The Gingerbread Witch is a character often found in folklore and children's stories. She is typically depicted as an old woman who lives deep in the forest and lures unsuspecting children to her home with the promise of delicious gingerbread treats. However, the Gingerbread Witch is not as sweet as she appears. Once the children enter her house, she reveals her true intentions, which usually involve turning the children into gingerbread cookies that she can devour. In some versions of the story, she may even have a magical oven that she uses to bake the children alive. The Gingerbread Witch is often portrayed as a cautionary figure, warning children about the dangers of trusting strangers.
The Gingerbread Witch is often portrayed as a cautionary figure, warning children about the dangers of trusting strangers. She is a symbol of deception and manipulation, and her story serves as a reminder to children to be wary of those who seem too good to be true. Despite her villainous nature, the Gingerbread Witch is a fascinating character.
Gingerbread Witch
A sweet tooth lures the gingerbread witch’s victims to doom.
Gingerbread Familiar (Ex)
A gingerbread witch concocts her familiar out of gingerbread, sugar, and other confections.
It has the shape of the original animal or vermin, but its type changes to construct. As a construct, it gains 60-foot darkvision and construct immunities, it loses any special abilities the animal or vermin has other than movement speed, and it doesn’t provide the usual familiar benefit (for instance, a gingerbread toad doesn’t provide 3 bonus hit points). With a supply of flour and sugar at hand, the gingerbread witch can spend 8 hours and use her cauldron to restore her familiar to full health at no cost, unless the familiar is destroyed, in which case she must follow the usual rules for replacing her familiar.
A gingerbread witch can never gain an improved familiar.
This ability alters familiar.
Cauldron Cook (Ex)
A gingerbread witch gains the cauldron and child-scent hexes at 1st level. When brewing potions with her cauldron, she can create small candies, pastries, or similar edible items identical in effect and application to normal potions. At 10th level, she gains the Cook People hex.
This ability replaces the hexes gained at 1st and 10th levels.
Tricky Treats Hex (Sp)
At 4th level, a gingerbread witch learns a unique hex that lets her create a piece of candy or a similar sweet as a full-round action. If eaten by the witch or a single creature she designates when she creates it, the sweet functions as goodberry or a polypurpose panacea (as determined at creation).
Anyone else that eats the sweet becomes nauseated (Fort negates); a creature nauseated by the sweet can attempt a new saving throw each round at the end of its turn to end this effect.
A creature that fails its initial save is also affected as per the scar hex for a number of days equal to the witch’s witch level, except that at extended range, the witch can use only harmful hexes on the creature.
She can create a number of sweets each day equal to her Intelligence modifier + her level. These sweets retain their potency for 24 hours and then turn to crumbs.
This ability replaces the hex gained at 4th level.
Confection Conjuring (Sp)
At 8th level, a gingerbread witch can use shadow conjuration as a spell-like ability. Items and creatures she conjures appear to be made of fanciful foodstuffs, and because of this, sentient creatures gain a +2 bonus on Will saves to disbelieve the illusion. However, they otherwise function as described for the shadow conjuration spell. For every 3 witch levels beyond 8th, the gingerbread witch can duplicate conjuration (creation) and conjuration (summoning) spells of 1 level higher, up to a maximum of 7th-level spell effects at 20th level (though they are still only 20% real). The witch can use this ability once per day for every 4 witch levels she has.
This ability replaces the hex gained at 8th level.
Gruesome Gobbler (Ex)
At 12th level, a gingerbread witch gains a bite attack that deals 1d6 points of damage for a Medium witch. As a full-round action, she can make a single bite attack that deals double base damage (2d6 for a Medium witch) and functions as if she had the grab and swallow whole special attacks, allowing her to grab and swallow a creature of her size or smaller. Her stomach doesn’t deal damage to swallowed creatures, but a living creature she swallows must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + 1/2 her witch level + Constitution modifier) at the beginning of each of its turns or become nauseated for 1 round.
If a gingerbread witch successfully swallows a creature, her torso distends grotesquely and she is treated as if she were carrying a heavy load if the creature is the same size and a medium load if it’s one size smaller; regardless, she can swallow only one such creature at a time. Creatures two or more sizes smaller do not distend her belly, though every four creatures of a smaller size count as one creature one size category larger (she can swallow 4 Tiny, 16 Diminutive, or 64 Fine creatures). She can regurgitate a swallowed creature of her choice as a move action, leaving it prone in an adjacent open square. If she is struck with a confirmed critical hit while she has a creature swallowed, the swallowed creatures each take half as much damage as the witch does (this doesn’t reduce the damage the gingerbread witch takes).
This ability replaces the hex gained at 12th level.
Horrible Hunger (Sp)
At 16th level, a gingerbread witch can affect a target as if she had cast feast of ashes on it, but with her hex DC instead of the spell’s DC. This hunger is so intense that any creature can offer the target food as a standard action and the target is compelled to eat it, as if the creature offering it had cast beguiling gift (with a DC and caster level equal to that of the witch’s hexes). She can use this ability once per day for every 4 witch levels she has.
This ability replaces the hex gained at 16th level.
Section 15: Copyright NoticePathfinder Roleplaying Game Horror Adventures © 2016, Paizo Inc.; Authors: John Bennett, Clinton J. Boomer, Logan Bonner, Robert Brookes, Jason Bulmahn, Ross Byers, Jim Groves, Steven Helt, Thurston Hillman, Eric Hindley, Brandon Hodge, Mikko Kallio, Jason Nelson, Tom Phillips, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Alistair Rigg, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, F. Wesley Schneider, David Schwartz, Mark Seifter, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.
"An enticing fable that celebrates unlikely friendships, unconventional families, and an uncommon hero trying to prove she’s made of more than she appears. The Gingerbread Witch is a magical tale, brimming with heart."
She represents the dark side of human nature and the importance of being cautious and discerning. Her story serves as a timeless lesson that has been passed down through generations, reminding children to be careful and question the motives of those around them. Overall, the Gingerbread Witch is a compelling and eerie character that adds depth and complexity to folklore and children's tales. Her story teaches important lessons while also capturing the imagination and curiosity of young readers..
Reviews for "The Gingerbread Witch: A Halloween Icon in the Making"
1. John - 2 stars - I have to admit, I was really disappointed with "The Gingerbread Witch". The concept seemed intriguing at first, but the execution fell flat. The pacing was all over the place, making it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story. I also found the characters to be one-dimensional and lacking depth, which made it hard to care about their fates. Overall, I found it to be a forgettable and unsatisfying read.
2. Sarah - 1 star - "The Gingerbread Witch" was a complete letdown for me. The writing style was choppy and amateurish, making it difficult to engage with the story. The plot itself was convoluted and confusing, leaving me with more questions than answers. Additionally, the inclusion of unnecessary subplots only served to further muddle the narrative. I found myself rushing through the pages just to get it over with, and I definitely won't be recommending this book to anyone.
3. Emily - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "The Gingerbread Witch", but it unfortunately fell short of expectations. The characters lacked development and their motivations seemed forced. The dialogue felt stilted and unnatural, making it hard to connect with the story. The ending was rushed and left several loose ends, leaving me unsatisfied. Overall, I found it to be a mediocre and forgettable read in a sea of much better fairy tale adaptations.
4. Michael - 1 star - I couldn't even finish "The Gingerbread Witch". The writing was so clunky and filled with clichés that it became unbearable. The plot was predictable and lacked any originality or twists to keep me engaged. The dialogue was unrealistic and felt forced, making it difficult to connect with the characters. Overall, I regret wasting my time on this book and would not recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating read.