Level 7 human scarred witch doctor help

[gutnedawg]

I'm looking for some help on my build. Gm had allowed the human to take this so I'm fine in that regard. Hex wise I was thinking cackle, evil eye, misfortune and slumber but I'm not sure which other feats to take and traits. Los magic items. I don't usually play full casters so all help is appreciated. I think it would be cool to be capable in melee combat but it's not a must.

I'm trying to build a scary character. So I'm looking to make him as badass as possible. Thanks!

[Ender730]

What do you want to focus on? A witch's biggest strength is her ability to debuff a BBEG, so is that what you plan on doing?

What other classes are in your party, and what roles will they be playing (battlefield controller, damage dealer, etc.)?

[gutnedawg]

Oh for sure I want to debuff but I'd like to take advantage of the high hp from the class. I made a thread earlier about witch/barbarian but I'm not sure that would work.

The other party members are a dwarf barbarian and halfling rogue. There might be another but I don't know what they will be.

[Quatar]

You're a full caster with 1/2 BAB, d6 hit dice and no armor or weapon proficiency worth mentioning.
While your con is going to be high all that makes it really hard to impossible to give you really any serious melee combat prowess.

Knowing who else is in the group might help with the build.

In the scary line: You might wanna get high Cha too, Intimidate skill and then get Dazzling Display for another AoE debuff.

[Ender730]

I would say that a 1-level dip into barbarian isn't worth it. I know that Rage trick, but it's just not worth the loss of a casting level, even more so because you're the only caster in the party.

There's not really a way that I can think of where you can take advantage of a high Con score. Some people like to use Prehensile Hair and use a witch doctor build to attack with it, but I don't understand why people would stay that close to opponents. Really, having a high Con doesn't mean you're invincible. You'll last longer than a typical witch, but a d6 hit dice means you can last only half as long as a barbarian.

My advice would be to build the witch the same way as you would build a normal witch, otherwise a high Con score could end up being a trap that gets you killed.

For what it's worth, I just recently tried to build one myself, and I just couldn't get a good build out of it. And I was building it for a team that has a wizard, bard, druid, and ranger, so the witch has tons of buffers and other forms of help. I just couldn't give up the extra human feat for the high Con, as well as the extra hex, but that's just a personal thing I guess.

[gutnedawg]

What about magic items?

[Please Don't Kill Me]

I disagree with Ender on the Barbarian dip. A one level dip with the Raging Vitality feat will give you a nice bonus to your Hex DCs. While raging your Hex DC increases by 3 which more then offsets the 1/2 increase your forgo by losing a single level of Witch.

As for losing a level of spellcasting, it puts you on par with Sorcerer and Oracle progression which is not a terrible situation. Your main thing will probably be your Hexes anyways so again, losing some spell casting isn't a huge deal.

Here is a Sample build using PFS hp rules

Sample Build:

Human Barbarian 1/Scarred Witch Doctor 6
HP: 12 Barbarian+24 Witch+49 Con+6 FCB = 91hp; AC 21, Tch 12, FF 19 (2 Dex, 6 Armor, 3 Shield)
Str 12; Dex 14; Con 24; Int 12; Wis 12; Cha 7
Traits: Accelerate Drinker, Berserker of the Society

Barbarian 1: Raging Vitality, Extra Rage
Witch 1: Evil Eye
Witch 2: Accursed Hex; Misfortune
Witch 3:
Witch 4: Extra Hex (Cauldron); Cackle
Witch 5:
Witch 6: Extra Rage; Slumber

Equipment: +2 Armored Coat, +2 Mithral Buckler, +4 Belt of Con, spring loaded wrist sheaths, and lots and lots of potions.

You have a decent AC even while raging (19), 26 rounds of rage, 122hp while raging, are a 6th level caster, and if you ever want to use a spell rather than a Hex you can spend a move action to remove your Armor. With Cauldron you can make the buff spells you use most into potions so no real need to cast in combat, and can focus the majority of your prepared spells into utility, buffs, ect.

Edit: This is very close to a character I am currently playing and I love it. I would even consider the Prehensile Hair Hex so you can better deal with mooks. Your Hexs will debilitate bigger enemies but your action economy sucks when it comes to taking out hordes of small enemies.

[gutnedawg]

Well one problem is that you don't get a hex at level one of witch if you're a scarred witch doctor :/

[Blueluck]

Are you fully committed to being a witch?

If your goal is to be scary, you might want to play a charisma based class, max intimidate, and be able to actually scare your enemies in game: Bard, Sorcerer, Oracle, or Summoner.

