afroakuma's Planar Questions Thread! (You ask, I'll answer)

[Menteith]

Clarify.

My question was geared toward understanding what, if any, power Primes as a faction wielded off their plane. You have successfully answered my question with your other responses.

Who is (was?) Gith, and what is their status? As a related question, how powerful is Vlaakith?

[afroakuma]

Don't most planes have their own variety of dragon? (Such as the gloom dragon or the radiance dragon.) From which sourcebook do those planar dragons come?

Aye. They're mostly from Dragon magazine; the rest are from the Planar Handbook, the Draconomicon, and (technically) the Monster Manual II. Arcadia is the only plane without one. (Talking Outer Planes here, mind. Don't ask about the rest.)

And what is Mephistopheles's quest for hellfire exactly?

Mephistopheles is working to harness a powerful force known as hellfire, which he hopes will give him the edge in future confrontations with Baalzebul and (eventually) Asmodeus.

Heh, so uh, prove it.

Ehh, I could make a case, but that wouldn't be fun. And it would be a case, not strict proof.

Hellfire was originally mentioned in the Book of Vile Darkness, where it's also a spell. There's an adventure featuring Mephisto's followers in Dungeon #140.

[Jigokuro]

Aye. They're mostly from Dragon magazine; the rest are from the Planar Handbook-

Where in? There is no mention of dragons in the index/chapter on creatures.

[Eldan]

My question was geared toward understanding what, if any, power Primes as a faction wielded off their plane. You have successfully answered my question with your other responses.

Who is (was?) Gith, and what is their status? As a related question, how powerful is Vlaakith?

That takes some time to explain. It concerns the origins of the Githzerai and Githyanki races and their involvement and possible creation by the Illithids.

Gith was or is the leader of the slave rebellion against the first illithid empire. She discovered the secret of forging metal and lead the slaves across the planes and worlds of the empire, slaying them all.

In the final battle, however, she was betrayed by her lieutenant, Zerthimon, who wanted to end all the bloodshed and violence to prevent the race to become even worse than the Illithids in their quest for vengeance. He took half the slaves away to Limbo and founded the Githzerai race.

The rest became the Githyanki, still dedicated to their vengeance.

Gith herself vanished into the Hells and was never heard from again, though it is said that she made a pact of some kind with Tiamat in exchange for the service of all red dragons to the Githyanki. Her final fate is not known.

Rumour claims that Vlaakith sold her out to become the first queen of the githyanki, with Gith herself gone.

There's a version, written up as Zerthimon's own religious text from Planescape: Torment here. The Unbroken Circle of Zerthimon.

[afroakuma]

Where in? Their in no mention of dragons in the index/chapter on creatures.

My bad; should have gone and checked the list before answering. They're mostly in Dragon, with a few in the Draconomicon and the holdout (sorta) being in the MMII.

As a related question, how powerful is Vlaakith?

25th level wizardess, lich, owns two unique artifacts.

[Lord_Gareth]

If planes can't truly be destroyed, what's the "victory condition" on a planar war or invasion (such as, say, the Blood War)?

[Pelfaid]

This has been an awesome way to spend hours of my time, thanks for answering all the prior questions. And now for mine

1) Can you expand on the Hellbred some? I get that they are the warped souls of those who aren't evil but aren't good enough yet. But how do they then get back into the adventuring mold? I hope that makes sense and conjecture is welcome.
2) Which one of the Dukes of Hell or Lords of the Nine would contract out a hit on a rival, and which rival? And how would Asmodeus react to this?
3) Are Demon Princes, Lords of the Nine, Dukes of Hell and Demon Lords allowed in Sigil?

[Kane0]

2) Which one of the Dukes of Hell or Lords of the Nine would contract out a hit on a rival, and which rival? And how would Asmodeus react to this?

All of them, on any of them . Some have alliances but they are alliances of convenience, every Duke of Hell is prepared to backstab any other at any given time.
It's just a matter of if the hitman can do it (probably not), if the hitman can get away with it (probably not) and most importantly what the hitman stands to gain from it (one would hope the position he just opened, thus not really solving the problem for his employer at all)
Exception: Asmodeus. See: The Reckoning.

Asmodeus' reaction is harder to gauge. He is most likely (like 99%) to know about it, and if he knows about it he wont let it happen unless he wants it to. On the other hand, if he does know and it doesn't go to plan (or he simply dosen't know) he would likely come down hard on the one disrupting his status quo (subtly or overtly, depends on the circumstances).

[Fable Wright]

Are there any hitmen who have taken out Demon Lords or Lords of Nine and gotten away with it, that haven't immediately ascended to fill the position they opened up?

[123456789blaaa]

What is a witch (in dnd fluff not RL obviously)?

[Fable Wright]

What is a witch (in dnd fluff not RL obviously)?

Technically? A female Warlock.

[Clistenes]

Technically? A female Warlock.

Or a variant sorcerer (in 3.5)

[123456789blaaa]

Technically? A female Warlock.

