Witch Doctor

The Witch Doctor is one of the first 2 characters confirmed to be in the game by Blizzard, and is the second character in the gameplay video.

Gameplay

The Witch Doctor appears to follow a similar gameplay style as Diablo II's Necromancer, with some key differences. The Witch Doctor summons, casts spells, and can beef up the summoned pets with spells.

Resource system: Witch Doctors use mana. http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/3390853

Builds and Guides

Please use the forums to hash out the details of any builds. Once a build is theorycrafted and tested, please feel free to post it here. Ideally, build posts would include significant commentary about the skills used, choices made, etc.

Basin Witch Doctor forum: http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d3/forums/index.php?/forum/9-witch-doctor/

Theorycrafting

Please post any class-specific theory that isn't included in Blizzard's documentation. Similarly to the build section, please use the forums for the preliminary discussion, and post here once the details are known and agreed-upon.

Skills

Physical Realm

Physical Realm	Unlocked at	Cost	Cooldown	Description
Poison Dart	lvl 1	176 Mana		Shoot a deadly poison dart that deals 46-67 Poison damage and an additional 57 Poison damage over 2 seconds.
	20 px	Alabaster	Snake to the Face	Every shot has a 37% chance to be a snake that clamps on to the target and stuns it for 3 seconds.
	20 px	Crimson	Flaming Dart	Ignite the dart, allowing it to deal a full 211-255 Fire damage at once.
	20 px	Golden	Spined Dart	Gain 290 Mana every time a dart hits a target.
	20 px	Indigo	Splinters	Shoot 8 darts at once that deal 18-27 Poison damage each.
	20 px	Obsidian	Numbing Dart	Targets hit by a dart have their movement slowed by 60% for 6.0 seconds.
Plague of Toads	lvl 2	211 Mana		Release a handful of toads that deal 71-99 Poison damage to enemies they come in contact with.
	20 px	Alabaster	Addling Toads	Mutate to yellow frogs that deal 114-159 Poison damage and confuse affected enemies for 2 seconds.
	20 px	Crimson	Explosive Toads	Mutate to red bullfrogs that explode for 156-219 Fire damage.
	20 px	Golden	Toad Affinity	Reduces Mana cost to 62 Mana.
	20 px	Indigo	Rain of Toads	Hail a rain of toads down from the sky that deals 170 Poison damage per second to enemies in the area for 1.5 seconds.
	20 px	Obsidian	Toad of Hugeness	Summon a giant toad that swallows enemies whole for up to 5 seconds, digesting for 64 physical damage per second. This rune adds a 5 second cooldown to the skill.
Zombie Charger	lvl 5	229 Mana		Call forth a reckless, suicidal zombie that deals 71-99 Poison damage to all enemies in its way.
	20 px	Alabaster	Explosive Beast	Summon an explosive zombie dog that deals 124-175 Fire damage to all enemies within 9 yards.
	20 px	Crimson	Zombie Bears	A stampede of three Zombie Bears deal 53-75 damage to enemies in the area.
	20 px	Golden	Undeath	If the charger kills a target, at the end of its path it will reappear as a new charger that deals 50-70 Poison damage. This effect can repeat up to 8 times.
	20 px	Indigo	Wave of Zombies	Summon 8 zombie chargers that deal 99-139 damage each.
	20 px	Obsidian	Leperous Zombie	The charger leaves behind a poisonous cloud that deals 64 Poison damage per second to enemies caught in it.
Corpse Spiders	lvl 7	282 Mana		Summon 4 spiders to attack nearby enemies for 7-21 physical damage.
	20 px	Alabaster	Medusa Spiders	Summon paralyzing spiders that have a 60% chance to slow enemies movement by 60% with every attack.
	20 px	Crimson	Blazing Spiders	Summon fire spiders that deal 15-44 Fire damage.
	20 px	Golden	Widowmakers	Summon widowmaker spiders that leech 70% of the damage they deal as Mana for you.
	20 px	Indigo	Spider Queen	Summon a mother spider that births spiderlings dealing 64-71 Poison damage per second to enemies in the area. Lasts 22 seconds. You may only have one mother spider summoned at a time.
