New Witch Archetype

[Player#2201]

Really fits my style of passive gameplay where if my casters aren't blowing up half the screen, they're just spamming cantrips (now for 10d3). Capstone is a little lackluster and still might be better off with the sorcerer dip for overall elemental damage rather than just ray spells.

[Razer]

Capstone is a flat boost to damage for all ranged touch attacks. So if you have INT 40 you will add +20 damage to each ray of Hellfire Ray. That's still very good.

[Deo]

If you are not blowing up half of the screen - then half of the screen blows up you.

While cantrip casting playstyle can work in BG3, in Wotr it's really lacking purpose and direction.

[john_boy]

Originally posted by Razer:

Capstone is a flat boost to damage for all ranged touch attacks. So if you have INT 40 you will add +20 damage to each ray of Hellfire Ray. That's still very good.

Thing is - is that a bug ? Capstone is something like "cantrip mastery" whilst the description reads that ray spells are also included it's at odds with the title. Wouldn't want to build a character around that and then it gets fixed.

[Razer]

Originally posted by john_boy:

Originally posted by Razer:

Capstone is a flat boost to damage for all ranged touch attacks. So if you have INT 40 you will add +20 damage to each ray of Hellfire Ray. That's still very good.

Thing is - is that a bug ? Capstone is something like "cantrip mastery" whilst the description reads that ray spells are also included it's at odds with the title. Wouldn't want to build a character around that and then it gets fixed.

I mean it'd be very very weak if it just included cantrips only. But sure.

Originally posted by Deo:

If you are not blowing up half of the screen - then half of the screen blows up you.

While cantrip casting playstyle can work in BG3, in Wotr it's really lacking purpose and direction.

I think it's good early because you have limited spell slots and cantrips are unlimited. So having a class archetype that boosts that is unique and kind of nice. I mean are there better options to play more efficiently? Yes? But it's cool if you want to go this route. Perfectly viable to just spam cantrips with this even later in the game if you play on Core or lower. Which is what like 90% of people play.

[Schlumpsha]

The vortex ability is the most interesting aspect of the archetype to me. Capstone is nice and all. But comes online way too late.

[Razer]

Originally posted by Schlumpsha:

The vortex ability is the most interesting aspect of the archetype to me. Capstone is nice and all. But comes online way too late.

As it is with many of these full round action AoE abilities being a martial class is just weighing just full round attacks vs this AoE ability. And many times just doing a full round attack is preferable. Does this vortex work vs Swarms? That may give it an edge. But it's still situational.

[Erei]

It's basically a witch +. Not game breaking, but it's still a better witch than base witch, at the end of the day.
The capstone is OK, but you'll get a LOT more by going 1level geomancer with extra die from bloodline, then maybe get the "convert all element" extra bloodline through mythic. Or go crossblooded and get the extra die + conversion (but lose on geomancer extra damage).

I'm fairly certain 1 level geomancer already outdamage the capstone, by itself, without adding the bloodline (which DEFINITELY outdamage the capstone).

So yes, basically a witch +. Capstone still not worth it as you can get better elsewhere with a single dip. Which is OK, really.

[Twogs]

Should not forgot that Trickster can make some more spells into cantrips.

So potentially even more damage.

[Erei]

Originally posted by Twogs:

Should not forgot that Trickster can make some more spells into cantrips.

So potentially even more damage.

Some people tried, it doesn't work. Only "real" cantrips.

[canuck250]

I have been only running melee kineticist as of late (on a physco tortured cru run) but that witch vortex with aoe kine sounds like a match made in heaven. I would even double down on kineticist and just aoe the world away.

[john_boy]

Also - and this is a really comically minor nitpick - it's a bit odd that a class with "keen eyed" in the title doesn't get perception as a class skill

[hidareju]

One funny thing, it works with Azata Zippy Magic and the Plague of Madness Staff. Every 3rd shot Empowers and Maximizes all the dice and each shot hits a second target for free within 30 ft. Throw on the cheap gloves that give +1 point of damage per dice on all cantrips and you can get some lol funny free damage if you are not running around on higher than standard.

Also if your willing to Respect your main character at least once into Arcane Trickster before Ivory Sanctum and back later after a crusade event. You can get the Ambrosial Attire of Arcane Annihilation for another +1 damage per dice on all Rays and +4 to hit/Spell penetration

[Erei]

Originally posted by hidareju:

One funny thing, it works with Azata Zippy Magic and the Plague of Madness Staff. Every 3rd shot Empowers and Maximizes all the dice and each shot hits a second target for free within 30 ft. Throw on the cheap gloves that give +1 point of damage per dice on all cantrips and you can get some lol funny free damage if you are not running around on higher than standard.

Also if your willing to Respect your main character at least once into Arcane Trickster before Ivory Sanctum and back later after a crusade event. You can get the Ambrosial Attire of Arcane Annihilation for another +1 damage per dice on all Rays and +4 to hit/Spell penetration

Someone posted a 167 damage with ray fo frost on reddit :
https://i.redd.it/j46127al04nd1.png

While it's funny (and really big for a cantrip), at this point of the game that's like one non crit from your martial.

[IlluminaZero]

Plague of Madness staff in general is pretty bonkers. Just cast a cantrip 3 times before combat (like guidance) and you can start any fight with a free empowered+maximized AOE nuke.