Looking to make a Witch Doctor type character.

[GameSultan]

Any suggestions? I'm unsure as to whether I want to be a Wizard that RPs as a Witch Doctor, with the Spell Thematics feat, or whether there's an actual WD class somewhere.

I'm fairly new to DnD.

So yeah, any input would be most appreciated.

[Red Fel]

Any suggestions? I'm unsure as to whether I want to be a Wizard that RPs as a Witch Doctor, with the Spell Thematics feat, or whether there's an actual WD class somewhere.

I'm fairly new to DnD.

So yeah, any input would be most appreciated.

You haven't mentioned whether you're playing D&D 3.5 or Pathfinder. I'm going to assume 3.5, but just in case you're considering PF, I'd like to point out the Scarred Witch Doctor archetype of the Witch class. It's a special archetype available to Orcs, Half-Orcs, and those with the Racial Heritage (Orc) feat. It takes the Witch class - an Int-based primary spellcaster with hexes and a familiar - and replaces her familiar with a creepy tiki mask. It also causes her to cast from Con instead of Int, because of ritualistic scarring.

Now, if you want a Witch Doctor class in 3.5, you're going to have to be a bit more specific. Do you want voodoo curses? Bubbling cauldrons? Creepy tiki masks? Raising the dead? Pacts with spirits? There are a lot of ways to spell "Witch Doctor," and a lot of options in 3.5. For what, specifically, were you looking?

[Blackhawk748]

The arcane spell list isnt all that "Witch Doctor-y" If your in 3.5 Id recommend playing a Spirit Shaman (Spontaneous Druid) or a Totemist (Magic of Incarnum)

The Spirit Shaman uses the Druid list and has a bunch of fun spirit flavored abilities, including becoming incorporeal and getting several abilities that are similar to ghost abilities.

The Totemist, while not a caster, very much feels like a wich doctor as he uses this thing called Incarnum (basically ambient magical energy) and molds it into gear that is molded after various magical creatures. So you wind up running around with a Chimera Mask, Gorrillion Arms, Blink Dog Shirt, and other fun toys. You look freaky as all hell though

[Jeff the Green]

Do you want to be a witch doctor as portrayed in popular culture or like "real" witch doctors?

If the former, I'd say Wizard works. Brew Potion and Craft Skull Talisman are necessities, and you might take either the Illiterate trait or the Dragon ACF that I can never remember the name of. My Strega homebrew (see my sig, under "Older stuff") would work too, as it's focused on curses and gets some benefits for potion crafting.

If the latter, there are three groups of magical practitioners in Southern African traditions. The thakathi uses poison and familiar spirits to harm others, the sangoma is a diviner and dabbles in healing, and the inyanga treats diseases caused by witchcraft and provides protections against them. (It's 'inyanga' that is translated as 'witch doctor', but it's generally considered ignorant and sometimes a bit racist to do so as it implies that they use witchcraft as opposed to countering it. It'd be like saying that the witch hunters of the Middle Ages were witches who used their magic to hunt.)

For the thakathi I'd say a Binder would work well. They make contracts with spirits, are generally good at harming people, and they can get poison use. A sangoma could be a diviner or a cleric; I'm inclined to say a Wizard with Spontaneous Divination going into Divine Oracle. Inyangas are tricky; Cleric into Sacred Exorcist could work, but there isn't anything I can think of that does the "countering magic" shtick very well.