The recommended reading age for the book "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis varies depending on individual readers and their reading abilities. This beloved classic fantasy novel, part of the Chronicles of Narnia series, has captivated readers of all ages since its publication in 1950. However, it is generally considered suitable for readers aged 8 and up, as it contains complex themes and some intense scenes that may be more appropriate for older children. "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" follows the adventures of four siblings – Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy – who stumble upon a magical wardrobe that transports them to the mystical world of Narnia.
Thread: 2e Pathfinder's Witch is. interesting and easy to build wrong.
"The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" follows the adventures of four siblings – Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy – who stumble upon a magical wardrobe that transports them to the mystical world of Narnia. Here, they encounter talking animals, mythical creatures, and the eternal battle between good and evil. The book explores themes of bravery, loyalty, sacrifice, and redemption, making it a thought-provoking read for young minds.
2e Pathfinder's Witch is. interesting and easy to build wrong.
Some friends and I are playing Pathfinder 2e, and actually really enjoying it. They are all bored of 5e, but I cannot convince them to play 3.5e or P1. I have tried. A lot. And they have played a 2shot of P1. They just dont want to do it, which is a shame, but oh well. We are starting a 4e game soon (turns out, PCs automate a lot of what people hated about 4e), but we are also playing through the Extinction Curse and having a blast.
They all went fairly simple chars, so I thought I would try one of the "hybrids" and play a witch.
They are very weird. I know P2e has some fairly big issues, but witch seems very difficult to build correctly.
So, what is the witch in P2e?
Well, they get the following things:
- A choice of patron, which gives them access to a free cantrip, and a "focus spell" (spells with their own resource that means you can effectively cast at least one, and eventually up to 3 per encounter) - the first of which is always the same. It also determines the spell school. Most patrons give access to the occult school, which is nice and thematic.
- A familiar which is slightly better than other familiars, but familiars are fairly dull in P2e to start off.
- A large number of learned cantrips (10), and the ability to prepare up to 5 of those a day (the free patron cantrip does not count to either of these limits).
- A reasonable number of learned spells, with fairly easy ways to get more (consuming scrolls in a 1 hour ritual), but limited to a very small number of each level per day.
- Witch feats to choose from every 2 levels or so - these fall into 3 catagories:
- Lessons - you can only take 3 of these, a basic, a greater, and a major - each lesson gives you another focus spell themed around something
- Melee combat - thematic claws and Bayonetta hair, but strange to have it on a spellcasting class with so little physical prowess
- Other - an eclectic mix of crafting feats, familiar upgrades and strange spell enhancers that are rarely useful.
When it comes to the feats, you nearly always want to be taking the lessons as soon as you can. You can only take 3 lessons and each gives you a focus spell, which given the way P2e expects you to play, is basically a free per encounter power on a very spellslot starved class.
But picking the lessons is really hard, and very important. There are several at each "level" of the feat (5 basics, 3 greaters, and 3 majors) and there are clearly traps. I messed up, misread that you cant take the "basic lesson" feat multiple times, and took a fasthealing lesson as my first one because we had no healer. Now I am stuck with it, as the party has gained feats to heal whenever they want.
The other feats are. really weird. Because I didnt expect witch to be a front line fighter, my attributes have effectively locked me out of any of the melee feats. I could take them, but they would be pointless. On the other hand, I have next to no use for any of the other feats. I took the potion crafting one, but there is not a lot of downtime in Extinction Curse. Feats to widen or extend my spells are not all that helpful, as many are instantaneous single target spells.
Which brings me to my next point. The description of witch is basically "battlefield control" (which I wish I had read. ). The thing is, most patrons give access to the occult spells, which have a lot of single target debuffs. Now a single target debuffer CAN do battlefield control. But not when they can only ever cast 3 spells of levels they have access to per day, yet there are typically 5+ encounters per day, each with multiple enemies.
So you would have to pick probably arcane or primal for AoE debuffs and area denial, of which there are far fewer patrons.
