Hi, i'm creating a character based of a voodoo/shaman concept and i need help with figuring out how to roleplay them and the build. I was thinking of a warlock leaning from chaotic neutral to chaotic good, but i'm open to anything else.
What does a voodoo shaman do in your opinion? There are lots of different gods that do different things in those religions.
If you're going for pop culture witch doctor that dabbles with the undead you probably commune with something similar Baron Samedi and Warlock > The Undying would be the way to go.
For some more generalized stuff probably pick up a level or two or druid.
I been developing a voodoo character recently. Yuan-ti Pureblood sorcerer. Lots of mind control and darker magics. Chaotic nuetral on a good day.
For inspiration look to the West Indies. Hati, Jamaica, etc...ahhh, a really bad jamaican accent is always hilarious. Sounding like Miss Cleo.
Lots of New Orleans culture is engrained with voodoo. Creole and cajun superstitions. A cajun accent always tickles me. YouTube "Cajun cook" for some inspiration.
As for the mechanics, ummm... you got me. I haven't played a Warlock yet. Like Sparkson mentions Pact of the Undying sounds about right. Add in mind control spells though. Voodoo has lots to do with controlling people.
I have no opinion on class/race/mechanics, but for roleplay purposes I do highly recommend leaning in hard to the character being very highly superstitious; From very inane (like never shave a beard on a half phase moon, or never look directly into a mirror during low tide) to the extremely inconvenient or dangerous from an adventuring standpoint (always yell your name into any dark hallway or tunnel; never pick up a dead man's weapons or gold; always walk into a new room backwards and with eyes closed). That kind of stuff COULD be fun for everyone to deal with (or very quickly annoying?)
I've been toying with writing up a homebrew warlock 'spirit' patron for shaman. In old editions they were hybrid classes.
In 5e, prolly the easiest knockout would be a shadow/undying sorlock if you want that dead look yourself. An air genasi doesn't have to breath when conscious + sorc shad qwirk "doesn't appear to breathe" really sells that dead image. Depending on which aspect of voodoo you're looking at, just about any of the PH. Warlock patrons could work. Fiend patron Orcus as papa Legba (classic deal maker & power over the dead,) Fey queen of air & darkness as mama Erzuli, Great old one as Baron Samedi. Houdoun has LOTS of Loas. Don't miss Finger of Death as an arcanum if you make it to 13th level Warlock.
When it comes to pacts, the voodoo theme isn't really weapon based, so don't take weapon pact. Both chain & tome fit well & have interesting tricks up their sleeves.
You'll want the hex spell, of course, & the warlock5 invocation sign of ill omen to cast curse. Hexblade patron also has another feature that curses and it's nice to see one of those that Doesn't have a blade pact.
Of course you could go another direction entirely. Cleric domain nature, death domain if your dm allows (dmg) or arcane domain.
Of course you could go another direction entirely. Cleric domain nature, death domain if your dm allows (dmg) or arcane domain.
Based on the multitude of Loa that are available, and the diversity of "voodoo," I would also recommend a cleric. This would give you the flexibility to beseech numerous Loa for their blessing/abilities. And Death, Grave, Trickery, Tempest, or Knowledge would all add a slightly different flavor to how your character acts.
If you do go Warlock, though, it *has* to be Hexblade. What proper witch doctor doesn't curse their enemies?
Here's what i'm thinking: Main class-warlock hexblade (14) pact of the tome Half-orc or kalashtar (spirit is part of the loa)
cleric trickery (6) or druid dreams/spores (6)
If you do the cleric route, I would suggest 15/5. I would think the additional arcanum at warlock 15 would be a better choice than the invisibility that you get get from Trickery.
Circle of Spores could make a strong case for the 6th level zombie thing, and potentially worth giving up the arcanum.
I wonder if you could do a barbarian who uses rage for the spirits "riding" to increase physical capabilities. I think I'm officially inspired for a barbarian subclass.
