Witch Doctor v3.X +

Witch Doctor

Standing between her tribe and the marauding orcs, a medicine woman conjures the spirits of her people’s ancestors to bolster the resolve of her clansmen, to substitute her life force for theirs.

Passing through the gates of the city ruled by the tyrannous sorcerer king, the adventurers pass unseen as the elf takes the illusory form of a local official conducting his business.

A gnome, excluded from his community found great solace in the voices of the spirits who haunted his forest home. Soon, these voices became greater friends to him than any of his clan, and aided by their powers he began to visit mischief upon any wanderer lost among the trees.

Calling on powerful spirits of the departed, witch doctors can manipulate life and death in powerful ways. Their ancestral magic can be a powerful boon to those who seek their wisdom as friends, but can be dominating weapons against those who would oppose them. Harnessing the power of the great Loa, they extend their abilities beyond those of mere mortals and gain mastery over both material and spiritual existence.

Commune With the Afterlife

Aware that death is not as final as commonly believed, witch doctors are unparalleled in their ability to communicate with those who have passed beyond this life. The spirit world is a place of death and undeath, where the souls of the dead linger about the material plane to fulfill their unfinished business. The witch doctor is the prime mediator between life and death, communing with these spirits in order to gain magical powers.

Not all spirits are created equal, however, and each witch doctor can call upon specific spirits to accomplish specific tasks. While some of these spirits are tormented by their deeds among the living, others have attained a new level of clarity after shedding their mortal coil. The primary means of tapping into this realm is through the shrunken head or other magical components that complete ancient rituals and incantations and draw power from this world of undeath.

Gods Among Spirits

Among the spirits of the departed, a number have achieved power beyond that of a normal soul. These are called the Loa who have established realms of influence within the spirit world and the world of the living. Embodying different domains such as Death, Luck, or Mischief, these Loa often take the form of avatar creatures that best exemplify their domain. Witch doctors who offer their complete devotion to one of these Loa receive in exchange various powers that form the core of their magical abilities.

As the Loa are the most powerful of the spirits, they often represent the highest virtues of the respective witch doctor who worships them. The Loa additionally are not always aligned in all things, often at tension with one another and vying for influence within the spirit world and the material realm.

Creating a Witch Doctor

Central to your creation of a witch doctor is your character’s relationship to the spirit world. Consider what drew your character to first listen to the voices from beyond the grave. What does your character think about life and death? Does your character act out of fear of the next life or does your character welcome its unlimited possibilities? Also consider the ancestral nature of many of these spirits. What about your character’s culture might influence the way they interact with the spirit world?

Make sure to consult your DM regarding the nature of the spirit world in your campaign. In some stories it may be best associated with one or more of the inner or outer planes of existence, if not simply spirits present amidst the material plane.

Quick Build

You can make a witch doctor quickly by following these suggestions. First, Wisdom should be your highest ability, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the hermit background.

The Witch Doctor

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Cantrips Known	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+2	Spellcasting , Loa Attunement	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	Roll the Bones	3	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	Spirit Channeler	3	4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	4	4	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	Loa Attunement Feature	4	4	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+3	—	4	4	3	3	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+3	—	4	4	3	3	1	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+4	Relic Seeker	4	4	3	3	3	1	—	—	—	—
10th	+4	—	5	4	3	3	3	2	—	—	—	—
11th	+4	—	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	—	—	—
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	—	—	—
13th	+5	Loa Attunement Feature	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	—	—
14th	+5	Master Channeler	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	—	—
15th	+5	—	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	—
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	—
17th	+6	—	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	1
18th	+6	—	5	4	3	3	3	3	1	1	1	1
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	5	4	3	3	3	3	2	1	1	1
20th	+6	Near Death Experience	5	4	3	3	3	3	2	2	1	1

Class Features

As a witch doctor, you gain the following class features

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per witch doctor level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per witch doctor level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, shields
Weapons: Clubs, daggers, darts, sickles, slings, spears, quarterstaffs, light crossbows
Tools: Herbalism kit

Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Insight, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Performance, Religion, and Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

(a) a wooden shield or (b) a light crossbow and 20 bolts
(a) two daggers or (b) a spear
(a) a component's pouch or (b) a spiritual focus
leather armor and an explorer's pack

Spellcasting

Through your strong connection to the spirit world, you are able to cast spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and the end of this supplement for the witch doctor spell list.

Cantrips

At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the witch doctor spell list. You learn additional witch doctor cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Witch Doctor table.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The witch doctor table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

During a long rest you prepare the list of witch doctor spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the witch doctor spell list. When you do so, choose a number of witch doctor spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + your witch doctor level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your witch doctor spells.

