Another post working on our PF1 witchwarper. We’re working on paradigm shifts, having written their category rules, and creating the warp pool. Now we’re seeing how many days we can go, converting 2-3 a day (or more), until we run into our next design challenge.

Today, we get into the 14th level paradigm shifts.

When looking at these, I try to keep in mind they’ll come into play the same time as the spells control weather, limited wish, and resurrection. None of these really needed any design choices to convert, and while I am concerned about their power level (it’s high), they’re not any more powerful in pathfinder than they were in Sf, so for the moment I’m just chalking that up to what happens at 14th level.

Paradigm Shifts [14th level]

Shifting Immunity (Su)
As a reaction when a creature with immunity to a type of energy damage within 100 feet is affected by energy damage, you can change the creature’s immunity to another type of energy (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic) before the damage is resolved. The effect of this paradigm shift lasts for 3 rounds. This does not affect the creature’s ability to survive environmental hazards or conditions, only what damage it takes from attacks and special abilities. (For example, a creature normally immune to fire that has its immunity shifted to cold by this ability and then swims in lava still doesn’t take damage from the lava even though it’s now vulnerable to fire weapons and spells.) The creature can attempt a Will saving throw to negate this effect. Once you’ve targeted a creature with this paradigm shift, you can’t target that creature with this paradigm shift again for 24 hours. You must know the shift resistance paradigm shift to learn this paradigm shift.

Swapping Step (Su)
Once per round as a move action, you can switch the positions of two creatures within 100 feet, instantaneously swapping their places. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. You can’t swap creatures’ positions in a way that would cause either creature to take damage or be forced into an inappropriate physical space. (For example, you could not swap the positions of two creatures of different sizes if doing so would cause the larger creature to risk falling off a cliff or into a hazard, or cause one of the creatures to be placed within a solid object). Each targeted creature can attempt a Will save to avoid this effect. If either creature succeeds, this paradigm shift has no effect. Once you’ve targeted a creature with this paradigm shift, you can’t target that creature with this paradigm shift again for 24 hours.

Unveil Reality (Su)
As a standard action, you can target one creature within 100 feet and tear back the veils of all worlds, overwhelming the target with a bewildering phantasmagoria. This causes the creature to gain the stunned condition for 3 rounds unless it succeeds at a Will saving throw. This is a mind-affecting effect. Once you’ve targeted a creature with this paradigm shift, you can’t target that creature with this paradigm shift again for 24 hours.

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Aaaaand… another post working on our PF1 witchwarper! Still working on paradigm shifts, having written their category rules, and creating the warp pool. Now we’re seeing how many days we can go, converting 2-3 a day (or more!), until we run into our next design challenge.

Today, we get into the 8th level paradigm shifts.

Paradigm Shifts [8th level]

Flash Teleport (Su)
As a move action, you can expend 1 point from your warp pool to teleport (as the spell) up to 30 feet. You must have line of sight to your destination. This movement doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity.

Hobble Creature (Su)
As a standard action, you can expend 1 point from your warp pool to target a creature within 100 feet and swap in alternate physiologies or circuitry in its body in this version of existence, imposing the staggered condition for a number of rounds equal to 1/3 your witchwarper level. The creature can attempt a Fortitude save to negate this effect. You must know the disrupt creature paradigm shift to learn this paradigm shift.

Magic Deletion (Su)
As a reaction when you are targeted by a spell, you can expend 1 point from your warp pool to gain spell resistance equal to 12 + your witchwarper level until the end of your next turn.

Other than deciding to have all of those be fueled by our warp pool (rather than expending spell slots, as some did originally), again those all adapted with very little change.

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Another post working on our PF1 witchwarper. We’re working on paradigm shifts, having written their category rules, and creating the warp pool. Now we’re seeing how many days we can go, converting 2-3 a day (or more), until we run into our next design challenge.

Today, we get into the 4th level paradigm shifts.

