Witch Knight (3.5e Prestige Class)
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Low - Moderate - Mixing your Mind Blade and Eldritch Blast into a seamless whole. 10 6 Good Poor Good Good
Psionics, Invocations,Other
Witch KnightEdit
| “ | Curse and flay, you I will slay, by my might you'll fall this day. | ” |
| —Malakoth, Tiefling Witch Knight, on fighting an Ogre, in his journal, Tomé na Eldritch | ||
Witch Knights are those who combine the power of their mind with the dark power invested in them, making formidable warriors.
Becoming a Witch KnightEdit
Witch Knights generally go the most direct route to this class; Which is usually Soulknife 1/Warlock 4. Charisma is important to the Witch Knight, as is Strength.
| Base Attack Bonus: | +3. |
|---|---|
| Skills: | Concentration 9 Ranks. |
| Feats: | Witch Knight Training. |
| Invoking: | Must be able to use the Warlock's Curse invocation. |
| Special: | Ability to form a Mind Blade. |
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Saving Throws | Special | Spellcasting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort | Ref | Will | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st | +1 | +0 | +2 | +2 | Eldritch Strike, Soulknife Training | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd | +2 | +0 | +3 | +3 | Psychic Flurry | +1 Existing Invoking Class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd | +3 | +1 | +3 | +3 | Bladeblast | +1 Existing Invoking Class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th | +4 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Armored Witch (Medium) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th | +5 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Witch Knight's Evasion | +1 Existing Invoking Class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th | +6/+1 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Burning Curse | +1 Existing Invoking Class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th | +7/+2 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Armored Witch (Heavy) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th | +8/+3 | +2 | +6 | +6 | Improved Witch Knight's Evasion | +1 Existing Invoking Class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th | +9/+4 | +3 | +6 | +6 | Improved Psychic Flurry | +1 Existing Invoking Class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th | +10/+5 | +3 | +7 | +7 | Witch Knight Strike | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level.) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class FeaturesEdit
All of the following are class features of the Witch Knight.
Proficiencies: Witch Knights gain proficiency with all martial weapons, provided they didn't already have such. They also gain a bonus Magic Implement proficiency of their choice.
Invoking: At each level other than 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th levels, you gain new invocations known and an increase in caster level as if you had also gained a level in an invoking class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level (Including Eldritch Blast damage). You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one Invoking class before becoming a Witch knight, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining caster level, and invocations known.
Witch Knight's Trance (Ex): While the Witch Knight is psionically focused and suffering no arcane spell failure to his invocations, he may add one point of his Charisma bonus per class level as a Dodge bonus to his AC and as an Insight bonus to Reflex saving throws.
Soulknife Training (Ex): Every even-numbered Witch Knight level stacks with your Soulknife levels for determining all Soulknife class abilities except base attack bonus, base save bonuses, HD and skills.
Eldritch Strike (Su): When you execute successful a Psychic Strike, your target also takes damage from your Eldritch Blast. This is considered a Lesser (4th) Blast Shape invocation. You can freely use an Eldritch Essence invocation to affect your blast when it is used in this manner.
Psychic Flurry (Ex): When you make a full attack with your Mind Blade, you may make an additional attack at your highest base attack bonus. All attacks made that round suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls. At 3rd level, the penalty lessens to -1, and at 6th level, it vanishes altogether. At 9th level, this ability improves, granting you a second additional attack at your highest base attack bonus, with no penalty.
Bladeblast (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, ehen you use your Eldritch Blast, you may change the damage type to whatever damage type your Mind Blade deals; In addition, your Eldritch Blast gains the benefits of any enchantments the Mind Blade possesses, and you can use your Psychic Strike to affect every target hit by your Eldritch Blast. This is considered a Greater (6th) Eldritch Essence invocation; Thus you can freely use a Blast Shape with it.
Armored Witch (Ex): At 4th level, you gain proficiency in Medium armor and can use your Invocations in Medium armor without arcane spell failure. At 7th level, this ability improves, granting you proficiency with Heavy armor and allowing you to use your Invocations and your Speed Of Thought feat in heavy armor.
Witch Knight's Evasion (Ex): You gain Evasion, as the Monk class feature. It can function in armor heavier than light, but your Armor Check Penalty applies to your Reflex saving throws while in that state. The Witch Knight can suppress or reactivate this ability as a free action at the beginning of his turn, negating Evasion in order to negate the penalty to his Reflex saves.
Burning Curse (Su): Targets affected by your Warlock's Curse invocation that you strike with your Psychic Strike have their minds set afire, dealing your Psychic Strike again and again if they fail a Will save (10 + Class level + Charisma mod). They take your Psychic Strike damage again the next round, but each round they take damage from it, the damage lessens by one dice. For example if you struck a Cursed target with a +3d8 Psychic Strike, and the target failed their Will save, they would take 2d8 damage again the following round, and 1d8 damage the round after that. This only affects living, non-mindless targets. Alternatively, if you have access to the Knife To The Soul ability, you can have part or all of the damage over time be mental ability damage, 1 point of damage to one mental ability score per dice sacrificed, as per the Knife To The Soul ability.
Witch Knight Strike (Su): The merging of your two arts reaches its pinnacle at 10th level; As a Blast Shape (Dark, 8th) you can merge your Eldritch Blast into your Mind Blade, adding its damage and effects to each attack you make with your Mind Blade. Once activated, this ability remains activated until deactivated, and you cannot use your Eldritch Blast in any other fashion while this ability is active.
The Epic Witch KnightEdit
| Level | Special |
|---|---|
| 11th | Bonus Feat |
| 12th | |
| 13th | Bonus Feat |
| 14th | |
| 15th | Bonus Feat |
| 16th | |
| 17th | Bonus Feat |
| 18th | |
| 19th | Bonus Feat |
| 20th |
The epic Witch Knight gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic Witch Knight feats) at 11th level and every 2 levels thereafter.
Epic Witch Knight Bonus Feat List: Any Fighter or Psionic feat.
Campaign InformationEdit
Playing a Witch KnightEdit
Combat: Witch Knights focus on dealing damage first, and applying harmful effects to their foes second. Thus they would be, in 4e terms, a Primary Striker/Secondary Controller. Usually they're out on the front lines.
Advancement: Normally Witch Knights will go back to either Soulknife or Warlock after finishing this prestige class, depending on whether they want to focus on their combat or their magic. However, those that can immediately take 5 levels in War Mind to grab the Sweeping Strike feature and a handful of psionic Powers. Some take up the mantle of Blackguard, even.
Resources: Witch Knights are loners, not unlike Hexblades. Whether or not they help others is dependent on their alignment for the most part, and no real organizations of Witch Knights exist.
Witch Knights in the WorldEdit
| “ | What? Thought I was unarmed? Silly boy, don't you know the mind is the most powerful weapon? | ” |
Witch Knights are often bounty hunters, wandering mercenaries and the occasional monster hunter.
NPC Reactions: The same way they would react to any adventurer - With begrudging annoyance or with open arms and coffers, depending on how badly they need help.
Witch Knights in the GameEdit
Witch Knights fit anywhere a Warlock, Soulknife or Hexblade would.
Adaptation: The Gate Knight is similar to Warlock; It's easy enough to adapt Warlock's Curse and Witch Knight to work for such a character. Even Dragonfire Adept can be adapted, though not as easily.
Sample Encounter: This Tiefling is searching for the same artifact the party is. The man is wearing spiked armor as black as night, but appears to be carrying no weapons.
EL 13: Coming soon.
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