On the other hand, if you pick Baba Yaga (occult), you get a cantrip which, at level 3, starts to outscale the party, and other spells, for damage. Because it starts at 1d6 damage to a single target, and gains 2d6 damage for every spell level you know. Its basically sneak attack without the base damage. As a cantrip. With no requirement other than "hit".
I did make some bad spell choices, but even with hindsight, in the occult list, there was not a lot else I could take that would fulfil the role of BFC.
I think witch could work. If I did it again, I would not fall into the healbot trap (seriously, I think its the worst basic lesson), and I would pump dex as much as int, making the melee skills and standing near the front actually viable. I think witches actually stand to be quite nasty melee combatants. That would also enable Bane to actually be useful (which is set as a 5' burst effect centred on you, that you can make burst further every round after the first). By standing up front, Baba Yaga's cantrip becomes less useful, so you can try another patron, potentially one with better BFC spell access.
Long story short, I tried to make a Diablo 3 Myriam clone, but really, you want to be going for Bayonetta or Jenny Greenteeth.
I might retire her next session, as the party is very range heavy and thats. causing issues. Besides, I want to try the Swashbuckler.
Its got its flaws, but people should give P2e another try. Yes, the spells can seem limiting compared to hitting 3 times, but once you get into the way P2e WANTS you to play (never, ever being next to an enemy when they start their turn, for example - playing with the action economy) its actually a really fun system. Its just not D&D.
Owl's Witch Guide (now with working link)
I posted this a week ago, but botched the link. Let's try again.
There are very good witch guides already (which I link to), and I only made this one to broaden their coverage. My aim here is to cover the material online at:
That is, I'm covering more hexes, patrons & spells. To keep the length manageable I limit much of this to "only the good stuff". E.g., the motivation to take a given patron lies in the good-to-excellent spells it offers, so let's just skip the chaff.
If you think I've overlooked something of note, maybe a spell that's not an everyday choice but that has particularly nice uses, please let me know.
One tiny thing - an arcane trickster wannabe can use the accomplished sneak attacker feat to cut down on the number of non-spellcasting levels in the build. Witch 3 / rogue or roguish class 1 / arcane trickster X can cast spells a full spell level ahead of the witch 3 / rogue 3 / arcane trickster X in your sample builds.
Hex Channeler wrote:<. . .>Every time the hex channeler is able to learn a new hex (including major or grand hexes, but not hexes gained through the Extra Hex feat), she can instead increase her channel energy amount by 1d6.
So you can't get more than (Level/2) * d6. And using all your even-level Hexes on boosting the damage is a semi-waste, since you are giving up what makes Witches great. What Hex Channeler IS good for is for channeling with rider effects that don't depend on Channeling dice, since just taking the archetype gives you full Cleric level for Channel DC, etc. So if you want it for Command/Turn Undead or one of the rider effects that some types of Variant Channeling have (assuming you worship the right deity), then it's good for that.
For rating Ley Line Guardian, trading out your familiar can in some respects be considered a feature, not a bug, since this means you don't have to worry about your Familiar getting taken out to prevent you from preparing spells. The Hex Substitute ability Conduit Surge is rather lackluster for 2 Hexes, though.
Scarred Witch Doctor -- I really miss the pre-Errata version . . . after the Errata, it's no longer good for Gish builds, but makes otherwise conventional Half-Orc Witches overpowered (somebody must have forgotten that Half-Orcs can put their +2 anywhere). Now if you want a Witch who can't spell, you're stuck with Seducer . . . .
When you rate Winter Witch: I think that if you are playing very defensively instead of offensively -- for instance if your job is not to be an Irriseni Ice Witch but instead to keep your party (including yourself) alive under the noses of the Irriseni Ice Witches -- taking the archetype without the prestige class could actually be better than taking the prestige class.