Could you tell me your source?

[JaronK]

Could you tell me your source?

The source is the English language. "Warlock" and "Witch" are just a male and female version, like "Husband" and "Wife".

But in D&D, it's a class in the DMG that's an example of making your own classes.

JaronK

[123456789blaaa]

The source is the English language. "Warlock" and "Witch" are just a male and female version, like "Husband" and "Wife".

But in D&D, it's a class in the DMG that's an example of making your own classes.

JaronK

I know. I asked because I assumed he was talking about dnd fluff considering I specified I did not want the RL meaning.

I know that too but it doesn't make sense since the witch class isn't canon. There are specific references to witches scattered throughout the editions (like the once about witches worshipping the consort of the Lord of Flies).

[Answerer]

I'm reasonably certain that "witch" means exactly in D&D what it means elsewhere: a magic-user, usually female, frequently associated with curses or hexes, but not necessarily.

There are several "Witches" of this that or the other thing, which refer to specific organizations that use the term for their members. The Hathran of Rashemi in Faerûn are frequently called Witches, for example.

But the term itself is fairly generic, loosely associated with a few connotations that do not always apply, and specific uses of it are in relation to a particular person or organization, not a part of the general usage of the term.

In other words, it's either too general to define more than already has, or too specific to apply a given usage to other usages. The Hathran are a certain type of Witch, but other Witches are not necessarily Hathran or anything like them. Any given witch can be assumed to be a magic-user, and it's probably a safe bet that the witch is female. Anything beyond that only comes into play if you refer to a certain sort of witch, like the Hathran.

[Proud Tortoise]

3) Are Demon Princes, Lords of the Nine, Dukes of Hell and Demon Lords allowed in Sigil?

From what I understand, the most powerful non-deities are not allowed in Sigil either... And I doubt they would go anyway, since the Lady of Pain is a bit of an unknown...

[afroakuma]

If planes can't truly be destroyed, what's the "victory condition" on a planar war or invasion (such as, say, the Blood War)?

Crushing enemies, seeing them driven before you, hearing the lamentations of their - well, no, not that last one. Basically it would be that point where the enemy's very way of being has been overtaken by you, and there is a near-zero probability that they will ever again whelm forces enough to push against your hegemony.

1) Can you expand on the Hellbred some? I get that they are the warped souls of those who aren't evil but aren't good enough yet. But how do they then get back into the adventuring mold? I hope that makes sense and conjecture is welcome.

Hellbred seek to accomplish truly heroic deeds in order to escape the hold of Hell and earn a place in the Upper Planes. That seems to me to be an excellent incentive for jumping right into adventure.

2) Which one of the Dukes of Hell or Lords of the Nine would contract out a hit on a rival, and which rival? And how would Asmodeus react to this?

Oh, most of them. Mephistopheles would probably want to rip off his foe's head himself, but the other lords tend to be rather lazy or too busy being Popsicles. Asmodeus allows Dukes to die and doesn't care how it's accomplished, whereas the Lords he trusts to either manage any would-be hitmen themselves or to be too useless to concern himself with.

3) Are Demon Princes, Lords of the Nine, Dukes of Hell and Demon Lords allowed in Sigil?

Nooooooooooooooooo. Even pit fiends and balors aren't particularly welcome and don't stay long. Uniques are cordially invited to stay out of Dodge. So to speak.

Are there any hitmen who have taken out Demon Lords or Lords of Nine and gotten away with it, that haven't immediately ascended to fill the position they opened up?

*points wordlessly to a stack of modules and other adventures*

What is a witch (in dnd fluff not RL obviously)?

It's about as defined as an archmage is; that is to say, it's thrown around as a term more than it's ever confined to a specific thing, despite there being material that ostensibly covers it. Answerer provided a very good summation of the situation.

That said, if you want a witchier sort of witch, I offer you this:

Spoiler

Show

Witch
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|Summon familiar, curse resistance +1|3|1+1

2nd|

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+3

||4|2+1|-

3rd|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|Brew Potion|4|2+1|1+1|-

4th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Stealthy curse|4|3+1|2+1|-|-

5th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Curse resistance +2|4|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-

6th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Extend curse|4|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-|-

7th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Panacea|4|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-

8th|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+6

|Enlarge curse|4|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-|-|-|-

9th|

+4

|

+3

|

+3

|

+6

|Nightmares beyond dreams|4|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-

10th|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+7

|Curse resistance +3|4|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-|-|-

11th|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+7

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-

12th|

+6/+1

|

+4

|

+4

|

+8

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-|-

13th|

++6/+1

|

+4

|

+4

|

+8

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-

14th|

+7/+2

|

+4

|

+4

|

+9

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-

15th|

+7/+2

|

+5

|

+5

|

+9

|Curse resistance +4|4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-

16th|

+8/+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+10

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-

17th|

+8/+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+10

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1

18th|

+9/+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+11

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1

19th|

+9/+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+11

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1

20th|

+10/+5

|

+6

|

+6

|

+12

|Curse resistance +5|4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1[/table]

The witch is a dangerous magic-wielder, one capable of unleashing horrible curses that ravage mind and body. Witches are not inherently evil, but the powers they wield often make them the subject of not altogether undeserved fear. While some witches gleefully serve extraplanar forces of malevolence and terror, others see themselves as divine punishers, agents of hard justice, or overthrowers of a falsely-validated cosmic order.

