their sources, not their number, strength, or location. You can detect the presence of very unusual or alien thoughts (such as those within the minds of aberrations or similarly bizarre creatures) at twice the normal range.

Lesser (6th level)

The witch’s Wisdom score is permanently reduced by 2 points (to a minimum of 1). (These reductions in Wisdom cannot be reversed in any way short of a wish or miracle, and even such extreme measures can succeed only if the witch voluntarily renounces her pact with the Enigma.)

The witch gains a +1 insight bonus to all saving throws and to Armor Class.

The witch begins to exhibit minor physical changes. These are subtle but strange: eyes that are too far apart or look in different directions, joints that bend in unusual ways, hair that seems to move slightly, ears that are too small or too large, etc. Such changes have no effect on combat statistics, skills, etc., but cause the witch to incur a +1/−2 modifier to reaction rolls.

Moderate (10th level)

The witch’s Wisdom score is permanently reduced by an additional 2 points (to a minimum of 1).

The witch’s insight bonus to saving throws and Armor Class increases by +1.

The witch’s sense thoughts ability improves. By concentrating for two rounds, she can now determine the number of thinking minds in the area, and the approximate Intelligence scores of each (within a 5-point bracket). If the surface thoughts within those minds are very unusual or alien, the witch gains a general idea of the contents of those thoughts (though she does not learn which minds are the origins of which thoughts).

The witch’s physical changes become more obvious: skin texture that changes to resemble some inorganic substance like rust or tar, fingers that seem to be devoid of bones, needle-like teeth, additional (but non-functional) appendages, or other things in this vein. The witch now incurs a +2/−4 modifier to reaction rolls.

Greater (14th level)

The witch’s Wisdom score is permanently reduced by an additional 2 points (to a minimum of 1).

The witch’s insight bonus to saving throws and Armor Class increases by +1.

The witch’s physical appearance continues to change. She now appears overtly alien. Some of these alterations may benefit her in some small way (additional eyes may grant a +2 bonus to Perception checks, a tentacle may be used to hold objects as a tiefling’s prehensile tail, etc.). The witch now incurs a +4/−8 modifier to reaction rolls.

The changes to the witch’s mind cause her to gain a behavioral or psychological quirk, as one of the mental side effects of resurrection. (The DM determines the nature of the alteration.)

Major (18th level)

The witch’s Wisdom score is permanently reduced by an additional 2 points (to a minimum of 1).

The witch’s insight bonus to saving throws and Armor Class increases by +1.

The witch’s sense thoughts ability further improves. She can now automatically sense the presence, number, and approximate Intelligence scores of strange or alien minds within 120 feet.

The witch’s mind continues to drift further from normality; she gains an additional quirk, as for greater pact affinity.

Final (20th level)

The witch’s physical form, and her mind, no longer resemble the creature she once was. She becomes an outsider (though she is still native to the Material Plane). She gains resistance 10 to acid and electricity, damage reduction 10/magic, and spell resistance 30.

Spell list

The Enigma’s spell list includes the following spells:

Pact boons

The Enigma offers the following pact boons:

The Enigma: Pact Boons
Pact Boon	Minimum Level	Benefit
Aberrant Summons	—	You summon bizarre, alien creatures when casting summon monster spells.
Alien Mind (Ex)	11th	Your mind is alien and does not work like that of a normal mortal.
Aura of Madness (Su)	15th	Your presence induces madness.
Bewitching Blast	7th	Your eldritch blast maddens those struck by it.
Chain Blast	11th	Your eldritch blast jumps to nearby targets.
Corrupting Blast	3rd	Your eldritch blast causes objects to disintegrate.
Disorienting Blast	13th	Your eldritch blast dazes those struck by it.
Eldritch Blast (Sp)	—	You blast foes with strange energies from beyond reality.
Eldritch Cone	9th	Your eldritch blast affects targets in a cone.
Enlarge Blast	5th	Your eldritch blast extends further.
Frightful Blast	3rd	Your eldritch blast inspires horror in those struck by it.
Ineffable Mind (Ex)	13th	Contact with your mind induces madness.
Instantiation (Su)	11th	You step into the realm of thought, and make manifest anything you wish.
Mindsight (Su)	11th	You can sense the precise locations of sentient creatures.
Mindspeech (Su)	3rd	You can communicate with other creatures mentally.
Part the Veil (Sp)	5th	You can peel back the curtain of normality, and glimpse the truth.
Psychic Flowering ✲	—	Psychic power grows and flowers within your mind.
Variance (Su)	7th	You can alter the immediate past.
✲ May be taken multiple times.