The power of your spells comes from the spiritual world and your ability to connect and channel it. You use your Wisdom whenever a witch doctor spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a witch doctor spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus +

your Wisdom modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus +

your Wisdom modifier

Ritual Casting

You can cast a witch doctor spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have that spell prepared.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use a spiritual focus as a spellcasting focus for your witch doctor spells.

Loa Attunement

Choose one Loa to worship: Death, Knowledge, Life, Luck, Mischief, or War. Each Loa is detailed at the end of the class description, and each one provides details about the animals associated with them. Your choice grants you features when you choose it at 1st level. It also grants you additional benefits at 5th, and 13th level.

Loa Rituals

Each Loa has a list of ritual spells that you gain at the with doctor levels noted in the Loa description. Once you gain a Loa ritual, you always have it prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. These ritual spells may only be cast as rituals.

If you have a Loa ritual that doesn't appear on the witch doctor spell list, the ritual spell is nonetheless a witch doctor spell for you.

Roll the bones

At 2nd level, you gain the ability to roll the bones and learn insight into the future. Roll a d20 twice at the start of each day. You gain proficiency in two skills according to the table below for the day until you finish a long rest. If you already have proficiency in that skill, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check made with that skill. If your proficiency bonus is already doubled, choose a skill you are not proficient in and gain proficiency in that skill.

d20	Skill
1	Any Skill
2	Athletics
3	Acrobatics
4	Sleight of Hand
5	Stealth
6	Arcana
7	History
8	Investigation
9	Nature
10	Religion

d20	Skill
11	Animal Handling
12	Insight
13	Medicine
14	Perception
15	Survival
16	Deception
17	Intimidation
18	Performance
19	Persuasion
20	Any Skill

Spirit Channeler

Starting a 3rd level, you learn to call upon the power of lost spirits that encircle you in an aura. You learn three auras from the list of auras found in the Auras section. These auras extend 10 feet in all directions around you when they are active. You may activate or deactivate an aura that you know as a bonus action. You may only have one aura active at a time and active auras last up to 1 minute. You can activate a number of auras equal to your Wisdom Modifier (minimum of 1) before finishing a short or a long rest.

As an action, you can extend the range of your active aura by 10 feet until the start of your next turn. You learn three additional auras at 6th level and again at 10th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.

Relic Seeker

You have amassed a wealth of knowledge about the ancient places of the world from the spirits that whisper in your ear. At 9th level, you have advantage on Intelligence checks made to recall information about ancient relics, tombs, and artifacts.

Master Channeler

You have become an expert liaison between the material plane and the spirits of the departed who have come to regard you as a great channeler, and permit you to call upon them more freely. At 14th level, you gain the ability to have two auras active at a time. When you use your action to extend the range of your active aura, you can choose to extend one or both of your auras.

Near Death Experience

You have such a connection to the spirit world now, you can move freely between it and our world. At 20th level, as an action, you can phase into the spirit world and become untargetable. While in the spirit world you cannot interact with those in the material plane, though you can see ghostly outlines of those within it. You can phase back into the physical world using a bonus action.

The Loa

The Loa are the god-like spirits that witch doctors
worship. They are the rulers of the spiritual world and
as such have immense power. By giving your life to the Loa, they may in return offer you some of their strength. This is where the witch doctors receive their great power. Each Loa has its own way their followers should live, their own virtues to ascribe to. These virtues are important if the witch doctor wishes to maintain the power that it has received.

Loa of Death - The Bat

The Loa of Death is responsible for making sure the spirits of the living make their way to the afterlife once they have passed on. This Loa values respect for the dead, but also feeds off of the fear that the living have of death. The Loa of Death and the Loa of Life are always in a constant state of tension.

Witch doctors who choose the Loa of Death are choosing a path of dread and fear. One must love the power that comes along with fear, or possibly have an admiration of the macabre.

Loa Rituals

Witch Doctor Level	Spells
1	identify
3	gentle repose
5	feign death

Vampyrism

When you choose the Loa of Death at 1st level , you gain the ability to feed off of the recently departed. When you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier + your witch doctor level (minimum of 1).

Sonic Screech

At 5th level, you can emit a high frequency sound to disorient your foes. As an action, choose an enemy you can see within 100 feet of you, they make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or have disadvantage on their next attack. You can use this feature twice before you finish a short or a long rest.

Take Flight

At 13th level, you gain the ability to sprout bat wings and fly. As a bonus action, materialize bat wings with a wingspan equal to twice your height and gain flying speed equal to your movement speed. You can dismiss the wings as a bonus action.

