View your familiar as a steadfast ally, a dear friend, or a necessary nuisance, depending on its personality. From a universal perspective, there is no right or wrong. Everything in the universe exists because someone or something is an energetic match to it. There are beneficial or un-beneficial choices and experiences, and this is how you should evaluate whether or not you should perform a hex.

At 20th level, the character becomes a small, mobile athenaeum of occult scraps and lore. The character adds 100 spell levels’ worth of spells to his spellbook or familiar and gains a +4 insight bonus on all Knowledge skills. Characters of any class that prepares spells from a spellbook or familiar can select this ability. Finally, I have to praise the quality of the translation and the way the changes were implemented from the original Dutch version of this book for the US edition. Since I have no basis to compare the two versions, I can’t really comment on the actual changes themselves, like the one that switched the location of the setting from a small town in the Netherlands to one nestled in the Hudson Valley region in upstate New York, but I can say that they were done really well and the transposition felt practically seamless (pardon the pun). I was really impressed, and if anything, this exercise showed me that the things that terrify us and keep us up at night are pretty much universal. Ability Boosts Level 5At 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter, you boost four different ability scores. You can use these ability boosts to increase your ability scores above 18. Boosting an ability score increases it by 1 if it's already 18 or above, or by 2 if it starts out below 18. Class FeaturesYou gain these features as a Witch. Abilities gained at higher levels list the levels at which you gain them next to the features' names. Your LevelThe few times I've been scared while reading I usually just went to bed and covered up my head and was okay. Then there have been a couple of movies that scared the bejeebus out of me. The Stupid Grudge and the Stinking Ring are two that come to mind. In Service to the UnknownA witch's patron is a mysterious entity, rarely known or understood even by the witch in that patron's service. The nature of the relationship between a witch and their patron can serve as details for character development and storytelling. When playing a witch, work with your GM to determine the nature of your patron and how much of that nature you know, both as a player and a character. There are countless ways to handle a witch's patron; the following are just a few approaches you might take. this was written in 2013 and originally set in a small dutch town, and i really liked this part of the author’s afterword: At 20th level, the character has become more than just a lone hero—she has become one of the senior figures of her field, with powers and responsibilities to match. The character becomes one of the leading figures in some manner of group or organization, as appropriate to the campaign and the setting. A wizard might become the dean of an arcane university or mages’ guild, a fighter could command a mercenary army or a city guard, a cleric might lead a major temple or her own sect, and so forth. The player and the GM should work together to determine the specifics. The character gains the Leadership feat if she does not already have it, and the number of followers that the feat grants is multiplied by 10 (although depending on the campaign and setting, the position may grant other powers as well). If multiple characters in a party select this capstone, the GM may consider pooling them to grant the players a particularly large and powerful organization, such as a small kingdom. Characters of any class can select this ability. Merfolk ( Blood of the Sea pg. 13): Add 1 to the witch’s caster level for one of her patron spells (to a maximum of +3 caster level to any one spell).

While Exploring...You remain alert for magical traps and treasures, employing a clever array of spells to overcome obstacles that stand in your way. Your familiar might aid you through its own considerable set of exceptional abilities. Generally, a hex is either seasonal (or for a set duration of time) or stops working when the target learns their lesson. Hexes are often useful when someone continues to do wrong and you need them to change. To learn or cast a spell, a witch must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a witch’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the witch’s Intelligence modifier.The witch may target a single undead creature with this hex as if with an undeath to death spell. A Will save negates this effect. Whether or not the save is successful, a creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day. Also, I am wondering if the difficulty I had connecting to the story was more from the fact that it has been translated from the original Dutch, versus the actual story itself. At 7th level, you can use skill increases to increase your proficiency rank to master in a skill in which you're already an expert, and at 15th level, you can use them to increase your proficiency rank to legendary in a skill in which you're already a master. At 20th level, the character’s blade has become as well-known as the character herself. The character selects one item she has—preferably something iconic and significant, such as a weapon or arcane bond. The item becomes a minor artifact and gains 100,000 gp worth of new powers. The player and the GM should work together to select the new powers, with an eye towards making something memorable yet campaign-appropriate. Characters of any class can select this ability. Favored Class Options Aphorite ( Plane-Hopper's Handbook pg. 15): The witch gains 1/6 of a new witch hex.