Winter Witch
In the minds of the folk of the arctic north, the otherworldly powers of winter witches are inextricably linked with the frozen realm of Irrisen and its cruel aristocracy. These rulers, the jadwiga, have the bitter blood of Baba Yaga running through their veins, and possess unique abilities that make them unparalleled in their power over ice, snow, and cold.
Not all winter witches have a blood connection to the nobility of Irrisen. Some have their craft passed down to them by wizened mentors, and others hear their calling in the howling winds of a freezing winter’s night. Of those winter witches who live outside Irrisen, many subsist on the fringes of civilization or in the wild, often concealing their powers lest they be seen as Irrisen spies. This is particularly true in the lands of the Linnorm Kings, where memories of the Winter War with Irrisen fuel long-held hatreds, as well as in the Realm of the Mammoth Lords, whose superstitious tribespeople deeply distrust most forms of arcane magic.
Hit Die: d6.
Requirements
To qualify to become a winter witch, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 5 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks.
Spells: Able to cast at least three different spells with the cold descriptor, one of which must be of 3rd level or higher.
Special: Must have a patron and the ice magic class feature (Inner Sea Magic 43).
Class Skills
The winter witch’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Survival (Wis), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Ranks at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
The following are class features of the winter witch prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A winter witch gains no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.
Hyperboreal Patronage: A winter witch’s patron reveals an icy aspect, granting her the following spells as patron spells at the following class levels: 1st—ice spearsISM, 3rd— wall of ice, 5th—icy prisonUM, 7th—freezing sphere, 9th—fire storm (deals cold damage instead of fire). These replace any patron spells a winter witch might receive from a previous class.
Ice Spears
School conjuration [cold]; Level druid 3, sorcerer/wizard 3, witch 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a small stalagmite-shaped crystal)
Range close (25 ft. + 5ft./2 levels)
Effect 1 ice spear/4 levels
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Reflex half and see below; Spell Resistance no
Favored by the spellcasters of Irrisen, this potent spell can disrupt spellcasters, topple enemies, and break even seemingly unstoppable charges.
Upon casting this spell, one or more giant spears of ice lance up out of the ground. Each stalagmite-like icicle affects a 5-foot square and tapers to a height of 10 feet. You may cause a number of ice spears equal to one spear for every four caster levels you possess to burst from the ground. A creature that occupies a square from which a spear extends (or that is within 10 feet of the ground below) takes 2d6 points of piercing damage and 2d6 points of cold damage per square—creatures that take up more than one square can be hit by multiple spears if the caster is high enough level. The explosive growth can also trip foes. When the spears erupt from the ground, they make a combat maneuver check against any targets that take damage from the spears, with a total bonus equal to your caster level plus your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier, whichever is highest. Each additional ice spear beyond the first that strikes a single foe grants a +10 bonus to this CMB check. If the check succeeds, the ice spears knock the foe prone. A successful Reflex save halves the damage and prevents the trip attempt.
If you cast this spell upon an area covered with ice or snow, such as atop a glacier, frozen lake, or snow-covered field, the spears strike with additional force. Saves against the effect suffer a –2 penalty and the spell gains a +4 bonus on its combat maneuver check to trip foes. Ice spears created by this spell remain after they do their damage. They melt as normal depending on the surrounding environment. They no longer damage foes in their square, but can provide cover. An ice spear has hardness 5 and 30 hit points.
Winter Witchcraft: Levels of the winter witch prestige class stack with witch levels for determining a winter witch’s spells per day, spells gained at each level, the effect of her hexes and other witch class abilities (including archetype abilities), the abilities of her witch’s familiar, and the level at which she can select major hexes or grand hexes.
Freeze and Thaw (Su): At 2nd level, a winter witch can freeze water or melt ice and snow with a touch. As a standard action, a winter witch can melt an adjacent 5-foot cube of ice or a 10-foot cube of snow. Melting snow produces a volume of water equal to 10% the snow’s volume. Alternatively, a winter witch can freeze 5 cubic feet of water into solid ice. This freezing takes place gradually over 1 round, making it almost impossible to trap a creature unless it’s helpless. This cannot affect water within a creature. One cubic foot of ice contains roughly 8 gallons of water and weighs about 60 pounds.
This ability works on fresh water and saltwater, but has no affect on water creatures; on liquids (frozen or otherwise) other than water; or on magical water, ice, or snow. A winter witch can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 1/2 her class level.
Unnatural Cold (Su): At 3rd level, whenever a winter witch’s spell, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability deals cold damage, treat affected creatures as having half their normal cold resistance when determining damage dealt.
Sculpt Ice and Snow (Sp): At 4th level, a winter witch can sculpt ice and snow into any shape that suits her purpose (as stone shape, except that it works with ice). This ability also works on snow, doubling the volume affected. At 7th level, this ability functions on ice or snow like the fabricate spell, increasing the volume manipulated and allowing a higher degree of craftsmanship. The winter witch must succeed at appropriate Craft checks to form complex items or ones with fine detail. Items created by the fabricate version of this ability solidify into ultra-hard ice (hardness 5, 10 hit points per inch of thickness) that resists normal melting but takes double damage from fire. The ice remains in this ultra-hard state for 1 hour per class level before returning to normal ice. A winter witch can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 1/2 her class level.
Bonus Hexes: At 5th level and every two levels thereafter, a winter witch gains the following major hexes in addition to those gained from normal advancement: 5th—ice tombUM, 7th—hoarfrostUM, 9th—numbing chill (see below). If a winter witch already has this hex, she may instead gain any other hex she meets the prerequisites for.
Numbing Chill (Su): Whenever the winter witch casts a spell that deals cold damage, she can imbue the spell with a debilitating eldritch chill as a swift action. She chooses one of the spell’s targets or a creature within the spell effect. If that creature takes cold damage from the spell, it must also succeed at a Fortitude save or take 1d4 points of Dexterity damage and be staggered for 1 round. The creature need only make this saving throw once per spell, even if the spell deals damage multiple times. If the target saves successfully, it is immune to this hex for 1 day. This is a cold effect.
Blizzard Sight (Su): At 6th level, a winter witch can see normally in natural or magical rain, sleet, hail, fog, snowstorms, blizzards, and similar weather conditions.
Unearthly Cold (Su): At 8th level, a winter witch’s spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities that deal cold damage become horrendously cold. Half the cold damage caused by these effects comes from an otherworldly power and is not subject to being reduced by resistance or immunity to cold-based attacks.
Iceglide (Su): At 10th level, a winter witch can move effortlessly at her base land speed through ice or snow. This leaves behind no tunnel or hole, and doesn’t create any ripple or other sign of passage. While icegliding, a winter witch can breathe normally. A control water spell cast on an area containing an icegliding winter witch f lings her back 30 feet in a random direction, stunning her for 1 round unless she succeeds at a DC 15 Fortitude save. A winter witch can use this ability for 10 minutes per day. This time need not be consecutive, but must be spent in 1-minute increments. Activating this ability is a swift action.
Inexorable Cold (Su): At 10th level, a winter witch casts spells with the cold descriptor at +1 caster level. In addition, she gains a +1 bonus on caster level checks to counterspell, dispel, or penetrate spell resistance with these spells, and the DC to counterspell or dispel these spells increases by +1.