Paradigm Shifts [4th level]

Inhibit (Sp or Su)
As a standard action, you can prevent a creature within 100 feet from taking its best course of action by overwhelming it with visions of its failures in other realities as a supernatural ability. The target must succeed at a Will save or become staggered for 1 round. At 8th level, alternatively, you can expend 1 point from your warp pool to instead use slow as a spell-like ability. Once you’ve targeted a creature with this paradigm shift, you can’t target that creature with this paradigm shift again (regardless of how you use it) for 24 hours.

Optimize (Sp or Su)
You can show a creature a glimpse of the results of its choices in other realities, allowing it to act more efficiently. As a standard action, you can touch a willing creature to increase all of its speeds by 10 feet. This is considered an enhancement bonus and is a supernatural haste effect. At 8th level, alternatively, you can expend 1 point from your warp pool to instead use haste as a spell‑like ability. Once you’ve targeted a creature with this paradigm shift, you can’t target them with this paradigm shift again (regardless of how you use it) for 24 hours.

Resist Elements (Su)
As a reaction when you or a creature within 100 feet would take energy damage, you can expend 1 point from your warp pool to grant the target resistance 5 against that energy type (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic). This resistance is applied before the damage from the triggering attack. At 8th level, the resistance granted increases to 10. At 11th level, the resistance granted increases to 15.

Shifting Offensive (Su)
As a standard action, you can touch a weapon or magic item that deals damage and temporarily change its damage type (to acid, bludgeoning, cold, electricity, fire, piercing, slashing, or sonic). If the weapon deals more than one type of damage, you can change all the damage it does (regardless of type) to the new damage type, or change just one of its damage types (leaving its other damage types unchanged). This effect lasts until the end of your next turn.

None of these needed more than some clean-up and clarification to adapt to pathfinder. Tomorrow, on to 8th-level paradigm shifts!

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Another post working on our PF1 witchwarper. We’re working on paradigm shifts, having written their category rules, and creating the warp pool. Now we’re seeing how many days we can go, converting 2-3 a day, until we run into our next design challenge.

This set rounds out the 2nd level paradigm shifts from the rulebook the Sf witchwarper first appeared in.

Paradigm Shifts [2nd level]

Push Area (Su)
As a reaction when a thrown attack with an area or splash effect, or instantaneous effect or spell defined as a burst radius that requires a saving throw with has an area of at least 5-foot-radius would be centered within 100 feet, you can expend a point from your warp pool to shift the area’s center by 5 feet before it detonates. Your allies within its area of effect gain a +2 insight bonus to their saving throws against the area-effect. At 8th level, you can shift the area’s center by 10 feet. At 11th level, you can shift the area’s center by 15 feet.

Shift Resistance (Su)
As a standard action, you can change the type of a single energy resistance (but not immunity) of a creature within 100 feet (from cold to fire, for example) for 1 round. The creature can attempt a Will saving throw to negate this effect. Once you’ve targeted a creature with this paradigm shift, you can’t target that creature with this paradigm shift again for 24 hours.

Thwart Ability (Su)
As a reaction when you or an ally within 100 feet is affected by a spell or ability that allows a saving throw and would deal damage, and fails the saving throw, you can expend 1 point from your warp pool to grant the target a new saving throw with a +2 bonus to avoid or mitigate the effect’s damage and effects (with success acting as if the original save was successful).

“Push grenade” got rewritten to be “push area,” since I expect spells and magical area effects to be far more common in Pathfinder than bombs. Shift resistance and thwart ability didn’t need any real modifications, just some tweaks to match Pathfinder rules and phrasing.

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Another post working on our PF1 witchwarper. We’re working on paradigm shifts, having written their category rules, and creating the warp pool yesterday and writing up our first two shifts yesterday. So, let’s see how many days we can go, converting 2-3 a day, until we run into our next design challenge.

