Hocus Pocus!
You enter a house. It’s old and scary, and the floor creaks loudly with every step. There is no one inside, except for several large spiders lurking in the cobwebbed corners. At first, everything seems pretty normal, but then you take a closer look… The shelves are filled with bottles, flasks, and vials containing strange mushrooms, something that looks like nails or fingers, and a host of other disturbing things. You approach a large chest, ready to open the lid to reveal the frightening truth behind this place—when you suddenly sense a presence behind you. In one quick motion, your sword is in your hand, ready to repel any danger… only to find a hunched, old woman. She lets out a hoarse cackle. Taken aback by the crone’s sudden appearance, you hesitate for a second… and fall asleep, never to wake again.
We’ve all heard stories like this before, but they’re just fairy tales, right? Wrong! On Golarion, witches are very, very real. As arcane casters, witches gain their spellcasting abilities not through study or natural talent, but by making a pact with a vague and mysterious force called a patron. This patron opens the doors to magic through a familiar, a cute animal that serves its witch as a bizarre living spellbook. Witches commune with their familiars every night to learn and memorize their spells, and to be ready for the next day.
Source: Advanced Player's Guide, p. 65
Because of the strange source of their power, and because of the ignorance of common folk, witches are often feared and hated. Mostly, they are accused of stealing newborn babies and eating them alive, of cursing farmers’ cattle and dancing in the fields during the full moon. Well, the common folk are not entirely wrong: some witches really do such things. But in some places, people appreciate the help of a good witch: she knows herbs, heals the sick and the wounded, and calms animals in distress.
But if you happen to anger a witch—steel yourself for the consequences. Witches have the ability to use powerful hexes: special supernatural curses they can cast with a single fearsome look. Witches can make you fall into a deep sleep, turn you into a harmless animal, or even condemn you to death. But witches can also heal, protect, and even resurrect their friends just as easily. Witches can use hexes any number of times per day, but most can only be cast once on any given target (which is usually all that’s needed).
As with any class, not all witches are the same. You can be a hagbound witch, the victim of a special curse that slowly transforms them into a hag, and makes them physically powerful. Hagbound witches are capable of cursing their enemies and tearing them apart with their claws. Or perhaps you will be a hex channeler witch, who has a way of converting their patron’s powers into waves of healing energy. Not all witches use a familiar as a conduit for their patron’s powers—some, called ley line guardians, can spontaneously draw magical energies from the ley lines that cross all the planes of existence.
As a powerful arcane battlefield controller and healer, who uses both hexes and spells to keep their allies fighting and enemies unable to resist, a witch can single-handedly change the course of a fight.
So, to arms, crusaders! There’s no need to fear witches... as long as they’re on your side.
Owlcats