JoshuaZ
2020-09-03, 09:03 AM
Witches traditionally form covens. Pathfinder has a lot of rules for forming covens when one witch is a hag, but doesn't have any easy ways for witches to form covens without a hag present. Moreover, the way witches get spells leads to an odd mechanic; it is extremely easy for witches to exchange spells. While this leads to incentives for witches to cooperate with each other, if one follows the underlying incentive structure, it should lead to networks of witches, rather than covens. The primary purpose of this material is to create a method where witches can form their own covens, and where they actually have incentive to do so. There are a few other witch feats, hexes, spells and archetypes here which are not strictly part of that system but fall naturally into extensions of it and exist primarily to support that goal.
In many traditions, witches are generally women. Most of this material is named with that assumption in mind, but it is worth asking from a worldbuilding perspective why one would expect this and how consistent it is with the Pathfinder rules. One interpretation is that people with the intelligence and magical "spark" who are highly literate are more likely to become wizards. People with the intelligence to become a mage but aren't recognized may be taken up by a powerful force, the patron for their own ends. Thus, in less egalitarian cultures, wizards will tend to be men and witches will tend to be women.
But if this is the case then there will be other differences. The children of aristocrats or wealthy merchants are more likely to have the sort of deep education which might lead to them becoming a wizard and they might be more likely to be around people that notice the subtle cues that the child harbors some degree of magical aptitude. If this the case, then witches will also tend to be more likely from lower socioeconomic statuses than wizards or more likely to be from people who are outside society. By a similar token, the deep costs involved involved in being a wizard may be make it a class more closely connected to the wealthy. Witches thus may be more on the margins of society and less beholden to or sympathetic to official power structures. Strictly speaking, this line of thought is not necessary to any of the crunch material here, but it is worth noting as a general fluff idea and does influence (slightly) some of the thought that went into some of the material here.
There are four issues with the default coven rules for Pathfinder. First, the standard Pathfinder rules for covens require a hag. This substantially reduces the flexibility involved. Good witches in covens are nearly impossible, and one's setting must contain hags. These rules allow for witches of all types to form covens whether or not hags are involved. Second, covens are limited to three members in the existing rule set. While the coven of three is often traditional, one also sees covens of other numbers. Third, the benefits of covens under the default rules are generally fixed and simply duplicate some existing spells. These rules allow for covens to have some unique abilities. Fourth, under the Pathfinder rules, the incentive for witches is not to form even informal groups of witches, but rather because it is very easy for witches to exchange spells to instead form loose networks of witches.
As I was writing this system up I also became aware of this alternate set of coven rules by rferries. (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?528391-Coven-Feats) That system is interesting, and also introduces a new [Coven] feat type. The system is simpler and mainly gives a few fixed benefits. That system focuses mainly on what the coven can do as a group. This system focuses more on what benefits the coven gives to individual coven members. That said, that system has some definite mechanical benefits in terms of simplicity of implementation
One may note that a PC who takes the Leadership feat could potentially gain their own large set of witch followers to get major benefits with this system. Leadership is generally already broken. This says more about that feat than any of the material here.
It is also possible that an entire set of PCs could agree to all play witches in the same coven. While that may lead to a powerful set of PCs, this isn't a concern for two reasons. First, this gives the PCs more of an in-character reason to stick together than most parties, and allows for some potentially interesting roleplaying. Second, unlike the Leadership scenario, this is functionally a boost to all PCs' power level, so no one will feel that they are getting overshadowed. .
For simplicity, here is most basic feat which allows witches to form a coven and then the remainder will be alphabetically listed. The next two posts will then contain other thematically related material including, spells and artifacts.
Greater Coven [coven]
You can lead the formation of a coven even without a hag.
Prerequisites: Either the coven hex or be a witch of at least third level.
Benefit: You gain the coven hex if you do not already have it. You may form a coven of witches even without a hag, and the others may be witches who do not need to have this feat or the coven hex. You may have in your coven as many witches as your highest mental ability modifier plus your number of [coven] feats (minimum 3). If more than one witch in a coven has the Greater Coven feat, then the maximum coven size is calculated for each such witch, and the largest value determines the maximum size of a coven. As a coven, you gain the same spell-like abilities that default hag coven would get (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/monstrous-humanoids/hag/) as long as at least one member of the coven is able to cast spells of that spell's equivalent level and is present. For calculating the spell-like ability's spell level for this purpose, use the lowest level that spell appears on the cleric, sorcerer/wizard, witch or druid list. For example, if the highest level witch in the coven can cast 4th level spells, then the coven can cast blight because it appears as a 4th level druid spell, but the coven cannot cast forecage because it is a 7th level wizard spell).
To use any spell-like ability of this sort, at least three coven members must be present and at least two-thirds of coven members must be present.
Additionally, any member of the coven as long as the coven has lasted for at least one week may as long as they prepare spells with at least other two members present gains the following additional advantages. First, they may prepare one extra level one spell. If multiple members of the coven have the Greater Coven feat, then one may prepare one extra first spell for each coven member with this feat who is present (including themselves). Second, when they prepare spells they may prepare a single patron spells that would be patron spell for one of the other witches and is not the highest level spell they can cast as long as that witch is present. This spell does not count as knowing this spell for any prerequisite purposes and they cannot teach this spell to a familiar or use it to make scrolls or other magic items. Additional members with this feat do not increase the number of patron spells one may prepare.
Some feats and abilities will refer to coven members or interact with one's coven members. For all purposes, one remains a member of a coven as long as has prepared spells or engaged in other magical rituals with at least one of those individuals in the last year and a day. However, if a coven has only three members and one joins another coven at any time, the original coven is considered disbanded and must be reformed by all coven members meeting. Depending on the tradition and the patron, reforming a broken coven may be more difficult, requiring additional time and rituals, or may be impossible. If a coven has more than three members, then individuals may leave the coven at any time, but rejoining the coven can only occur a year and a day after one has left, and may require additional rituals. Players are encouraged to work with their DMs to create thematically appropriate rituals both for introducing new members to a coven as well as for readmitting a member who has previously left. For example, a ritual to admit a new member might require a meeting at a sacred grove the night before the summer solstice.
Finally, note that this feat, and some other feats have a new descriptor, the [coven] descriptor. In general, any feat which has this feat as a prerequisite will have the [coven] descriptor. Whenever someone with the hex class feature would gain a new hex for advancing a level, they may instead choose a feat with the [coven] descriptor. Two of these feats, Witch Sworn and Coven Sworn, are intended not for witches, but for close allies of witches.
Additional feats:
Alchemical Witch
You can combine the secrets of alchemy with the secrets of witchcraft.
Prerequisites: Mutagen class feature, hex class feature.
Benefit: You count witch levels as effective alchemist levels for your mutagen class feature, and for your effective alchemist level for purposes of what discoveries you can select and what they do. You count alchemist levels as witch levels for purposes of the caster level of your witch hexes. Finally, if you have the Cook People hex, you may when use it also treat the meal created as a mutagen in addition to its other effects.
Bewitching Performance
Prerequisites: 1 rank in a Perform skill, hex class feature.
Benefit: When you make a perform check in a skill you have at least one point, you may sacrifice a spell slot to add twice that spell level as a competence bonus the Perform check. Additionally, any being whose attitude has become more favorable to you due to a Performance in the last 24 hours takes a -2 penalty on saves against your hexes. If you have the bardic music class feature, then any being that has failed a save against any bardic music ability of yours also takes a -2 penalty in the same way (these do not stack). If you are a member of a coven, these penalties apply to hexes from fellow coven members as well.
By Fire and Water, by Earth and Air [coven]
Witchcraft is closely associated with the natural elements, and your coven deeply understands the balance between all of them.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven, must be in a coven with at least four members (counting yourself).
Benefit: Any member of the coven when they enter the coven declares their association with one of the four elements, (Air, Earth, Fire or Water). Once declared, they may change this association only with an eight hour ritual with at least one other member of the coven. Any member of the coven casts spells with the descriptor of their associated element with their caster level increased by 1 and save DC by 1. For spells of the opposing element, they treat their caster level as one lower. (Fire opposes water and air opposes earth.)
As long as the coven has at least one coven member of each element all coven members gain the following additional benefits: When they prepare witch spells, they may prepare extra spells. These extra spells total levels must sum to no higher than the highest level spell they can cast -1. They treat cantrips as half levels for this purpose. These spells must have the descriptor of the associated element to that witch. For example, a witch whose highest level spell is third might prepare a second level spell, or two first level spells, or a first level spell and two cantrips, or four cantrips. For every additional member of the coven with this feat, the sum of spell levels they may prepare this way increases by 1.
Borrowed Hex [coven]
You can take hexes known to your fellow coven members.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Knowledge of at least two major hexes.
Benefit: Once a day when you prepare spells you may select a common hex known to one of your coven members. You are treated for 24 hours like you also have that hex known. You must meet the prerequisites for the hex in question.
Cascading Hexes [coven]
You and your coven members can coordinate hexes to make them harder to resist.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven.
Benefit: When you or anyone else in your coven uses a hex on a target and another member of the coven has used that same hex on the target within the last 24 hours they add 1 to the save DC of the hex. This increase stacks with multiple uses from distinct members of the coven. So for example if 2 witches had previously used sleep on a target then the bonus would be +2 and so on.