HD 1d4
Skills As wizard

Spells As wizard. Witches can prepare one extra [Curse] spell of each level they can cast (other than level 0).

Summon Familiar As wizard.

Curse Resistance (Su) Witches get a +1 bonus on saving throws to resist the effects of spells with the [Curse] descriptor. This extends to those spells and effects equivalent to them even if the spell in question would not have the [Curse] descriptor (due to being cast by a non-witch, or being a spell-like ability, for example). At 5th level and every five levels thereafter, this bonus increases by 1.

Brew Potion At 3rd level, a witch gains Brew Potion as a bonus feat.

Stealthy Curse (Su) At 4th level, the Witch gains the ability to hide her dark magics. Choose one: three times per day, the Witch may cast a spell with the [Curse] descriptor as though it were affected by the Silent Spell feat, or three times per day she may cast a spell with the [Curse] descriptor as though it were affected by the Still Spell feat. In either case, the spell's level does not change. Once chosen, this choice may not be changed.

Extend Curse (Su) Beginning at 6th level, three times per day, the Witch may cast a spell with the [Curse] descriptor as though it were affected by the Extend Spell feat. This does not change the spell's level.

Panacea At 7th level, a witch adds aid, cure light wounds, cure moderate wounds, cure serious wounds, delay poison, lesser restoration, remove blindness/deafness and remove disease to the list of spells that she can create potions from (she cannot actually cast the spells). Treat these spells as equivalent to the cleric spells of the same names.

Enlarge Curse (Su) Beginning at 8th level, three times per day, the Witch may cast a spell with the [Curse] descriptor as though it were affected by the Enlarge Spell feat. This does not change the spell's level.

Nightmares Beyond Dreams (Su) At 9th level, the witch can select one [Curse] spell she knows with the [Mind-Affecting] descriptor and treat it as though it did not have that descriptor. The spell will still fail to affect mindless beings and those without an Intelligence score.

Witch Spell List

Witches choose their spells from the following list.

0th Level
arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, ghost sound, know direction, light, lullaby, mage hand, mending, message, minor disguise^SpC, no light^BoVD, open/close, preserve organ^BoVD, prestidigitation, read magic, touch of fatigue, unnerving gaze^BoVD

1st Level
alarm, animate rope, backbiter^SpC, bane, bestow wound^BoVD, cause fear, charm person, deathwatch, detect animals or plants, detect secret doors, disguise self, dispel ward^SpC, doom, ebon eyes^SpC, endure elements, entangle, feather fall, grease, hide from animals, hypnotism, identify, inflict light wounds, lesser confusion, magic mouth, mark of the outcast^SpC, Nystul's magic aura, obscuring mist, omen of peril^SpC, sacrificial skill^BoVD, silent image, sleep, spirit worm^SpC, stupor^BoVD, summon monster I (true neutral or evil creatures only), unseen servant

2nd Level
animal messenger, arcane lock, augury, barkskin, blindness/deafness, curse of ill fortune^SpC, curse of impending blades^SpC, darkness, daze monster, delusions of grandeur^SpC, dissonant chant^SpC, distract^SpC, enthrall, gentle repose, ghoul glyph^SpC, hold person, inflict moderate wounds, malevolent miasma^SpC, make whole, misdirection, obscure object, pass without trace, ray of enfeeblement, ray of sickness^SpC, ray of weakness^SpC, sap strength^BoVD, shriveling^BoVD, silence, soften earth and stone, sound burst, summon monster II (true neutral or evil creatures only), summon swarm, suppress glyph^SpC, Tasha's hideous laughter, undetectable alignment, ventriloquism, wave of grief^SpC, warp wood, wither limb, zone of truth

3rd Level
alter self, arcane sight, bestow curse, capricious zephyr^SpC, charm monster, contagion, contagious fog^SpC, cruel disappointment^BoVD, cursed blade^SpC, curse of the putrid husk^BoVD, deeper darkness, deep slumber, diminish plants, dispel magic, dread word^BoVD, evil eye^BoVD, fog cloud, ghoul touch, glimpse of truth^BoVD, glyph of warding, inflict serious wounds, invisibility, invisibility purge, know opponent^SpC, know vulnerabilities^SpC, locate object, love's pain^BoVD (no corruption cost), mass curse of impending blades^SpC, mesmerizing glare^SpC, mind poison^SpC, miser's envy^SpC, ray of dizziness^SpC, ray of exhaustion, remove curse, sleet storm, spike growth, suggestion, summon monster III (true neutral or evil creatures only), touch of idiocy, unluck^SpC, vulnerability^SpC, weather eye^SpC, web, whispering wind, wind wall