It depends on which angle you wanna learn towards.. If its more the witch doctor type character, I'd take druid and make add a dark twist to it... When I think of a witchdoctor I'm thinking old hut in the swamp with shrunken heads and strange herbs.. fits a dark druid well imo.
If you're more into the dealings with sprits kinda thing, I agree warlock would fit nicely... But I do tihnk you need to push the theme quite heavily with a warlock, don't ever refer to yourself as a warlock, call yourself a spirit speaker or something and as Johnwinstonh suggested, give your character some strange quirks.. Maybe he talks to the spirits around him, or perhaps he's in constant fear of the dark powers he's made a deal with but addicted to the power it has given him.
I have no opinion on class/race/mechanics, but for roleplay purposes I do highly recommend leaning in hard to the character being very highly superstitious; From very inane (like never shave a beard on a half phase moon, or never look directly into a mirror during low tide) to the extremely inconvenient or dangerous from an adventuring standpoint (always yell your name into any dark hallway or tunnel; never pick up a dead man's weapons or gold; always walk into a new room backwards and with eyes closed). That kind of stuff COULD be fun for everyone to deal with (or very quickly annoying?)
This is an excellent start for RP purposes. Lots of signs / omens / etc: exist in the world to be seen or found by the right person and you are playing exactly that.
If I were meta building this and the DM was okay with the setup, I'd go Variant Human + wis and int, though you can place that second +1 where ever for min maxing customization purposes. Take the starter feat either healer (underrated IMO) or Magic Initiate "Cleric" This gives you access to Ceremony which is right up the alley of Voodoo shaman esque character mechanic wize while druid allows you a decent bit of fluff in the spell selection to work with. Wild shapes could make this even better if this is in fact how you want to tilt the concept.
For druid subclass i'd heavily recommend Dreams in this case if you have access to it, if not don't sweat it but it fits pretty well.
The warlock build really wouldn't be a lot different, celestial would be the best patron IMO, but I'm horribly biased. That said it gives you the "holy" aspect as well as every other option you would want via Invocations with the freedom to decide between Blade, Tome, Chain depending on how you frame this in your own mind / setting. I like Tome for this just for the ritual capacity wizards have but now you have it, but its better, because you aren't a wizard.
EDIT: I didn't think to mention this earlier, but the newer you are to D&D the more I'd recommend the warlock setup. Druid can be a handful depending on how many shapes you wanna have ready to go and how often you feel like looking at other browser tabs or stat blocks for what you're doing. Not saying to not go that way, just know what you're getting yourself into if you do.
"I once knew this fella, Aasimar raised in the Underdark. Was like a brother to me. When he escaped we couldn't take much with us. Poor, emaciated husks of the living we were. 'ts okay though. We survived and made our ways. I'll never forget the way the people from my home looked at us when we walked in the archway. Though, I'm frighteningly certain the feelings they would have, had they but the opportunity ta see us leave." --Manolovo the Traitor, Memoirs of a Scoundrel
It's based of what kind of voodoo magic user you want to build. A pop-culture based one or something that's close to a real voodoo magic user.
If you want to build a pop-culture based one then a The Undead or maybe a The Fiend Warlock
If you want to be like a real voodoo magic user then we have to approaches: First, voodoo is connected to herbalism, but not in a Druid kind of way. So a Nature domain Cleric would be good. Second, when you cast a voodoo-spell you pray to and summon a Loa, a spirit that's like an angel. Maybe try a Celestial Warlock.
