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Witch Doctor

2,032 bytes added, 16:20, 10 June 2009
Major overhaul.
{{class_navbox|[[Category:Classes (Diablo III)]]}}[[Image:Wd-1.jpg|thumb|150px|Male Witch Doctor.]]The '''Witch Doctor''', abbreviated '''WDWB''', is a new character pure [[caster|spellcaster]], dealing with elemental magic, nature magic, necromancy and alchemy. The class in ''has taken some inspiration from the [[Necromancer]] of [[Diablo II]].  ==Background=={{Classbox|game= Diablo III''|portrait= Wd-1. Hailing from the jpg|portrait-width= 150px|name= Witch Doctor|classtype= official|role= [[Caster]], [[Summoner]]|attrib= [[Willpower]] [[Mana]]<!-- Class Skills -->|skilltree1= [[Plague Skill Tree]]|skilltree2= [[Spirit Skill Tree]]|skilltree3= [[Voodoo Skill Tree]]<!-- Background -->|origin= [[Teganze]], [[Torajan|Torajan jungles]] Jungles, southwest |affiliation= [[Tribe of the Five Hills]] <!-- [[Kurastumbaru]] in the region called race -->|friends= None Known|foes= [[TeganzeClan of the Seven Stones]], [[Tribe of the Clouded Valley]]}}The Witch Doctor looks a bit like comes from the an area of the [[Torajan]] jungles called [[Teganze]] on the top half southern tip of one the great eastern continent, just southwest of [[Diablo IIKurast]]'s (where {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Flayer_Shaman Flayer ShamanAct_Three Act Three]}}took place in [[Diablo II]]). You can see it located on the [[World map]] close to Kurast.  The fearsome Witch Doctor of the [[umbaru]] is believed to be a legend by many, especially when outfitted but [[Abd al-Hazir]] has seen them with his own eyes, documented in one his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|thirteenth entry]] of his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir|Writings]].   The Witch Doctor uses terrifying precision to assault his oversizedfoe's mind and body with elixirs and powders evoking fires, colourful explosions, and poisonous spirits. He can also summon and control [[undead]] creatures from the netherworld to combat his enemies.  He and she comes from the Tribe of the Five Hills, who frequently engages in tribal maskswarfare with both the Clan of the Seven Stones and the Tribe of the Clouded Valley as a ritual rather than conquest. The tribes use these wars to replenish their supply of human sacrifices their civilization revolves around. Only those taken in battle are considered worthy of the ritual sacrifice according to the code of heroism and honour of the tribes. Judging   The tribes define themselves by their belief in the [[Witch Doctor skillsMbwiru Eikura]], which roughly translates to "[[Unformed Land|skills thus far demonstratedThe Unformed Land]]". Their belief holds that the true, sacred reality is veiled behind the WD fights a lot like a {{wl|[http://diablo2physical one we normally experience.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}Their vitally important public ceremonies are centred upon sacrifices to the life force that flows from their gods, using cunning and guilewho inhabit the Unformed Land, rather than direct into this lesser physical attacksrealm.   Witch Doctors possess are finely attuned to this Unformed Land and are able to train their minds to perceive it through a number combination of mind control spells, rituals and the ability to summon use of selected roots and control herbs found in the jungles. They call the state in which they interact with this other world the [[undeadGhost Trance]] servants.  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.  Their most current war created an intense social upheaval among the tribes due to an incident, and a variety of direct damage which details are lacking, but might be the reason the Witch Doctor has travelled west to [[elementalTristram]] attacks. 
* '''[[Witch Doctor skills]]'''
==Character Design==
The D3 Team has described the Witch Doctor as old and grizzled and fanatical. His magic is not clean and easy, looks a bit like the fire or lightning a top half of one of [[Diablo II]]'s {{iwwl|Sorceress Sorceress[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Flayer_Shaman Flayer Shaman]}} can produce with a snap , especially when outfitted in one of her fingershis oversized, colourful tribal masks. Witch Doctors get dirty. They summon Judging by the [[Wall of ZombiesWitch Doctor skills|walls of zombiesskills thus far demonstrated]] that rip apart attacking enemies, they call forth undead demon hounds called the WD fights a lot like a {{wl|[[Mongrelhttp://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]]s that they can detonate to deal heavy damage to their enemies}}, using cunning and they fashion the skulls of the dead into explosive grenadesguile, rather than direct physical attacks. The D3 team discussed the Witch Doctor's design concepts in Doctors possess a number of mind control spells, the ability to summon and control [[WWI 2008: Denizens of Diablo Panel|Denizens of Diablo panelundead]] at the servants, and a variety of direct damage [[WWI 2008elemental]]attacks.