	20 px	Obsidian	Leaping Spiders	Summon jumping spiders that leap up to 25 yards to reach their target and attack for 13-40 physical damage.
Firebats	lvl 9	352 Mana per second		A swarm of fiery bats burn enemies in front of you for 57-85 Fire damage per second.
	20 px	Alabaster	Cloud of Bats	Call forth a swirl of bats to damage nearby enemies for 156-234 Fire damage per second.
	20 px	Crimson	Dire Bats	Summon fewer but larger bats that travel up to 40 yards and hit for 185-249 Fire damage.
	20 px	Golden	Vampire Bats	35% of damage done by the bats is gained as Life.
	20 px	Indigo	Hungry Bats	Rapidly summon bats to seek out nearby targets for 96-217 Fire damage.
	20 px	Obsidian	Plague Bats	Enemies in the area are plagued. Damage is sow at first, but can increase over time to a maximumm of 195 Poison damage per second.
Firebomb	lvl 11	264 Mana		Lob an explosive skull that deals 64-78 Fire damage to all enemies within 8 yards.
	20 px	Alabaster	Flash Fire	Rather than exploding for area damage, each Firebomb can bounce up to 8 additional targets. Damage is reduced by 20% per bounce.
	20 px	Crimson	Conflagration	In addition to the base explosion, create a larget blast that deals an additional 51-63 Fire damage to all enemies within 28 yards.
	20 px	Golden	Pyrogeist	Create a column of flame that spews fire at the closest enemy for 40-51 Fire damage. The column lasts 3 seconds.
	20 px	Indigo	Roll the Bones	Allows the skull to bounce up to 2 times. The first hit deals 90-109 Fire damage and each bounce reduces the damage by 15%.
	20 px	Obsidian	Fire Pit	Leaves behind a pool of fire that deals 28 Fire damage per second for 3 seconds.
Locust Swarm	lvl 19	352 Mana		Summon a plague of locusts to assault enemies, dealing 25 Poison damage per second for 3 seconds. The locusts will jump to additional nearby targets.
	20 px	Alabaster	Diseased Swarm	Targets killed by the Locust Swarm leave behind a disease cloud that deals 32 Poison damage per second to enemies in the cloud. The cloud lasts 3 seconds.
	20 px	Crimson	Searing Locusts	Ignite the locusts with fire causing them to deal 55 Fire damage per second.
	20 px	Golden	Devouring Swarm	Convert 40% of the damage done as Mana for you.
	20 px	Indigo	Pestilence	When the swarm jumps there is a 55% chance to jump to two targets instead of one.
	20 px	Obsidian	Cloud of Insects	Increase the duration of the swarm to 10 seconds.
Acid Cloud	lvl 22	528 Mana		Acid falls down dealing an initial 57-78 Poison damage followed by 14 Poison damage per second to enemies who remain in the area.
	20 px	Alabaster	Kiss of Death	Spit a cloud of acid that inflicts 116-160 Poison damage followed by 29 Poison damage per second to enemies who remain in the area.
	20 px	Crimson	Corpse Bomb	A corpse emerges from the ground and explodes for 148-203 Poison damage to enemies in the area.
	20 px	Golden	Slow Burn	Increases the duration of the acid pools to 10 seconds.
	20 px	Indigo	Acid Rain	The initial splash is increased to 50 yards and deals 102 -141 Poison damage.
	20 px	Obsidian	Lob Blob Bomb	The acid on the ground forms into a slime that irradiates nearby enemies for 27 Poison damage per second. The slime will survive for 18 seconds before dissipating.
Wall of Zombies	lvl 27	352 Mana		A line of zombies emerge from the ground, attacking nearby enemies for 21-36 physical damage per second for 5 seconds.
	20 px	Alabaster	Pile On	A tower of zombies falls over dealing 185-277 physical damage to any enemies in the way.
	20 px	Crimson	Creepers	Up to 3 zombies will emerge entirely from the ground and attack nearby enemies for 36-46 physical damage per swing.
	20 px	Golden	Unrelenting Grip	Zombies will slow the movement of enemies by 60% for 9 seconds.
	20 px	Indigo	Barricade	Doubles the width of the wall. The line of zombies will attack for 30-44 physical damage per second.
	20 px	Obsidian	Dead Rush	Zombies run out in all directions dealing 99-128 physical damage to nearby enemies.