But this is DnD, you're not limited to official content, search in the homebrew section, maybe someone made a voodoo magician/witch doctor/shaman class
I would entertain a Divination Wizard for a good natured voodoo user. You can do things like augury and other fortune telling spells. Then grab some necromancy or evocation spells for combat and self defense. For a more evil voodoo user you could go Necromancy Wizard for the raising dead. I think Wizard is a fairly ideal class for voodoo because it is a lot of ritual type spells. Druid doesn't really make much sense with Beast Shape and nature magic. Voodoo is like perverted nature magic and Beast Shape just doesn't really fit flavor wise. A warlock is the other main class I would suggest. Im not really sure who voodoo user would "worship" though. Maybe a demon or devil like a witch. Witchcraft and voodoo are fairly similar. Cleric takes dedicated worship which I feel doesn't make much sense for a witch/voodoo character. They don't really worship their patron they just sell themselves for power which is more warlock. Sorcerer you could say its some family or tribe power passed down. You could twist any of these classes to fit in some way but I think Wizard offers the most variety in terms of spell selection. Then just flavor your spell book to be a book of shadows or something. The other classes are too limited to encompass what a voodoo user can do. I would lean towards Wizard, Warlock, or Sorcerer. In my opinion Cleric and Druid don't quite make sense. When I think voodoo I think divination, necromancy, curses, hexes, alchemical, etc.
Warlock seems the best fit for class. If you and/or your DM are open to some homebrewing - there is a 3.5 Ravenloft supplement called "Dark Tales & Disturbing Legends" that had an actual Vodan class in it, along with like 7 fantasy Loa patrons - Anton Misroi, The Lady of the Swamp, Ulwadithri the Consuming One, and a few others. It got a choice of turn/rebuke animals, elementals, fey, outsiders, plants, and undead like a cleric, and could choose a new creature type from that list every 6 levels like the Ranger’s favored enemy feature. It had the cleric's spell progression, but your spell list was derived from the Bard, Cleric, Druid, and Ranger spell lists and modified based on your patron Loas favored schools of magic. It had a few other special abilities too - Mount of the Loa worked kinda like the Barbarian rage ability (duration/number of times per day, left you fatigued/exhausted), and allowed your Loa to "ride" you for a short period giving you a +2 bonus to a stat, skill check or a couple other options.
Second, when you cast a voodoo-spell you pray to and summon a Loa, a spirit that's like an angel. Maybe try a Celestial Warlock.
A late response but if you are going to go a kind of "authentic" voodoo then Celestial Warlock may be the route. Lwa act as intermediaries between an uninvolved prime deity and their are various families of Lwa...some who were once humans and others who were always spirits...very much like what would be considered angels. Undying could also be used as well for those of the Ghede family, which are the ones that were once human like Baron Samedi.
Read up on the 12 Orisha, some call it the seven Orisha.
The Orisha were a set of Gods in Africa, although it is not fair to label them as such as they supposedly come from mortals and work differently than the Greek Gods but that is a close enough approximation. The Orisha were what the Voodoo Iwa like Papa Legba are based but also the entitities in Santaria which forgive me I forget the classifying name. The Orisha come from the traditions of West Africa and each had a certain element both physical and spiritual that they covered. They are said to have created humanity and also come down to live with them but is is mystical in nature and I am probably describing it to you wrong.
That said the Vooduan Iwa or spirits like Papa Legba who guarded crossroads or Baron Samedi all have specific personalities and things they like. In order to curry favor with them you have to leave them gifts such as candy, cigars, clothing, wine or liquor etc. and they should be associated with certain colors. The Spirits also would ride the Voodouan meaning that their spirit would possess the Vooduan in dancing and rituals. All of this was necessary to grant power. Zombies are big in the movies but normally Vooduans are about granting favors, luck, you sacrifice to them to get a better job, to get the girl you like to fall in love with you and things like that. Each of the spirits would have specific personalities, ways to approach them and magical strengths they could give.
A lot of this to me sounds like the Warlock is the best choice for the class though you could go with Sorcerer because the Horse, the Voodoo priest the Iwa would ride (possess) were supposedly of a special quality so that could work to but you would have to add the element of the deals with the IWA into the roleplaying which is why I think Warlock is best to describe this. Most of Voodoo is not about Zombies and undead. All of the different practices of Voodoo and Santa Ria, they are different in each island or in New Orleans or Mexico have some basis in the original African Orisha where they come from. If you want to do it right i.e. based on the culture there is a wealth of information that is available on the internet.
