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Going to make a level 4 witch. I have narrowed my list of traits down to the following. Which 2 of these 4 options is better for a battlefield control/debuffer/buffer build?

  • +2 Initiative (already +10)
  • +2 Concentration (already +10)
  • +4 Perception (already +7)
  • add Prestidigitation to cantrip list

I guess generally I want to know what it more useful over the course of a campaign:

  • Going first
  • Ensuring a spell goes off
  • Perception
  • Prestidigitation
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  • \$\begingroup\$ It may help to know what your party consists of as well. E.g. some party setups may require that you have your perception high, where others perception will be heavily covered and you could afford something else. \$\endgroup\$
    – BaseHobo
    Jun 6, 2016 at 20:46
  • \$\begingroup\$ @BaseHobo This I don't know until the adventure begins. I think at a minimum, there is a ranger and a fighter. \$\endgroup\$ Jun 6, 2016 at 21:23

1 Answer 1

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Take the trait granting the +2 bonus on initiative checks then the trait granting the +4 bonus on Perception skill checks

Whether casting a battlefield control spell, a spell that buffs your allies, or a spell that debuffs your foes, casting that spell first is vitally important to you and your party's survival. But, while you want your initiative result to beat your foes', you can't go first if you fail a Perception skill check, and your foes murder you during the surprise round, so, obviously, the Perception skill—the game's most important and, arguably, best skill—is vital, too. So take those two traits.

By way of comparison, if you've enough Perception that you aren't surprised, and you go first, you shouldn't need to make concentration checks. No matter what, though, don't pick the prestidigitation option—an appropriate ioun stone (cracked orange prism) adds prestidigitation to your spells known or spells prepared for 1,000 gp, and any cloak of the hedge wizard grants prestidigitation usable at will for 2,500 gp (yet, oddly, a page of spell knowledge can't help at all).

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