:For the Witch Doctor, we wanted to get a rich, voodoo vibe. We wanted to avoid straight up master-caster feel. He's not just conjuring things out of thin air. WDs don't just channel magic. They take real world objects and infuse them with voodoo magic. Our spell descriptions for the WD were like, "He's going to throw a shrunken head filled with a chemical concoction." Or "He's going to create insect swarms by blowing voodoo dust from his palms." Or "He's going to sprinkle dust in the air and cause illusions and frighten monsters away."
[[Image:Of course you're not a real witch doctor unless you're doing zombiesWd-mongrel2. jpg|thumb|right|200px|Simple [[Mongrel]] and fire-enhanced Mongrel, primary minion of the WD .]]The [[D3 Team]] has described the Witch Doctor as old and grizzled and zombies go together naturallyfanatical. We didn't want normal slow wandering zombies eitherHis magic is not clean and easy, so we took like the typical zombie concept and smashed them up fire or lightning a {{iw|Sorceress Sorceress}} can produce with other skill ideasa snap of her fingers. Like firewallWitch Doctors get dirty. They summon [[Wall of Zombies|walls of zombies]] that rip apart attacking enemies, we smashed they call forth undead demon hounds called [[Mongrel]]s that with zombies they can detonate to deal heavy damage to their enemies, and came up with zombie wallthey fashion the skulls of the dead into explosive grenades. The D3 team discussed the Witch Doctor's design concepts in the [[WWI 2008: Denizens of Diablo Panel|Denizens of Diablo panel]] at the [[WWI 2008]].
Leonard Boyarsky [http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/diablo-iii/885172p1.html describes the Witch Doctor]:
: :''For the Witch Doctor, we wanted to get a rich, voodoo vibe. We wanted to avoid straight up master-caster feel. He's not just conjuring things out of thin air. WDs don't just channel magic. They take real world objects and infuse them with voodoo magic. Our spell descriptions for the WD were like, "He's going to throw a shrunken head filled with a chemical concoction." Or "He's going to create insect swarms by blowing voodoo dust from his palms." Or "He's going to sprinkle dust in the air and cause illusions and frighten monsters away."''  The team felt that it wouldn't be a real Witch Doctor without [[zombies]]. They go together naturally, but they didn't want normal slow wandering zombies. They mashed the idea of Zombies with the Firewall of previous games and came up with [[Wall of Zombies|zombie wall]].  [[Leonard Boyarsky]] describes the Witch Doctor: [http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/diablo-iii/885172p1.html ::''The Witch Doctor is angry, someone who's been broken by a life that's dealt a few too many hard knocks and not enough joy. This is someone tired of being smacked in the head, so he uses his mystical powers to get into the heads of others (and if that doesn't work, a swarm of locusts will get under their skin).''
===Necromancer Replacement?===
The WD is clearly {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necromancer]}}-like, in his mixture of summonings, mind control curses, and sub-mage quality magical attacks, but the [[D3 team ]] does [[WWI_2008:_D3_Design_Fundamentals_Panel|does not view the character as a replacement]] for the Necromancer.
::'''Q:''' Is the witch doctor a replacement or spiritual successor to the {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Necromancer Necro]}}? They seem to have rather similar skills.
::'''A:''' We don't view the Witch Doctor as a replacement. The Necromancer is a very cool char. We thought about him as a class and tried to see if we could improve on him, which is something we did with every class, and that led us to create the Witch Doctor. If we ever decided to make a Necromancer, the Witch Doctor wouldn't prevent us from doing so.
[[Jay Wilson]] commented further on this and detailed what makes the Witch Doctor different than the Necromancer in an interview with 1up.com in December 2008. [http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=1&cId=3172030&p=1 an interview ] ::We wanted to create a class whose pets were not his primary source of damage output. [...] Most Necromancer builds are very pet heavy. The pets do a lot of the damage, and a lot of mechanics are built around [[debuff]]ing the enemy so your pets can be better against them or taking advantage of the bodies your pets create by blowing them up with 1upcorpse explosion. ::The Witch Doctor's pets are more of a distraction -- they're his form of [[crowd control]]. [...] We wanted to have this general notion of a character who controlled all things slimy and gross, like zombies, bats, snakes, and spiders, but he didn't rely on them -- he just throws them out there. [...com] in December 2008Each element is like that, where it's another distraction while the source of primary damage is the Witch Doctor himself. This makes him play very differently than the Necromancer, which was intentional. ==Attributes and Skills==<!--===Attributes=======Starting Attributes====*'''[[Strength]]:''' x*'''[[Dexterity]]:''' x*'''[[Vitality]]:''' x*'''[[Willpower]]:''' x*'''[[Life]]:''' x*'''[[Mana]]:''' x
::'''Jay:''' For the Witch Doctor, we wanted to create a class whose pets were not his primary source of damage output. Sure, you can build a Necromancer that's not reliant on pets, but most Necromancer builds are very pet heavy. The pets do a lot of the damage, and a lot of mechanics are built around debuffing the enemy so your pets can be better against them or taking advantage of the bodies your pets create by blowing them up with corpse explosion.
