Talk:Witch Doctor (5e Class)

I thought this class was a little powerful. So before I allowed it in my game, a friend and I made a few tweaks to it before allowing it. Anything missing from the list below was not changed at all and was still kept for the final character. Most of the changes were minor, but I hope you can appreciate why we felt some changes were made. I changed the base saves to Wisdom and Dexterity, as the class seemed closer to Druid than Warlock at times. We also cut the spells off at 5th level, as the Warlock does. I really liked the class overall, but I wanted it to be a little closer to the traditional Warlock.

Medicine Man: Witch Doctors get advantage when using Medicine Kits.

Head Hunting

Poison Dart: 1d4 initial damage, con save vs. poison, if failed deals poison effect. Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks for 2d4 rounds.

Rejuvenating dart: heals 1 point per round for 10 rounds. At fifth, tenth, fifteenth, and twentieth, the healing goes up by 1 point, capping at 5 points per round for ten rounds.

Shrunken Head: the Witch Doctor also has a penchant for head hunting, collecting the heads of humanoid victims and shrinking them with the assistance of voodoo and hoodoo magic over the course of a long rest. They are often used as means of dispersing the Witch Doctor's poisons over a small area, filled with 10 doses of the specified poison and covering a 20 foot radius—but they can have many other creative uses. If used with the poison dart's effect, every creature within the area must make a con saving throw. If they fail, they have disadvantage for 2d4 rounds. If they use rejuvenating dart, the dart heals 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 (at the same progression of the Rejuvenating Dart) instantly for everyone in the radius.

Possession: At 11th level, a Witch Doctor gains the ability to channel the spirit of a long dead Witch Doctor. Choose a 3rd level spell from the Witch Doctor Spell List as your Possession spell. When you are possessed, you may cast this spell without expending a spell slot. At 15th level, choose a 4th level spell. At 20th, choose a 5th level spell.

Primal Spirits

Whisperer: You gain advantage on all Animal Handling and Nature checks.

Partial Transformat:on: At 3rd level, you may transform your body a number of times equal to half your Witch Doctor level rounded down. The transformations last twice your Wisdom modifier.

Wolf Head: You can bite as a part of your attack using your same attack bonus as your main weapon, dealing 1d6 piercing.

Frog Tongue: You can elongate your tongue and grab or manipulate objects 10 ft. away.

Jaguar Claws: You are able to attack with two 1d8 claw attacks, but cannot grasp any objects or cast spells with somatic components.

Crocodile Skin: Gain Resistance against Bludgeoning, Slashing or Piercing.

Serpent Body: You move at half speed rounded down, but you have advantage on grapple checks and have free use of your arms and legs.

Bat Wings: You gain the ability to glide for 30 ft. per round, descending 5 feet. If you are falling for more than 30 ft., you may negate 30 ft. of fall damage.

Primal Savagery: At 6th level Your transformation weapons are considered Magical for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction and immunities.

Shifting Adept: At 10th level a Witch Doctor is so proficient at his transformations that he may maintain two at a time.

Shaman Chief

Wolf Head: You gain advantage on all perception checks

Frog Tongue: You can now use the tongue to disarm an opponent when they fail a strength saving throw.

Jaguar Claws: You may cast spells with somatic components and grasp objects with your claws.

Crocodile Hide: You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing attacks.

Serpent Body: As a bonus action, you may deal 1d6 damage to an opponent you have successfully grappled with your tail.

Bat Wings: You may fly at the rate of 60 feet per round.

Ancestral Guardians

Bad Juju: Once per rest, you may impose disadvantage on an attack roll as a reaction. If this attack misses, you have advantage on your next attack roll against this opponent.

Ancestral Spear: At 3rd level, the Witch Doctor imbues his Medicine Stick with the power of his ancestors, transforming it into an ornate and magical spear that is partly of the physical plane, and partly of the spirit realm. Your Ancestral Spear is a Magic Weapon for attack and damage resistance purposes, and considered both Throwable and Versatile, dealing 1d8 damage when thrown or wielded with one hand, and 1d10 when wielded with both. If thrown, the Witch Doctor can use a Bonus action to recall the spear to his hand.

Tribal Tenacity: A Witch Doctor may add his strength modifier to his second attack with his Ancestral Spear and add his proficiency modifier to spell damage and heals.

Totemic Might: You have advantage on all Strength saving throws and ability checks. For a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier, you may increase your Strength score by 4 points.