Read up on the 12 Orisha, some call it the seven Orisha.
The Orisha were a set of Gods in Africa, although it is not fair to label them as such as they supposedly come from mortals and work differently than the Greek Gods but that is a close enough approximation. The Orisha were what the Voodoo Iwa like Papa Legba are based but also the entitities in Santaria which forgive me I forget the classifying name. The Orisha come from the traditions of West Africa and each had a certain element both physical and spiritual that they covered. They are said to have created humanity and also come down to live with them but is is mystical in nature and I am probably describing it to you wrong.
That said the Vooduan Iwa or spirits like Papa Legba who guarded crossroads or Baron Samedi all have specific personalities and things they like. In order to curry favor with them you have to leave them gifts such as candy, cigars, clothing, wine or liquor etc. and they should be associated with certain colors. The Spirits also would ride the Voodouan meaning that their spirit would possess the Vooduan in dancing and rituals. All of this was necessary to grant power. Zombies are big in the movies but normally Vooduans are about granting favors, luck, you sacrifice to them to get a better job, to get the girl you like to fall in love with you and things like that. Each of the spirits would have specific personalities, ways to approach them and magical strengths they could give.
A lot of this to me sounds like the Warlock is the best choice for the class though you could go with Sorcerer because the Horse, the Voodoo priest the Iwa would ride (possess) were supposedly of a special quality so that could work to but you would have to add the element of the deals with the IWA into the roleplaying which is why I think Warlock is best to describe this. Most of Voodoo is not about Zombies and undead. All of the different practices of Voodoo and Santa Ria, they are different in each island or in New Orleans or Mexico have some basis in the original African Orisha where they come from. If you want to do it right i.e. based on the culture there is a wealth of information that is available on the internet.
I’d definitely have to agree. I made a character who practiced Vodou for an urban fantasy campaign that never happened and I tried to be pretty meticulous about how I portrayed them and their ties to their religion.
if anything I would say that a mix of Cleric and Warlock would represent the two sort of “faces” of Vodou, being the aspects of the religion brought over from Africa, and those from Catholicism that had also been incorporated when the religion came to the Caribbean. The cleric side worshipping the Lwa in their respective aspects as (equivalent to) angels, and the warlock being the state of being ridden by a Lwa (maybe sorcerer can also work for this effect?)
my character was a Bard, though. He used a Drum and drank wine infused with peppers. The drum being a very important instrument and symbol in Vodou, and the peppers both serving as a direct tie to Baron Samedi’s favorite drink and also because I figured that gnolls need a lot more to get buzzed because their tastebuds aren’t that strong.
mostly it’s just important to do proper research to avoid falling into tropes peddled by fearmongers and tourist traps, look at who wrote the article and the sources they used, and keep in mind the author’s credentials such as where and what they studied in. It’s a lot to ask for a DnD character but when I did it I thought it was a breath of fresh air and found it exciting to research.
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Hi, i'm creating a character based of a voodoo/shaman concept and i need help with figuring out how to roleplay them and the build. I was thinking of a warlock leaning from chaotic neutral to chaotic good, but i'm open to anything else.
What does a voodoo shaman do in your opinion?
There are lots of different gods that do different things in those religions.
If you're going for pop culture witch doctor that dabbles with the undead you probably commune with something similar Baron Samedi and Warlock > The Undying would be the way to go.
For some more generalized stuff probably pick up a level or two or druid.
Yes, i'm looking to do the more generic voodoo character but i'm concerned with how necromancy would mix with a good aligned party.
You could go with a Spores Druid? It can go with necromancy a little but it's much more temporary than other classes that can utilise it.
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I been developing a voodoo character recently. Yuan-ti Pureblood sorcerer. Lots of mind control and darker magics. Chaotic nuetral on a good day.