For rating Arcane Trickster, I wouldn't rate this as being good for a Witch. Not only do you not gain more Hexes, but you also don't progress the ones you have, many of which get stronger as you level up (in Save DC if nothing else). (In contrast, Stargazer does progress your Hexes.) In addition, the Witch spell list doesn't natively have Mage Hand, so you have to invest in getting that (like the Two World Magic trait in your Ashiftah Trickster example -- and that's at the same time as you also have to invest in Magical Knack and possibly also a Campaign Trait). If you want to go Arcane Tricskter anyway, at least concentrate on Hexes that are not strongly level-dependent, and consider Vivisectionist Alchemist as a way of getting one of your d6 of Sneak Attack. It does have the disadvantage relative to Rogue of not giving you free Weapon Finesse, but it gives you free Brew Potion and Throw Anything (the latter being better than the feat version), as well as the 1st level Extracts being useful for utility, and the limited Mutagen even being potentially useful. Of the Alchemist archetypes that stack with Vivisectionist and actually change something at 1st level, Sacrament Alchemist (trades out Mutagen) could be useful even with only 1 level, if you worship the right deity (needs to offer a Domain that has a 1st level power that doesn't depend upon effective Cleric level); if you didn't want Brew Potion but want a martial weapon proficiency (especially if treats weapons as martial weapons), Grenadier might be for you. Having said all of that, if you want an effective Arcane Tricskter (and you aren't the GM building something weird like a Divine Arcane Tricskter), Wizard is the way to go, not Witch or Sorcerer (hard to get enough skill ranks per level), and not even Arcanist (like Witch, loses too much in the way of juicy class features other than spellcasting).
How to Create Great Pathfinder 2nd Edition Characters: Witch
It’s been awhile since we’ve done an update to the Pathfinder Second Edition (PF2) Character Concepts series! But, with the recent release of the Advanced Player’s Guide, we have four new classes to add to our compilation.
Today we’ll be talking about the Witch and providing five character concepts that will help you create Witches of your own. Each one has a brief description and a Pathmap that outlines some potential Feat choices.
The one difference I’ll be doing as we go forward is that I’m no longer going to be offering Class Feats by level. Instead, I’ll be pointing out which Feats might make sense for the concept. This is based on some feedback I received on other entries in the series.
And hey, if it doesn’t work, I’ll just revert back to the old way!
On to the Witch!
While the writing style and vocabulary used in the book may be accessible to younger readers, some of the concepts and allegorical elements may be better understood and appreciated by older children and teenagers. For example, the portrayal of the White Witch as a wicked and powerful enemy may be frightening for younger readers, while older readers may recognize her as a symbol of evil and temptation. Similarly, the character of Aslan the lion, who represents Christ-like sacrificial love, may be more deeply appreciated by older readers. Parents and educators can use their discretion when recommending "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" to young readers. Some children may be ready for the content and themes of the book at a younger age, while others may need more time to fully grasp its deeper meanings. Ultimately, the recommended reading age serves as a general guideline, but children should be encouraged to read books that challenge and engage them at their own pace and level of understanding. Overall, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" is a timeless tale that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. It is a rich and imaginative story that invites readers to explore the realms of fantasy, morality, and faith. Whether enjoyed independently or as a shared reading experience, this book has the power to entertain, inspire, and provoke thoughtful discussions among readers young and old..
Reviews for "Why the recommended reading age for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe matters"
1. Jane Doe - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." The recommended reading age of 8-12 years old is completely inaccurate. The language used is very old-fashioned and difficult for young children to understand. Additionally, the storyline is quite complex and can be confusing for children in this age group. I think the recommended reading age should be adjusted to be more accurate and cater to a younger audience.
2. John Smith - 2 stars - As a teacher, I have to say that the recommended reading age for "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" is too high. The vocabulary and writing style are not appropriate for most children between 8-12 years old. The book may be suitable for older or more advanced readers, but for the average child in this age group, it can be a daunting and frustrating read. I would suggest adjusting the recommended reading age to better align with the target audience and make it more accessible to younger readers.
3. Sarah Johnson - 1 star - I found the recommended reading age for "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" to be completely misleading. My 8-year-old daughter struggled to understand the vocabulary and the complex storyline. We had to stop reading it halfway through because she was constantly asking for explanations. It's frustrating when a book is marketed for a specific age group but falls short in delivering content that is suitable for that age range. I would not recommend this book for children at the recommended reading age of 8-12 years old.