Aberrant Summons

You summon bizarre, alien creatures when casting summon monster spells.

Whenever you cast a summon monster spell, you select from a modified list of summonable creatures, instead of the standard list. See the summon aberration page for details.

The effects of this pact boon apply only to summon monster spells which you know and cast yourself, not spells you cast from a wand or scroll; such spells still use the standard list of summonable creatures.

Alien Mind (Ex)

Your mind is alien and does not work like that of a normal mortal.

(You must be at least 11th level to select this boon.)

You are immune to spells and effects that induce madness (such as confusion, insanity, or weird). In addition, you receive a +4 bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting effects.

Aura of Madness (Su)

Your presence induces madness.

(You must be at least 15th level, and have the alien mind pact boon, to select this boon.)

You project an aura of madness. All living creatures within 20 feet of you must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your class level + your Charisma bonus) or be confused for as long as they remain within the aura and 1d4 rounds thereafter. A creature that makes its saving throw cannot be affected by this power for 24 hours (though that creature can still be affected by other forms of confusion). This is a mind-affecting effect.

If a creature fails its save against your madness aura, and your level is at least 10 higher than that creature’s level (or Hit Dice), then that creature becomes permanently insane.

This aura is always active, even if you are unconscious or asleep. You can suppress it as a standard action; however, it resumes functioning after one minute (if not re-suppressed before then).

Bewitching Blast

Your eldritch blast maddens those struck by it.

(You must be at least 7th level, and have the eldritch blast pact boon, to select this boon.)

When you use your eldritch blast, you may choose to make it a bewitching blast by expending an unused 3rd-level spell slot. A bewitching blast is equivalent to a 4th-level spell.

A creature struck by a bewitching blast must succeed on a Will save or become confused for 1 round, in addition to taking damage. This is a mind-affecting effect.

You can only apply one secondary effect to your eldritch blast. You can choose which effect to apply, if you have multiple pact boons which grant such effects.

Chain Blast

Your eldritch blast jumps to nearby targets.

(You must be at least 11th level, and have the eldritch blast pact boon, to select this boon.)

If you wish, your eldritch blast can jump to one or more secondary targets within 30 feet of the first target, allowing you to make additional ranged touch attacks and deal damage to the secondary targets if you hit.

You can “jump” the chain to two additional targets at 11th level, three additional targets at 15th level, and four additional targets at 19th level. Each new target must be within 30 feet of the previous one, and you can’t target the same creature more than once with the eldritch chain. If you miss any target in the chain, the eldritch chain attack ends there.

Each target struck after the first takes half the damage dealt to the first target. If the eldritch blast has a secondary effect that requires a saving throw (such as frightful blast), the save DC for that effect is reduced by 2 for secondary targets.

You must make a separate spell penetration check for each target, if applicable.

You can only apply one of the following alterations to your eldritch blast at a time: chain blast, enlarge blast, eldritch cone.

Corrupting Blast

Your eldritch blast causes objects to disintegrate.

(You must be at least 3rd level, and have the eldritch blast pact boon, to select this boon.)

When you use your eldritch blast, you may choose to make it a corrupting blast by expending an unused 1st-level spell slot. A corrupting blast is equivalent to a 2nd-level spell.

A corrupting blast deals full damage to objects, instead of one-quarter damage. Objects damaged by a corrupting blast, when examined afterwards, are found to have had their damaged portions afflicted with deep rot, transformed into some weaker material (solid oak to sawdust-filled paper, steel to clay painted with metallic paint, etc.), or otherwise severely weakened.

You can only apply one secondary effect to your eldritch blast. You can choose which effect to apply, if you have multiple pact boons which grant such effects.

Disorienting Blast

Your eldritch blast dazes those struck by it.

(You must be at least 13th level, and have the eldritch blast pact boon, to select this boon.)

When you use your eldritch blast, you may choose to make it a disorienting blast by expending an unused 6th-level spell slot. A disorienting blast is equivalent to a 7th-level spell.

A creature struck by a bewitching blast must succeed on a Will save or become dazed for 1 round, in addition to taking damage. This is a mind-affecting effect.

You can only apply one secondary effect to your eldritch blast. You can choose which effect to apply, if you have multiple pact boons which grant such effects.

Eldritch Blast (Sp)

You blast foes with strange energies from beyond reality.

You can channel alien energies to unleash a blast of eldritch colors from your outstretched hand.

An eldritch blast is a ray with a range of 60 feet. It is a ranged touch attack that affects a single target, allowing no saving throw. An eldritch blast deals 1d6 points of damage at 1st level; the damage increases by 1d6 at every odd class level (3rd, 5th, etc.) thereafter. An eldritch blast is the equivalent of a 1st-level spell.

