Hexes are one of the best parts of playing a witch in Pathfinder, and the best hexes elevate the class to make it an amazing option. Having what are essentially extra spells can be one of the biggest perks a class can have, especially ones with strong effects. The right hexes can make witches into one of Pathfinder's best casters.
In Pathfinder, witches have a class skill known as hexes, which are spells that the witch can use as often as they like unless stated otherwise. In essence, they are an extra set of cantrips that are unique to the witch. The witch will start with one hex, and collect another at every even-numbered level. At later levels, witches can learn more powerful major and grand hexes that have remarkably powerful effects. However, most witches won't see such hexes until late in their adventures, if at all. Just like a barbarian's rage powers in Pathfinder, one of the most important parts of building a witch is their collection of hexes.
Flight Is Pathfinder's Most Obviously Useful Hex For Witches
Flight is one of the most powerful abilities that a character can have in Pathfinder. The ability to move in essentially any direction provides an incredible advantage over any enemy who doesn't have the same capabilities. Foes without ranged attacks are practically helpless against someone who can fly out of their reach and strike without fear of reprisal. Gaining the ability to fly is rarely anything but a pure positive for the character in question. For that reason, Flight is one of the most attractive hex options for a witch on name value alone.
Flight does not immediately grant the witch the ability to fly, but gets stronger along with the witch, an aspect of leveling Pathfinder 2e does better than DnD 5e. A first-level witch can use Feather Fall whenever they want, while also receiving bonuses on swim checks. At level three, Flight allows the witch to use Levitate on themselves once per day. Finally, at level five, the witch can fly for a number of minutes per day equal to their caster level.
Although the witch cannot pass the effects of Flight onto their allies, its it still an incredible boon for witches themselves. The near-complete mobility granted by Flight is extraordinarily useful, and even at level one, the witch is effectively immune to fall damage. The bonus to swimming is a niche but helpful addition as well, granting the witch extra skill they may not have had otherwise.
Flight is a decent hex when taken at first level, but how useful it becomes after only four levels of growth makes it a fantastic choice. Even beginning players in Pathfinder will be able to recognize how powerful such an ability is so early in a campaign, since there are very few witch builds that wouldn't benefit from taking Flight as one of its hexes. It's simply too useful of a perk to be anything other than an asset.
Pathfinder's Feral Speech Hex Adds New Roleplaying Opportunities
A witch's hexes can play a big role in determining what sort of character they are, and how the player roleplays them. There are hexes that play to many different types of witch, from cunning curse-wielders, to villainous figures that desecrate the surrounding land, to nature-themed witches who are practically druids. Some of the best hexes can not only prove themselves useful, but also reflect a witch's personality or background.
Feral Speech is a hex that allows witches to speak to animals at will, although unlike mounts in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, they will not offer any assistance beyond the conversation. The only restriction is that every time the hex is activated, the witch must choose whether they are speaking with mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, or reptiles, with vermin unlocked as an option at level 12. The obvious use for this hex is to give the witch a way to gather information on their area without having to rely on NPCs which may not be reliable. More importantly, it is a perfect flavor choice for any nature-themed witch.
Feral Speech is not guaranteed to be useful every time the witch uses it. It doesn't automatically make animals friendly or willing to talk, and sometimes the answer may be beyond them. However, Feral Speech is not a hex that should be taken due to its power level. Its true purpose is to establish the witch as someone who is close to nature. Although it won't work on the more unusual monsters in Pathfinder, Feral Speech has more than its fair share of uses.
Prehensile Hair Is Pathfinder's Most Entertaining Hex
Superpowered hair is a fascinating concept that is not employed nearly often enough. The most famous incarnation of such is likely the mythological Medusa's head of snakes, but more recent characters such as Medusa from Marvel's Inhumans comics have shown how effective hair-based powers can be. Witches in Pathfinder have one hex, Prehensile Hair, that allows them to do the same with their own hair. Not only is this option a useful ability, it may be one of the most versatile hexes in the game.
Prehensile Hair allows the witch to grow their hair up to 10 feet long and retract to its normal length at will. In addition to using this hair to attack, it can also use tools or do anything that the witch's hand could normally do aside from wielding weapons, a useful trait for magic-using characters in Pathfinder. As a bonus, the hair's Strength is equal to the witch's Intelligence, likely making it stronger than the witch would be normally. From multitasking to potentially disarming traps from a distance, Prehensile Hair has a world of possibilities.
As a bonus, Prehensile Hair is not limited to the hair on the user's head, as a witch with a mustache or beard would be able to replicate the same effects with their facial hair. In addition to being a useful ability, it's also one that can be a lot of fun to roleplay with. While its use is limited to one minute per level per day, that won't stop creative players from making great use of Prehensile Hair. It's also a great choice for Pathfinder players crossing over from DnD who want to experiment with something new.
The hexes that a witch can learn make them one of the most interesting classes in Pathfinder despite not having a lot of other class skills. As essentially a second set of cantrips, they offer the witch a fair amount of extra utility at any phase of a campaign. Players who love caster classes can find a lot to like in the witch's hex list in Pathfinder.
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