Implement Witch v2.3

CHARMBOUND WITCH (Archetype)


While most witches can use hexes with no difficulty, some find it easier to utilize their unique abilities by storing them within minor trinkets and baubles, filling them with occult energy. Although a bit more limited due to needing a physical object, these witches can be a terror with empowered curses and blessings.


>CHARMS (Su): A charmbound witch stores her hexes in small objects called charms. These function near-identically to an occultist's implements (see below). Charms don't need to be magic items, and non-magical charms don't take up a magic item slot even if they're worn. Charms that are not magic items are often of some historical value or of personal significance to the witch, such as the skull of a lost friend, a knot of rope formed from their familiar's hair, a tiara taken from the grave of a princess, or a broomstick to ride and fly upon.
Whenever a charmbound witch attempts to use a hex, she must have the corresponding charm in her possession and present the charm to the target or toward the area of effect. This act is part of using the hex and doesn't require any additional action. If the witch lacks the corresponding charm, she cannot use the hex even if she knows it.
The augments and modifies the Hex class ability, but this does not interfere with any archetype or ability that would replace or modify hexes. The charmbound witch may still select feats that require Hex as a prerequisite. Hexes that are extraordinary abilities (such as Claws or Cauldron) cannot be put into charms and are used as normal; they are not limited whatsoever by this ability.

>IMPLEMENTS (Su): At 1st level, a charmbound witch gains an Occultist Implement from any school of her choice (including a psionic discipline, if she so desires). This functions exactly as an implement that an occultist would have, except that it does not teach her any spells. Whenever the charmbound witch would learn a new hex (either from her class level or from the Extra Hex feat), she may choose to instead learn a Focus Power of an implement she has. At 10th level, she gains a second Occultist Implement and a free Focus Power for either implement she has.
This replaces the hexes a witch would gain at 2nd and 10th level.

>MENTAL FOCUS (Su): A charmbound witch has a number of points of mental focus equal to her witch level + her Intelligence modifier; these points refresh each day. She can divide this mental focus between her implements and charms in any way she desires. If an implement or charm is lost or destroyed, the focus invested in it is lost as well, though the witch still refreshes those points of focus normally.
Once mental focus is invested inside an implement, the implement gains the resonant power of its implement school, and the charmbound witch can expend the mental focus stored in the implement to activate the associated focus powers she knows. If a resonant power grants a bonus that varies based on the amount of mental focus invested in the implement, the bonus is determined when the focus is invested, and is not reduced or altered by expending the mental focus invested in the item. Once all of the mental focus in an implement has been expended, it loses its resonant power until mental focus is once again invested in the implement. The implement grants its resonant power to whoever possesses it; the charmbound can lend the implement to an ally to assist that ally, but if she does so, she can't expend that implement's focus on focus powers until she retrieves the implement or refreshes her focus.
A charmbound witch can also invest mental focus into a hex that she knows, although she is limited in how much focus she can place into such a minor trinket. A charmbound witch can invest up to 1 point of mental focus into a hex at 1st level, up to 2 points of focus at 6th level, up to 3 points of focus at 12th level, and up to 4 points of focus at 18th level. A hex increases the DC of its effect by one for each point of mental focus invested within it. Hexes that do not have saving throws cannot be invested with mental focus.
The charmbound witch refreshes her mental focus once each day after receiving at least 8 hours of sleep. After refreshing her mental focus, the witch must spend 1 hour preparing her implements and charms and investing them with this power. Mental focus that is not used before the next time the charmbound witch refreshes her focus is lost.