[Please Don't Kill Me]

gutnedawg wrote:

Well one problem is that you don't get a hex at level one of witch if you're a scarred witch doctor :/

Completely sliped my mind. You can easily drop the second Extra Rage for Extra Hex and then you should be fine. You only lose 6 rounds of rage so you still have 20/day which should be enough for at least 2 combats a day.

[gutnedawg]

Blueluck wrote:

Are you fully committed to being a witch?

If your goal is to be scary, you might want to play a charisma based class, max intimidate, and be able to actually scare your enemies in game: Bard, Sorcerer, Oracle, or Summoner.

I feel like that is lame though. A scarred witch with a creepy mask should be pretty scary but having scars all over you doesn't really match the fluff for a high charisma which is what intimidate is based on. I'm just trying to make him as bad ass as possible. I mean come on a bard is much less scary than a dude with scars all over him and a creepy mask, don't ya think?

[Ender730]

gutnedawg wrote:

I mean come on a bard is much less scary than a dude with scars all over him and a creepy mask, don't ya think?

A super creepy character would actually require a high charisma in gameplay mechanics. Charisma isn't just all about how someone looks, but how much their personality and magnetism affects those around them. For a person to be creepy enough that people fear them, your charisma needs to be radiating some super creepy stuff to get that through.

Not that any of that really matters. If you wanna play a witch, play a witch.

There's nothing wrong with the scarred witch doctor, and nothing wrong with dipping into barbarian. Like the other guy said, you get to boost your Hex DC. My personal playing style is that I would rather get quicker access to spells, have more hexes, and have a slightly lower DC. But if you want to maximize your DC, then barbarian is definitely good. It all depends on your play style, and how you want to synergize with your party.

[Azten]

Blueluck wrote:

Are you fully committed to being a witch?

If your goal is to be scary, you might want to play a charisma based class, max intimidate, and be able to actually scare your enemies in game: Bard, Sorcerer, Oracle, or Summoner.

Half-Orc + Inquisitor(Heresy Inquisition) + Intimidating Prowess = Scarier than some fiends.

Then you cast Blistering Invective...

[gutnedawg]

Ender730 wrote:

gutnedawg wrote:

I mean come on a bard is much less scary than a dude with scars all over him and a creepy mask, don't ya think?

A super creepy character would actually require a high charisma in gameplay mechanics. Charisma isn't just all about how someone looks, but how much their personality and magnetism affects those around them. For a person to be creepy enough that people fear them, your charisma needs to be radiating some super creepy stuff to get that through.

Not that any of that really matters. If you wanna play a witch, play a witch.

There's nothing wrong with the scarred witch doctor, and nothing wrong with dipping into barbarian. Like the other guy said, you get to boost your Hex DC. My personal playing style is that I would rather get quicker access to spells, have more hexes, and have a slightly lower DC. But if you want to maximize your DC, then barbarian is definitely good. It all depends on your play style, and how you want to synergize with your party.

I realize this but I just don't like the fluff around charisma. They should change the name to presence or something because charisma has too much of a positive connotation and if you're scary/creepy you're clearly not charismatic in the positive sense.

[Blueluck]

gutnedawg wrote:

Blueluck wrote:

Are you fully committed to being a witch?

If your goal is to be scary, you might want to play a charisma based class, max intimidate, and be able to actually scare your enemies in game: Bard, Sorcerer, Oracle, or Summoner.

I feel like that is lame though. A scarred witch with a creepy mask should be pretty scary but having scars all over you doesn't really match the fluff for a high charisma which is what intimidate is based on. I'm just trying to make him as bad ass as possible. I mean come on a bard is much less scary than a dude with scars all over him and a creepy mask, don't ya think?

I've known some extremely dangerous and scary people, and it definitely takes both talent and skill to get that scary. So, no, I disagree with you completely.

But, it was just a question. If you want to play a witch, play a witch.

[Big Lemon]

Dirge Bards can be pretty frightening.

Just putting your ranks in Intimidate, having a passable Charisma, and Skill Focus (intimidate) is enough to make you pretty darn good at it, especially since Witches can use their spells to amplify that fear. Heck, the Witch class is pretty much geared toward being scary.

Melee prowess is impossible though without multiclassing, unless you think melee touch spells count. Taking the Elements patron theme would give you Shocking Grasp, and the high Con would help you survive while using it.

[Big Lemon]

Also, Inflict spells. Every witch has those.

[Haskul]

Ender730 wrote:

gutnedawg wrote:

I mean come on a bard is much less scary than a dude with scars all over him and a creepy mask, don't ya think?

A super creepy character would actually require a high charisma in gameplay mechanics. Charisma isn't just all about how someone looks, but how much their personality and magnetism affects those around them.

Disagree. That's why skill points and feats like skill focus exist. You can have a 3 charaisma and still be plenty scary if you put skill points and feats into it.