Oshosi (Ochosi) — Yoruba Orisha of the Hunt and Justice
Yoruba tradition · Hunting · Forest · Tracking · Justice · Precision
Oshosi is the Yoruba orisha of the hunt, the forest and the disciplined pursuit of a true quarry. In later Atlantic traditions his name appears in forms such as Ochosi and Oxóssi. His bow is not simply a weapon: it expresses precision, right aim, provision, protection of the natural world and justice for people who are wrongly pursued.
Oshosi at a Glance
- Tradition
- Yoruba, with later Afro-Atlantic forms including Ochosi and Oxóssi
- Divine standing
- Major hunter orisha
- Campaign alignment
- Neutral Good
- Portfolio
- Hunting, tracking, forests, fishing, precision, provision, justice and the protection of the unjustly pursued
- Primary symbols
- Bow, arrow, hunting gear, forest paths and animal tracks
- Close divine tie
- Ogun, with whom Oshosi shares a strong warrior-hunter relationship
- Favoured weapon
- Bow
- Campaign present
- Active wherever hunting, pursuit, imprisonment and the ethics of taking life intersect
Divine Mechanics
Encounter role: Striker/skirmisher. Balance: the printed CR assumes the deity uses its full Legendary Actions each round. Sacred Site Actions are additional encounter pressure and are not included in the base CR.
Oshosi is an epic precision hunter. His strongest abilities reward correct identification of the quarry and punish careless pursuit.
Oshosi
Medium Celestial (Deity), Neutral Good
Epic CR 32 (campaign-scale; PB +10)
AC 27 · HP 638 (44d8 + 440) · Speed 60 ft., climb 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 (+9) | 38 (+14) | 30 (+10) | 30 (+10) | 38 (+14) | 30 (+10) |
Saving Throws Dex +24, Int +20, Wis +24
Skills Insight +24, Investigation +20, Perception +24, Stealth +24, Survival +24
Damage Resistances force, radiant; bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities Frightened, Restrained
Senses Truesight 240 ft., Passive Perception 34
Languages all; telepathy 120 ft.
Traits
Legendary Resistance (4/Day). If Oshosi fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
King of the Forest. Oshosi ignores nonmagical difficult terrain, cannot be tracked unless he wishes to be, and can communicate simple ideas with ordinary beasts.
Unerring Quarry. As a Bonus Action, Oshosi marks one creature he can perceive or whose trail he has examined. Until the mark ends, he knows its direction and approximate distance while on the same plane, ignores Half and Three-Quarters Cover against it, and his attacks against it score a Critical Hit on 18–20.
Divine Spellcasting. Wisdom is his spellcasting ability (save DC 32, +24 to hit). At will: Hunter’s Mark, Locate Creature, Pass without Trace, Speak with Animals. 3/day each: Freedom of Movement, Greater Invisibility, Commune with Nature. 1/day each: Foresight, True Seeing.
Actions
Bow of Exact Justice. Ranged Weapon Attack: +24 to hit, range 300/1,200 ft., one target. Hit: 40 (4d12 + 14) Piercing plus 22 (4d10) Radiant damage. Against his Unerring Quarry, the attack ignores Resistance and cannot be redirected to another creature.
Arrow That Finds the Truth (Recharge 5–6). Oshosi fires one divine arrow at a creature within 600 feet that he can name or clearly identify. The attack ignores invisibility, illusion and non-total cover. On a hit, the target takes 66 (12d10) Force damage and must succeed on a DC 32 Charisma save or all disguises, illusions and magical concealment affecting it end for 1 minute.
Verdict of the Hunter (1/Day). Oshosi targets a creature he has marked and observed committing deliberate violence against a helpless or innocent creature. The target makes a DC 32 Wisdom save, taking 88 (16d10) Radiant damage on a failure or half on success. This ability cannot target a creature solely because it is an enemy.
Reactions
No Escape. When Oshosi’s quarry moves more than 20 feet, teleports, or becomes Invisible, Oshosi may move up to half his speed and make one Bow of Exact Justice attack against it.
Legendary Actions
- Track Without Moving. Oshosi learns the current direction and state—unharmed, wounded, dying or dead—of one marked creature.
- Loose Arrow. Make one Bow of Exact Justice attack.
- Forest Step (Costs 2). Teleport up to 60 feet between two spaces adjacent to living vegetation.
- Pursuit Without Error (Costs 3). Oshosi moves up to his speed, ignoring Opportunity Attacks, then makes one attack against his quarry.
Sacred Site Actions
- Reveal Quarry. One hidden or Invisible enemy within 120 feet is outlined until the next round.
- Forest Closes. Roots and undergrowth restrain chosen enemies in a 20-foot radius, Strength DC 32 ends.
