Witcher class

[BarbarianConan]

Hey

I wanted to play a Witcher type of character. Out of any DnD edition which 3 classes come closest to matching a Witcher besides Blood Hunter?

3 base classes

3 sub/prestige classes

[Satinavian]

In Pathfinder i would go via Alchemist(vivisectionist), though Fighter(mutation warrior) might work as well. If you don't want to go for archetypes, then Slayer.

[Palanan]

For those of us who keep hearing about the Witcher but never watched it, what would a “Witcher type of character” do exactly?

[Rynjin]

Sean K Reynolds is on record as having The Witcher in mind when he made the Alchemist class. Drink tinctures, get swole, kill people. You have your choice of Bomb build (base Alchemist) or no Bombs (any archetype which trades Bombs, like Vivisectionist).

[GloatingSwine]

For those of us who keep hearing about the Witcher but never watched it, what would a “Witcher type of character” do exactly?

Witchers are professional monster hunters. They are mutated in a way that gives them slightly superhuman strength and reflexes and tolerance for various concoctions that enhance them further that normal people wouldn't survive, they use very simple magics and a lot of in-depth research and knowledge about the sort of things they are hired to kill.

Also nobody likes them. They're sort of fantasy binmen or sewer cleaners, they're necessary but everyone resents having to pay them.

[LibraryOgre]

FWIW, I did make a Witcher background for 5e (https://rpgcrank.blogspot.com/2020/07/witcher-background.html).

[Grod_The_Giant]

In Pathfinder i would go via Alchemist(vivisectionist), though Fighter(mutation warrior) might work as well. If you don't want to go for archetypes, then Slayer.

Sean K Reynolds is on record as having The Witcher in mind when he made the Alchemist class. Drink tinctures, get swole, kill people. You have your choice of Bomb build (base Alchemist) or no Bombs (any archetype which trades Bombs, like Vivisectionist).
+1 to this.

The Alchemist from Pathfinder 1e (I don't know 2e at all, though I'd assume there's a version there as well) is a medium-BAB, 6th-level spells generalist class that revolves around three main features:

Extracts are basically Wizard-style prepared spellcasting, but your "spells" are all single-target potions.
Bombs are thrown weapons that deal sneak attack damage to the initial target and a bit of splash damage to everyone nearby. You can only use a certain number per day, but it's reasonably high (1+1/level)
Mutagens are special potions that only work on you. They take an hour to brew and you can only have one at a time, but they last an hour and give you a bonus to AC and one of your physical ability scores, at the cost of a (smaller) penalty to a mental one.

Alchemists then get to customize their character through Discoveries, passive abilities you unlock at every even-numbered level. They let you do things like make new sorts of bombs, add new benefits to your mutagen, permanently alter your body, and so on.

As a Pathfinder class, the Alchemist can further be customized by taking one or more Archetypes that replace certain base class features with new ones. The most notable here is probably the Vivisectionist that others have mentioned, which trades bombs for sneak attack and works well for a more weapon-oriented character.

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Pathfinder also has an Investigator base class, which is sort of a cross between the Alchemist and a Rogue. You still have 6th level spellcasting via Extracts, but no Bombs or Mutagens. Instead, you get Inspiration points that can be used to boost skill checks, and a Studied Combat ability that lets you size up a foe to get a significant attack and damage bonus against them. They have Investigator Talents instead of Discoveries, most of which improve your Studied Combat and Inspiration abilities but which can also be used to access a bunch of key Alchemist Discoveries-- most importantly for a Witcher, Mutagen.

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Finally, there's a Mutation Warrior Archetype for the Fighter, which trades out a minor defensive bonus (Armor Training) for Mutagen and access to mutagen-specific Discoveries.

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So... yeah, Pathfinder is probably going to be your best bet. The Alchemist, Investigator, and Mutation Warrior Fighter can all make good Witchers, depending on what aspect of the skillset you want to focus on.

If you prefer 5e, I converted the Alchemist and Mutation Warrior in my Guide to Greatness (https://www.dmsguild.com/product/267038/Grods-Guide-to-Greatness). The Alchemist wound up being a full caster without a good gish archetype, but my Mutation Warrior is a 1/3 casting Fighter archetype with mutagens and Alchemist casting.

(Lots of other people have probably done Alchemist conversions as well, though I can't speak to them.)

[Rynjin]

+1 to this.

The Alchemist from Pathfinder 1e (I don't know 2e at all, though I'd assume there's a version there as well) is a medium-BAB, 6th-level spells generalist class that revolves around three main features:
[LIST]
Extracts are basically Wizard-style prepared spellcasting, but your "spells" are all single-target potions.
Bombs are thrown weapons that deal sneak attack damage to the initial target and a bit of splash damage to everyone nearby. You can only use a certain number per day, but it's reasonably high (1+1/level)

Plus Int mod.



Mutagens are special potions that only work on you. They take an hour to brew and you can only have one at a time, but they last an hour

10 minutes/level actually, though it goes up to an hour/level at high levels.

[stack]

PF2 alchemist is more of a support/5th wheel type, if I understand correctly, though fighter muliclass alchemist or investigator might work there?

[paladinn]

Personally I think the Witcher would be a great archetype for the Ranger class. There's already the Monster Slayer in 5e. Maybe tweak that a bit?

[Hytheter]

Matt Mercer's Blood Hunter class (5e) is a pretty close fit from my understanding, especially the mutagen one. I don't know much of the Witcher, though.