Coven of Foxes [coven, racial]
You can share some of your natural Kitsune magic with your fellow coven members and use their support to further your own magic.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven, must have the Kitsune Magic racial ability.
Benefit: Anyone in your coven gains the benefits of the Kitsune Magic racial feature. In addition, if you have the Magical Tail feat, you gain a +1 bonus to caster level (and save DC if any) of your Magical Tail spell-like abilities if you use one when at least two other coven mates are within 30 feet.
Cauldron of the Coven [coven]
One witch at a cauldron is nothing compared to a coven around the same cauldron.
Prerequisites: Cauldron Hex. Coven hex or Greater Coven.
Benefit: Your bonus from Cauldron to alchemy checks becomes +6 if at least one other coven member is present. If you and two other coven members work with you in making a potion, its effective caster level is increased by 2.
Additionally, if you have the Hag's Eye hex you gain additional benefits. When you use your Hag's Eye, you may project the view onto the surface of a bubbling cauldron. Anyone you choose may see this, even if they are not a member of your coven You may also replay in your cauldron any image you have previously used your Hag's Eye to see, but the image becomes slightly blurrier, resulting in it being clear to anyone familiar with the magic (DC 20 Knowledge(Arcana) or a DC 25 Spellcraft) that this is a playback rather than a direct vision.
Coven of the Damned [coven, racial]
You can share some of your infernal heritage with your fellow coven members.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Darkness spell-like ability of a tiefling, darkvision.
Benefit: Any member of your coven gains the ability to use darkness once a day as a spell-like ability with effective caster level equal to their witch level Additionally, any member of your coven who has the Nail's hex gains a +2 bonus on attack roles using their nails, and they treat their Nails as good-aligned for purposes of overcoming damage reduction.
Coven Sworn
Your loyalty to one witch in a coven extends to the others.
Prerequisites: Witch Sworn to a witch in a coven.
Benefit: All the benefits of Witch Sworn apply to any witch in your sworn witch's coven, with the exceptions that the bonus to AC and reflex saves may only apply to one witch at a time (changing which one takes a free action on your turn).
Coven's Counterspell [coven]
You can draw upon your fellow coven member's magic when fighting back against the magic of others.
Prerequisites:
Greater Coven, able to cast a 2nd level spell.
Benefit:You may use a spell from a coven mate who is within 30 feet of you to counterspell (if you attempt to use a spell they do not have prepared the action is wasted). A fellow coven member who does not wish you to do this may prevent you from doing so with no effort. To use this ability you must be able to use a spell of the level which you are taking from your coven member.
Coven members may also use your spells to counterspell in the same fashion, but they cannot use any spell of yours unless they can cast a spell of a level higher than the spell in question (unless they also have this feat).
Finally, if any coven member uses Dispel Magic or a similar spell to counterspell, they gain a bonus on the associated caster level checks (or if in 3.5 the dispel check) equal to the number of members of the coven with this feat.
Coven's Luck [coven, racial]
You have more luck than you know what to do with, so of course you give some of it your fellow coven members.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Either adaptable luck or halfling luck racial features,
Benefit: Once a day when making an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, before making the role, any member of your coven may twice a day apply a +1 luck bonus to that check. If you or another member already has Adaptable Luck, they may treat this ability as in addition to the uses of that ability.
Note: If one is using the 3.5 luck feats (from Complete Scoundrel), then having one of those feats is also an acceptable prerequisite, in which case this feat loses its [racial] descriptor and gains the luck descriptor.
Coven's Mind [coven]
You and the other members of your coven share a subconscious bond of information and talent.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven.
Benefit: Every member of your coven is treated as being trained in any skill for purposes of being able to make checks with that skill as long as at least one member of the coven has at least rank in that skill. Additionally, if at least three members members of the coven are present, then they get a get a +2 bonus any knowledge checks they make. Finally, members of the coven reinforce your mental resolve. As long as at least one other member of your coven is within 60 feet of you, you gain a +2 bonus to will saves.
Coven's Scar [coven]
Prerequisites: Greater Coven, Scar hex.
Benefit: Any member of your coven who has the scar hex treats any being scarred by a member of the coven as scarred by themselves. However, they can only remove a scar placed by another this way if their effective witch level for hexes is at least as high as the effective witch level of the witch whose scar they are removing.
Coven's Summons [coven]
Prerequisites: Augment Summoning, Greater Coven.
Benefit: Your coven add the Summon Monster line and Summon Nature's Ally lines of spells it can cast as a coven. Also, whenever any member of your coven, or your coven as a whole uses a summoning effect they gain the benefits of your Augment Summoning feat as long as at least one other member of the Coven is within 30 feet of them. Finally, whenever any member of your coven casts a summoning spell, any being summoned is summoned with additional hitpoints equal to twice the number of coven members with this feat.
Coven's Thaumaturgy [coven]
You can more effectively coordinate your spellcasting with your other coven members.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Able to cast Collaborative Thaumaturgy.
Benefit: This feat has three benefits. First, when you or a coven member casts Collaborative Thaumaturgy you may also apply it to hexes which are spell-like abilities or which duplicate spells as long as the corresponding spell satisfies the usual level requirements of a spell for Collaborative Thaumaturgy. Second, any time you cast Collaborative Thaumaturgy on a spell or hex by a fellow coven member the caster level of the spell or hex benefited is increased by 1. Finally, you may cast Collaborative Thaumaturgy without the focus as long as at least two other coven members are within 30 feet of you.
Coven's Tongue [coven]
Prerequisites: Greater Coven and Coven's Mind.
Benefit: You automatically know any language known to any other member of your coven as long as they are on the same plane as you; due to your second-hand nature of this knowledge, you take a -2 penalty on all skill checks made when using this other language, such as when making diplomacy checks. All coven members also benefit slightly from your own skill. When making skill checks using any language you know (not from this feat but actually know), other Coven members get a +1 bonus.
Coven Unchained [coven]
You have the ability to coordinate the magic of many witches.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Either have witch class level 5 or be a hag.
Benefit: You add half your character level to the maximum number of witches which may be in a coven with you. You also may have non-witches in your coven as long as they are spellcasters.
Coven's Visit [coven]
You can bring your fellow witches into the dreams of others.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Speak in Dreams hex.
Benefit:When you use your Speak in Dream ability, you may choose to have other members of your coven also contribute to the message. To do so, you must be in physical contact with them, generally sitting down and holding hands. Additionally, you may use Speak in Dream to speak to any other member of your coven without counting against your usual limit of number of uses of this ability.
Den Mother [coven]
Prerequisites: Greater Coven.
Benefit: You and every member of your coven gain the special ability of any familiar of any other coven member. Additionally, you may prepare spells from your coven mates familiars instead of your own. You cannot use this to prepare patron spells or other special spells if you would not normally have access to them.
Dream Council [coven]
You can construct a Dream Council where you and many sleeping beings may take part.
Prerequisites: Coven's Visit, Greater Coven, Speak in Dreams.
Benefit:You may construct a dream which all willing members of your coven take part- generally the dream has a single location which you imagine, such as a council chamber or a forested glade. You may in addition to the members of your coven include up to 1 individual per your intelligence modifier. All individuals must be sleeping. Unwilling beings get a will save to avoid being drawn into the dream environment. The dream occurs nearly instantaneously from the perspective of beings not inside the Council but can in subjective time last a long time (up to 3 hours). Some legends tell of powerful witches who can use this ability to reach the dreams of those separated not just by space but by time. But if this is true, the secrets of how to do so are unknown.
Elven Coven [coven, racial]
You can share some of your innate elven affinity for magic with your fellow coven members.
Prerequisite: Greater Coven. At least one of the elven immunities and elven magic racial features.
Benefit: All members of your coven gain a +2 bonus to saving throws against sleep effects as long as it is an effect that an elf would be immune to. Additionally, when using hexes, your coven mates gain a +1 bonus to caster checks to penetrate spell resistance. If more than 1 elf is in your coven with this feat, these bonuses stack.
Eye of the Witch Queen
Some can give people an evil eye that makes them temporarily feel unwell. You can stare at them with all the power of the witches who have become before you.
Prerequisites: Evil Eye hex, able to cast a third level arcane spell.
Benefit: When you use your Evil Eye you may choose to have it last days rather than rounds. You may only have one instance of Improved Evil Eye at a time, and if you use this ability any previous instance currently active is immediately removed. If you have at least ten levels of Witch, you may choose instead for your Evil Eye to have a duration of permanent, but if so, it also ends if you are slain.
Fate's Fickle Finger
As fortune shows disfavor to some, she turns to favor others.
Prerequisites: Both the Misfortune and the Fortune hexes .
Benefit: Whenever a target fails its save against your Misfortune Hex, you may then use your Fortune Hex as a free action. If you do so, and the target of the Fortune Hex is a fellow member of your coven, then they may choose to gain the benefits of Fortune after a roll has been made but before the outcome is known rather than before the roll is made.
Feast of Ambition
Prerequisites: Cauldron hex, Cook People hex, able to cast a 4th level arcane spell.