Guardian's Call: At 14th level, your connection to your tribal ancestors is so strong that you can call them into the mortal plane for short periods of time. Once per long rest, the Witch Doctor can summon an Ancestral Guardians into the mortal plane, for a 1 hour. At 18th level, you can summon a second Guardian. Each Guardian has the same ability scores as the Witch Doctor, and respect the caster's commands, but cannot cast spells. In combat they will defend the Witch Doctor by default unless commanded otherwise. Ancestral Guardians can also serve as guides, able to help steer unmade decisions in the right direction.

The Old God

Soul Drinker: Starting at 2nd level, the Witch Doctor learns how to literally devour the soul of a fallen enemy, using it to fuel his own vitality. When you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points with a killing blow, or when the target of your Voodoo Curse is reduced to 0 hit points, you regain hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier.

Black Soul: At 6th level, the Witch Doctor's soul itself is infused with the darkness emanating from the Old God, granting him access to mysterious magics and primordial power the likes of which he has never known. The Witch Doctor's number of “Spells Known” increase 2 and “Spell Slots” increase by 1. Nightmare Mind: Starting at 10th level, other beings can no longer enter the terrifying landscape of the Witch Doctor’s mind without your guidance—your thoughts can no longer be read by telepathy or other means unless you allow it. A Witch Doctor also gains advantage against mind affects.

Black Magic

Spirit Doll: [Must create the doll during downtime, 1 round for initial ritual to bind the doll to target, bonus action to maintain connection via concentration check] The Witch Doctor must create the doll during their downtime, material cost in their home region is free, outside of home region it costs 5 gold pieces, but after the doll is created, they can perform a ritual action to bind the doll to a target. From there, they must make a concentration check every round to maintain the connection.

Voodoo Curse: a hostile target must make a Wisdom saving throw, with disadvantage if the doll contains an element that the Witch Doctor has obtained from the target (hair, blood, clothing, fingernail, etc). If target fails, they succumb to the Voodoo Curse: they have disadvantage on action rolls and saving throws, and suffer internal damage from attacks made against the doll regardless of their proximity. The target can continue making Wisdom saving throws (with disadvantage) at the start of every turn in order to break the curse.

Hoodoo Boon: A friendly target willingly accepts a hoodoo link with the doll, and gains advantage to Attack Rolls and Saving throws for up to 1 hour or until the link is broken. The target is also able to receive any healing done to the doll regardless of their proximity.

Consume Doll: the Witch Doctor consumes the current Spirit Doll, healing himself for one tenth of the target's Hit Point maximum (rounded up). Doll is destroyed upon consumption.

Pins and Needles: [Spirit Doll, bonus action] - the Witch Doctor inserts a needle into the voodoo doll, causing excruciating pain and dealing 1d4 internal damage to the target of the Voodoo Curse every round until the bond is broken. If the target is under the effects of Hoodoo Boon, a pin is used instead to do 1d4 healing every round until the bond is broken. The total number of pins or needles a Witch Doctor can utilize is equal to his character level. If the voodoo bond is broken, or if the Witch Doctor changes targets, the effects end and the pins and needles must be removed before the next attempt.

Big Bad Voodoo: [15th level or higher, Pins and Needles, Voodoo Doll, full round to begin ritual, bonus action to maintain with a concentration check] - once per long rest, the Witch Doctor can perform a ritualistic dance and chant on his turn, supplemented by smoke and powders and various concoctions. He is unable to take any additional movement, action, or bonus action on that turn. On his next turn, he attempts to place a Voodoo Curse on all hostile targets within 30 feet. If the Witch Doctor loses concentration. After the fifth round this is active, concentration checks are done with disadvantage.

Envenom: [Bargain with Ancestral Guardians, passive] – the ancient spirits have taught you the lost ways of envenoming your Ancestral Spear. Showing you how to carve veins through which your Headhunter Poisons can flow, you effectively allow the spear to inject your deadly poisons into your opponents. Up to 10 doses of poison can be held in the weapon's reservoir. Envenom poisons stack with Dart poisons, but refilling the reservoir requires an Action. Flesh to Bone: [bonus action] – drawing on the power of the Old God, the Witch Doctor's bones begin to thicken and grow beneath his skin. Cracking and grinding, they suddenly appear to rip through his very flesh, encasing him in a monstrous armor of protruding bone. Your AC is increased to 16 for the duration, but your movement speed is halved and you are unable to wear armor while the effect persists. Flesh to Bone can be cast or dismissed at will.

