building a scarred witch doctor


Advice

Grand Lodge

I need help building a scarred witch doctor.
The only must haves for the build are half-orc, great Axe, and strength patron.
I am leaning towards a melee witch using the animal skin greater hex.

20 point buy, 1 dump stat. Level 11.


Are you SURE you want weapon melee on a low BAB class? It can work the first few levels but you'll quickly lose ground as your BAB lags behind.

Grand Lodge

The weapon doesn't need to be a huge focus. Most fights, he won't ever have it out. But if he has enough time to buff, and with strength patron that's alot of buffing, he could really put the hurt on someone.

Grand Lodge

I mean I guess I could go with a cestus and mithril buckler but that's not nearly as flavorful.


My point is that in a few levels that 'buffing' + melee is still going to be left in the dust by normal melee combatants not really 'putting the hurt' on anyone. You'd be better off buffing the barbarian with whatever buff you where thinking of putting on yourself (His BAB is 6 higher than yours). Remember, you'll be 12th level before you gain a second attack with a witches BAB. You'll also have to deal with your AC as it'll need almost as much buffing as your attack would.

I understand a melee witch is a cool concept but you need str to hit, dex to avoid being hit and con to cast... That's stretching things pretty thin IMO. Focusing on touch spells, maxing dex and taking weapon finesse is much more efficient.

If you're really set in having a physical melee option, I'd say take a bite attack (1/2 orcs get 3 options for this; feat, racial trait and race trait and it'll get str +1 1/2 for being your only natural attack.)

Dark Archive

With a high enough str and decent buffs, your Bab could be pretty abysmal and you can still hit. Ignore when people imply that -only- perfect Bab classes have a chance of hitting and that 3/4 Bab classes can hit 'sometimes' if they are very specific classes with specific features and that 1/2 Bab classes simply aren't worth mentioning. Half the fun of role playing games with this much depth is doing exactly the thing you're trying to do. So let's figure out a way to make it work (unless we actually can't).

Being a scarred with doctor already means that you'll be using your secondary stat as your primary as well (con). Charisma is not needed, nor is intelligence. Depending on your aim, you can even forgo a good Dex score since you will have a phenomenal con. Wisdom is not important since you have a strong will save already, however it does impact perception checks. This leaves str as a dump stat or a powerful secondary.

You have a lot of options. In a situation like this where you want maximum effectiveness on a cool idea, I think of things like color spray + coup de grace with a scythe but you're level 11 so hmm. A heavens oracle could quicken color spray coupe de grace for hilarity and claim to be the angel of death. Strikes me as amusing. Anyway, greatsword + enlarge person already sounds fun.

Invisibility will help with hitting and keep you safe during a surprise round. The duration is great but maybe should be acquired via the ring if you want to ensure that first big hit. Alternative quickened true strikes but meh.

I have to go soon but I will think on this in the meantime. What interesting things can be done with a witch using a great sword and con as the primary casting stat?


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Oh, a wizards hook is a cool option for arcane melee. Add transformative and you can make it a scorpion whip. If you gain the use of the whip through one of the 1/2 orc racial traits, you can use it to make touch attacks at a reach of 15'!


Con is a pretty easy stat to buff so I would go with the transformation patron. You get options to buff all physical stats and hexes don't require verbal components so should work in animal forms while having their DC raised. At high level if built right almost nothing saves against a witch doctors hexes

Make Str and Cha a dump stat
Str - 8
Dex - 14
Con - 20
Int - 10
Wis - 12
Cha - 8

I prefer to actually dump str and cha to 7 but I live on the edge
I suggest misfortune or slumber as your first hexes. slumber is amazing but at first level it only last one round and if you run into elves you become useless fast. So misfortune + extra hex (cackle) can be wonderful as whatever you hit misses. Depends on the progression of the game

Silver Crusade

Please note scarred witch doctor is normally only available to full blooded orcs. Confirm with your GM about taking it as a half-orc before you get too invested.