4th Level
air walk, arcane eye, assay spell resistance^SpC, blight, call lightning, confusion, contagious touch^SpC, control water, crushing despair, detect scrying, dismissal, divination, dream, false vision, giant vermin, graymantle^SpC, inflict critical wounds, junglerazer^SpC, languor^SpC, lesser geas, major image, mass curse of ill fortune^SpC, minor creation, mirror sending^BoVD, nightmare, nondetection, plant growth, poison, psychic poison^BoVD, sending, sensory deprivation^SpC, speak with dead, spike stones, starvation^SpC, summon monster IV (true neutral or evil creatures only), wood rot^SpC, wrack^SpC

5th Level
break enchantment, control winds, dimensional anchor, dire hunger^SpC, doomtide^SpC, false sending^BoVD, fear, feeblemind, hallucinatory terrain, hold monster, insect plague, major creation, mark of justice, mass contagion^SpC, mass inflict light wounds, miasma of entropy^SpC, prying eyes, rotting curse of Urfestra^BoVD (no corruption cost), seeming, soul shackles^BoVD, spell immunity, summon monster V (true neutral or evil creatures only), symbol of pain, symbol of sleep, transmute rock to mud, true seeing, wall of thorns, waves of fatigue

6th Level
animate objects, antilife shell, baleful polymorph, call lightning storm, dream casting^SpC, eyebite, find the path, fleshshiver^SpC, forbiddance, forbidden speech^BoVD (no corruption cost), geas, ghost trap^SpC, greater glyph of warding, imperious glare^SpC, mass inflict moderate wounds, mass suggestion, mislead, summon monster VI (true neutral or evil creatures only), rejection^SpC, spider plague^SpC, symbol of fear, symbol of persuasion, transcribe symbol^SpC, wind walk

7th Level
blood to water^SpC, control weather, creeping doom, discern location, evil glare^SpC, greater arcane sight, greater bestow curse^SpC, harm, hiss of sleep^SpC, imprison soul^BoVD, insanity, legend lore, mass inflict serious wounds, pestilence^BoVD, power word blind, repulsion, sequester, shifting paths^SpC, summon monster VII (true neutral or evil creatures only), symbol of stunning, symbol of weakness, symphonic nightmare^SpC, transfix^SpC, waves of exhaustion

8th Level
antipathy, befoul^BoVD, demand, flensing^SpC, glass strike^SpC, greater prying eyes, greater spell immunity, horrid wilting, maddening whispers^SpC, mass charm monster, mass inflict critical wounds, Otto's irresistible dance, power word stun, project image, protection from spells, soul's treasure lost^BoVD, steal life^BoVD, summon monster VIII (true neutral or evil creatures only), symbol of death, symbol of insanity, trap the soul

9th Level
absorption^SpC, despoil^BoVD, imprisonment, magic miasma^SpC, mass hold monster, plague of nightmares^BoVD (no corruption cost), programmed amnesia^SpC, screen, soul bind, storm of vengeance, summon monster IX (true neutral or evil creatures only), utterdark^BoVD

[Curse]
Spells with the [Curse] descriptor can be enhanced by the wicked sortilege of the witch. Such spells tend to have a non-instantaneous duration, are of deleterious nature, and most often originate in the schools of Enchantment, Necromancy and Transmutation.

[Curse] spells can be removed with a casting of remove curse unless they are of 5th level or higher; if this is the case, break enchantment is required instead. [Curse] spells are curses as defined by either spell, subject to the above limitation.

[Curse] spells resist removal via dispel magic and similar or related effects; treat their caster level as being 2 higher for the purposes of resolving such effects. The [Curse] descriptor is not synonymous with evil, but some spells with the [Curse] descriptor are also [Evil] spells.

The following are spells using the [Curse] descriptor when cast by a witch. Note that this is not an exhaustive list, and that you may wish to treat such spells as having the [Curse] descriptor regardless of caster.

The feats Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus can be selected to apply to [Curse] spells.

0th Level
daze, touch of fatigue, unnerving gaze^BoVD

1st Level
backbiter^SpC, bane, bestow wound^BoVD, cause fear, doom, lesser confusion, mark of the outcast^SpC, sleep, spirit worm^SpC, stupor^BoVD

2nd Level
blindness/deafness, curse of ill fortune^SpC, curse of impending blades^SpC, daze monster, delusions of grandeur^SpC, distract^SpC, ghoul glyph^SpC, hold person, malevolent miasma^SpC, obscure object, ray of enfeeblement, ray of sickness^SpC, ray of weakness^SpC, sap strength^BoVD, shriveling^BoVD, Tasha's hideous laughter, wave of grief^SpC, warp wood, wither limb, zone of truth