Spirit Realm

Spirit Realm	Unlocked at	Cost	Cooldown	Description
Haunt	lvl 4	106 Mana		Haunt an enemy with a spirit dealing 355 Arcane damage over 17 seconds. If the target dies, the spirit will automatically haunt another nearby enemy. You may have up to 3 Haunt effects active at once.
	20 px	Alabaster	Resentful Spirit	Modifies the spirit to do 395 Arcane damage over 2.1 seconds.
	20 px	Crimson	Consuming Spirit	The spirit returns 45% of damage done as Life for you.
	20 px	Golden	Draining Spirit	The spirit returns 100% of damage done as Mana for you.
	20 px	Indigo	Lingering Spirit	If there are no targets left the spirit will linger for up to 15 seconds looking for new targets.
	20 px	Obsidian	Grasping Spirit	Slows the movement of haunted targets by 50%.
Horrify	lvl 8		20 seconds	Don a spectral mask that horrifies all enemies within 12 yards, causing them to run in fear for 5 seconds.
	20 px	Alabaster	Stalker	Gain 50% increased movement speed for 4 seconds after cast.
	20 px	Crimson	Frightening Aspect	Gain 170% additional armor for 8 seconds after casting Horrify.
	20 px	Golden	Ruthless Terror	Gain 282 Mana for every feared enemy.
	20 px	Indigo	Face of Death	Increases the radius of the effect to 26 yards.
	20 px	Obsidian	Phobia	Increases the duration of the fear to 12 seconds.
Spirit Walk	lvl 12	176 Mana	15 seconds	Enter the spirit realm for 3 seconds. While in the spirit realm, your movement is unhindered. Your link to the spirit realm will end if you cast any spell or your physical body sustains 50% of your maximum health in damage.
	20 px	Alabaster	Healing Journey	Gain 16% of your maximum Life every second while Spirit Walk is active.
	20 px	Crimson	Severance	Enemies you walk through in spirit form take 121-135 physical damage per second.
	20 px	Golden	Honored Guest	Gain 11% of your maximum Mana every second while Spirit Walk is active.
	20 px	Indigo	Jaunt	Increases the duration of Spirit Walk to 10.0 seconds.
	20 px	Obsidian	Umbral Shock	When Spirit Walk ends, your physical form bursts for 135-249 Fire damage to all enemies within 10 yards.
Soul Harvest	lvl 14		15 seconds	Feed on the life force of up to 5 nearby enemies within 15 yards. Gain 126 Attack for each affected enemy. This effect lasts 30 seconds.
	20 px	Alabaster	Vengeful Spirit	Affected enemies also take 146-167 physical damage.
	20 px	Crimson	Siphon	Gain 4258 Life for every affected enemy.
	20 px	Golden	Swallow Your Soul	Gain 1188 Mana for every affected enemy.
	20 px	Indigo	Soul to Waste	Increases duration of the effect to 65 seconds.
	20 px	Obsidian	Languish	Reduces the movement speed of enemies by 60% for 11 seconds.
Spirit Barrage	lvl 21	141 Mana		Bombard a target with a spirit bolt that deals 36-71 physical damage.
	20 px	Alabaster	Manitou	Summons a Spectre for 20 seconds that hovers over you conjuring spirit bolts at nearby enemies for 53-92 physical damage.
	20 px	Crimson	Phlebotomize	Spirits return 40% of damage dealt as Life.
	20 px	Golden	The Spirit is Willing	Spirits return 40% of damage dealt as Mana.
	20 px	Indigo	Well of Souls	Every cast launches an additional 3 spirit bolts at nearby enemies other than the targeted enemy that deal 39-71 physical damage each.
	20 px	Obsidian	Phantasm	Summons a Spectre for 5 seconds that deals 51-52 physical damage per second to all enemies within 10 yards.
Mass Confusion	lvl 24		60 seconds	Incite paranoia in enemies, causing some to fight for you for 8 seconds.
	20 px	Alabaster	Devolution	Targets killed while confused have a 99% chance of spawning a zombie dog.
	20 px	Crimson	Paranoia	All enemies in the area take 80% additional damage.
	20 px	Golden	Unstable Realm	Cooldown reduced to 4 seconds.
	20 px	Indigo	Mass Hysteria	Up to 10 monsters who aren't confused will be stunned for 5.0 seconds when the spell is first cast.
	20 px	Obsidian	Mass Hallucination	Amid the confusion a giant spirit rampages through enemies dealing 256-270 physical damage per second to enemies it passes through.