An eldritch blast is subject to spell resistance, although the Spell Penetration feat and other effects that improve caster level checks to overcome spell resistance also apply to eldritch blast. An eldritch blast deals one-quarter damage to objects.

Any saving throws against effects of your eldritch blast (e.g., if you make your eldritch blast into a frightful blast) are made against a DC of 10 + 1⁄2 your class level + either your Intelligence bonus or your Charisma bonus, whichever is higher.

You can use eldritch blast at will.

Eldritch Cone

Your eldritch blast affects targets in a cone.

(You must be at least 9th level, and have the eldritch blast pact boon, to select this boon.)

Instead of a ray, you may choose to have your eldritch blast take the shape of 30-foot cone of eldritch energies which spring forth from your hand. No attack roll is required; all targets within the cone are affected, but may attempt a Reflex save for half damage. Targets that take damage are also exposed to any secondary effect of the blast, but the save DC against any such effect is reduced by 2.

You can only apply one of the following alterations to your eldritch blast at a time: chain blast, enlarge blast, eldritch cone.

Enlarge Blast

Your eldritch blast extends further.

(You must be at least 5th level, and have the eldritch blast pact boon, to select this boon.)

If you wish, you can increase the range of your eldritch blast to 150 feet.

You can only apply one of the following alterations to your eldritch blast at a time: chain blast, enlarge blast, eldritch cone.

Frightful Blast

Your eldritch blast inspires horror in those struck by it.

(You must be at least 3rd level, and have the eldritch blast pact boon, to select this boon.)

When you use your eldritch blast, you may choose to make it a frightful blast by expending an unused 1st-level spell slot. A frightful blast is equivalent to a 2nd-level spell.

A creature struck by a frightful blast must succeed on a Will save or become shaken for 1 minute, in addition to taking damage. A shaken creature struck by a frightful blast is not affected by the shaken aspect of the blast but takes damage normally. Creatures with immunity to mind-affecting spells and abilities or fear effects cannot be shaken by a frightful blast.

You can only apply one secondary effect to your eldritch blast. You can choose which effect to apply, if you have multiple pact boons which grant such effects.

Ineffable Mind (Ex)

Contact with your mind induces madness.

(You must be at least 13th level, and have the alien mind pact boon, to select this boon.)

Attempts to communicate with you telepathically (by any means other than your own telepathy power, if you have such), or to read your mind, always fail. A creature making such an attempt must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + 1⁄2 your class level + your Charisma bonus) or be confused for 1d6 days.

Instantiation (Su)

You step into the realm of thought, and make manifest anything you wish.

(You must be at least 11th level, and have the part the veil pact boon, to select this boon.)

This awesome power allows you to conjure any object you can imagine, but at a terrible risk.

You step through a door (or gate, or other physical portal) and vanish. Actually, you have stepped sideways relative to normal reality; you now find yourself in a bizarre and alien realm, filled with cyclopean entities, teeming and bubbling with unfathomable thoughts beyond the edge of madness.

The very substance of that realm responds to thought. Consequently, you can instantiate any physical object, of any size, composition, etc. (so long as it is not a creature with its own mind). To do so, you need only think of the object you wish to make manifest.

To achieve successful instantiation, you must make a control check. This is a level check modified by your Intelligence (i.e., d20 + your witch level + your Intelligence modifier) The DC for this check is equal to twice the binary logarithm of the object’s market price in gp, rounded down. (For objects with no established market price, the DM should set an appropriate DC, based on the object’s complexity, power, and the specificity of your desire.) A natural 1 on this check is always a failure, regardless of the DC.

If you succeed, the object you desire is instantiated. There is no penalty for failing the control check, and you can retry the check as many times as you wish.

Time has no meaning in the realm of thought, and each attempt at instantiation takes no time as such. However, for every control check you make, you must make a tranquility check as well. This is also a level check, against the same DC, but modified by your Wisdom instead of your Intelligence. (As with the control check, a natural 1 on this check is always a failure, regardless of the DC.) Success means that nothing special happens (except, of course, the appearance of your desired object, if your control check succeeded). Failure means that a disturbance takes place. Possible disturbances include the following:

• 10 × 1d100 hours pass on your home plane.
• The substance of the realm clings to you; when you return to your home plane, an area with a radius of 10 × 1d100 feet around the point of your return gains the highly morphic planar trait (responding to thought) for 1d20 hours.
• Something enters your thoughts as you interface with the realm, and accompanies you when you leave.
• You attract the attention of one or more of the realm’s inhabitants.
• Other (DM’s choice).