Hunga Munga: [action] - once per short or long rest, the Witch Doctor can use his own life-force to bargain with the darkest spirits from beyond the Veil. Spending 1 Hit Die, he conjures a wicked black dagger from the spirit realm and viciously rends a foe within striking distance. Make a Spell attack (1d20 + proficiency bonus + spell attack modifier) against a target within 5 feet inflicting 3d10 necrotic damage on hit. Damage increases by 1d10 for each level of your current max spell level. After the hit, you can continue to spend additional Hit Die to twist the blade, adding each roll individually onto the total damage.

Spirit Animal: [Bargain with Primal Spirits, passive effect] - The Witch Doctor is able to choose his Spirit Animal to be his permanent companion. The creature must be a naturally-occurring beast, and have a Challenge Rating equal to or lower than 1/3 of your Witch Doctor level, rounded down. As a round action, you can also command your Spirit Animal to merge with you for up to 10 minutes, allowing you to replace any of your Ability Scores with those of your companion, and giving you both the abilities and appearance aspects of your Spirit Animal. Due to the taxing nature of merging spirits, you are only able to perform this merger once per long rest.

Talking Head: [Bargain with Old God, passive effect] - Two heads are better than one, they say! Aside from being both a drunk and a chatterbox, it turns out the Witch Doctor’s Mojo also has a surprisingly keen memory—particularly for magic. You can now put your Mojo to work memorizing any manner of magical rituals you happen to come across in your adventures, so long as they are less than or equal to half your Witch Doctor level (rounded up). It takes two hours per spell level of rigorous repetition to permanently pound a new ritual into Mojo’s tiny head, as well as 50gp for the necessary alcohol required to bribe him into cooperating. Choose two 1st-level ritual spells from any spell list: those rituals—and any you are able to teach Mojo down the road—are permanently castable, without taking up a ‘spells known’ slot.

Trance: [15th level or higher, action] - as an Action once per short or long rest, the Witch Doctor’s arms raise, his eyes roll back, and he falls into an otherworldly trance. While entranced, becomes a conduit of voodoo magic, a vessel of pulsating dark energy. Until his next turn, he gains advantage to all saving throws, but is unable to make any additional movement, action, or bonus action. On the following turn, the Witch Doctor comes out of his trance empowered by ancient spirits—he has advantage on Attack rolls, and his next successful damaging or healing ability deals double damage or healing. The effect fades at the end of the turn of your next successful ability. If the Witch Doctor’s concentration is broken during the trance, then the turn is wasted and he loses any benefits the trance would have given him.

Feedback

Silence

how is this not renamed "shh"?

Medicine Man

What does this do. What is a "twice as effective remedy"?

Head Hunter

• "use" a blowgun. You need to specify that this means "make an attack with"
• "as a bonus action". A blowgun also has the loading property, so you need to use an action or bonus action to load it. In normal use, you would use a bonus action to load it, and an action to attack it. With this feature, you would use an action to load it and a bonus action to attack.
• How are the recipes used? What are the reagents? What is the "bonus action" for, to create the dart or to attack with it? How do you make the darts?
• Does the poison dart deal 1d4 poison damage every turn for 10 minutes? Shouldn't the target get a saving throw? How does one "cleanse"? Because 10 minutes is 100 turns, and with 4 darts, thats 400d4 (1000) damage.
• The rejuvenation dart "heals" - I guess this means regain lost hit points? Since it's not clear how many darts I get and how often, I can't judge this. If I get many darts, this is clearly overpowered, removing the need for spending Hit Dice to restore hit points (and it restores 1000s of hit points over the 10 minutes)
• I don't know what shrunken heads does. I've read it 3 times.

That's just the first two features. Clearly this needs some work to clarify what is going on. Marasmusine (talk) 04:41, 2 October 2016 (MDT)

Hunga Munga This is a ranged weapon historically so maybe it should have the thrown property

"Hoodoo Boon: A friendly target willingly accepts a hoodoo link with the doll, and gains advantage to Attack Rolls and Saving throws for up to 1 hour or until the link is broken. The target is also able to receive any healing done to the doll regardless of their proximity."

This is basically free unlimited advantage to attack rolls and saving throws to the whole party. This class needs a lot of work.

Hey I honestly think this page(Witch Doctor class) is ready so if someone can check it and let me know what they think that would be nice thanks