Loa of Knowledge - The Owl

The Loa of Knowledge is responsible for the
creation of ideas and the spread of information in the
world. This Loa values learning and understanding, as
well as creativity. It hopes to spread the knowledge that
it has to the world of the living, piece by piece. The Loa of Knowledge and the Loa of Luck are always in a constant state of tension.

Witch doctors who choose the Loa of Knowledge are choosing of path of insight and practicality. One must love learning and knowing the secrets of the world that are hidden away in pages long forgotten.

Loa Rituals

Witch Doctor Level	Spells
1	comprehend languages
3	silence
5	phantom steed

Night Owl

When you choose the Loa of Knowledge at 1st level,
you learn one additional witch doctor cantrip.
Additionally, you gain darkvision out to 60 feet.

Zephyr

At 5th level, when you move, it is as if there is a gust of wind pushing you along at a higher rate of speed. Your movement speed is increased by 10 feet. You also cause disadvantage to your enemy's opportunity attacks against you.

Master Hunter

When it's night time, you become a vicious hunter. At 13th level, you can add your Wisdom Modifier to your Attack, Spell Attack, and Damage rolls if it is night time.

Loa of Life - The Butterfly

The Loa of Life is responsible for the birth of all things living and maintaining the life in the world. This Loa values vigor and well-being most of all. It strives to heal those in need, and stave off the forces of death. The Loa of Death and the Loa of Life are always in a constant state of tension.

Witch doctors who choose the Loa of Life are choosing a path of vitality and positivity. One must have a love for all things living, and protect against anything that might try and harm the living.

Loa Rituals

Witch Doctor Level	Spells
1	purify food and drink
3	locate animals or plants
5	water breathing

Blink

When you choose the Loa of Life at 1st level, you gain the ability to swiftly come to an ally's aid. As a bonus action, teleport to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of an ally you can see. Once you use this feature, you can't again until finishing a long rest.

Faerie Dust

You exude a magical healing aura around you when you fight. At 5th level you gain the ability to heal your allies during combat. Whenever an ally moves within 5 feet of you, they gain 1d6 hit points. If they do, they may not use this feature again for the rest of combat.

The amount of hit points that are gained increases to 2d6 at 9th level, 3d6 at 13th level, and 4d6 at 17th level.

Life Binding

You have learned to infuse healing spiritual energy into your allies. At 13th level as an action, you and one ally within 60 feet regain 10d10 hit points. Once you use this feature, you can't again until finishing a long rest.

Loa of Luck - The Frog

The Loa of Luck is responsible for the constantly shifting forces of luck in the living world. This Loa values whimsy and spontaneity. It wants the living to roll the dice and see where they fall. The Loa of Knowledge and the Loa of Luck are always in a constant state of tension.

Witch doctors who choose the Loa of Luck are choosing a path of free will and randomness. One must have a desire to go with the flow and fear not the consequences of one's own actions.

Loa Rituals

Witch Doctor Level	Spells
1	find familiar
3	augury
5	water walk

Wait? How Long is your tongue?

When you choose the Loa of Luck at 1st level, you gain frog like qualities. You can breathe air and water. Your swimming speed is equal to your movement speed. Your long jump is up to 15 feet and your high jump is up to 10 feet, with or without a running start.

You learn Bullywug and you can communicate simple concepts to frogs and toads when you speak in Bullywug.

What's Behind Frog #1

You are able to request help from your Loa in the oddest of ways. At 5th level, the Loa of Luck will teleport to you a magical frog after saying a command word. This frog knows one spell off of the wizard spell list and will cast it for you (The DM chooses the spell). Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Hide and Seek

At 13th level, you can use lucky charms to help find enemies. If you have even a tiny piece of a creature or an object in its possession, such as a lock of hair or a splinter of wood, you know the most direct route to that creature or object if its within 1 mile of you.

Loa of Mischief - The Snake

The Loa of Mischief is responsible for toying with the living and changing their plans. This Loa values mischief and deception, as well as pranks. It wants to have a good time at the expense of the living. The Loa of Mischief and the Loa of War are always in a constant state of tension.

Witch doctors who choose the Loa of Mischief are choosing of path of rebellion and disruption. These are the tricksters, the pranksters, and the scoundrels of the world. One must have a love for causing a scare and not worrying about who gets hurt.

Loa Rituals

Witch Doctor Level	Spells
1	illusory script
3	magic mouth
5	meld into stone

Serpentine Transformation

When you choose the Loa of Mischief at 1st level, your Loa gives you protection in the form of rough scales all over your body. When you aren't wearing armor or a shield, your AC is equal to 10 + your Wisdom modifier + your Dexterity modifier.