Support

Support	Unlocked at	Cost	Cooldown	Description
Summon Zombie Dogs	lvl 1	176 Mana	60 seconds	Summon 3 zombie dogs from the depths to fight by your side.
	20 px	Alabaster	Leeching Beasts	Your zombie dogs gain 65% of damage dealt as Life, half of which heals you.
	20 px	Crimson	Burning Dogs	Light your dogs on fire allowing them to burn nearby enemies for 50 Fire damage per second.
	20 px	Golden	Final Gift	Upon death, your zombie dogs have an 85% chance of leaving behind a health globe.
	20 px	Indigo	Life Link	70% of damage taken is absorbed by your zombie dogs.
	20 px	Obsidian	Rabid Dogs	Your summoned zombie dogs gain an infectious bite that deals 75 Poison damage over 3 seconds.
Grasp of the Dead	lvl 3	53 Mana	8 seconds	Hands reach out from the ground slowing enemy movement by 50% and dealing 21 physical damage per second for 8 seconds.
	20 px	Alabaster	Death is Life	Killed targets have a 65% chance to produce a health globe.
	20 px	Crimson	Groping Eels	Increases the damage done to 51 physical damage per second.
	20 px	Golden	Desperate Grasp	Reduces the cooldown to 4.5 seconds.
	20 px	Indigo	Rain of Corpses	Corpses fall from the sky dealing 46-85 physical damage to nearby enemies.
	20 px	Obsidian	Unbreakable Grasp	Increase the slow amount to 64%.
Hex	lvl 6	176 Mana	10 seconds	Summon a Fetish Shaman for 8 seconds that will hex enemies into chickens. Hexed enemies are unable to perform offensive actions and take 20% additional damage.
	20 px	Alabaster	Jinx	Increases the damage taken by hexed targets to 90%.
	20 px	Crimson	Painful Transformation	Hexed targets bleed for 39 damage per second while hexed.
	20 px	Golden	Hedge Magic	The Fetish Shaman will periodically heal friendly targets for 5322 Life.
	20 px	Indigo	Angry Chicken	You turn into an Angry Chicken for up to 5 seconds that can explode for 135-213 damage to all enemies within 12 yards.
	20 px	Obsidian	Unstable Form	Hexed targets explode when killed dealing 146-160 Poison damage to all enemies within 8 yards.
Sacrifice	lvl 16			All of your zombie dogs explode, each dealing 107-178 physical damage to all enemies within 12 yards.
	20 px	Alabaster	Next of Kin	Each sacrificed dog has a 70% chance to resurrect as a new zombie dog.
	20 px	Crimson	Provoke the Pack	Increase all damage done by 40% for every sacrificed dog for 60 seconds.
	20 px	Golden	Pride	Recover 792 Mana for each sacrificed dog.
	20 px	Indigo	For the Master	Gain 3513 Life for each sacrificed dog.
	20 px	Obsidian	Black Blood	Black inky goo shoots out and slows all affected enemies for 9 seconds.
Gargantuan	lvl 18	528 Mana	120 seconds	Summon a large zombie follower to fight for you. The Gargantuan swings for 18-25 physical damage with every swing.
	20 px	Alabaster	Bruiser	Gargantuan periodically slams enemies, dealing 124-139 physical damage and stunning them for 3 seconds.
	20 px	Crimson	Restlesss Giant	When the Gargantuan encounters an Elite enemy of is faced with 5 enemies nearby it enrages for 15 seconds gaining: 50% movement speed, 50% attack speed, 200% physical damage. This effect cannot occur more than once every 120 seconds. Elite enemies include Champions, Rares, Bosses and other players.
	20 px	Golden	Wrathful Protector	The Gargantuan only lasts 20 seconds but is also more powerful. The Gargantuan's fists burn with fire, dealing 82-139 additional Fire damage and knocking enemies back with every hit.
	20 px	Indigo	Humongoid	Gargantuan gains a Cleave ability allowing its attacks to hit multiple targets for 700% physical damage.
	20 px	Obsidian	Big Stinker	The Gargantuan is surrounded in a poison cloud, dealing 32 Poison damage per second to nearby enemies.
Big Bad Voodoo	lvl 25		120 seconds	Summon a fetish to begin a ritual dance that increases the attack, casting and movement speeds of all allies in the area by 155% for 20 seconds.
	20 px	Alabaster	Boogie Man	Enemies who die in the ritual area have a 75% chance to resurrect as a zombie dog.
	20 px	Crimson	Slam Dance	Also increases the damage of all allies in the area by 40%.
	20 px	Golden	Rain Dance	Recover 1584 Mana per second while in the ritual area.
	20 px	Indigo	Jungle Drums	Increases the duration of the ritual to 48 seconds.
	20 px	Obsidian	Ghost Trance	Also heals all allies in the area for 4.0% of their maximum Life per second.
Fetish Army	lvl 29		120 seconds	Summon an army of Fetish creatures to fight by your side for 20 seconds. Dagger-wielding fetishes attack for 14-25 physical damage.
	20 px	Alabaster	Head Hunters	Adds 2 Hunter Fetishes to the army. Hunter Fetishes shoot blowdarts at enemies dealing 43-46 Poison damage.
	20 px	Crimson	Fetish Ambush	Each Fetish deals 146-167 physical damage to any enemy near it as they appear.
	20 px	Golden	Devoted Following	Decreases the cooldown to 50 seconds.
	20 px	Indigo	Legion of Daggers	Adds 2 dagger-wielders to the army and increases their physical damage to 23-40.
	20 px	Obsidian	Tiki Torchers	Adds 2 Fetish casters to the army. The casters breathe fire that deals 39-43 Fire damage in a cone in front of them.