- Arrow from Any Direction. One creature Oshosi can see takes 36 (8d8) Force damage, Dexterity DC 32 half, as an arrow arrives from an impossible angle.
Oshosi — Pathfinder 1e
CR 32; NG Medium outsider (divine, extraplanar, good)
Init +19; Senses true seeing 240 ft.; Perception +55
AC 56, touch 39, flat-footed 41; hp 675
Fort +33, Ref +43, Will +40; DR 20/epic and evil; SR 43; immune fear, restraint; resist force 20, radiant-equivalent holy 20
Speed 60 ft., climb 40 ft.
Ranged +5 bow of exact justice +52/+47/+42/+37 (4d8+20/17–20 plus 4d6 holy)
Special Attacks arrow that finds the truth, unerring quarry, verdict arrow, spell-like abilities
Special Abilities
Unerring Quarry (Su). As a swift action Oshosi marks one creature. He always knows its direction on the same plane, ignores concealment short of total concealment, and his bow threatens a critical on 17–20 against it.
Arrow That Finds the Truth (Su) 1d4 rounds. Oshosi makes one attack against a named or clearly identified creature within 600 feet, ignoring invisibility, illusion and non-total cover. On a hit, all magical disguises and concealment affecting the target are suppressed for 1 minute unless it succeeds on a DC 40 Will save.
Verdict Arrow (Su) 1/day. Against a quarry Oshosi personally witnessed deliberately harming a helpless creature, one arrow deals +20d6 holy damage; Will DC 40 halves the bonus damage.
King of the Forest (Ex). Oshosi ignores natural difficult terrain, cannot be tracked unless he wishes to be, and may communicate with ordinary animals as speak with animals.
Spell-Like Abilities
CL 32nd; concentration +47. Constant—freedom of movement, true seeing. At will—locate creature, pass without trace, speak with animals. 3/day—commune with nature, find the path, greater invisibility. 1/day—foresight. Saving throws are Wisdom-based (DC 25 + spell level).
Statistics
Str 30, Dex 40, Con 32, Int 32, Wis 40, Cha 32
Base Atk +32; CMB +42; CMD 67
Feats Deadly Aim, Far Shot, Improved Critical (longbow), Improved Initiative, Manyshot, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Quicken Spell-Like Ability, Rapid Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow)
Skills Acrobatics +50, Climb +44, Knowledge (nature) +47, Perception +55, Stealth +55, Survival +55
Languages all; telepathy 1 mile
Oshosi — D&D 3.5e
Intermediate Deity; Divine Rank 9; NG Medium Outsider (Extraplanar, Good)
CR 32; Init +20; Senses true seeing 240 ft.; Listen +54, Spot +58
Hit Dice 40d8+440 (620 hp)
Speed 60 ft., climb 40 ft.
AC 57, touch 40, flat-footed 41
Base Attack/Grapple +40/+50
Attack +5 bow of exact justice +61 ranged (4d8+20/17–20 plus 4d6 holy)
Full Attack +5 bow of exact justice +61/+56/+51/+46 ranged
Special Attacks alter reality, arrow that finds the truth, salient divine abilities, unerring quarry, verdict arrow
Special Qualities DR 20/epic and evil, divine immunities, fast healing 15, freedom of movement, SR 45, true seeing
Saves Fort +36, Ref +45, Will +43
Abilities Str 30, Dex 42, Con 32, Int 32, Wis 40, Cha 32
Skills Climb +53, Hide +59, Knowledge (nature) +54, Listen +54, Move Silently +59, Spot +58, Survival +58
Feats Epic Weapon Focus (longbow), Far Shot, Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Manyshot, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow)
Divine Abilities
Unerring Quarry. Oshosi cannot lose the trail of a marked target on the same plane unless another deity directly conceals it.
Arrow That Finds the Truth. Once every 1d4 rounds Oshosi may fire through invisibility, illusion and non-total cover at a named quarry within 600 feet.
Salient Divine Abilities. Alter Reality, Divine Archery, Divine Skill Focus (Survival), Know Secrets, Supreme Initiative, True Shapechange.
Spell-Like Abilities. Constant—freedom of movement, true seeing; at will—locate creature, pass without trace, speak with animals; 3/day—commune with nature, find the path, greater invisibility; 1/day—foresight. Caster level 32nd.
Languages all; telepathy 1 mile
Use Oshosi Tonight
The Quarry That Is Innocent
A ruler orders the party to capture a fugitive whose trail is impossibly easy to follow. At every campsite, however, Oshosi’s signs insist the hunted person has been falsely accused.
The Arrow in the Locked Court
An arrow appears embedded in the floor of a sealed courtroom. It points toward the one witness whose testimony has been deliberately ignored.