For inspiration look to the West Indies. Hati, Jamaica, etc...ahhh, a really bad jamaican accent is always hilarious. Sounding like Miss Cleo.
Lots of New Orleans culture is engrained with voodoo. Creole and cajun superstitions. A cajun accent always tickles me. YouTube "Cajun cook" for some inspiration.
As for the mechanics, ummm... you got me. I haven't played a Warlock yet. Like Sparkson mentions Pact of the Undying sounds about right. Add in mind control spells though. Voodoo has lots to do with controlling people.
I have no opinion on class/race/mechanics, but for roleplay purposes I do highly recommend leaning in hard to the character being very highly superstitious; From very inane (like never shave a beard on a half phase moon, or never look directly into a mirror during low tide) to the extremely inconvenient or dangerous from an adventuring standpoint (always yell your name into any dark hallway or tunnel; never pick up a dead man's weapons or gold; always walk into a new room backwards and with eyes closed). That kind of stuff COULD be fun for everyone to deal with (or very quickly annoying?)
Boldly go
I've been toying with writing up a homebrew warlock 'spirit' patron for shaman. In old editions they were hybrid classes.
In 5e, prolly the easiest knockout would be a shadow/undying sorlock if you want that dead look yourself. An air genasi doesn't have to breath when conscious + sorc shad qwirk "doesn't appear to breathe" really sells that dead image. Depending on which aspect of voodoo you're looking at, just about any of the PH. Warlock patrons could work. Fiend patron Orcus as papa Legba (classic deal maker & power over the dead,) Fey queen of air & darkness as mama Erzuli, Great old one as Baron Samedi. Houdoun has LOTS of Loas. Don't miss Finger of Death as an arcanum if you make it to 13th level Warlock.
When it comes to pacts, the voodoo theme isn't really weapon based, so don't take weapon pact. Both chain & tome fit well & have interesting tricks up their sleeves.
You'll want the hex spell, of course, & the warlock5 invocation sign of ill omen to cast curse. Hexblade patron also has another feature that curses and it's nice to see one of those that Doesn't have a blade pact.
Of course you could go another direction entirely. Cleric domain nature, death domain if your dm allows (dmg) or arcane domain.
Based on the multitude of Loa that are available, and the diversity of "voodoo," I would also recommend a cleric. This would give you the flexibility to beseech numerous Loa for their blessing/abilities. And Death, Grave, Trickery, Tempest, or Knowledge would all add a slightly different flavor to how your character acts.
If you do go Warlock, though, it *has* to be Hexblade. What proper witch doctor doesn't curse their enemies?
Here's what i'm thinking:
Main class-warlock hexblade (14) pact of the tome
Half-orc or kalashtar (spirit is part of the loa)
cleric trickery (6)
or
druid dreams/spores (6)
If you do the cleric route, I would suggest 15/5. I would think the additional arcanum at warlock 15 would be a better choice than the invisibility that you get get from Trickery.
Circle of Spores could make a strong case for the 6th level zombie thing, and potentially worth giving up the arcanum.
i would say spores druid and Divine Sorcerer it makes the perfect Witch Doctor
I wonder if you could do a barbarian who uses rage for the spirits "riding" to increase physical capabilities. I think I'm officially inspired for a barbarian subclass.
It depends on which angle you wanna learn towards.. If its more the witch doctor type character, I'd take druid and make add a dark twist to it... When I think of a witchdoctor I'm thinking old hut in the swamp with shrunken heads and strange herbs.. fits a dark druid well imo.
If you're more into the dealings with sprits kinda thing, I agree warlock would fit nicely... But I do tihnk you need to push the theme quite heavily with a warlock, don't ever refer to yourself as a warlock, call yourself a spirit speaker or something and as Johnwinstonh suggested, give your character some strange quirks.. Maybe he talks to the spirits around him, or perhaps he's in constant fear of the dark powers he's made a deal with but addicted to the power it has given him.
I don't normally wade in on these build / RP topics but this ones a bit close to the heart.
