In the series H R Pufnstuf, there is a character called Witchiepoo who is a witch. Witchiepoo is the main antagonist of the show and she is constantly trying to capture the main characters, Jimmy and Freddy. She is depicted as a quirky and eccentric character, always coming up with creative schemes to try and capture the boys. One of the main characteristics of Witchiepoo is her obsession with power and control. She is constantly trying to increase her magical abilities and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Witchiepoo is often seen chanting spells and brewing potions, always on the lookout for new ways to gain power.

Can the witches familiar cast spells?

Hi people,
I have read the witches entry in the APG and I am somewhat confused.

According to the witches description the familiar knows spells and hexes and as a minion you can use an action to command the familiar.
So is the familiar able to cast spells with those actions or is do I just misinterpret his actual role as the witches spell book?

Thanks in advance

Hi people,

I have read the witches entry in the APG and I am somewhat confused.

According to the witches description the familiar knows spells and hexes and as a minion you can use an action to command the familiar.
So is the familiar able to cast spells with those actions or is do I just misinterpret his actual role as the witches spell book?

Thanks in advance

The familiar is essentially the Witches spell book, and does not itself typically cast spells.

A familiar may be able to cast spells eventually via a Familiar Ability, but thats completely unrelated.

There are ways to do this. There is a familiar power that lets you load a spell into your pet for it to cast and I believe there is a feat that lets you channel spells through your familiar as the point of origin.

Spellcasting (Advanced Player's Guide pg. 146): Choose a spell in your repertoire or that you prepared today that is at least 5 levels lower than your highest-level spell slot. Your familiar can Cast that Spell once per day using your magical tradition, spell attack modifier, and spell DC. If the spell has a drawback that affects the caster, both you and your familiar are affected. You must be able to cast 6th-level spells using spell slots to select this ability.

That is the familiar ability it is pretty high level though to pick it. I was looking for the feat but i was not seeing it may have been mistaken on that still on first read through of book.

Doh found it it is part of the familiar master archetype.

PFS StandardFamiliar Conduit Single ActionFeat 4
ArchetypeConjurationMetamagic
Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 174
Archetype Familiar Master
Prerequisites Familiar Master Dedication, able to cast spells
Requirements You have line of effect to your familiar.
Under your tutelage, your familiar has grown attuned to the hidden currents of the world and can serve as a conduit for your magic. If the next action you use is to Cast a Spell that has a range, the spell uses the familiar as its origin point.

Okay, thanks a lot dear people.

Ppl probably most wondering about:

Lesson of Death: You gain the curse of death hex, and your familiar learns raise dead.

Unfortunately no. As raise dead is level 6 spell, and maximum level of spell familiar is capable cast on it's own would be level-5

Independence of a Witch's Familiar

\$\begingroup\$ Welcome to the site! Take the tour! This question is very similar to this question, but I've not marked it as a duplicate because I think there might be a misunderstanding about how a witch's familiar works. (Hint: Most don't cast spells.) Feel free to edit the question further. Anyway, thank you for participating and have fun! \$\endgroup\$

\$\begingroup\$ @ThomasJacobs I wouldn't say that's a duplicate. This question is about whether familiars have volition; The other assumes they have volition and asks whether they can use it to disobey. Those are closely related questions, but not duplicates. \$\endgroup\$

\$\begingroup\$ What can the cat do? - We cannot answer this without more information. What level is this witch? This matters to know the familiar's Intelligence score. I see little reason for a cat familiar to not attempt to escape and stealth away from the group. \$\endgroup\$

\$\begingroup\$ @GMJoe If you don't believe the question's a duplicate, then, please, vote to reopen! (Note that I didn't vote this a dupe; it's rare when I suggest a duplicate and vote when my own question or answer's involved.) Further, the asker may also be interested in this question. \$\endgroup\$

\$\begingroup\$ @ShadowKras (No, but that's what the site does. ;-) That is, the hold reason puts only the hold reason voted for by the majority of voters. Attempts have been made to get hold reason to show individual users' reasons instead, but that functionality is currently absent.) \$\endgroup\$

Witchiepoo is often seen chanting spells and brewing potions, always on the lookout for new ways to gain power. Another important aspect of Witchiepoo's character is her humor. She is known for her witty one-liners and comedic antics, which add a lighthearted and entertaining element to the show.

1 Answer 1

Could un-attended cat familiar cast prestigiate to open a door to go outside?

No, a witch familiar works as a bridge between the dark forces that grants her powers and whispers to her secrets from beyond. In game terms, the familiar works as her spellbook and as her Familiar. As such, the familiar cannot cast spells, as the familiar is not a spellcaster.

Some Advanced Familiars are exception to this, and might have spellcasting abilities, but they use their own abilities and not the spells stored inside the familiar. A sprite familiar has Dancing Lights as spell-like ability for example, while an imp familiar can become invisible at-will. On the other hand, a ratling familiar could conjure spells from a scroll freely, among their own spell-like abilities.

The party encounters an NPC witch's familiar while the witch is away. They first ask it questions using speak with animals, then attack it. What can the cat do?

It can do a lot of things. Firstly, the familiar can do anything that a cat could do, from attacking back to running away or hissing at them. Secondly, her cat is also a familiar, and has all the abilities that do not depend on her master (like deliver touch spells). Depending on her master's level, she could communicate her anger from this transgression to her master mentally (available at 1st level), or even rally all cats in the vicinity against the party on an epic battle against a cat army (available at 7th level), with the proper Diplomacy checks.