The Forest Stops Feeding Them
Hunters return empty-handed despite abundant tracks. The game animals have not vanished; they are avoiding a community that has begun killing wastefully.
The Prisoner’s Trail
A prisoner disappears without breaking a lock. Only hunters can see the footprints, and they lead deeper into the forest rather than toward freedom.
Mythic Identity
Recent African Arts scholarship describes Oshosi as the archetypal hunter and master fisherman, a “king of the forest” whose role includes both taking from nature and protecting the environment that makes the hunt possible. The same scholarship also connects him with ethical conduct and with people who are unjustly imprisoned, persecuted or pursued.
That makes Oshosi more than a fantasy ranger-god. His hunt has a moral structure. A good hunter identifies the true quarry, knows when not to shoot, wastes nothing and understands the ground better than the prey. Justice follows the same pattern: aim must come before release.
His relationship with Ogun is especially strong. Iron makes the blade and arrowhead; the hunter gives that iron purpose. In Yoruba and later Atlantic sacred arts, their imagery and ritual identities can appear close together without becoming interchangeable.
Oshosi, Ochosi and Oxóssi
This page centres Yoruba Oshosi. Related forms develop in Atlantic traditions, where names such as Ochosi and Oxóssi belong to living religions with their own histories and emphases. They are connected, but the campaign does not treat every later form as though it existed unchanged in the same place and time.
For the campaign present, Oshosi’s Yoruba forest-and-hunt identity is primary. Atlantic forms can appear through prophecy, divine foresight and later historical development without collapsing the traditions together.
What Is Oshosi Doing Right Now?
Oshosi is watching forests become political assets. Hunting rights, timber, game, fugitives, military scouts and sacred groves all compete for the same ground. A ruler who claims the forest may discover that ownership on parchment does not make the forest obedient.
He is especially active where people are pursued unjustly. A prisoner condemned by bribed testimony may find an impossible path through the woods. A murderer who hides behind rank may discover that every attempt to conceal the trail makes it clearer. Oshosi’s justice is not abstract law; it is the arrow finding the correct target after the hunter has done the work of knowing.
Regional Effects
- Tracks Endure. Within 6 miles, meaningful tracks remain readable twice as long unless deliberately erased with magic.
- The Forest Judges Waste. Game remains abundant for communities that hunt sustainably. Wasteful slaughter causes animals to avoid the area with uncanny coordination.
- The Wrongly Pursued Find Paths. A creature fleeing unjust imprisonment or persecution has an easier time finding natural cover, water and passable routes.
- The Guilty Leave Signs. Creatures actively fleeing responsibility for deliberate violence leave subtle but discoverable traces even when using mundane concealment.
- Lost Arrows Return. Arrows fired in a legitimate hunt are unusually easy to recover; arrows fired wantonly become harder to find or break against harmless obstacles.
Domain Spells and Divine Gifts
Nature, Hunt, Travel, Protection and Justice fit Oshosi’s clerics and ranger-like devotees. Suitable spells include Hunter’s Mark, Speak with Animals, Pass without Trace, Locate Creature, Freedom of Movement, Commune with Nature, Find the Path, True Seeing and Foresight.
Gift: Never Lose the Trail
Once per long rest, after examining a genuine track or possession of a creature, a devotee knows the creature’s general direction for 1 hour while within one mile.
Gift: The Ethical Shot
Once per long rest, a devotee may reroll a missed ranged attack against a creature they personally witnessed harming a helpless target.
Relics
The Bow That Knows the Quarry
This bow refuses to loose an arrow at a creature the bearer cannot honestly identify as the intended target.
The Arrow of the Open Prison
When fired into a lock, chain or barred gate holding someone unjustly, the arrow becomes a key-shaped piece of iron and opens the restraint.
Related Paths
World & Culture
African Gods & Sacred Traditions · West Africa · Africa · African History · African Bestiary · African NPCs · Beastlands
Divine Network
Rules & Magic
Ranger · Rogue Scout · Druid · Locate Creature · Pass without Trace · Commune with Nature · Freedom of Movement · True Seeing · Foresight
Historical and Cultural Sources
- African Arts — The House Was Too Small: Yoruba Sacred Arts from Africa and Beyond, describing Oshosi/Ochosi/Oxóssi as hunter, fisherman, king of the forest, protector of nature and guardian of the unjustly pursued.
- Smithsonian National Museum of African Art Archives, including photographic documentation of Oshoosi priests, bows and ritual settings.
Rules Compatibility & Licensing
The game statistics, regional effects and adventure material are original campaign mechanics. Yoruba and Atlantic sacred identities are connected but not collapsed into one timeless form.
Rules terms and edition-specific mechanics are used for compatibility with the named game systems. Any third-party rules material remains subject to its original licence and attribution; original campaign text, encounter design and setting additions remain original material.