Additionally, You can speak to snakes, serpents, and other reptiles as though you were under the effects of the speak with animals spell.

Who am I? I'm you.

At 5th level, you gain the ability to deceive others. You can cast the alter self spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a short or long rest.

Spitting Distance

At 13th level you gain the ability to excrete a corrosive acid from your mouth. As an action, make a ranged weapon attack at target within 10 feet. If hit, the target takes 9d6 acid damage and the corrosive properties of the acid start melting their armor. Nonmagical armor suffers a permanent -1 penalty to AC. You may use this feature once before finishing a short or a long rest.

Loa of War - The Bull

The Loa of War is responsible for the ever shifting tides of battle. This Loa values inspiration and strategy. It seeks to reward those who make something of themselves in battle. The Loa of Mischief and the Loa of War are always in a constant state of tension.

Witch doctors who choose the Loa of War are choosing a path of anger and destruction. War is not a happy time, but for some it is where they excel. One must have a love for combat and the strength it takes to overcome an opponent.

Loa Rituals

Witch Doctor Level	Spells
1	alarm
3	animal messenger
5	leomund's tiny hut

Fortune Favors the Prepared

When you choose the Loa of War at 1st level, as long as you prepare 2 spells today that you didn't have prepared yesterday, you have a sharpened mind. You can add your Wisdom Modifier to your initiative.

Stay on Tempo

At 5th level, you start to benefit from mixing up your training. If you cast three different spells of 1st level or higher in a row within 1 minute, you regain one 1st level spell slot or lower.

The level of the spell slot you regain increases by one at 9th, 13th, and 17th levels.

Thundering Herd

At 13th level you may summon a thundering herd of ghostly cattle from the spirit world. They form in a straight line 30 feet wide and charge up to 500 feet away. If a creature is caught in the path, they must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone and take 8d8 psychic damage, or half as much damage on a successful save. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Auras

If an aura has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the aura at the same time that you meet its prerequisites. A level prerequisite refers to your level in this class.

Aura of Affliction

Your aura calls upon tormented spirits punished in the afterlife. All creatures, excluding you, within range of your aura hear their agonized screams and suffer a -2 penalty to AC.

Aura of Agility

The spirits envelop your allies, helping them slip through space in the material plane. The movement speed of you and all allies within range increases by 10 feet.

Aura of Draining

Whenever you or an ally within range deal damage, restore 1d4 hit points.

Aura of Fear

Prerequisite: 10th level

You call the spirits of long-dead horrors to your aura. All creatures, excluding you, within the aura suffer a -2 penalty to all Wisdom Saving Throws made while inside the aura.

Aura of Fortification

You call the spirits of lost witch doctors to your aura who bolster the life-giving magic of you and your allies. Anytime you or your allies regain hit points, they may regain an additional 1d4.

Aura of Guidance

Prerequisite: 10th level

Your aura channels spirits that cast a ghostly outline on all enemies affected. When an enemy creature enters your aura or begins its turn inside your aura it must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, as long as they remain in your aura, attack rolls made against them by you or your allies have advantage.

Aura of Melee

You may add your Wisdom modifier to all melee attacks and damage dealt using a melee weapon.

Aura of Mirth

You call joyous spirits to your aura that brighten the countenance of you and your allies within it. You or your allies in range receive a +2 on all Charisma checks made while inside the aura.

Aura of Muffling

You call the spirits to swirl about you and block all noise emitted within your aura. Any noise made inside the range of your aura is dampened but not silenced. Any Wisdom (Perception) check reliant on hearing made to locate you or any creature within the aura has disadvantage.

Aura of Recollection

You call ancestral spirits to you that share with you and your party their wisdom from times of old. You and all allies within range gain advantage on all Intelligence (History) checks as long as you remain within the range of the aura.

Aura of Safeguard

You call protective spirits to your aura who envelop your allies, warding off damage of one type.

Choose a type of damage when you activate your aura. For the duration of the aura, allies within its range receive resistance from the damage type chosen.

Aura of Secrets

You call the spirits of unlucky adventurers to help search the area around you. If there is a secret door or trap within the range of your aura, these spirits swirl about the secret, highlighting it, revealing its dimensions and hint at its basic operation.

Aura of Shielding

When you activate this aura, you and all allies within range gain temporary hit points equal to your with doctor level.

Aura of Teamwork

You and all allies within range may use the Help action for anyone inside the aura.

Aura of Torpor

Prerequisite: 10th level

You call hungry spirits to your aura who feed off the life force of all those inside its range. All creatures, excluding you, who start their turn within the aura must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, that creature gains one level of exhaustion. Upon leaving the aura, or the aura ending, that creature does not retain this level of exhaustion.