Benefit: When you use the Cook People hex, you may instead make enough food for number of consumers equal to your intelligence modifier, and those who consume it also gain the benefits of a Heroes' Feat spell. Additionally, if the being cooked has at least five hit die, then you may instead have may elect multiple benefits of the sort one would get from Cook People with an additional benefit for every five hit die (so 3 benefits at 10 hit die, 4 at 15 and so on). You may choose a single benefit multiple times- if you do instead of stacking you increase the number of hours that that benefit applies to. For example with a 10 hit die being you might choose 2 hours of cat's grace an 1 hour of bull's strength, or 3 hours of cat's grace. Additionally, if the being in question is a spellcaster and you partake in the meal you automatically gain the benefits of a Blood Transcription spell.
Gunwitch
You can combine gunplay and witchcraft, or was that witchplay and guncraft?
Prerequisites: Grit class feature, Hex class feature.
Benefit: You count your levels in any grit granting class (such as gunslinger) as as witch levels for purposes
of the caster level of your hexes. You count witch levels as gunslinger levels for purposes of what deeds you can do. You gain a +2 bonus on any attack roll made with a gun against a target which has failed a save against one of your hexes in the last minute or is currently subject to one of your hexes. If you are a member of a coven, then this bonus also applies if the hex was from a fellow coven member rather than yourself.
Hemic Hex
You can use the blood you have stolen to work your magic more effectively.
Prerequisite: Hex class feature, must be a dhampir or vampire.
Benefit: This feat has two benefits. First, whenever you drain blood from a being, that being takes a -2 penalty on saves against your hexes for 24 hours. If you have the Blood Drinker feat, and the being drained is of a subtype chosen by you, this penalty becomes -4. If you are a member of a coven, then these penalties also apply to any hexes cast by a coven member. Second, if you have the Scar hex and you choose to scar a being you are drinking blood from, you may do so as a free action (in which case the penalty above to the save applies).
Hexagonal Magic [coven]
What better to go with a hex than a hexagon?
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Spellcraft 6 ranks, Profession(Herbalist) 2 ranks.
Benefit: You learn to draw three different types of magical hexagons.
Drawing a magic hexagon requires specially prepared dyes on a flat surface. These dyes are generally made from
plants and cost 100 gp to be large enough to fit a large or smaller creature, with the cost doubling for each size increase after that. Drawing a hexagon takes 10 minutes. Using any hexagon for more than 6 spells or effects spells makes the hexagon burn out, destroying any dye used.
The first type of hexagon grants you bonuses to any hexes or spell you or a coven member uses against a being within the hexagon. Any coven member treats the save DC of any spell or hex they use against a being in the hexagon as 2 higher and they get a +4 bonus to any attempt to penetrate spell resistance. Additionally, you and up to 5 other witches may stand on the outside of the hexagon, each at a corner. each at a . For each such witch, the save DC goes up by 1 and the bonus to spell resistance increases by 2.
The second hexagon is a healing hexagon. Any being placed within the hexagon when you or any coven member heals the being, you treat your effective caster level as 4 higher. If a corpse is placed within then this also applies to the caster level of any resurrection effect you use (which may be relevant if some force is resisting an attempt at resurrection).
The third hexagon is an animating hexagon, used to animate undead. As long as a corpse is placed within the hexagon, when you or any member of your coven uses an effect which animates or creates undead and targets the corpse, they treat their caster level as 4 higher, and any being created gets 2 bonus hit points.
Improved Aura of Purity
Prerequisites: Aura of Purity hex.
Benefit: When you use your Aura of Purity hex, the range is extended to 30 feet, and if a being in the range is currently subject to any effect that could be potentially negated by Aura of Purity by a witch of sufficiently high level (even if it is of a level too high to be effected by you) they get an additional save with a +4 bonus to remove the effect.
Insane Giggle
Some witches practice cackling in a disturbing fashion. You have more of a giggle, and a giggle that leaves no doubts about your sanity.
Prerequisites: Cackle hex.
Benefit: When you use your Cackle hex you may designate one creature within 30 feet currently subject to one of the hexes whose duration is extended by Cackle. That target for the duration of the hex takes a -2 morale penalty to attack rolls and takes a -2 penalty to saves as long as they remain under the effect of the hex. If you, or any coven member in the next one minute casts a spell on that target or uses a hex that allows for spell resistance they also get a +2 bonus to penetrate spell resistance .
Note: If playing with the sanity system from Horror Adventures, then the first time any being is ever subject to an Insane Giggle they automatically take one point of sanity damage. A similarly small amount of sanity damage may be appropriate if using other sanity systems.
Metallic Nails
Your nails are not only unnaturally long and curled, but they have a metallic sheen to them.
Prerequisites: Nails hex.
Benefit: Pick one of silver, cold iron, or adamantium. Your nails are treated as being of that material for purposes of overcoming damage reduction, and the damage dealt by your nails increases one die level (1d2 becoming 1d3, 1d3 becoming 1d4, 1d4 becoming 1d6, 1d6 becoming 1d8) . In addition, when trimmed your nails regrow in 1d4 hours instead of 1d4 days. You may select this feat up to 3 times. Each time you do, you treat your nails as having an additional metal and the damage die increases.
Minds Awakened And Joined Together [coven, psionic]
The power of your mind is truly great and your mind's power intermingles with that of your coven members.
Prerequisite: Mindwitch, Coven's Mind.
Benefit: This feat has four benefits. First, when you regain power points, you gain 1 additional power point for every two coven member within 30 feet of you. Second, you count all [coven] feats as psionic feats. This means that for example you can gain a coven whenever you could gain a psionic feat, and if you have a feat that depends on the number of psionic feats (such as Psionic Body) that you count coven feats towards that feat. Finally, your shared familiarity with psionics gives everyone in your coven a +2 circumstance bonus to checks related to psionics, including knowledge checks and spellcraft checks. Fourth, if any member of your coven has a power point pool, they add the number of members of the coven with this feat to the maximum size of their pool.
Mindwitch [psionic]
Your mind is more powerful than others. Perhaps that is why your patron saw fit to bestow other powers upon you.
Prerequisites: Able to manifest a 1st level power, hex class feature.
Benefit: Choose a manifesting class you have at least one level in. You treat levels of that class as witch levels for purposes of the caster level of your hexes, and you treat witch levels as manifester levels of that class for purpose of how many power points you get and for how much you may augment psionic powers.
Mother, Maiden, Crone [coven]
So many stories tell of the Mother, Maiden and the Crone. Those stories reflect deep archetypes in the collective unconsciousness, and you can channel a small part of the power of those archetypes.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven.
Benefit: In any coven you are in, one member is designated the Mother, one is the Maiden and on the Crone. Once designated, it takes either 2/3rd of the coven to transfer designation (in a 1 hour ceremony), or it requires a witch with this feat and the presence of all three designates.
No witch may have two designations this way. In order for any witch to benefit from their designation, there must be witches in the coven with the other two designations. If a designate has been dead for at least seven days, the coven may simply designate a new one.
The maiden channels some of the maiden's charm and appearance of innocence. They gain the ability to use charm person as a spell-like ability three times daily, and a +2 bonus to diplomacy and bluff checks. For every additional person in the coven with this feat, the bonus to diplomacy and bluff checks increases by 2, and the number of times daily the maiden may use charm person increases by 1.
Mothers know everything, even the things their charges think they don't know. The mother gains a +3 bonus to all sense motive checks. Also, the mother gains the healing hex if they do not already have it. If the mother has the healing hex, then whenever they use it they heal 2 extra hit points. For every additional person in the coven with this feat, the mother's healing hex heals an additional 2 hit points.
The crone represents experience and the frightening possibilities of death and old age. The crone gets a +2 bonus to all intimidate checks, +2 bonus to all knowledge checks (and may make all knowledge checks untrained). The crone treats the save DC of any spell or ability with the [fear] descriptor as one higher, and for any such spell or ability which has a maximum hit die it can effect, the maximum is increased by 1. If more than one person in the coven has this feat, then for each person beyond the first, the crone may prepare on additional spell daily with the [fear] descriptor. This spell must be of level strictly lower than the highest level spell they can cast.
My Sisters are My Body [coven]
Your magical connection with the members of your coven is so strong that you might as well be a single being.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven.
Benefit: When you cast a spell target "you" you may instead cast the spell with a range of close and a target any member of your coven. If you or any other coven member has the Den Mother feat then you may also instead target a familiar of one of your coven members. Also, any member of your coven whenever they are within 60 feet of another member as an immediate action transfer a source of damage that would otherwise harm a coven mate to themselves. If an effect has any features other than damage, the other effects still apply to the actual target. Effects which would occur over multiple rounds only have this apply in that instant of damage (so if a spell keeps doing damage, one could transfer it repeatedly but each would require expending an immediate action).
Penetrating Hexes
Prerequisites: Hex class feature.
Benefit:You get a +4 bonus on all caster level checks to penetrate spell resistance with your hexes, and your hexes ignore any effect that would provide a bonus to saves only against hexes (such as the hex ward spell) as long as its the caster level is less than the caster level of your hex. If you are a member of a coven, then any other coven member gets a +1 bonus to penetrating spell resistance with their hexes (multiple witches with this feat in the same coven do not stack).
Power Which Stands Against Others
You have trained in using your witchcraft against other magical foes.
