The Witch Doctor
Friends on the Other Side
The witch doctor is an alchemical and spiritual master, skilled at not only simply brewing potions and alchemical goods, but at awakening the spirits of the ingredients that go into his goods. A witch doctor at work can be unsettling, for he croons and chants to the herbs and animal parts that go into his brew, shaking a rattle to awaken them from their slumber, and sometimes even bursting into dance to appease them and make them favor him. The powers that witch doctors revere are creatures of wild, ecstatic worship who demand dynamism from their servants. The witch doctor's arcane magical art is formed from the ability to twist and turn nature through a crude yet effective science called juju. -Blizzard Entertainment
Defining Class Feature
Juju Riding
Witch Doctors utilize Juju, a type of magic that combines spiritual energy with alchemical science. The results produce a symbiotic relationship with the spirits and the Witch Doctor. Using the Witch Doctor's body, the spirits may again feel alive and use their full powers. However, the Witch Doctor is using those same powers to empower him or herself to perform at a level they otherwise would never be able to reach. Sometimes, however, the spirits may become too strong or stubborn for the Witch Doctor to control.
Upon becoming a Witch Doctor, choose one Spirit Type from the chart below to specialize in permanently. You may change this Spirit Type through an RP Quest.
At the start of an encounter, roll a Will Save. On a 10 or higher, you are possessed by a spirit of your chosen specialization and can still act of your own free will while utilizing their stat benefits.
On a failed save, the spirit will act as it pleases. You must roll additional Will Saves of 10 or higher in order to act against the spirit's nature. Should you fail this Will Save, you are considered Possessed, and fall under control of the DM for the rest of your turn.
You are Ridden for the remainder of the encounter and are immune to Possession by another source.
Spirit Types
| Type | Stat Effect |
|---|---|
| Mender | +4 to Healing. Prefers to heal the body first, then will prioritize the lowest-health teammates. |
| Breaker | +4 to Attacks (Spell, Melee, or Ranged). Prefers to deal damage whenever possible, sometimes to the detriment of the body. |
| Guardian | +2 HP and +2 to Fortitude Saves. Prefers to be the center of the attention and will take damage meant for others often to the detriment of the body. |
Class Toolkits
Select three Toolkits from the following pages to add to your character's abilities on your character sheet. You receive your Toolkits (Rank 1) at Level 1, 2, and 3. These Toolkits upgrade to Rank 2 upon reaching Level 4.
If you wish to change your Toolkit selection, you must undergo an RP Quest in order to enact this change. Speak to an Officer or the Chieftain in order to facilitate this Quest.
Voodoo Doll [Active]
Spell Description:
The Witch Doctor's staple. Through careful ritual, an exact replica of a victim can be created-- however, this is not feasible on an ever-changing battlefield. And so in combat, a Witch Doctor gets creative. They rely on moldable wax to shape and twist their dolls to resemble a vague shape of their intended target. Though not as powerful as a True Doll, these dolls are still effective and dangerous against distant targets, or targets that think they can escape the ire of a Witch Doctor.
Spell Effect at Rank 1:
- Cast Time: 1 Turn
- Charges: 1
Spend 1 turn quickly crafting a voodoo doll of a target you can see. You may attack this target regardless of distance or line of sight. The voodoo doll lasts for 3 attack attempts (failures count) before disintegrating. Additionally, you have a lowered Critical Strike ceiling of 18 from 20 against this target. Critical Strikes deal an additional 1 damage.
Spell Effect at Rank 2:
- Cast Time: 1 Turn
- Charges: 1
Spend 1 turn quickly crafting a voodoo doll of a target you can see. You may attack this target regardless of distance or line of sight. The voodoo doll lasts for 3 successful attacks before disintegrating. Additionally, you have a lowered Critical Strike ceiling of 16 from 20 against this target. Critical Strikes deal an additional 1 damage and cause the target to act on every other turn instead of every turn.
Sear Memory [Active]
Spell Description:
Witch Doctors are benders of will, as they can control other beings with their mind. These tricks can be fatal for several enemies of the Witch Doctor, not just their target, for they do not know whom of their allies to trust anymore. They are also able to sear through a target's mind and erase memories as they please, causing the target to get confused and not know what is real. These spells are dangerous and can render a victim stupefied if used wantonly.
