Hex Advancement in Pathfinder 1E

[Wolfswift]

So a friend seems convinced that because hexes say things like "At 8th level the penalty increases to –4." He thinks that means it advances at character level 8 even if he only took one (unchained) shaman level because it doesn't say at 8th shaman level or anything.

I think that since the Stargazer prestige class says "His stargazer levels count as (and stack with) witch levels when determining the effects of hexes." It implies hexes don't get their advancements without witch or other hex advancing classes, but since it came later and was presumably written by a different author than the original witch class, I can't be sure that wasn't just a different interpretation. It also potentially only means advancing DCs and not the text in most hexes saying how it advances at higher (witch or total?) levels.

I can't specifically find anywhere that says if hexes normally advance with total class level or specifically only hex based class levels. I'm wondering if anyone here can site a source for such information one way or another, if not, then I suppose opinions are also potentially valid.

[GeoffWatson]

So a friend seems convinced that because hexes say things like "At 8th level the penalty increases to –4." He thinks that means it advances at character level 8 even if he only took one (unchained) shaman level because it doesn't say at 8th shaman level or anything.

I think that since the Stargazer prestige class says "His stargazer levels count as (and stack with) witch levels when determining the effects of hexes." It implies hexes don't get their advancements without witch or other hex advancing classes, but since it came later and was presumably written by a different author than the original witch class, I can't be sure that wasn't just a different interpretation. It also potentially only means advancing DCs and not the text in most hexes saying how it advances at higher (witch or total?) levels.

I can't specifically find anywhere that says if hexes normally advance with total class level or specifically only hex based class levels. I'm wondering if anyone here can site a source for such information one way or another, if not, then I suppose opinions are also potentially valid.

It's a Class ability, so it advances by Class level, unless specifically stated otherwise.

[Kurald Galain]

It's a Class ability, so it advances by Class level, unless specifically stated otherwise.
That is correct.


total class level or specifically only hex based class levels.
There is no such thing as "total class level"; the term for that is "character level". "Class level" in this context means levels specifically in the witch class (and a few others, like stargazer).

[Septimus]

There is a quote from the SRD (https://legacy.aonprd.com/coreRulebook/classes.html) (at the end of the multiclassing paragraph):

Note that there are a number of effects and prerequisites that rely on a character's level or Hit Dice. Such effects are always based on the total number of levels or Hit Dice a character possesses, not just those from one class. The exception to this is class abilities, most of which are based on the total number of class levels that a character possesses of that particular class.

[Wolfswift]

There is no such thing as "total class level"; the term for that is "character level". "Class level" in this context means levels specifically in the witch class (and a few others, like stargazer).

I'd meant to say total character level, referring to all character levels, my mistake.


There is a quote from the SRD (https://legacy.aonprd.com/coreRulebook/classes.html) (at the end of the multiclassing paragraph):

This. I checked the CRB, it's on page 31. This feels like definitive proof. Class abilities only advance with levels in said class unless stated otherwise. I'm sure my friend'll be disappointed. We both found no one asking this question, I told him I was fairly certain it was because no one else was looking at RAW in a class's ability text and saying "That's just level 8, not specifically shaman 8, awesome!"

Nail in the coffin. It's dead folks. I feel a bit dumb for asking, but he felt there was hope yet that it worked that way.