You can bring willing others with you when you enter the realm of thought. However, this may be dangerous. Your companions must make Will saves (DC 20) each time you attempt a control check; if they fail, they become confused. Each companion that avoids being confused imposes a −2 penalty on your tranquility check.

At any time you wish, you can return to the place that you started from, stepping through the same door through which you entered (even if the door is locked, blocked, or gone, it will exist, and be open, just long enough for you to make use of it again). No time has passed since you left (unless a disturbance has caused it to be otherwise). If your instantiation was successful, you leave the realm of thought with your creation in hand (or trailing behind you, for objects too large to hold).

When you return to your home plane, all companions who wish to return with you can do so, provided that they are in contact with you. (Note that confused companions may be incapable of making this decision.)

Mindsight (Su)

You can sense the precise locations of sentient creatures.

(You must be at least 11th level, and have the mindspeech pact boon, to select this boon.)

You can pinpoint beings that are not mindless (anything with an Intelligence score of 1 or higher) within range of your telepathy. This works much like blindsense—you know what square each thinking being is in, but you do not not see the being, and the being still has total concealment unless you can see it by some other means.

Mindspeech (Su)

You can communicate with other creatures mentally.

(You must be at least 3rd level to select this boon.)

You gain telepathy, with a range of 100 feet.

Part the Veil (Sp)

You can peel back the curtain of normality, and glimpse the truth.

(You must be at least 5th level to select this boon.)

You can use see invisibility (as the spell) at will. The duration of this effect can be as long as you like, but after the third round, you must begin making Will saves at the end of your turn, against a DC of 15 + 2 × the number of additional rounds (past the third) the effect has lasted. Failure means that the effect ends, and you are confused for as many minutes as the total number of rounds the effect has lasted. If you voluntarily end the effect (as a free action), without having failed a save (either before or after three rounds have elapsed), you are dazed for 1 round afterwards.

Psionic Powers
Power	Level
attraction	1
psionic daze	1
mind thrust	1
primal fear	1
aversion	2
cloud mind	2
forced sense link	2
moment of insight	2
cerebral phantasm	3
contrarian urge	3
false sensory input	3
death urge	4
schism	4
implanted suggestion	4
cranial deluge	5
psychic crush	5
psychotic break	5
ethereal abduction	6
mass cloud mind	6
insanity	7
ultrablast	7
hypercognition	8
mind seed	8
assimilate	9
urge extermination	9

Regardless of the way in which the effect’s duration ended, you cannot use this ability again for a number of minutes equal to the total number of rounds that the effect lasted.

At 13th level, this ability additionally has the effects of true seeing.

Psychic Flowering ✲

Psychic power grows and flowers within your mind.

You gain the ability to use a single psionic power. This pact boon may be gained multiple times.

When you select this pact boon, you lose one spell of your choice from your list of spells known, in effect forgetting that spell. (You may instead elect to forfeit learning a new spell for that level. This option is not available if you gain this pact boon via the Extra Pact Boon feat.) You also permanently sacrifice one of your highest-level spell slots. (For example, if you select this boon at 7th level, you would lose a 3rd-level spell slot; thereafter, you always have one less 3rd-level spell slot than you otherwise would.)

In exchange, you gain a number of psionic power points equal to 1 less than twice the level of the sacrificed spell slot. (The first time you select this pact boon, you gain additional power points equal to the sum of your Intelligence and Charisma modifiers, minimum 0.) You also choose a power from Table: Psionic Powers, adding it to your list of powers known. In order to learn a power, your manifester level (which is equal to your witch class level) must be at least as high as the base power point cost of the power.

The save DCs for your psionic powers are based on your Intelligence or Charisma modifier, whichever is higher.

You do not gain the ability to become psionically focused.

Variance (Su)

You can alter the immediate past.

(You must be at least 7th level to select this boon.)

Once per day, you can attempt to change something that just happened. As an immediate action, after seeing the result of some check or other sort of die roll (whether the roll was triggered by one of your own abilities, or that of another character, or some environmental occurrence, etc.), you can cause reality to shift slightly; the roll in question is rerolled, and the new roll is what determines the result. If this alters the outcome, you remember the way that things almost-were, but nobody else does.

When you use this power, there is a 1% chance that the reality shift is not localized to the event you choose to alter. In such a case, one or more other changes (each likewise the result of some momentary event having gone as it could have, but didn’t) take place. These alterations may not be (indeed, likely are not) obvious immediately, and their exact nature is determined by the DM.

Witch Feats

Three new feats are available, which are exclusive to witch characters: Extra Pact Boon, Spell-Linked Familiar, and Transfer Concentration.