What options are available and what the familiar could do is really on the GM's hands. A 1st level witch's familiar has 6 Intelligence (much higher than an animal's INT of 1-2), which goes higher as the witch increases in level. We have a few examples of the capacity of similarly intelligent creatures:

• 6–7: Dull-witted or slow, often misuses and mispronounces words;
• 8–9: Has trouble following trains of thought, forgets most unimportant things;
• 10–11: Knows what they need to know to get by;
• 12–13: Picks up new ideas quickly and learns easily, knows a bit more than is necessary, fairly logical;
• 14–15: Can solve most problems without even trying very hard, able to do math or solve logic puzzles mentally with reasonable accuracy;

With this, the GM should have a general idea of could a certain creature do based on their Intelligence score when not being assisted by their master.

A party of witches get knocked out and imprisoned separately from their familiars. It is up to the familiars to escape, and rescue their masters — can we roleplay the familiars like this?

That actually sounds like a pretty good idea for an adventure if that scenario happens to the players and not their enemies.

Anyway, the familiar has an Empathic Link with her master for up to 1 mile away, they know what kind of emotions each other is feeling. They cannot communicate words mentally, but they can use emotions to pass information to each other. Like seen on these examples on tips about plot hooks with familiars:

Remember that a familiar has an empathic link to its master, and its animal instincts can lead to plot hooks. For example, a toad familiar might project feelings of hunger whenever a member of a fly-demon cult is nearby, a bat familiar might express curiosity about the words a weird hermit is muttering under his breath, and a rat familiar might feel fear when a dangerous assassin walks into the room. A more powerful familiar can speak with other animals of its kind, and if left to roam, it could pick up interesting news about a town or an army camp.

If this location where the witches were taken to is known to them, like the inquisitor's dungeon, they could express their dread towards the place and the familiar could take the hint and figure out where they are, or ask help from those who could know and possibly help them.

The master has the same connection to an item or place that his familiar does.

A cat familiar, if intelligent enough and able to speak with animals of her kind (cats) could Gather Information around town to discover where people in chains are taken to (prisons) or ask where a certain looking witch was taken to based on her physical description. An even more intelligent familiar, like an Imp, could simply fly around town while invisible listening to gossips about where the inquisitors have taken the witches before they are sent to their trials and executed.

What each familiar can do depends on how intelligent it is and how her master has trained them to communicate their emotions, and most importantly, what the GM believes that will make up a better story.

What happens when a witch takes the Improved Familiar feat?

The Improved Familiar feat was designed before the Witch existed, and mainly for Wizard. I have a Witch that has more than 10 lvl1 spells and more than 3 spells of lvl 2 and 3, and I'm wondering if the Improved Familiar feat is really a good idea at this point. My question about this revolves around the fact that a witch's familiar is the one that knows the witch's spells, and not the witch herself. I already know that, as for the wizard, taking this feat means you don't have to pay the ritual money to change familiars, but nowhere have I found anything clear and definite about the spells. Does the new familiar know all of the spells of the basic one? Do you consider it to be a normal replacement familiar (2 spells of each lvl)? Something in between?

\$\begingroup\$ This forum thread talks a bit about the issue and provides some ideas, but there are no definite answers in it \$\endgroup\$

\$\begingroup\$ There are several threads on the Paizo message board about this topic (although that one pops up first). If you've completed the research and found no good answer, that is the answer, and you should post it. (Answering your own questions is a totally legit thing, by the way.) \$\endgroup\$

Despite her evil intentions, Witchiepoo's comedic moments make her a fan-favorite character. Throughout the series, Witchiepoo is portrayed as a flawed and complex character. While she is the main antagonist, there are moments where she shows vulnerability and a desire for acceptance. These moments humanize her character and make her more relatable to the audience. In conclusion, Witchiepoo is a prominent character in the series H R Pufnstuf, known for her obsession with power, her comedic moments, and her complex personality. She adds excitement and humor to the show and keeps the audience entertained with her constant pursuit of the main characters..

Reviews for "Witchiepoo and the Land of Puf: Analyzing the Witch's Role in the Show's Imaginative World"

1. John - 2/5

I found "Witch in the series H R Pufnstuf" to be quite dull and uninteresting. The plot was weak, and there was a lack of character development. The special effects were also quite outdated. Overall, I did not find this series enjoyable and would not recommend it to others.

2. Emily - 1/5

I couldn't stand "Witch in the series H R Pufnstuf". The acting was terrible and the dialogue was cheesy. The entire show felt like a poorly executed puppet show gone wrong. It failed to hold my interest and I found myself wanting it to end. I would not waste my time watching this series again.

3. Sarah - 2/5

Unfortunately, "Witch in the series H R Pufnstuf" did not meet my expectations. The story was confusing and hard to follow. The characters were not well-developed and lacked depth. The visuals were dated and made it difficult for me to engage with the show. Overall, I was disappointed with this series and would not recommend it.

4. Michael - 2/5

I was not impressed with "Witch in the series H R Pufnstuf". The plot was predictable and the humor fell flat. The special effects did not hold up in today's standards, making it hard to immerse myself in the show. I found myself losing interest quickly and had to force myself to finish watching it. Overall, it was a forgettable series for me.

5. Emma - 1/5

I found "Witch in the series H R Pufnstuf" to be incredibly boring and unoriginal. The storyline lacked any real substance and the characters were forgettable. The acting was subpar, and the special effects were laughable. I would not recommend wasting your time on this series as there are much better options available.

The Witch and the Mayor: Examining Witchiepoo's Relationship with Mayor Pufnstuf