3rd Level
bestow curse, contagion, cruel disappointment^BoVD, cursed blade^SpC, curse of the putrid husk^BoVD, deep slumber, diminish plants, dread word^BoVD, evil eye^BoVD, ghoul touch, love's pain^BoVD, mass curse of impending blades^SpC, mesmerizing glare^SpC, mind poison^SpC, miser's envy^SpC, ray of dizziness^SpC, ray of exhaustion, touch of idiocy, unluck^SpC, vulnerability^SpC

4th Level
blight, confusion, contagious touch^SpC, crushing despair, graymantle^SpC, languor^SpC, lesser geas, mass curse of ill fortune^SpC, nightmare, psychic poison^BoVD, sensory deprivation^SpC, starvation^SpC, wood rot^SpC, wrack^SpC

5th Level
dire hunger^SpC, doomtide^SpC, fear, feeblemind, hold monster, mark of justice, mass contagion^SpC, rotting curse of Urfestra^BoVD, soul shackles^BoVD, waves of fatigue

6th Level
baleful polymorph, eyebite, fleshshiver^SpC, forbiddance, forbidden speech^BoVD, geas, imperious glare^SpC, rejection^SpC

7th Level
blood to water^SpC, evil glare^SpC, greater bestow curse^SpC, hiss of sleep^SpC, imprison soul^BoVD, insanity, pestilence^BoVD, power word blind, repulsion, symphonic nightmare^SpC, transfix^SpC, waves of exhaustion

8th Level
antipathy, befoul^BoVD, glass strike^SpC, maddening whispers^SpC, Otto's irresistible dance, power word stun, soul's treasure lost^BoVD, steal life^BoVD, trap the soul

9th Level
despoil^BoVD, magic miasma^SpC, mass hold monster, plague of nightmares^BoVD, programmed amnesia^SpC, soul bind

[Lord_Gareth]

You implied before that Celestia and Baator are not sovereign political entities, which confuses me - last I knew, those two planes were places that were also governments, much like a nation, with the respective leaders (Zaph and Azzie) being the leaders of the plane itself in the spiritual, temporal, and political senses. If this isn't the case, what is?

[Larkas]

That said, if you want a witchier sort of witch, I offer you this:

Spoiler

Show

Witch
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|Summon familiar, curse resistance +1|3|1+1

2nd|

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+3

||4|2+1|-

3rd|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|Brew Potion|4|2+1|1+1|-

4th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Stealthy curse|4|3+1|2+1|-|-

5th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Curse resistance +2|4|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-

6th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Extend curse|4|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-|-

7th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Panacea|4|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-

8th|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+6

|Enlarge curse|4|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-|-|-|-

9th|

+4

|

+3

|

+3

|

+6

|Nightmares beyond dreams|4|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-

10th|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+7

|Curse resistance +3|4|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-|-|-

11th|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+7

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-

12th|

+6/+1

|

+4

|

+4

|

+8

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-|-

13th|

++6/+1

|

+4

|

+4

|

+8

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-

14th|

+7/+2

|

+4

|

+4

|

+9

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-

15th|

+7/+2

|

+5

|

+5

|

+9

|Curse resistance +4|4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-

16th|

+8/+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+10

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1|-

17th|

+8/+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+10

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1

18th|

+9/+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+11

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1|2+1

19th|

+9/+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+11

||4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|3+1

20th|

+10/+5

|

+6

|

+6

|

+12

|Curse resistance +5|4|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1|4+1[/table]

The witch is a dangerous magic-wielder, one capable of unleashing horrible curses that ravage mind and body. Witches are not inherently evil, but the powers they wield often make them the subject of not altogether undeserved fear. While some witches gleefully serve extraplanar forces of malevolence and terror, others see themselves as divine punishers, agents of hard justice, or overthrowers of a falsely-validated cosmic order.

HD 1d4
Skills As wizard

Spells As wizard. Witches can prepare one extra [Curse] spell of each level they can cast (other than level 0).

Summon Familiar As wizard.

Curse Resistance (Su) Witches get a +1 bonus on saving throws to resist the effects of spells with the [Curse] descriptor. This extends to those spells and effects equivalent to them even if the spell in question would not have the [Curse] descriptor (due to being cast by a non-witch, or being a spell-like ability, for example). At 5th level and every five levels thereafter, this bonus increases by 1.

Brew Potion At 3rd level, a witch gains Brew Potion as a bonus feat.

Stealthy Curse (Su) At 4th level, the Witch gains the ability to hide her dark magics. Choose one: three times per day, the Witch may cast a spell with the [Curse] descriptor as though it were affected by the Silent Spell feat, or three times per day she may cast a spell with the [Curse] descriptor as though it were affected by the Still Spell feat. In either case, the spell's level does not change. Once chosen, this choice may not be changed.

Extend Curse (Su) Beginning at 6th level, three times per day, the Witch may cast a spell with the [Curse] descriptor as though it were affected by the Extend Spell feat. This does not change the spell's level.

Panacea At 7th level, a witch adds aid, cure light wounds, cure moderate wounds, cure serious wounds, delay poison, lesser restoration, remove blindness/deafness and remove disease to the list of spells that she can create potions from (she cannot actually cast the spells). Treat these spells as equivalent to the cleric spells of the same names.

