Witch Doctor

Witchdoctors use the raw power of the spirits to make hexes, curses and potions. They are the more common healers in the orcish culture, using their concoctions to cure diseases and other ailments. They gather odd ingredients and charms from places all around the land of Anthos, using them in their highly barbaric rituals to tap into the Immortal spirits.

Spirits

Witchdoctors utilize the spirits in a chaotic fashion. They operate by channeling the raw will of the spirits, and they are unique in that they don't necessarily align with a single spirit type, rather with the general ritualistic fashion of channeling any given spirit -- whether it be elemental, Immortal or otherwise. Through their rituals they can channel blessings, hexes, or even create magical potions by channeling the spirit's raw will.

Unlike his Elementalist or Farseer brothers, the Witchdoctor will use his rituals to send a message to all realms of the spiritual plane, calling only for a spirit to answer and channel their will into the ritual. Some spirits (like a spirit of Fire, for instance), might be attracted by the Fire Flower, or the Blazing Fern when a Witchdoctor throws it into the ritual. Other spirits, like the Immortal Spirit of Lust, might be attracted by a rose and the feather of a dove.

Note that the Elemental and Immortal spirits may be summoned in very similar ways. An apprentice Witchdoctor who chants in the wrong way at the slightest, or uses the smallest inkling of wrong ingredient might get an entirely different spirit than intended. Below, the spirits have been given preference to what they like to be summoned with, and their usual raw power.

Elementals: A witchdoctor does not rely on any one spirit, but try to attract a type of spirit. As they grow in experience, they have more of a chance of getting the intended spirits power. Ritual and luck have a large impact on the outcome of the spell or concotion.

Fire: Attracted by bright, spicy herbs such as the Fire Flower or Blazing Fern, as well as simple charms such as ancient ashes, Nethermane hides, or light amounts of oil. Preferred Ritual: Primal, guttural chants and barbaric dances involving several people. Raw Power: Destruction, pain, and revenge.

Water: Attracted by cool, settled herbs such as sweet assortments of berries or a sliver of seaweed, as well as simple charms such as the scales of a large fish, the carapace of a giant crab, or sand taken from the lowest part of a body of water. Preferred Ritual: Slow, easy chants, and a calming demeanor to the overall ritual itself. Raw Power: Health, life, and well-being.

Earth: Attracted by hard, bitter herbs such as Earthroot or Cactus green, as well as simple charms such as the skin of a flesh worm, the moss from an embedded rock, or a thistle from a spined feasel. Preferred Ritual: Long, drawn out rituals with constant rhythmic chanting, sometimes accompanied with drum beats. Raw Power: Stillness and endurance.

Wind: Attracted by light, sour herbs such as daisies or the leaves from an oak tree, as well as simple charms such as a hawk’s feather, bottled odors, or sometimes nothing at all. Preferred Ritual: Emotionless, always-changing chants. One moment may be deep, groaning calls while the next may be happy, honorable singing. Raw Power: Euphoria, speed, and luck.

Immortal Spirits: The Hunt: Attracted by only the most ornate of animal parts. The Immortal of the Hunt has been summoned with the pincer of a Skaddernack, the heart of a feral wolf, and the toe of a troll in the past -- such is the quality needed to call the will of this Greater spirit. Preferred Ritual: Countless repetition of ancient Orc hunting songs, the sacrifice of livestock, and the uttering of “Glazug Votar” during peak moments in the ritual. Raw Power:

War, Bloodlust or Bloodshed: Attracted by bright, vibrant herbs much like the ones used to summon the Fire spirit -- these may include the Fire Flower and Blazing Fern, as well as other herbs like the Gijaklul. Charms such as the head of a famed warrior, a drop of sacrificial blood, or shavings of rust from an ancient war axe have also been used. Preferred Ritual: This ritual much resembles that of the Fire ritual, although the sacrifice of a live prisoner or slave will increase your chances of calling the spirit greatly. Honor: Attracting the spirit of honor has been done rarely, for they watch their callers with sharp eyes. If the Witchdoctor is dishonorable, their ritual may even backfire on them. No charms or ingredients are needed, although the ritual may be very complex. Preferred Ritual: In the past, the few lucky Witchdoctors that were able to summon the Immortal of Honor involved the ancient hand-me-downs of their clans, such as tribal heirlooms, ornate weapons, and the ashes of the firstborn in their clan. One must show strength and restraint at the same time, making the task of calling quite difficult.