This is an excellent start for RP purposes. Lots of signs / omens / etc: exist in the world to be seen or found by the right person and you are playing exactly that.
If I were meta building this and the DM was okay with the setup, I'd go Variant Human + wis and int, though you can place that second +1 where ever for min maxing customization purposes. Take the starter feat either healer (underrated IMO) or Magic Initiate "Cleric" This gives you access to Ceremony which is right up the alley of Voodoo shaman esque character mechanic wize while druid allows you a decent bit of fluff in the spell selection to work with. Wild shapes could make this even better if this is in fact how you want to tilt the concept.
For druid subclass i'd heavily recommend Dreams in this case if you have access to it, if not don't sweat it but it fits pretty well.
The warlock build really wouldn't be a lot different, celestial would be the best patron IMO, but I'm horribly biased. That said it gives you the "holy" aspect as well as every other option you would want via Invocations with the freedom to decide between Blade, Tome, Chain depending on how you frame this in your own mind / setting. I like Tome for this just for the ritual capacity wizards have but now you have it, but its better, because you aren't a wizard.
EDIT: I didn't think to mention this earlier, but the newer you are to D&D the more I'd recommend the warlock setup. Druid can be a handful depending on how many shapes you wanna have ready to go and how often you feel like looking at other browser tabs or stat blocks for what you're doing. Not saying to not go that way, just know what you're getting yourself into if you do.
All I got, brains fading on me.
"I once knew this fella, Aasimar raised in the Underdark. Was like a brother to me. When he escaped we couldn't take much with us. Poor, emaciated husks of the living we were. 'ts okay though. We survived and made our ways. I'll never forget the way the people from my home looked at us when we walked in the archway. Though, I'm frighteningly certain the feelings they would have, had they but the opportunity ta see us leave." --Manolovo the Traitor, Memoirs of a Scoundrel
It's based of what kind of voodoo magic user you want to build. A pop-culture based one or something that's close to a real voodoo magic user.
If you want to build a pop-culture based one then a The Undead or maybe a The Fiend Warlock
If you want to be like a real voodoo magic user then we have to approaches: First, voodoo is connected to herbalism, but not in a Druid kind of way. So a Nature domain Cleric would be good. Second, when you cast a voodoo-spell you pray to and summon a Loa, a spirit that's like an angel. Maybe try a Celestial Warlock.
But this is DnD, you're not limited to official content, search in the homebrew section, maybe someone made a voodoo magician/witch doctor/shaman class
I would entertain a Divination Wizard for a good natured voodoo user. You can do things like augury and other fortune telling spells. Then grab some necromancy or evocation spells for combat and self defense. For a more evil voodoo user you could go Necromancy Wizard for the raising dead. I think Wizard is a fairly ideal class for voodoo because it is a lot of ritual type spells. Druid doesn't really make much sense with Beast Shape and nature magic. Voodoo is like perverted nature magic and Beast Shape just doesn't really fit flavor wise. A warlock is the other main class I would suggest. Im not really sure who voodoo user would "worship" though. Maybe a demon or devil like a witch. Witchcraft and voodoo are fairly similar. Cleric takes dedicated worship which I feel doesn't make much sense for a witch/voodoo character. They don't really worship their patron they just sell themselves for power which is more warlock. Sorcerer you could say its some family or tribe power passed down. You could twist any of these classes to fit in some way but I think Wizard offers the most variety in terms of spell selection. Then just flavor your spell book to be a book of shadows or something. The other classes are too limited to encompass what a voodoo user can do. I would lean towards Wizard, Warlock, or Sorcerer. In my opinion Cleric and Druid don't quite make sense. When I think voodoo I think divination, necromancy, curses, hexes, alchemical, etc.
