Why a Witch?
Hexes. It really boils down to that. Reusable buffs, and reusable save or suck. Some limit once a person/being per 24 hours, some are not, and some can be extended with cackle. It may take me a while to provide a buff or debuff, and the cackle takes a move action away, but granting and extending Fortune or Misfortune can make or break an encounter. And so far, from experience, granting and extending Protective Luck has kept the party from suffering critical hits, and that is beyond measure. Using Slumber to then perform a coup de grace is also barrels of laughs.
Personally, I have a glitch when it comes to casting save or suck spells. I don't hate them - much of 1st Ed DnD was save or suck. I hate when mine are saved against - I feel like I wasted a round and a spell, of which I have seemingly so few to choose from for the day. Hexes let me try over and over again, no limit on use just on targets. I can live with that. I would rather cast a spell that has some kind of effect, even half damage, than have one that just fizzles. It happens, I know, it is supposed to happen, but I take it way too personally for a game where I am supposed to be relaxing and having a good time. So I hesitate.
Witch spells are good, but if you want offense their list is limited. This limit also hampers crafting, as many highly sought-after items require spells that are not on the witch list. (The smattering of heal spells offsets this limitation a bit - everyone needs potions of healing and the Cauldron hex readily provides access to creating them). Support, as I see it, seems to be where witches really shine. Battlefield control, AoE, and, of course, buffing.
Why a Cartomancer?
This is a three part answer.
For starters, I have a real life interest in tarot decks and divination (rank novice in both, tbh), and this goes back to 1st Ed DnD - the Deck of Many Things. The DMG offered options to let the characters actually draw from the deck. To do this, standard playing cards were used as an example. So were tarot cards. I purchased my first deck in the 80s as a teenager. Now I own a Deck of Many Things as well. Playing Curse of Strahd in later years introduced me to the Tarokka deck, which I also own. Acquiring and playing a witch using Harrow cards seemed a natural extension of my interest.
Secondly, my group just finished an adventure path that featured Harrow readings (Curse of the Crimson Throne). The idea of granting the party usable buffs to rolls, as the Harrow readings did in Throne, was very appealing (third level Harrowing, sixth level Greater Harrowing).
Lastly, Witches in Pathfinder seem to be focused on their familiars. There is not an arcane bond option - they all have a familiar. I hail from playing a lot of 1st and 2nd Ed DnD, and familiars were not a focal point of any arcane caster. I don't remember anyone in any of my groups having one, and they still are not as popular as bonded object seems to be, based on my experiences so far. Managing a familiar was more than I wanted to take on. As long as I take care of my Harrow deck, it's hard to damage it as a familiar. Using the cards to attack (as a dart using Deadly Dealer) or to give range to a touch spell (touch attack) seemed like a new and potentially amusing way to modify a caster. The Harrow deck also functions as it it had the returning weapon ability - no lost or destroyed cards. Interestingly enough, I have not used either ability yet, and I am 9th level. I enjoy my hexes too much.
Why Svijezdana?
A nice lady helped me out when registering for a hotel room for a conference, and that was her name. Seemed like an awesome name for a witch, so I made her from Ustalav and a cartomancer, stereotypical or not, and that was that.
What makes Svijezdana tick?
Power, spell, and hex acquisition. She has gained a few spells from the use of Blood Transcription, will readily boost her power with Death Knell, and spends her money on scrolls like a Magic player on cards. She is officially Chaotic Neutral, but she walks the line between neutral and evil like a drunk in clown shoes. Her party helps her acquire what she wants, so they are safe - she is fiercely loyal to them. She also enjoys casting Infernal Healing on the druid's animal companion.
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