Enlarge Curse (Su) Beginning at 8th level, three times per day, the Witch may cast a spell with the [Curse] descriptor as though it were affected by the Enlarge Spell feat. This does not change the spell's level.

Nightmares Beyond Dreams (Su) At 9th level, the witch can select one [Curse] spell she knows with the [Mind-Affecting] descriptor and treat it as though it did not have that descriptor. The spell will still fail to affect mindless beings and those without an Intelligence score.

Witch Spell List

Witches choose their spells from the following list.

0th Level
arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, ghost sound, know direction, light, lullaby, mage hand, mending, message, minor disguise^SpC, no light^BoVD, open/close, preserve organ^BoVD, prestidigitation, read magic, touch of fatigue, unnerving gaze^BoVD

1st Level
alarm, animate rope, backbiter^SpC, bane, bestow wound^BoVD, cause fear, charm person, deathwatch, detect animals or plants, detect secret doors, disguise self, dispel ward^SpC, doom, ebon eyes^SpC, endure elements, entangle, feather fall, grease, hide from animals, hypnotism, identify, inflict light wounds, lesser confusion, magic mouth, mark of the outcast^SpC, Nystul's magic aura, obscuring mist, omen of peril^SpC, sacrificial skill^BoVD, silent image, sleep, spirit worm^SpC, stupor^BoVD, summon monster I (true neutral or evil creatures only), unseen servant

2nd Level
animal messenger, arcane lock, augury, barkskin, blindness/deafness, curse of ill fortune^SpC, curse of impending blades^SpC, darkness, daze monster, delusions of grandeur^SpC, dissonant chant^SpC, distract^SpC, enthrall, gentle repose, ghoul glyph^SpC, hold person, inflict moderate wounds, malevolent miasma^SpC, make whole, misdirection, obscure object, pass without trace, ray of enfeeblement, ray of sickness^SpC, ray of weakness^SpC, sap strength^BoVD, shriveling^BoVD, silence, soften earth and stone, sound burst, summon monster II (true neutral or evil creatures only), summon swarm, suppress glyph^SpC, Tasha's hideous laughter, undetectable alignment, ventriloquism, wave of grief^SpC, warp wood, wither limb, zone of truth

3rd Level
alter self, arcane sight, bestow curse, capricious zephyr^SpC, charm monster, contagion, contagious fog^SpC, cruel disappointment^BoVD, cursed blade^SpC, curse of the putrid husk^BoVD, deeper darkness, deep slumber, diminish plants, dispel magic, dread word^BoVD, evil eye^BoVD, fog cloud, ghoul touch, glimpse of truth^BoVD, glyph of warding, inflict serious wounds, invisibility, invisibility purge, know opponent^SpC, know vulnerabilities^SpC, locate object, love's pain^BoVD (no corruption cost), mass curse of impending blades^SpC, mesmerizing glare^SpC, mind poison^SpC, miser's envy^SpC, ray of dizziness^SpC, ray of exhaustion, remove curse, sleet storm, spike growth, suggestion, summon monster III (true neutral or evil creatures only), touch of idiocy, unluck^SpC, vulnerability^SpC, weather eye^SpC, web, whispering wind, wind wall

4th Level
air walk, arcane eye, assay spell resistance^SpC, blight, call lightning, confusion, contagious touch^SpC, control water, crushing despair, detect scrying, dismissal, divination, dream, false vision, giant vermin, graymantle^SpC, inflict critical wounds, junglerazer^SpC, languor^SpC, lesser geas, major image, mass curse of ill fortune^SpC, minor creation, mirror sending^BoVD, nightmare, nondetection, plant growth, poison, psychic poison^BoVD, sending, sensory deprivation^SpC, speak with dead, spike stones, starvation^SpC, summon monster IV (true neutral or evil creatures only), wood rot^SpC, wrack^SpC

5th Level
break enchantment, control winds, dimensional anchor, dire hunger^SpC, doomtide^SpC, false sending^BoVD, fear, feeblemind, hallucinatory terrain, hold monster, insect plague, major creation, mark of justice, mass contagion^SpC, mass inflict light wounds, miasma of entropy^SpC, prying eyes, rotting curse of Urfestra^BoVD (no corruption cost), seeming, soul shackles^BoVD, spell immunity, summon monster V (true neutral or evil creatures only), symbol of pain, symbol of sleep, transmute rock to mud, true seeing, wall of thorns, waves of fatigue

6th Level
animate objects, antilife shell, baleful polymorph, call lightning storm, dream casting^SpC, eyebite, find the path, fleshshiver^SpC, forbiddance, forbidden speech^BoVD (no corruption cost), geas, ghost trap^SpC, greater glyph of warding, imperious glare^SpC, mass inflict moderate wounds, mass suggestion, mislead, summon monster VI (true neutral or evil creatures only), rejection^SpC, spider plague^SpC, symbol of fear, symbol of persuasion, transcribe symbol^SpC, wind walk