Prerequisites: Improved Counterspell, at least three hexes.
Benefit: Whenever you successfully counterspell a being, for the next one minute you get a +4 bonus to saves against spells or any hexes that being uses against you and you are treated as having spell resistance 10 + your witch level against any spell or spell-like ability they use. If you are a member of a coven, then any other coven member standing within 100 feet of you gets the same benefits.
Razor Hair
Your hair is razor sharp.
Prerequisites: At least two hexes at least one of which is Prehensile Hair.
Benefit: Whenever you use your Prehensile Hair to do damage you may choose to have it do an additional 1d6 points of slashing damage.
Rock Band [coven]
You can share the power of ioun stones with your fellow coven members.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven.
Benefit: You may on your turn as a free action turn send any Ioun Stone currently circling your head to a willing coven mate within 30 feet of you. Also, as long as a coven mate is within 30 feet of you and has an ioun stone, you gain the benefits of that stone (you may suppress this ability if you choose). If a coven mate has multiple stones or multiple coven mates have stones you may only gain the benefit from one, but changing which one is a free action that you can do once a round. The coven mate still gains the benefit from the stone. You cannot benefit from more than one ioun stone per a coven member this way but can benefit from ioun stones from multiple coven members simultaneously.
Rose of Twilight [coven]
There are some roses which are said to only open when the sun is set but it is not yet dusk. You have found such a rose, and shared it with your fellow witches.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven, Able to cast both Inflict Light Wounds and Cure Light Wounds
Benefit: Whenever you or a fellow coven member within 100 feet of you casts a spell which deals positive or negative energy damage, you heal hit points equal to twice the spell level. If this would heal you beyond your maximum number of hit points, any extra hit points are temporary hit points lasting 1 minute. Whenever any coven member casts a cure or inflict spell, they treat their caster level as one higher for purposes of the amount healed and the number of targets. Multiple coven members with this feat stack for this purpose.
Scarring Hair
As your hair lashes out it leaves the target scarred not just in body but in soul..
Prerequisite: Both the Prehensile Hair hex and the Scar hex.
Benefit: Whenever you successfully do damage with your Prehensile Hair, you may choose to use your scarring hex as a free action. If you do, the target takes a penalty to its will save equal to half the damage dealt by your hair.
Scarring Nails
Prerequisite: Both the Nails hex and the Scar hex.
Benefit: Whenever you successfully do damage with your nails, you may choose to use your scarring hex as a free action. If you do, the target takes a penalty to its will save equal to half the damage dealt by your nails.
Secret Way of Witches
You know secrets of witchcraft and how witchcraft subtly differs from other forms of magic.
Prerequisites: 3 ranks in Spellcraft and 3 ranks in Knowledge(arcana), witch level 3.
Benefit: You and your familiar have an improved understanding of the magic of fellow witches. You gain a +4 bonus to spellcraft checks from spells or other effects cast by or created by witches (such as identifying a spell that has been cast, or deciphering a witch scroll, or identifying a magic item made by a witch, or learning a spell from their familiar). You automatically recognize when any spell or hex is from a witch and when you successfully identify a magic item you can automatically tell if any witch was involved in the making of the item. You also get a +4 bonus to knowledge checks about witches, such as say a knowledge check concerning the legends of a famous witch.
If you have the Greater Coven feat then your familiar automatically succeeds at any spellcraft check to learn a spell from another witch's familiar if the other witch is a member of your coven. Familiars of other members of your coven gain a +2 circumstance bonus to spellcraft checks to learn spells from familiars of other witches in the coven.
Shared Hex [coven]
You can share more of your patron's gifts with your fellow coven members.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven, one major hex and at least two common hexes.
Benefit: When you choose this feat, choose a a common hex you know. Any member of your coven may when they are preparing spells choose to have this hex for the next 24 hours. If a member of your coven is a witch or other class with hexes then they treat their effective caster level for the hex as their usual level for hexes. If they are not a witch they instead treat their effective witch level as level 1.
Shared Home [coven]
You may let other members of your coven automatically see through your disguise.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven, Hidden Home hex.
Benefit: You may choose when altering your Hidden Home so that any members of your coven automatically see through the illusion. You may also designate other specific members as able to dismiss or alter the illusion. Finally, when you or any other coven member prepares spells in the area of the Hidden Home, they may prepare one extra spell of up to the second highest level spell they can cast.
Sorceress-Witch
Magic flows through your blood, and your patron has gifted you with other powers. These combine allowing you to reach extreme levels of arcane power.
Prerequisites: Bewitching Sorcery, Bloodline power, hex class feature.
Benefit: You count of any class which advances bloodline power as witch levels for purposes of the caster level of your hexes. You count levels of any hex-advancing class as levels of sorcerer for purposes of advancing your bloodline. Also, you treat all spells you are granted by your patron as extra spells known in any spontaneous arcane casting class.
Subtle Poison [coven]
You can make poisons which do not harm you nor members of your coven.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven, Poison Steep hex, Cauldron hex.
Benefit: You may when you use Poison Steep make food where the poison does not effect you or members of your coven. You may also specify that the poison does not effect specific other people, but each person you specify who is not you and is not in your coven reduces the save DC of the poison by 1.
Sustained Healing
Prerequisites: Healing hex. At least one major hex.
Benefit: Whenever you use your healing hex on someone, you may choose to have your magic continue to flow through them, providing further protection against additional injury. If you do, for 24 hours they gain the following benefits: they gain a +2 resistance bonus on fortitude non-magical diseases and poisons. They gain a +2 circumstance bonus on constitution checks to stabilize when dying. Anyone attempting to perform a heal check on them gets a +5 circumstance bonus to the heal check. Finally, you add half your hex's caster level to how many hits points they may go negative before they die outright.
A Touch of Undeath [coven]
You can spread some of your unlife to protect living members of your coven.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Must be undead.
Benefit: Any living member of your coven gains a +2 bonus on a save on any effect that would not normally effect undead beings (such as poison or level drain). Any member of your coven (including yourself) may once daily when they prepare spells prepare one additional necromancy spell of level strictly lower than the highest level spell they can prepare. If multiple coven members have this feat, then each member may prepare one additional spell for each member who have this feat, but the bonuses to saves do not stack.
Tripping Hair
You can use your elongated hair to make a trip attack as a standard action.
Prerequisites: Prehensile Hair hex, BAB +5
You can use your hair attack to make trip attacks. If you do, you use your witch level +intelligence modifier as your effective CMB. Additionally, you are treated as having the benefits of Improved Trip and Greater Trip whenever you use your hair to trip someone. If you have Improved Trip and Greater Trip then you add a +2 bonus to your effective CMB when using your hair to trip.
Witch-Mage
You can combine your other forms of magic with the power granted to you by your patron.
Prerequisites: Hex class feature, able to cast a first level arcane spell from a class other than witch.
Benefit: Pick an arcane spellcasting class other than witch. You count levels of that class as witch levels for purposes of the caster level of your hexes. You count witch levels as levels of that class for purpose of the caster level of its spells.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times. Each time you do, it applies to a different arcane spellcasting class.
Witch-Priestess
Perhaps you can access your patron's power in two different ways. Or perhaps a deity has seen fit to listen to your pleas even as a more mysterious entity grants you other abilities.
Prerequisites: Hex class feature, able to cast a first level divine spell.
Benefit: Pick a divine spellcasting class. You count levels of that class as witch levels for purposes of the caster level of your hexes. You count witch levels as levels of that class for purpose of the caster level of its spells.
Special:You may take this feat multiple times. Each time you do, it applies to a different divine spellcasting class.
Witch's Protection
You can more effectively protect those you care about against the witchcraft of others.
Prerequisites: Scar hex, or Witch's Charge. able to cast Hex Ward.
Benefit: You can use your witchcraft to specifically protect against the witchcraft of others. Any being subject to your scar hex or witch's charge hex when subject to a casting of Hex Ward by you has your caster level increased by 1, and you may choose (at the time of using the hex or casting hex ward) to also give the subject spell resistance 10 + your caster level against hexes cast by others. If you are in a coven, you may choose for this bonus to not apply to your fellow coven members.
Witch of Mysteries
Your patron, your curse, and your visions are all intertwined. You can't see the whole picture, but you can see enough.
Prerequisite: Oracle Curse class feature, Hex class feature.
Benefit: You add your witch level to your effective oracle level for all effects of your curse class feature, as well as the effective oracle level for purposes of what your mysteries do (but not for which you can select). You add your oracle levels to your witch level for determining the caster level of hexes.
Witch of the Wild
Your patron is strongly associated with nature and you can use that association.
Prerequisites: Nature's Bond, Wild Empathy, Hex class feature.
Benefit: You count witch levels as effectively druid levels for purposes of your Nature's Bond and Wild Empathy class features. You count your druid levels as witch levels for purposes of determining the caster level of your hexes.
Witch Sworn
You have sworn to protect a witch, even if it means your own life.
Prerequisites: BAB +1, must have a witch ally.