I would build like a barbarian: all STR and CON, with any remaining points in DEX and WIS. Quicken spell can help, but unfortunately quicken rods are expensive, and even so, you're using both of your hands for a weapon. Using the feat could work if you have a low level buff spell in mind. The rest of making up your hit deficit will have to come from gear. STR belt, magic weapon, etc. For you, power attack is a trap feat. You will get far more damage out of the hit bonus than the damage it would have traded for. You might want to look at leading with some sort of debuff that hurts AC, though I don't have one in mind.


As a Half-Orc you are treated as an Orc for everything. It is that pesky Orc Blooded racial ability. And then there is the FAQ that clarifies that even further.

Silver Crusade

thorin001 wrote:

As a Half-Orc you are treated as an Orc for everything. It is that pesky Orc Blooded racial ability. And then there is the FAQ that clarifies that even further.

Since I don't want to derail, could you link that FAQ? When ARG came out our group wondered about this for awhile, and decided it must mean that race specifically, since they all have their own options, not just "you're a half-orc, pick from the stuff available to humans and orcs."


Riuken wrote:
Please note scarred witch doctor is normally only available to full blooded orcs. Confirm with your GM about taking it as a half-orc before you get too invested.

Please note that your statement is entirely incorrect. If you're referring to the FAQ stating that Half-Orcs don't qualify for Orc racial archetypes, that FAQ was redacted a while back. All rules elements related to race are governed fully by type/subtype interactions. If the prerequisite is Orc and you have the Orc subtype by any means, you qualify for the class. That means not only full Orcs but also Half-Orcs (Humanoid[Orc, Human]), Humans with Racial Heritage[Orc], Scorcerers with the Orc bloodline, and any race made using the ARG race builder that involves the Orc subtype in any manner all qualify for SWD. This is a standard of the system; any GM who wants to make an exception to this and say that you must be a full Orc to take a racial archetype must get permission from his players by letting them know straight away.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

11th level is actually a really solid level to make a melee caster at... Transformation solves all your BAB issues and it stacks with polymorphs like Monstrous Physique 3/4 or Giant Form 1. Build Con>Str=Dex>everything else, use a long spear and combat reflexes- make a decent polymorph your go to 1st round action and play like a reach cleric; break out transformation when you want to wade into combat. I'm pretty sure you can keep using hexes even under transformation, so you can play like a (even better) reach cleric even then, or just full attack.

Grand Lodge

If I keep with the strength patron, would divine power, righteous might, and transformation bring me up to a level of competence.

The thing about him is he would be a caster first and for most BUT he would sometimes want to just get his hands dirty and rip someone apart with an Axe.

I really like the reach cleric idea.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

London Duke wrote:
If I keep with the strength patron, would divine power, righteous might, and transformation bring me up to a level of competence.

yes. transformation alone will make you pretty competent, any other buffs you get off beyond that are gravy.

Grand Lodge

Right on. Since transformation is a pretty low duration spell, is it worth it to just hold on to that until I HAVE to use it? I plan to make liberal use out of giant form. I think that having him reach cleric style is probably smartest since my hexes and spells will be able to do more than any full attack routine ever.


An option would be to go eldritch knight if you want to be competent in melee. But that would run counter to the idea of using a greater hex.


I advise against entirely dumping INT, it's nice to have a few skill points and bonus spells - scarred witch doctor doesn't affect the stat used for the latter.

There are a number of witch spells which target anyone adjacent. If you plan to use any of them you might prefer to use a non- reach weapon.

The one sort of buff a witch really lacks is good defensive spells. Remember to buy some items to cover this. A Decoy Ring might be nice to have.


You could always take the Prehensile Hair hex and use your +ConMod to hit with 1d3+ConMod for damage. You wouldn't need to pump strength then.

Nothing like a FuManchu with a ten foot reach.

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