7th Level
blood to water^SpC, control weather, creeping doom, discern location, evil glare^SpC, greater arcane sight, greater bestow curse^SpC, harm, hiss of sleep^SpC, imprison soul^BoVD, insanity, legend lore, mass inflict serious wounds, pestilence^BoVD, power word blind, repulsion, sequester, shifting paths^SpC, summon monster VII (true neutral or evil creatures only), symbol of stunning, symbol of weakness, symphonic nightmare^SpC, transfix^SpC, waves of exhaustion

8th Level
antipathy, befoul^BoVD, demand, flensing^SpC, glass strike^SpC, greater prying eyes, greater spell immunity, horrid wilting, maddening whispers^SpC, mass charm monster, mass inflict critical wounds, Otto's irresistible dance, power word stun, project image, protection from spells, soul's treasure lost^BoVD, steal life^BoVD, summon monster VIII (true neutral or evil creatures only), symbol of death, symbol of insanity, trap the soul

9th Level
absorption^SpC, despoil^BoVD, imprisonment, magic miasma^SpC, mass hold monster, plague of nightmares^BoVD (no corruption cost), programmed amnesia^SpC, screen, soul bind, storm of vengeance, summon monster IX (true neutral or evil creatures only), utterdark^BoVD

[Curse]
Spells with the [Curse] descriptor can be enhanced by the wicked sortilege of the witch. Such spells tend to have a non-instantaneous duration, are of deleterious nature, and most often originate in the schools of Enchantment, Necromancy and Transmutation.

[Curse] spells can be removed with a casting of remove curse unless they are of 5th level or higher; if this is the case, break enchantment is required instead. [Curse] spells are curses as defined by either spell, subject to the above limitation.

[Curse] spells resist removal via dispel magic and similar or related effects; treat their caster level as being 2 higher for the purposes of resolving such effects. The [Curse] descriptor is not synonymous with evil, but some spells with the [Curse] descriptor are also [Evil] spells.

The following are spells using the [Curse] descriptor when cast by a witch. Note that this is not an exhaustive list, and that you may wish to treat such spells as having the [Curse] descriptor regardless of caster.

The feats Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus can be selected to apply to [Curse] spells.

0th Level
daze, touch of fatigue, unnerving gaze^BoVD

1st Level
backbiter^SpC, bane, bestow wound^BoVD, cause fear, doom, lesser confusion, mark of the outcast^SpC, sleep, spirit worm^SpC, stupor^BoVD

2nd Level
blindness/deafness, curse of ill fortune^SpC, curse of impending blades^SpC, daze monster, delusions of grandeur^SpC, distract^SpC, ghoul glyph^SpC, hold person, malevolent miasma^SpC, obscure object, ray of enfeeblement, ray of sickness^SpC, ray of weakness^SpC, sap strength^BoVD, shriveling^BoVD, Tasha's hideous laughter, wave of grief^SpC, warp wood, wither limb, zone of truth

3rd Level
bestow curse, contagion, cruel disappointment^BoVD, cursed blade^SpC, curse of the putrid husk^BoVD, deep slumber, diminish plants, dread word^BoVD, evil eye^BoVD, ghoul touch, love's pain^BoVD, mass curse of impending blades^SpC, mesmerizing glare^SpC, mind poison^SpC, miser's envy^SpC, ray of dizziness^SpC, ray of exhaustion, touch of idiocy, unluck^SpC, vulnerability^SpC

4th Level
blight, confusion, contagious touch^SpC, crushing despair, graymantle^SpC, languor^SpC, lesser geas, mass curse of ill fortune^SpC, nightmare, psychic poison^BoVD, sensory deprivation^SpC, starvation^SpC, wood rot^SpC, wrack^SpC

5th Level
dire hunger^SpC, doomtide^SpC, fear, feeblemind, hold monster, mark of justice, mass contagion^SpC, rotting curse of Urfestra^BoVD, soul shackles^BoVD, waves of fatigue

6th Level
baleful polymorph, eyebite, fleshshiver^SpC, forbiddance, forbidden speech^BoVD, geas, imperious glare^SpC, rejection^SpC

7th Level
blood to water^SpC, evil glare^SpC, greater bestow curse^SpC, hiss of sleep^SpC, imprison soul^BoVD, insanity, pestilence^BoVD, power word blind, repulsion, symphonic nightmare^SpC, transfix^SpC, waves of exhaustion

8th Level
antipathy, befoul^BoVD, glass strike^SpC, maddening whispers^SpC, Otto's irresistible dance, power word stun, soul's treasure lost^BoVD, steal life^BoVD, trap the soul

9th Level
despoil^BoVD, magic miasma^SpC, mass hold monster, plague of nightmares^BoVD, programmed amnesia^SpC, soul bind

Hey, that's interesting! Do you have a thread in the homebrew forums for that?