Benefit: You have sworn to protect a specific witch, whether out of loyalty to their cause, love or some other motivation. Whenever the witch you are sworn to is within 5 feet of you, the witch gains a +2 bonus to AC and a +2 bonus to reflex saves. You gain a +2 morale bonus to attack rolls against targets which have attempted to harm your witch in an encounter. Finally, when your witch casts a spell on you which you willingly accept, the caster level of the spell is increased by 1 for purposes of duration. Attacking or harming your witch is automatically considered an action against your nature for purposes of effects like dominate person.
In many traditions, witches are generally women. Most of this material is named with that assumption in mind, but it is worth asking from a worldbuilding perspective why one would expect this and how consistent it is with the Pathfinder rules. One interpretation is that people with the intelligence and magical "spark" who are highly literate are more likely to become wizards. People with the intelligence to become a mage but aren't recognized may be taken up by a powerful force, the patron for their own ends. Thus, in less egalitarian cultures, wizards will tend to be men and witches will tend to be women.
But if this is the case then there will be other differences. The children of aristocrats or wealthy merchants are more likely to have the sort of deep education which might lead to them becoming a wizard and they might be more likely to be around people that notice the subtle cues that the child harbors some degree of magical aptitude. If this the case, then witches will also tend to be more likely from lower socioeconomic statuses than wizards or more likely to be from people who are outside society. By a similar token, the deep costs involved involved in being a wizard may be make it a class more closely connected to the wealthy. Witches thus may be more on the margins of society and less beholden to or sympathetic to official power structures. Strictly speaking, this line of thought is not necessary to any of the crunch material here, but it is worth noting as a general fluff idea and does influence (slightly) some of the thought that went into some of the material here.
There are four issues with the default coven rules for Pathfinder. First, the standard Pathfinder rules for covens require a hag. This substantially reduces the flexibility involved. Good witches in covens are nearly impossible, and one's setting must contain hags. These rules allow for witches of all types to form covens whether or not hags are involved. Second, covens are limited to three members in the existing rule set. While the coven of three is often traditional, one also sees covens of other numbers. Third, the benefits of covens under the default rules are generally fixed and simply duplicate some existing spells. These rules allow for covens to have some unique abilities. Fourth, under the Pathfinder rules, the incentive for witches is not to form even informal groups of witches, but rather because it is very easy for witches to exchange spells to instead form loose networks of witches.
As I was writing this system up I also became aware of this alternate set of coven rules by rferries. (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?528391-Coven-Feats) That system is interesting, and also introduces a new [Coven] feat type. The system is simpler and mainly gives a few fixed benefits. That system focuses mainly on what the coven can do as a group. This system focuses more on what benefits the coven gives to individual coven members. That said, that system has some definite mechanical benefits in terms of simplicity of implementation
One may note that a PC who takes the Leadership feat could potentially gain their own large set of witch followers to get major benefits with this system. Leadership is generally already broken. This says more about that feat than any of the material here.
It is also possible that an entire set of PCs could agree to all play witches in the same coven. While that may lead to a powerful set of PCs, this isn't a concern for two reasons. First, this gives the PCs more of an in-character reason to stick together than most parties, and allows for some potentially interesting roleplaying. Second, unlike the Leadership scenario, this is functionally a boost to all PCs' power level, so no one will feel that they are getting overshadowed. .
For simplicity, here is most basic feat which allows witches to form a coven and then the remainder will be alphabetically listed. The next two posts will then contain other thematically related material including, spells and artifacts.
Greater Coven [coven]
You can lead the formation of a coven even without a hag.
Prerequisites: Either the coven hex or be a witch of at least third level.
Benefit: You gain the coven hex if you do not already have it. You may form a coven of witches even without a hag, and the others may be witches who do not need to have this feat or the coven hex. You may have in your coven as many witches as your highest mental ability modifier plus your number of [coven] feats (minimum 3). If more than one witch in a coven has the Greater Coven feat, then the maximum coven size is calculated for each such witch, and the largest value determines the maximum size of a coven. As a coven, you gain the same spell-like abilities that default hag coven would get (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/monstrous-humanoids/hag/) as long as at least one member of the coven is able to cast spells of that spell's equivalent level and is present. For calculating the spell-like ability's spell level for this purpose, use the lowest level that spell appears on the cleric, sorcerer/wizard, witch or druid list. For example, if the highest level witch in the coven can cast 4th level spells, then the coven can cast blight because it appears as a 4th level druid spell, but the coven cannot cast forecage because it is a 7th level wizard spell).
To use any spell-like ability of this sort, at least three coven members must be present and at least two-thirds of coven members must be present.
Additionally, any member of the coven as long as the coven has lasted for at least one week may as long as they prepare spells with at least other two members present gains the following additional advantages. First, they may prepare one extra level one spell. If multiple members of the coven have the Greater Coven feat, then one may prepare one extra first spell for each coven member with this feat who is present (including themselves). Second, when they prepare spells they may prepare a single patron spells that would be patron spell for one of the other witches and is not the highest level spell they can cast as long as that witch is present. This spell does not count as knowing this spell for any prerequisite purposes and they cannot teach this spell to a familiar or use it to make scrolls or other magic items. Additional members with this feat do not increase the number of patron spells one may prepare.
Some feats and abilities will refer to coven members or interact with one's coven members. For all purposes, one remains a member of a coven as long as has prepared spells or engaged in other magical rituals with at least one of those individuals in the last year and a day. However, if a coven has only three members and one joins another coven at any time, the original coven is considered disbanded and must be reformed by all coven members meeting. Depending on the tradition and the patron, reforming a broken coven may be more difficult, requiring additional time and rituals, or may be impossible. If a coven has more than three members, then individuals may leave the coven at any time, but rejoining the coven can only occur a year and a day after one has left, and may require additional rituals. Players are encouraged to work with their DMs to create thematically appropriate rituals both for introducing new members to a coven as well as for readmitting a member who has previously left. For example, a ritual to admit a new member might require a meeting at a sacred grove the night before the summer solstice.
Finally, note that this feat, and some other feats have a new descriptor, the [coven] descriptor. In general, any feat which has this feat as a prerequisite will have the [coven] descriptor. Whenever someone with the hex class feature would gain a new hex for advancing a level, they may instead choose a feat with the [coven] descriptor. Two of these feats, Witch Sworn and Coven Sworn, are intended not for witches, but for close allies of witches.
Additional feats:
Alchemical Witch
You can combine the secrets of alchemy with the secrets of witchcraft.
Prerequisites: Mutagen class feature, hex class feature.
Benefit: You count witch levels as effective alchemist levels for your mutagen class feature, and for your effective alchemist level for purposes of what discoveries you can select and what they do. You count alchemist levels as witch levels for purposes of the caster level of your witch hexes. Finally, if you have the Cook People hex, you may when use it also treat the meal created as a mutagen in addition to its other effects.
Bewitching Performance
Prerequisites: 1 rank in a Perform skill, hex class feature.
Benefit: When you make a perform check in a skill you have at least one point, you may sacrifice a spell slot to add twice that spell level as a competence bonus the Perform check. Additionally, any being whose attitude has become more favorable to you due to a Performance in the last 24 hours takes a -2 penalty on saves against your hexes. If you have the bardic music class feature, then any being that has failed a save against any bardic music ability of yours also takes a -2 penalty in the same way (these do not stack). If you are a member of a coven, these penalties apply to hexes from fellow coven members as well.
By Fire and Water, by Earth and Air [coven]
Witchcraft is closely associated with the natural elements, and your coven deeply understands the balance between all of them.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven, must be in a coven with at least four members (counting yourself).
Benefit: Any member of the coven when they enter the coven declares their association with one of the four elements, (Air, Earth, Fire or Water). Once declared, they may change this association only with an eight hour ritual with at least one other member of the coven. Any member of the coven casts spells with the descriptor of their associated element with their caster level increased by 1 and save DC by 1. For spells of the opposing element, they treat their caster level as one lower. (Fire opposes water and air opposes earth.)
As long as the coven has at least one coven member of each element all coven members gain the following additional benefits: When they prepare witch spells, they may prepare extra spells. These extra spells total levels must sum to no higher than the highest level spell they can cast -1. They treat cantrips as half levels for this purpose. These spells must have the descriptor of the associated element to that witch. For example, a witch whose highest level spell is third might prepare a second level spell, or two first level spells, or a first level spell and two cantrips, or four cantrips. For every additional member of the coven with this feat, the sum of spell levels they may prepare this way increases by 1.
Borrowed Hex [coven]
You can take hexes known to your fellow coven members.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Knowledge of at least two major hexes.
Benefit: Once a day when you prepare spells you may select a common hex known to one of your coven members. You are treated for 24 hours like you also have that hex known. You must meet the prerequisites for the hex in question.
Cascading Hexes [coven]
You and your coven members can coordinate hexes to make them harder to resist.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven.
Benefit: When you or anyone else in your coven uses a hex on a target and another member of the coven has used that same hex on the target within the last 24 hours they add 1 to the save DC of the hex. This increase stacks with multiple uses from distinct members of the coven. So for example if 2 witches had previously used sleep on a target then the bonus would be +2 and so on.
Coven of Foxes [coven, racial]
You can share some of your natural Kitsune magic with your fellow coven members and use their support to further your own magic.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven, must have the Kitsune Magic racial ability.