Paradigm Shifts [2nd level]

Eldritch Secret
You can draw specific magic effects from other realities, allowing you to access spells normally not available to witchwarpers. Select one spell from an arcane or occult class’s spell list. It must be of a level no greater than 1 lower than the highest-level spell you can cast. (Alternatively, you can select one spell from a divine class’s spell list. It must be of a level no greater than 2 lower than the highest-level spell you can cast.) Add this to your list of witchwarper spells known.

You cannot select a spell that requires class features you do not possess. If you select a spell of a different source than your own spells (arcane, divine, or occult), it changes to be a spell of that type. You cannot select a spell available only to members of specific groups (such as worshippers of a specific deity) unless you are a member of that group. You cannot select a spell available only through archetypes, prestige classes, or class features other than “spells” (such as spells only available through an arcane school, bloodline, or domain).

Each time you gain the ability to cast a higher level of witchwarper spells, you may swap out the spell gained with this paradigm shift for a new spell of a maximum level no greater than 1 lower (or 2 lower for a divine spell) than the highest-level spell you can cast. You can select this paradigm shift more than once but cannot at any time have more than one additional spell known from this ability at each level of spells you can cast.

Overlapping Forms (Su)
As a standard action, you can overlay faint outlines of yourself from multiple alternate realities, giving yourself a +1 dodge bonus to your AC. At 5th level, you can expend 1 point from your warp pool when using this ability to instead give an ally you touch a +1 dodge bonus to AC. In either case, the bonus lasts for a number of minutes equal to your caster level. You cannot have overlapping forms active on more than one creature at a time–if you place it on a new creature while it is still active on a previous creature, the older use ends.

Prevent Wounds (Su)
As a reaction when you or an ally within 100 feet takes hit point damage, you can expend 1 point from your warp pool to prevent 1d4 points of that damage for every 2 witchwarper levels you have. You cannot prevent more damage than was dealt, and even if you prevent all damage any associated effects from the attack (such as disease or poison) still apply.

Okay, so far so good! I tweaked eldritch secret because there are SO many more spellcasting classes in Pathfinder than Sf, and the division between divine magic and arcane or occult is actually strong enough to impact spotlight time and class expertise. I also gave some general guidance to cover weird corner-case things that might have snuck into a game using other 3pp material. I wanted to split the different between allowing witchwarpers to select that paradigm shift all they want, and only being able to do so once, resulting int the “only one eldritch secret spell per spell level” rules, which I’m actually really happy with.

I altered overlapping forms to be a dodge bonus and extend its time, because the math in Pathfinder is much less tight than Sf, and while enhancement bonuses in Sf are rare, they’re common as heck in Pathfinder. This should make it useful, but not overpowering, at any level of play. I also added the one-at-a-time limitation because I extended the duration by x10.

Prevent wounds just got the note about carrier attacks, to make sure it can’t be used to shut down non-hp effects. It’s supposed to be preventative healing, not a way to negate anything that requires an attack roll.

As the project progresses, we’ll see what else crops up in these conversions!

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Another post working on our PF1 witchwarper. We’re working on paradigm shifts, having written their category rules yesterday.

I’m going to start with the paradigm shifts from the book the witchwarper originally appeared in. I was the developer for that book, and developed the witchwarper, so I have a strong grasp of the design intent behind all those abilities. Also, our Pathfinder version may drift in concept compared to its Sf roots, and beginning with a firm foundation of core abilities is the best way to make sure the end result feels like the original, without being beholden to every eventual power that class gained.

And, as if often the case with such projects, we run into a huge design consideration right off the bat. The very first 2nd level paradigm shift from that Sf book is disrupt attack, which lets you expend a Resolve Point for an ability. Our problem? Pathfinder doesn’t have Resolve Points. So, how do we balance powers with limited uses without having the original game system’s pool of points to do it?

We have some options.