[gkathellar]

You implied before that Celestia and Baator are not sovereign political entities, which confuses me - last I knew, those two planes were places that were also governments, much like a nation, with the respective leaders (Zaph and Azzie) being the leaders of the plane itself in the spiritual, temporal, and political senses. If this isn't the case, what is?

They're not political entities, nations, or states of any sorts.

Celestia runs on a "first among equals" model, where people listen to Zaph because he's respected above all others. After all, why should willing servants be servants at all?* Lawful Good is about understanding that there is a right way, and Zaphael is understood to have great insight into it.

Asmodeus, on the other hand, is running an army, with the associated military hierarchy. An army replete with bureaucracy and complexity, but that's because (a) he likes it that way, and (b) you'd need a pretty absurd bureaucracy to manage an army on that scale.

*In Mechanus, the take would be, "why should willing servants have wills at all?"

[Eldan]

You implied before that Celestia and Baator are not sovereign political entities, which confuses me - last I knew, those two planes were places that were also governments, much like a nation, with the respective leaders (Zaph and Azzie) being the leaders of the plane itself in the spiritual, temporal, and political senses. If this isn't the case, what is?

The Archon race might be. The Baatezu race certainly is.

But both planes have plenty of other things living on them. Including divine realms, which would have to deal with those races, but don't necessarily bow to the rulers of the respective layers.

[afroakuma]

You implied before that Celestia and Baator are not sovereign political entities, which confuses me - last I knew, those two planes were places that were also governments, much like a nation, with the respective leaders (Zaph and Azzie) being the leaders of the plane itself in the spiritual, temporal, and political senses. If this isn't the case, what is?

As gkathellar and Eldan said: the archons as a race and the baatezu as a race are sovereign legal entities. However, neither Zaphkiel nor Asmodeus speak for the whole plane or all of its inhabitants.

Hey, that's interesting! Do you have a thread in the homebrew forums for that?

I don't. I just whipped it up for this thread.

[Mystify]

What can you tell me about Slaad that doesn't translate to gibberish? Slaad are chaotic, but they aren't unknowable like far realms stuff, right?

[Chilingsworth]

Other than the Archons and Baatezu, what races exist on Baator and Celestia? (other than the ancient Baatorians, on whom you've already spoken significantly.)

[afroakuma]

What can you tell me about Slaad that doesn't translate to gibberish?

Gibberish? How insulting. Just for that, I'm going to take my basketball and hamburger Euripides calisthenics denomination.

That said, this link here should have everything you need.

Slaad are chaotic, but they aren't unknowable like far realms stuff, right?

Well, ultimately no exemplar is really "knowable," but slaad are a lot easier on the brain. Keep away from the spawners, though; they're highly-charged and have limited personal restraint. Greens and up are safe(r) to be around (not the death slaad though).

Other than the Archons and Baatezu, what races exist on Baator and Celestia? (other than the ancient Baatorians, on whom you've already spoken significantly.)

Oh, a great many. On Celestia, for example, there are zoveri, angels, noctrals, radiant dragons, metallic dragons, celestial halflings, incarnates, couatls... it's a pretty busy place, when you get right down to it.

Baator, meanwhile, features fewer non-exemplars because of the nature of the place, but there are still the odd few outliers; fiendish sahuagin, minions of Set, kytons, bezekiras, haraknin, imps and a surprising amount of Lower Planar traffic, all things considered.

[Eldan]

Gods, too, and their various minions. Tiamat has tons of them.

[Jon_Dahl]

How cold is it in Stygia and is the temperature always fixed or is it variable in certain areas and seasons?

[afroakuma]

How cold is it in Stygia and is the temperature always fixed or is it variable in certain areas and seasons?

Stygia's miserably cold. It doesn't obey regular laws of temperature, either; it takes a while to cling to you (about an hour) and then the suffering begins (even before that, if you come in unprotected, you're gonna have a bad time). An hour after entering Stygia, you'll start feeling the effects of severe cold, which is in the vicinity of -18 to -20 degrees Celsius (around 0 degrees Fahrenheit).

It can get colder in places, and there are regions of comparable warmth (Tantlin, the major city, isn't quite so bad, and Set's realm is a hot desert). Still, in general, Stygia's nastiness comes from the presence of the Styx, not from the cold (which ultimately you can deal with with relative ease).

Now, Cania... Cania is cold. Cania's cold hates you quite personally and wants you to know that. It's off the charts. The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth clocked in at -89.2 degrees Celsius. Cania probably clocks in at twice that (-180 Celsius, -292 Fahrenheit). It might even be worse (-250 C, -420 F). Cania's cold is literally ten times worse than Stygia's; no degree of nonmagical protection will save you except the nonmagical protection of being somewhere else.

[Lord_Gareth]

Invasions (both successful and failed) of the Prime Material Plane by exemplars and other planar races are well-documented in D&D. However, what I want to know is if there's ever been a significant invasion of a plane (or layer of a plane) by Material forces. Was it successful, if so? What would it take to establish significant control over a planar layer by Prime Material forces?