Benefit: Anyone in your coven gains the benefits of the Kitsune Magic racial feature. In addition, if you have the Magical Tail feat, you gain a +1 bonus to caster level (and save DC if any) of your Magical Tail spell-like abilities if you use one when at least two other coven mates are within 30 feet.
Cauldron of the Coven [coven]
One witch at a cauldron is nothing compared to a coven around the same cauldron.
Prerequisites: Cauldron Hex. Coven hex or Greater Coven.
Benefit: Your bonus from Cauldron to alchemy checks becomes +6 if at least one other coven member is present. If you and two other coven members work with you in making a potion, its effective caster level is increased by 2.
Additionally, if you have the Hag's Eye hex you gain additional benefits. When you use your Hag's Eye, you may project the view onto the surface of a bubbling cauldron. Anyone you choose may see this, even if they are not a member of your coven You may also replay in your cauldron any image you have previously used your Hag's Eye to see, but the image becomes slightly blurrier, resulting in it being clear to anyone familiar with the magic (DC 20 Knowledge(Arcana) or a DC 25 Spellcraft) that this is a playback rather than a direct vision.
Coven of the Damned [coven, racial]
You can share some of your infernal heritage with your fellow coven members.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Darkness spell-like ability of a tiefling, darkvision.
Benefit: Any member of your coven gains the ability to use darkness once a day as a spell-like ability with effective caster level equal to their witch level Additionally, any member of your coven who has the Nail's hex gains a +2 bonus on attack roles using their nails, and they treat their Nails as good-aligned for purposes of overcoming damage reduction.
Coven Sworn
Your loyalty to one witch in a coven extends to the others.
Prerequisites: Witch Sworn to a witch in a coven.
Benefit: All the benefits of Witch Sworn apply to any witch in your sworn witch's coven, with the exceptions that the bonus to AC and reflex saves may only apply to one witch at a time (changing which one takes a free action on your turn).
Coven's Counterspell [coven]
You can draw upon your fellow coven member's magic when fighting back against the magic of others.
Prerequisites:
Greater Coven, able to cast a 2nd level spell.
Benefit:You may use a spell from a coven mate who is within 30 feet of you to counterspell (if you attempt to use a spell they do not have prepared the action is wasted). A fellow coven member who does not wish you to do this may prevent you from doing so with no effort. To use this ability you must be able to use a spell of the level which you are taking from your coven member.
Coven members may also use your spells to counterspell in the same fashion, but they cannot use any spell of yours unless they can cast a spell of a level higher than the spell in question (unless they also have this feat).
Finally, if any coven member uses Dispel Magic or a similar spell to counterspell, they gain a bonus on the associated caster level checks (or if in 3.5 the dispel check) equal to the number of members of the coven with this feat.
Coven's Luck [coven, racial]
You have more luck than you know what to do with, so of course you give some of it your fellow coven members.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Either adaptable luck or halfling luck racial features,
Benefit: Once a day when making an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, before making the role, any member of your coven may twice a day apply a +1 luck bonus to that check. If you or another member already has Adaptable Luck, they may treat this ability as in addition to the uses of that ability.
Note: If one is using the 3.5 luck feats (from Complete Scoundrel), then having one of those feats is also an acceptable prerequisite, in which case this feat loses its [racial] descriptor and gains the luck descriptor.
Coven's Mind [coven]
You and the other members of your coven share a subconscious bond of information and talent.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven.
Benefit: Every member of your coven is treated as being trained in any skill for purposes of being able to make checks with that skill as long as at least one member of the coven has at least rank in that skill. Additionally, if at least three members members of the coven are present, then they get a get a +2 bonus any knowledge checks they make. Finally, members of the coven reinforce your mental resolve. As long as at least one other member of your coven is within 60 feet of you, you gain a +2 bonus to will saves.
Coven's Scar [coven]
Prerequisites: Greater Coven, Scar hex.
Benefit: Any member of your coven who has the scar hex treats any being scarred by a member of the coven as scarred by themselves. However, they can only remove a scar placed by another this way if their effective witch level for hexes is at least as high as the effective witch level of the witch whose scar they are removing.
Coven's Summons [coven]
Prerequisites: Augment Summoning, Greater Coven.
Benefit: Your coven add the Summon Monster line and Summon Nature's Ally lines of spells it can cast as a coven. Also, whenever any member of your coven, or your coven as a whole uses a summoning effect they gain the benefits of your Augment Summoning feat as long as at least one other member of the Coven is within 30 feet of them. Finally, whenever any member of your coven casts a summoning spell, any being summoned is summoned with additional hitpoints equal to twice the number of coven members with this feat.
Coven's Thaumaturgy [coven]
You can more effectively coordinate your spellcasting with your other coven members.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Able to cast Collaborative Thaumaturgy.
Benefit: This feat has three benefits. First, when you or a coven member casts Collaborative Thaumaturgy you may also apply it to hexes which are spell-like abilities or which duplicate spells as long as the corresponding spell satisfies the usual level requirements of a spell for Collaborative Thaumaturgy. Second, any time you cast Collaborative Thaumaturgy on a spell or hex by a fellow coven member the caster level of the spell or hex benefited is increased by 1. Finally, you may cast Collaborative Thaumaturgy without the focus as long as at least two other coven members are within 30 feet of you.
Coven's Tongue [coven]
Prerequisites: Greater Coven and Coven's Mind.
Benefit: You automatically know any language known to any other member of your coven as long as they are on the same plane as you; due to your second-hand nature of this knowledge, you take a -2 penalty on all skill checks made when using this other language, such as when making diplomacy checks. All coven members also benefit slightly from your own skill. When making skill checks using any language you know (not from this feat but actually know), other Coven members get a +1 bonus.
Coven Unchained [coven]
You have the ability to coordinate the magic of many witches.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Either have witch class level 5 or be a hag.
Benefit: You add half your character level to the maximum number of witches which may be in a coven with you. You also may have non-witches in your coven as long as they are spellcasters.
Coven's Visit [coven]
You can bring your fellow witches into the dreams of others.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Speak in Dreams hex.
Benefit:When you use your Speak in Dream ability, you may choose to have other members of your coven also contribute to the message. To do so, you must be in physical contact with them, generally sitting down and holding hands. Additionally, you may use Speak in Dream to speak to any other member of your coven without counting against your usual limit of number of uses of this ability.
Den Mother [coven]
Prerequisites: Greater Coven.
Benefit: You and every member of your coven gain the special ability of any familiar of any other coven member. Additionally, you may prepare spells from your coven mates familiars instead of your own. You cannot use this to prepare patron spells or other special spells if you would not normally have access to them.
Dream Council [coven]
You can construct a Dream Council where you and many sleeping beings may take part.
Prerequisites: Coven's Visit, Greater Coven, Speak in Dreams.
Benefit:You may construct a dream which all willing members of your coven take part- generally the dream has a single location which you imagine, such as a council chamber or a forested glade. You may in addition to the members of your coven include up to 1 individual per your intelligence modifier. All individuals must be sleeping. Unwilling beings get a will save to avoid being drawn into the dream environment. The dream occurs nearly instantaneously from the perspective of beings not inside the Council but can in subjective time last a long time (up to 3 hours). Some legends tell of powerful witches who can use this ability to reach the dreams of those separated not just by space but by time. But if this is true, the secrets of how to do so are unknown.
Elven Coven [coven, racial]
You can share some of your innate elven affinity for magic with your fellow coven members.
Prerequisite: Greater Coven. At least one of the elven immunities and elven magic racial features.
Benefit: All members of your coven gain a +2 bonus to saving throws against sleep effects as long as it is an effect that an elf would be immune to. Additionally, when using hexes, your coven mates gain a +1 bonus to caster checks to penetrate spell resistance. If more than 1 elf is in your coven with this feat, these bonuses stack.
Eye of the Witch Queen
Some can give people an evil eye that makes them temporarily feel unwell. You can stare at them with all the power of the witches who have become before you.
Prerequisites: Evil Eye hex, able to cast a third level arcane spell.
Benefit: When you use your Evil Eye you may choose to have it last days rather than rounds. You may only have one instance of Improved Evil Eye at a time, and if you use this ability any previous instance currently active is immediately removed. If you have at least ten levels of Witch, you may choose instead for your Evil Eye to have a duration of permanent, but if so, it also ends if you are slain.
Fate's Fickle Finger
As fortune shows disfavor to some, she turns to favor others.
Prerequisites: Both the Misfortune and the Fortune hexes .
Benefit: Whenever a target fails its save against your Misfortune Hex, you may then use your Fortune Hex as a free action. If you do so, and the target of the Fortune Hex is a fellow member of your coven, then they may choose to gain the benefits of Fortune after a roll has been made but before the outcome is known rather than before the roll is made.
Feast of Ambition
Prerequisites: Cauldron hex, Cook People hex, able to cast a 4th level arcane spell.
Benefit: When you use the Cook People hex, you may instead make enough food for number of consumers equal to your intelligence modifier, and those who consume it also gain the benefits of a Heroes' Feat spell. Additionally, if the being cooked has at least five hit die, then you may instead have may elect multiple benefits of the sort one would get from Cook People with an additional benefit for every five hit die (so 3 benefits at 10 hit die, 4 at 15 and so on). You may choose a single benefit multiple times- if you do instead of stacking you increase the number of hours that that benefit applies to. For example with a 10 hit die being you might choose 2 hours of cat's grace an 1 hour of bull's strength, or 3 hours of cat's grace. Additionally, if the being in question is a spellcaster and you partake in the meal you automatically gain the benefits of a Blood Transcription spell.