Warlock seems the best fit for class. If you and/or your DM are open to some homebrewing - there is a 3.5 Ravenloft supplement called "Dark Tales & Disturbing Legends" that had an actual Vodan class in it, along with like 7 fantasy Loa patrons - Anton Misroi, The Lady of the Swamp, Ulwadithri the Consuming One, and a few others. It got a choice of turn/rebuke animals, elementals, fey, outsiders, plants, and undead like a cleric, and could choose a new creature type from that list every 6 levels like the Ranger’s favored enemy feature. It had the cleric's spell progression, but your spell list was derived from the Bard, Cleric, Druid, and Ranger spell lists and modified based on your patron Loas favored schools of magic. It had a few other special abilities too - Mount of the Loa worked kinda like the Barbarian rage ability (duration/number of times per day, left you fatigued/exhausted), and allowed your Loa to "ride" you for a short period giving you a +2 bonus to a stat, skill check or a couple other options.
A late response but if you are going to go a kind of "authentic" voodoo then Celestial Warlock may be the route. Lwa act as intermediaries between an uninvolved prime deity and their are various families of Lwa...some who were once humans and others who were always spirits...very much like what would be considered angels. Undying could also be used as well for those of the Ghede family, which are the ones that were once human like Baron Samedi.
Read up on the 12 Orisha, some call it the seven Orisha.
The Orisha were a set of Gods in Africa, although it is not fair to label them as such as they supposedly come from mortals and work differently than the Greek Gods but that is a close enough approximation. The Orisha were what the Voodoo Iwa like Papa Legba are based but also the entitities in Santaria which forgive me I forget the classifying name. The Orisha come from the traditions of West Africa and each had a certain element both physical and spiritual that they covered. They are said to have created humanity and also come down to live with them but is is mystical in nature and I am probably describing it to you wrong.
That said the Vooduan Iwa or spirits like Papa Legba who guarded crossroads or Baron Samedi all have specific personalities and things they like. In order to curry favor with them you have to leave them gifts such as candy, cigars, clothing, wine or liquor etc. and they should be associated with certain colors. The Spirits also would ride the Voodouan meaning that their spirit would possess the Vooduan in dancing and rituals. All of this was necessary to grant power. Zombies are big in the movies but normally Vooduans are about granting favors, luck, you sacrifice to them to get a better job, to get the girl you like to fall in love with you and things like that. Each of the spirits would have specific personalities, ways to approach them and magical strengths they could give.
A lot of this to me sounds like the Warlock is the best choice for the class though you could go with Sorcerer because the Horse, the Voodoo priest the Iwa would ride (possess) were supposedly of a special quality so that could work to but you would have to add the element of the deals with the IWA into the roleplaying which is why I think Warlock is best to describe this. Most of Voodoo is not about Zombies and undead. All of the different practices of Voodoo and Santa Ria, they are different in each island or in New Orleans or Mexico have some basis in the original African Orisha where they come from. If you want to do it right i.e. based on the culture there is a wealth of information that is available on the internet.
I’d definitely have to agree. I made a character who practiced Vodou for an urban fantasy campaign that never happened and I tried to be pretty meticulous about how I portrayed them and their ties to their religion.
if anything I would say that a mix of Cleric and Warlock would represent the two sort of “faces” of Vodou, being the aspects of the religion brought over from Africa, and those from Catholicism that had also been incorporated when the religion came to the Caribbean. The cleric side worshipping the Lwa in their respective aspects as (equivalent to) angels, and the warlock being the state of being ridden by a Lwa (maybe sorcerer can also work for this effect?)
my character was a Bard, though. He used a Drum and drank wine infused with peppers. The drum being a very important instrument and symbol in Vodou, and the peppers both serving as a direct tie to Baron Samedi’s favorite drink and also because I figured that gnolls need a lot more to get buzzed because their tastebuds aren’t that strong.
mostly it’s just important to do proper research to avoid falling into tropes peddled by fearmongers and tourist traps, look at who wrote the article and the sources they used, and keep in mind the author’s credentials such as where and what they studied in. It’s a lot to ask for a DnD character but when I did it I thought it was a breath of fresh air and found it exciting to research.