Passive Skills

Passive Skills	Unlocked at	Description
Circle of Life	lvl 10	Gain 10% of your maximum Mana whenever you are healed by a health globe.
Vermin	lvl 10	Your Plague of Toads, Corpse Spiders and Firebats abilities do 20% more damage.
Spiritual Attunement	lvl 13	Maximum Mana is increased by 20%. Regenerate 2% of your maximum Mana per second. Mana is the fuel you use to cast offensive and defensive skills.
Gruesome Feast	lvl 15	Gain 10% Attack for 10 seconds whenever you are healed by a health globe. This effect can stack up to 5 times.
Blood Ritual	lvl 17	50% of Mana costs are paid with Life. In addition, you regenerate 2% of your maximum Life per second.
Zombie Handler	lvl 19	You can have 4 Zombie Dogs out at once. The health of your Zombie Dogs and Gargantuan is increased by 60%.
Pierce the Veil	lvl 20	All of your damage is increased by 20% but your Mana costs are increased by 30%.
Rush of Essence	lvl 23	Spirit spells return 200% of their Mana cost over 10 seconds. Sprit spells are: Haunt, Horrify, Soul Harvest, Spirit Barrage, Spirit Walk
Vision Quest	lvl 25	Anytime you have 4 or more skills on cooldown your mana regeneration is increased by 300%.
Fierce Loyalty	lvl 26	All your pets gain 100% of the benefit of your thorns items.
Death Trance	lvl 28	Reduce damage by 20% whenever you are below 50% of your maximum Life.
Tribel Rites	lvl 30	The cooldowns of your Fetish Army, Big Bad Voodoo and Hex abilities are reduced by 25%.

Lore

Most believe the fearsome witch doctor of the umbaru race a legend, but I have seen one in battle with my own eyes. And it was difficult to believe, even then. He dispatched his opponent with terrifying precision, assaulting his victim's mind and body with elixirs and powders that evoked fires, explosions, and poisonous spirits. As if these assaults were not enough, the witch doctor also had at his command the ability to summon undead creatures from the netherworld to rend the flesh from his enemy's body.

I came upon this rare display as I ventured deep into the interior of the dense Torajan jungles that cover the southern tip of the great eastern continent, in the vast area known as the Teganze, with the goal of seeking out the tribes that reside there. This area is extremely secluded, and heretofore unseen by foreign eyes. I was fortunate to befriend the witch doctor I saw in battle, and, through him, his tribe: the Tribe of the Five Hills.

The culture of the umbaru of the lower Teganze is fascinating and perplexing to those hailing from more civilized walks of life. For instance, the Tribe of the Five Hills frequently engages in tribal warfare with both the Clan of the Seven Stones and the Tribe of the Clouded Valley, but these are matters of ritual and not of conquest. I had heard tales that these wars are waged in order that the victors may replenish their supply of raw materials for the human sacrifices that their civilization revolves around, and when I timidly asked my hosts more about this topic, I must admit their laughter made me fear for my safety. However, through stumbled attempts at communication of such complex topics as what constitutes heroism and honor in their society, I gathered that only those taken in battle are considered worthy of the ritual sacrifice, much to my relief.

Upon further discussions with my hosts, I discovered that these tribes define themselves by their belief in the Mbwiru Eikura, which roughly translates to "The Unformed Land" (this is an imprecise translation, as this concept is completely foreign to our culture and language). This belief holds that the true, sacred reality is veiled behind the physical one we normally experience. Their vitally important public ceremonies are centered upon sacrifices to the life force that flows from their gods, who inhabit the Unformed Land, into this lesser physical realm.

The witch doctors are finely attuned to this Unformed Land and are able to train their minds to perceive this reality through a combination of rituals and the use of selected roots and herbs found in the jungles. They call the state in which they interact with this other world the Ghost Trance.

Alongside the primacy of the belief in the life force and the Unformed Land, the second most sacred belief of the tribes is their philosophy of self-sacrifice and non-individuality, of suppressing one's self-interest for the good of the tribe. This idea, so foreign to our culture, struck me as something I wished to delve into much more deeply.

Unfortunately, there was intense social upheaval among the tribes due to an incident involving their most current war (inasmuch as I could discern in the ensuing bedlam), and the charged atmosphere warranted my quick departure before I could ask anything further of my hosts. - www.blizzard.com/diablo3