Fertility or Lust: Attracted with herbs such as a rose in full bloom, or sometimes even with a Fire Flower. The feather of a dove, tooth of a cub, and a single stolen hair from the Clanmother have all been used as charms of calling. Preferred Ritual: Long, harmonic melodies have been sung to evoke the Immortal of Fertility, rarely involving any actual chanting at all. It is quite similar to the Water ritual.

Anger or Revenge: Attracted by the same herbs and charms as the Fire spirit, although some Witchdoctors will mix the concoction much more violently. Preferred Ritual: Again, quite similar to the Fire spirit, but with a much darker, sinister undertone. The Immortal of Anger will most certainly answer the call when a Whitewash is sacrificed. [Possibly adding Ancestral spirits here.] An apprentice Witchdoctor would have a very hard time summoning some of the Greater Immortal spirits, because of the rarity of the charms and the advanced needs of the ritual.

Rituals The Witchdoctor can start a ritual in several ways. Here are the different ways that a witchdoctor can convey the will of the spirits:

Tonics, Potions and Elixirs: When a witchdoctor needs a handy-dandy bottle of spirit jam on the go, they can always come to a tonic, potion or elixir. These are literally bottled up spirit power, which is stored when the witchdoctor siphons the power of the summoned spirit into the jar or bottle. They are identical to a blessing or hex, but differ in the fact that they can be drunk and can be saved to use at any time. A tonic is the term for a concoction that will heal you, while an elixir and potion can mean anything from something that will make you sneeze to something that will make you bleed from your eyeballs.

Blessings: Unlike their Farseer brothers, who use blessings during battle to improve the strength of their allies, a witchdoctor uses the power of the spirits to heal wounds and cure ailments. Whether it be a broken arm or Bo’dank, the witchdoctor can fix it. Usually, they use a voodoo doll to pinpoint the location where the sick or wounded has a problem, then they undergo the ritual to fix it.

Curses and Hexes: Sometimes, the witchdoctor will convey the spirits will in a darker way. By involving the use of a voodoo doll, this shaman can curse them with the power of the spirit. A curse made from a fire spirit might cause the victim to experience a burning sensation around their body, while a curse from the War spirit might make the victim blunder and stagger with their weapon.

The only problem is, being that they are channeling the raw will, they have minimal control over the outcome of the spells. A blessing will always be a blessing, a hex always a hex, so on and so forth -- but in the case of most Witchdoctors, that blessing, hex, tonic or potion could literally be anything. It could be a successful blessing that mends the target’s wounds, or it could be something relatively useless, like a hex that causes someone to sneeze periodically for a day or two. It all depends on which given spirit ended up chiming in, and what they decided was the best course of action for the particular subject. Since there are so many different spirits and each with their own opinion on the matter at hand, it is next to impossible to predict what the outcome will be for someone just beginning in the arts.

As the witchdoctor grows in experience, however, and begins to understand what spirits are attracted to what types of rituals and charms, they will better be able to make the correct potions, hexes, tonics, and blessings that the situation calls for.

Combat The witchdoctor himself can not directly use his powers in a hand to hand combat role because it requires ritual chanting and is very specific for certain circumstances. It would be near impossible to brew an elixir in the middle of the siege on an enemy castle. What a witchdoctor can contribute is morale by making the other orcs think they have been blessed by certain spirits. Whether any actual connection was made, it matters not. They make sure that all the orcs are cured of combat affecting illness and all ill will from spirits have been cleared from soldiers.

They can also heal wounds using pre-made potions and basic combat medicine. They may pretreat bandages with healing salves and ointments to help with healing. An advanced witchdoctor may create potions to cause damage to enemy forces when chucked at them. Whether is just be smelly chemical reactions or fire exploding from the bottle, damage may or may not be caused. If one was brewed wrong, the opponents may end up smelling like flowers instead of the death by explosion. As with most other things involving witchdoctor magic, things are unpredictable.