We could make each power useable a number of times per day, such as once per day, or one plus one for every 4 witchwarper level. This is simple to write as a designer, but it has some tricky balance implications. At low levels, our Pf witchwarper won;t be able to use such paragim shifts as often as their Sf cousin, ebcause they’ll have very few paradigm shifts, each with its own hard limit. At higher levels, however, the Pathfinder witchwarper might have so many shifts with thier own uses/day that they never run out of options.

We could have shifts expend spell slots, like infinite worlds does. That has a note of elegance, tying into an existing class feature. But it also means we have to decide if low-level spell slots can do this at full power for higher-level witchwarpers. As currently defined, paradigm shift powers save DCs is based on class level, and if a 1st level spell slot can be expended for an offensive power with a save based on class level, that can be overpowering. Some Sf witchwarper powers do this (such as disrupt creature), but then generally tie the effectiveness of that power to the level of spell. Since none of the things originally fueled by RP have that scaling built into them, this becomes a good deal more design work.

We could create a pool of warp points, similar to an arcanist’s arcane reservoir. This has the advantage of creating a pool we can scale as we need for the right number of uses/day/level, and being easy to design and understand. It has the drawback that if a witchwarper doesn’t select a paradigm shift that has a warp point cost, their warp reservoir serves no function. On the other hand, we could allow warp points to fuel the witchwarper’s infinite worlds ability, which is currently powered purely by spell slots. That would be a bit of a power-up to classic witchwarper spell/infinite worlds balance, but very much in keeping with how arcanists and psychics (both late-era PF1 0-9th level spellcasters) handle such issues. We’d have to write the text for that… but we have good examples of how such abilities have been done in Pathfinder before.

Out of all these ideas, I like a warp pool of warp points the best. So, for our draft, let’s assume that’s what we are doing. When we bring the whole class together in the post-first-draft stage, we can change that chocie if it hasn’t gone how we’d like.

So, now we need a Warp Pool class feature, gained at 1st level.

Warp Pool (Su): A witchwarper has a pool of supernatural mental energy that he can draw upon to fuel his infinite worlds ability, and potentially powers gained through paradigm shifts. The maximum number of points in a witchwarper’s warp pool is equal to 1/2 his class level + his Charisma modifier. The warp pool is replenished each morning after 8 hours of rest or meditation; these hours don’t need to be consecutive. Points gained in excess of the pool’s maximum are lost.

A witchwarper can expend a warp point from his warp pool, rather than expend a spell slot, to fuel his infinite worlds ability. When used for this purpose, the warp point functions as a spell slot with a spell level equal to half the witchwarper’s class level -1 (to a minimum of 1st level spell slot).

Okay, with that done, let’s look at how we want to adapt a couple of paradigm shifts.

Paradigm Shifts [2nd level]

Disrupt Attack (Su)
As a reaction when you or an ally is targeted with an attack originating within 100 feet, you can expend 1 warp point to impose a –2 penalty on the attack roll. If the attack is coming from a creature, that creature can attempt a Will saving throw to negate this effect. Once you’ve targeted an attacker with this paradigm shift, you can’t target the same attacker with this paradigm shift again for 24 hours. At 8th level, the penalty changes to –3, and at 14th level, the penalty changes to –4.

Disrupt Creature (Su)
As a standard action, you can expend a warp point to target a creature within 100 feet and swap in alternate physiologies (or gears, planar energy, or whatever the creature’s equivalent to physiology is) in its body in this version of existence, imposing the shaken condition for a number of rounds equal to 1/3 your witchwarper class level (minimum 1 round). The target is allowed a Fortitude save to negate this effect. This is not an emotion, fear, or mind-affecting effect, and it does not stack with other shaken or fear conditions. However, if you target a creature that has succeeded at a save against your disrupt creature ability in the past 24 hours, it takes a -2 penalty to its save if you target it again.

Okay, I like the look of both of those. Know we can start kicking out a few paradigm shifts a day in future blog posts and see how far we get.

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