Gunwitch
You can combine gunplay and witchcraft, or was that witchplay and guncraft?
Prerequisites: Grit class feature, Hex class feature.
Benefit: You count your levels in any grit granting class (such as gunslinger) as as witch levels for purposes
of the caster level of your hexes. You count witch levels as gunslinger levels for purposes of what deeds you can do. You gain a +2 bonus on any attack roll made with a gun against a target which has failed a save against one of your hexes in the last minute or is currently subject to one of your hexes. If you are a member of a coven, then this bonus also applies if the hex was from a fellow coven member rather than yourself.
Hemic Hex
You can use the blood you have stolen to work your magic more effectively.
Prerequisite: Hex class feature, must be a dhampir or vampire.
Benefit: This feat has two benefits. First, whenever you drain blood from a being, that being takes a -2 penalty on saves against your hexes for 24 hours. If you have the Blood Drinker feat, and the being drained is of a subtype chosen by you, this penalty becomes -4. If you are a member of a coven, then these penalties also apply to any hexes cast by a coven member. Second, if you have the Scar hex and you choose to scar a being you are drinking blood from, you may do so as a free action (in which case the penalty above to the save applies).
Hexagonal Magic [coven]
What better to go with a hex than a hexagon?
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Spellcraft 6 ranks, Profession(Herbalist) 2 ranks.
Benefit: You learn to draw three different types of magical hexagons.
Drawing a magic hexagon requires specially prepared dyes on a flat surface. These dyes are generally made from
plants and cost 100 gp to be large enough to fit a large or smaller creature, with the cost doubling for each size increase after that. Drawing a hexagon takes 10 minutes. Using any hexagon for more than 6 spells or effects spells makes the hexagon burn out, destroying any dye used.
The first type of hexagon grants you bonuses to any hexes or spell you or a coven member uses against a being within the hexagon. Any coven member treats the save DC of any spell or hex they use against a being in the hexagon as 2 higher and they get a +4 bonus to any attempt to penetrate spell resistance. Additionally, you and up to 5 other witches may stand on the outside of the hexagon, each at a corner. each at a . For each such witch, the save DC goes up by 1 and the bonus to spell resistance increases by 2.
The second hexagon is a healing hexagon. Any being placed within the hexagon when you or any coven member heals the being, you treat your effective caster level as 4 higher. If a corpse is placed within then this also applies to the caster level of any resurrection effect you use (which may be relevant if some force is resisting an attempt at resurrection).
The third hexagon is an animating hexagon, used to animate undead. As long as a corpse is placed within the hexagon, when you or any member of your coven uses an effect which animates or creates undead and targets the corpse, they treat their caster level as 4 higher, and any being created gets 2 bonus hit points.
Improved Aura of Purity
Prerequisites: Aura of Purity hex.
Benefit: When you use your Aura of Purity hex, the range is extended to 30 feet, and if a being in the range is currently subject to any effect that could be potentially negated by Aura of Purity by a witch of sufficiently high level (even if it is of a level too high to be effected by you) they get an additional save with a +4 bonus to remove the effect.
Insane Giggle
Some witches practice cackling in a disturbing fashion. You have more of a giggle, and a giggle that leaves no doubts about your sanity.
Prerequisites: Cackle hex.
Benefit: When you use your Cackle hex you may designate one creature within 30 feet currently subject to one of the hexes whose duration is extended by Cackle. That target for the duration of the hex takes a -2 morale penalty to attack rolls and takes a -2 penalty to saves as long as they remain under the effect of the hex. If you, or any coven member in the next one minute casts a spell on that target or uses a hex that allows for spell resistance they also get a +2 bonus to penetrate spell resistance .
Note: If playing with the sanity system from Horror Adventures, then the first time any being is ever subject to an Insane Giggle they automatically take one point of sanity damage. A similarly small amount of sanity damage may be appropriate if using other sanity systems.
Metallic Nails
Your nails are not only unnaturally long and curled, but they have a metallic sheen to them.
Prerequisites: Nails hex.
Benefit: Pick one of silver, cold iron, or adamantium. Your nails are treated as being of that material for purposes of overcoming damage reduction, and the damage dealt by your nails increases one die level (1d2 becoming 1d3, 1d3 becoming 1d4, 1d4 becoming 1d6, 1d6 becoming 1d8) . In addition, when trimmed your nails regrow in 1d4 hours instead of 1d4 days. You may select this feat up to 3 times. Each time you do, you treat your nails as having an additional metal and the damage die increases.
Minds Awakened And Joined Together [coven, psionic]
The power of your mind is truly great and your mind's power intermingles with that of your coven members.
Prerequisite: Mindwitch, Coven's Mind.
Benefit: This feat has four benefits. First, when you regain power points, you gain 1 additional power point for every two coven member within 30 feet of you. Second, you count all [coven] feats as psionic feats. This means that for example you can gain a coven whenever you could gain a psionic feat, and if you have a feat that depends on the number of psionic feats (such as Psionic Body) that you count coven feats towards that feat. Finally, your shared familiarity with psionics gives everyone in your coven a +2 circumstance bonus to checks related to psionics, including knowledge checks and spellcraft checks. Fourth, if any member of your coven has a power point pool, they add the number of members of the coven with this feat to the maximum size of their pool.
Mindwitch [psionic]
Your mind is more powerful than others. Perhaps that is why your patron saw fit to bestow other powers upon you.
Prerequisites: Able to manifest a 1st level power, hex class feature.
Benefit: Choose a manifesting class you have at least one level in. You treat levels of that class as witch levels for purposes of the caster level of your hexes, and you treat witch levels as manifester levels of that class for purpose of how many power points you get and for how much you may augment psionic powers.
Mother, Maiden, Crone [coven]
So many stories tell of the Mother, Maiden and the Crone. Those stories reflect deep archetypes in the collective unconsciousness, and you can channel a small part of the power of those archetypes.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven.
Benefit: In any coven you are in, one member is designated the Mother, one is the Maiden and on the Crone. Once designated, it takes either 2/3rd of the coven to transfer designation (in a 1 hour ceremony), or it requires a witch with this feat and the presence of all three designates.
No witch may have two designations this way. In order for any witch to benefit from their designation, there must be witches in the coven with the other two designations. If a designate has been dead for at least seven days, the coven may simply designate a new one.
The maiden channels some of the maiden's charm and appearance of innocence. They gain the ability to use charm person as a spell-like ability three times daily, and a +2 bonus to diplomacy and bluff checks. For every additional person in the coven with this feat, the bonus to diplomacy and bluff checks increases by 2, and the number of times daily the maiden may use charm person increases by 1.
Mothers know everything, even the things their charges think they don't know. The mother gains a +3 bonus to all sense motive checks. Also, the mother gains the healing hex if they do not already have it. If the mother has the healing hex, then whenever they use it they heal 2 extra hit points. For every additional person in the coven with this feat, the mother's healing hex heals an additional 2 hit points.
The crone represents experience and the frightening possibilities of death and old age. The crone gets a +2 bonus to all intimidate checks, +2 bonus to all knowledge checks (and may make all knowledge checks untrained). The crone treats the save DC of any spell or ability with the [fear] descriptor as one higher, and for any such spell or ability which has a maximum hit die it can effect, the maximum is increased by 1. If more than one person in the coven has this feat, then for each person beyond the first, the crone may prepare on additional spell daily with the [fear] descriptor. This spell must be of level strictly lower than the highest level spell they can cast.
My Sisters are My Body [coven]
Your magical connection with the members of your coven is so strong that you might as well be a single being.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven.
Benefit: When you cast a spell target "you" you may instead cast the spell with a range of close and a target any member of your coven. If you or any other coven member has the Den Mother feat then you may also instead target a familiar of one of your coven members. Also, any member of your coven whenever they are within 60 feet of another member as an immediate action transfer a source of damage that would otherwise harm a coven mate to themselves. If an effect has any features other than damage, the other effects still apply to the actual target. Effects which would occur over multiple rounds only have this apply in that instant of damage (so if a spell keeps doing damage, one could transfer it repeatedly but each would require expending an immediate action).
Penetrating Hexes
Prerequisites: Hex class feature.
Benefit:You get a +4 bonus on all caster level checks to penetrate spell resistance with your hexes, and your hexes ignore any effect that would provide a bonus to saves only against hexes (such as the hex ward spell) as long as its the caster level is less than the caster level of your hex. If you are a member of a coven, then any other coven member gets a +1 bonus to penetrating spell resistance with their hexes (multiple witches with this feat in the same coven do not stack).
Power Which Stands Against Others
You have trained in using your witchcraft against other magical foes.
Prerequisites: Improved Counterspell, at least three hexes.
Benefit: Whenever you successfully counterspell a being, for the next one minute you get a +4 bonus to saves against spells or any hexes that being uses against you and you are treated as having spell resistance 10 + your witch level against any spell or spell-like ability they use. If you are a member of a coven, then any other coven member standing within 100 feet of you gets the same benefits.