Spell Effect at Rank 1:
- Charges: 1
Poke around the mind of a target to find a specific memory from them, searing it and causing them pain upon recalling it. The target takes 2 damage and can no longer perform a single Skill of your choice for the rest of the encounter (such as Grapple or Healing) or an ability such as "repair cannon” or “ride horse”.
Spell Effect at Rank 2:
- Charges: 2
Poke around the mind of a target to find a specific memory from them, searing it and causing them pain upon recalling it. The target takes 2 damage and can no longer perform a single Skill of your choice for the rest of the encounter (such as Grapple or Healing) or an ability such as "repair cannon” or “ride horse”. You may use this twice per encounter. If you do this to the same target twice, they are stunned for 3 turns.
Death Rattle [Active]
Spell Description:
The witch doctor can shake and rattle the gourds and necklaces that he carries to create a frightening rhythmic effect. The juju of the highly skilled Witch Doctor even becomes potent enough to kill, in a rhythm known as the Death Rattle. The reagent required to use this ability is a death gourd, which must be cursed and carved by the witch doctor himself using bizarre and disgusting components.
Spell Effect at Rank 1:
- Cast Time: 3 Turns
- Charges: 1
Rattle a gourd made of disgusting and horrifying ingredients for 3 turns. At the end of these three turns, anyone that can hear you anyone that is at 3 or lower health is instantly reduced to 0 HP. This spell is channeled and can be interrupted. Interrupting this effect may have a volatile spiritual reaction.
Spell Effect at Rank 2:
- Cast Time: 2 Turns
- Charges: 1
Rattle a gourd made of disgusting and horrifying ingredients for 2 turns. At the end of these two turns, anyone that is at 3 or lower health and can hear you is instantly reduced to 0 HP. This spell is channeled, and can be interrupted. Interrupting this effect may have a volatile spiritual reaction.
Pocket Cauldron [Passive]
Spell Description:
Witch Doctors use cauldrons to craft and create a variety of potions, brews, and tinctures. However, their massive set up in their ritual area usually isn't useful to haul around onto a battlefield. Clever Witch Doctors have devised a solution: smaller cauldrons! These cauldrons are big enough to fit in a backpack, slung over a shoulder, or held in one hand. Sure, you lose out on some of the potency of the real deal, but you can't fight every battle in your ritual cave, now, can you?
Spell Effect at Rank 1:
- Charges: 3 (Passive)
Bring an enchanted cauldron into battle. At the end of each turn in addition to your normal action, you toss a +1 healing potion at a single ally, or a -1 damaging potion at a single enemy. Your cauldron has 3 charges before it is expended.
Spell Effect at Rank 2:
- Charges: 5 (Passive)
Bring an enchanted cauldron into battle. At the end of each turn in addition to your normal action, you toss a +1 healing potion at a single ally, or a -1 damaging potion at a single enemy. Your cauldron has 5 charges before it is expended.
Juju Blow-Darts [Active]
Spell Description:
The brews a Witch Doctor concocts are deadly and dangerous. A skilled Witch Doctor can turn these brews into something more useful in combat: brew-tipped blow darts.
The Shaka brew maximizes all damage done to a target, causing their skin to glisten and glow with alchemical light. They become easier to strike and strikes against them bring them down quicker.
The Bambe brew is a secret recipe that causes a victim to feel as though their veins are crawling with spiders.
The Zuvembi brew creates a powerful suggestive state in the victim that he can trigger and control. After being inflicted by the brew, the Witch Doctor can cause the victim to behave or act in a way of his choosing.
Spell Effect at Rank 1:
- Charges: 2
Use one of the following Brews and roll a Ranged Attack. You have two Blow-Darts to use these Brews with.
Shaka: Lower the target's defenses, reducing their Critical Strike ceiling against them to 18, from 20 for 1 round.
Bambe: Place a 2 turn -2 DoT on a target.
Zuvembi: Loosen the target’s mental barriers. You may force them to take 1 action of your choosing at any time during the encounter, so long as it will not kill them outright. They may make a Will Save of 10 or above to resist.
Spell Effect at Rank 2:
- Charges: 3
Use one of the following Brews and roll a Ranged Attack. You have three Blow-Darts to use these Brews with.
Shaka: Lower the target's defenses, reducing their Critical Strike ceiling against them to 16, from 20 for 1 round.
Bambe: Place a 3 turn -2 DoT on a target.
Zuvembi: Loosen the target’s mental barriers. You may force them to take 1 action of your choosing at any time during the encounter, so long as it will not kill them outright.