Razor Hair
Your hair is razor sharp.
Prerequisites: At least two hexes at least one of which is Prehensile Hair.
Benefit: Whenever you use your Prehensile Hair to do damage you may choose to have it do an additional 1d6 points of slashing damage.
Rock Band [coven]
You can share the power of ioun stones with your fellow coven members.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven.
Benefit: You may on your turn as a free action turn send any Ioun Stone currently circling your head to a willing coven mate within 30 feet of you. Also, as long as a coven mate is within 30 feet of you and has an ioun stone, you gain the benefits of that stone (you may suppress this ability if you choose). If a coven mate has multiple stones or multiple coven mates have stones you may only gain the benefit from one, but changing which one is a free action that you can do once a round. The coven mate still gains the benefit from the stone. You cannot benefit from more than one ioun stone per a coven member this way but can benefit from ioun stones from multiple coven members simultaneously.
Rose of Twilight [coven]
There are some roses which are said to only open when the sun is set but it is not yet dusk. You have found such a rose, and shared it with your fellow witches.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven, Able to cast both Inflict Light Wounds and Cure Light Wounds
Benefit: Whenever you or a fellow coven member within 100 feet of you casts a spell which deals positive or negative energy damage, you heal hit points equal to twice the spell level. If this would heal you beyond your maximum number of hit points, any extra hit points are temporary hit points lasting 1 minute. Whenever any coven member casts a cure or inflict spell, they treat their caster level as one higher for purposes of the amount healed and the number of targets. Multiple coven members with this feat stack for this purpose.
Scarring Hair
As your hair lashes out it leaves the target scarred not just in body but in soul..
Prerequisite: Both the Prehensile Hair hex and the Scar hex.
Benefit: Whenever you successfully do damage with your Prehensile Hair, you may choose to use your scarring hex as a free action. If you do, the target takes a penalty to its will save equal to half the damage dealt by your hair.
Scarring Nails
Prerequisite: Both the Nails hex and the Scar hex.
Benefit: Whenever you successfully do damage with your nails, you may choose to use your scarring hex as a free action. If you do, the target takes a penalty to its will save equal to half the damage dealt by your nails.
Secret Way of Witches
You know secrets of witchcraft and how witchcraft subtly differs from other forms of magic.
Prerequisites: 3 ranks in Spellcraft and 3 ranks in Knowledge(arcana), witch level 3.
Benefit: You and your familiar have an improved understanding of the magic of fellow witches. You gain a +4 bonus to spellcraft checks from spells or other effects cast by or created by witches (such as identifying a spell that has been cast, or deciphering a witch scroll, or identifying a magic item made by a witch, or learning a spell from their familiar). You automatically recognize when any spell or hex is from a witch and when you successfully identify a magic item you can automatically tell if any witch was involved in the making of the item. You also get a +4 bonus to knowledge checks about witches, such as say a knowledge check concerning the legends of a famous witch.
If you have the Greater Coven feat then your familiar automatically succeeds at any spellcraft check to learn a spell from another witch's familiar if the other witch is a member of your coven. Familiars of other members of your coven gain a +2 circumstance bonus to spellcraft checks to learn spells from familiars of other witches in the coven.
Shared Hex [coven]
You can share more of your patron's gifts with your fellow coven members.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven, one major hex and at least two common hexes.
Benefit: When you choose this feat, choose a a common hex you know. Any member of your coven may when they are preparing spells choose to have this hex for the next 24 hours. If a member of your coven is a witch or other class with hexes then they treat their effective caster level for the hex as their usual level for hexes. If they are not a witch they instead treat their effective witch level as level 1.
Shared Home [coven]
You may let other members of your coven automatically see through your disguise.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven, Hidden Home hex.
Benefit: You may choose when altering your Hidden Home so that any members of your coven automatically see through the illusion. You may also designate other specific members as able to dismiss or alter the illusion. Finally, when you or any other coven member prepares spells in the area of the Hidden Home, they may prepare one extra spell of up to the second highest level spell they can cast.
Sorceress-Witch
Magic flows through your blood, and your patron has gifted you with other powers. These combine allowing you to reach extreme levels of arcane power.
Prerequisites: Bewitching Sorcery, Bloodline power, hex class feature.
Benefit: You count of any class which advances bloodline power as witch levels for purposes of the caster level of your hexes. You count levels of any hex-advancing class as levels of sorcerer for purposes of advancing your bloodline. Also, you treat all spells you are granted by your patron as extra spells known in any spontaneous arcane casting class.
Subtle Poison [coven]
You can make poisons which do not harm you nor members of your coven.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven, Poison Steep hex, Cauldron hex.
Benefit: You may when you use Poison Steep make food where the poison does not effect you or members of your coven. You may also specify that the poison does not effect specific other people, but each person you specify who is not you and is not in your coven reduces the save DC of the poison by 1.
Sustained Healing
Prerequisites: Healing hex. At least one major hex.
Benefit: Whenever you use your healing hex on someone, you may choose to have your magic continue to flow through them, providing further protection against additional injury. If you do, for 24 hours they gain the following benefits: they gain a +2 resistance bonus on fortitude non-magical diseases and poisons. They gain a +2 circumstance bonus on constitution checks to stabilize when dying. Anyone attempting to perform a heal check on them gets a +5 circumstance bonus to the heal check. Finally, you add half your hex's caster level to how many hits points they may go negative before they die outright.
A Touch of Undeath [coven]
You can spread some of your unlife to protect living members of your coven.
Prerequisites: Greater Coven. Must be undead.
Benefit: Any living member of your coven gains a +2 bonus on a save on any effect that would not normally effect undead beings (such as poison or level drain). Any member of your coven (including yourself) may once daily when they prepare spells prepare one additional necromancy spell of level strictly lower than the highest level spell they can prepare. If multiple coven members have this feat, then each member may prepare one additional spell for each member who have this feat, but the bonuses to saves do not stack.
Tripping Hair
You can use your elongated hair to make a trip attack as a standard action.
Prerequisites: Prehensile Hair hex, BAB +5
You can use your hair attack to make trip attacks. If you do, you use your witch level +intelligence modifier as your effective CMB. Additionally, you are treated as having the benefits of Improved Trip and Greater Trip whenever you use your hair to trip someone. If you have Improved Trip and Greater Trip then you add a +2 bonus to your effective CMB when using your hair to trip.
Witch-Mage
You can combine your other forms of magic with the power granted to you by your patron.
Prerequisites: Hex class feature, able to cast a first level arcane spell from a class other than witch.
Benefit: Pick an arcane spellcasting class other than witch. You count levels of that class as witch levels for purposes of the caster level of your hexes. You count witch levels as levels of that class for purpose of the caster level of its spells.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times. Each time you do, it applies to a different arcane spellcasting class.
Witch-Priestess
Perhaps you can access your patron's power in two different ways. Or perhaps a deity has seen fit to listen to your pleas even as a more mysterious entity grants you other abilities.
Prerequisites: Hex class feature, able to cast a first level divine spell.
Benefit: Pick a divine spellcasting class. You count levels of that class as witch levels for purposes of the caster level of your hexes. You count witch levels as levels of that class for purpose of the caster level of its spells.
Special:You may take this feat multiple times. Each time you do, it applies to a different divine spellcasting class.
Witch's Protection
You can more effectively protect those you care about against the witchcraft of others.
Prerequisites: Scar hex, or Witch's Charge. able to cast Hex Ward.
Benefit: You can use your witchcraft to specifically protect against the witchcraft of others. Any being subject to your scar hex or witch's charge hex when subject to a casting of Hex Ward by you has your caster level increased by 1, and you may choose (at the time of using the hex or casting hex ward) to also give the subject spell resistance 10 + your caster level against hexes cast by others. If you are in a coven, you may choose for this bonus to not apply to your fellow coven members.
Witch of Mysteries
Your patron, your curse, and your visions are all intertwined. You can't see the whole picture, but you can see enough.
Prerequisite: Oracle Curse class feature, Hex class feature.
Benefit: You add your witch level to your effective oracle level for all effects of your curse class feature, as well as the effective oracle level for purposes of what your mysteries do (but not for which you can select). You add your oracle levels to your witch level for determining the caster level of hexes.
Witch of the Wild
Your patron is strongly associated with nature and you can use that association.
Prerequisites: Nature's Bond, Wild Empathy, Hex class feature.
Benefit: You count witch levels as effectively druid levels for purposes of your Nature's Bond and Wild Empathy class features. You count your druid levels as witch levels for purposes of determining the caster level of your hexes.
Witch Sworn
You have sworn to protect a witch, even if it means your own life.
Prerequisites: BAB +1, must have a witch ally.
Benefit: You have sworn to protect a specific witch, whether out of loyalty to their cause, love or some other motivation. Whenever the witch you are sworn to is within 5 feet of you, the witch gains a +2 bonus to AC and a +2 bonus to reflex saves. You gain a +2 morale bonus to attack rolls against targets which have attempted to harm your witch in an encounter. Finally, when your witch casts a spell on you which you willingly accept, the caster level of the spell is increased by 1 for purposes of duration. Attacking or harming your witch is automatically considered an action against your nature for purposes of effects like dominate person.