====Attribute Increase Per Level====*'''[[Strength]]:''' x*'''[[Dexterity]]:The Witch Doctor's pets are more of a distraction -- they're his form of crowd control. They're very transient, they donx*'''[[Vitality]]:'''t matter as much to him, and they arenx*'t really a primary source of damage. We wanted to have this general notion of a character who controlled all things slimy and gross, like zombies, bats, snakes, and spiders, but he didn't rely on them -- he just throws them out there. One of his most permanent pets is his Zombie Dogs, and we have a spell to blow them up because they're just not that important to him. We consider Zombie Wall to almost be a pet as well; it[[Willpower]]:'s a short-term pet, but it's a pet nonetheless. Each element is like that, where it's another distraction while the source of primary damage is the Witch Doctor himself. This makes him play very differently than the Necromancer, which was intentional.x-->
==Story==
The Witch Doctor class comes from the jungles of [[Torajan]], an area just southwest of [[Kurast]], where {{wl|[http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Act_Three Act Three]}} took place in [[Diablo II]]. You can see it located on the [[World map]] close to Kurast. Their society and culture is detailed in the [[Writings_of_Abd_al-Hazir:_Entry_no._0013|13th entry of Abd al-Hazir]], from which the following excerpt was taken:
===Witch Doctor Skills===The [[Witch Doctor skill]]s are arranged into to three distinctive skill tree categories::''Upon further discussions with my hosts, I discovered that these tribes define themselves by their belief in the * [[Mbwiru EikuraPlague_Skill_Tree|Plague]]* [[Spirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit], which roughly translates to "]* [[Unformed LandVoodoo_Skill_Tree|The Unformed LandVoodoo]]" (this is an imprecise translation, as this concept is completely foreign to our culture .All three trees have a combination of active and language)passive skills. This belief holds that the trueActive skills are used in combat, sacred reality is veiled behind while the physical one we normally experience. Their vitally important public ceremonies are centered upon sacrifices to passive skills boost or change the life force that flows from their gods, who inhabit behaviour of the Unformed Land, into this lesser physical realmactive skills.''
::''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.''
==Resources==Plague Skills====* [[Writings_of_Abd_alImage:Wd-Hazir:_Entry_nolocust-swarm1._0013jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Locust Swarm]]]]The [[Plague_Skill_Tree|Plague tree skills]] are focused on spells that spread plague-related effects such as a [[Locust Swarm]], [[Plague of Toads|toads]] and diseases. No passive skills have yet been revealed for the Witch Doctor EntryPlague skill tree.<div style="clear:both;"></div>====Spirit Skills====[[Image:Wd-soul-harvest3.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Soul Harvest]]]] by The [[Abd al-HazirSpirit_Skill_Tree|Spirit tree skills]]will affect gameplay more direct than the Plague Skills. The 13th entry has plenty of plot informationWitch Doctor summons bats he turns to fire and sends on his enemies, and links to short videos of some sucking foes life energy out or makes them lose their minds. No passive skills in actionhave yet been revealed for the Witch Doctor Spirit skill tree.<div style="clear:both;"></div>====Voodoo Skills====[[Image:Wd-zombie-wall1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Wall of Zombies]]]]* The [[Media CoverageVoodoo_Skill_Tree|Diablo III Media Coverage ArchiveVoodoo tree skills]] for all interviewsfocus more on the darker spectrum of the Witch Doctor. Bringing dead animals back from the grave to fight, previews, pictures and moreor a terrifying wall of Zombies. No passive skills have yet been revealed for the Witch Doctor Voodoo skill tree.<div style="clear:both;"></div>
==Attributes==
===Starting Attributes===
*'''Strength:''' x
*'''Dexterity:''' x
*'''Vitality:''' x
*'''Willpower:''' x
*'''Life:''' x
*'''Mana:''' x
===Attribute raise per level===
*'''Strength:''' x
*'''Dexterity:''' x
*'''Vitality:''' x
*'''Willpower:''' x
==Development=Attribute Point Effect===*+1 point in '''Strength''' gives ''+1% Melee and Ranged Physial Damage Bonus'' and ''+1% Armor Bonus'' and ''+1% Block Amount''*+1 point in '''Dexterity''' gives ''+x% Critical Strike Chance'' and ''+x% Dodge Chance''The Witch Doctor class was unveiled at [[WWI 2008]], together with the [[Barbarian]]. ''Higher Dexterity lowers chance you will be interrupted Besides a few name changes for spells, not much had changed for the Witch Doctor by getting hit.''*+1 point in '''Vitality''' gives ''+2 Life'' and ''Mana Regeneration of +x per secmid June 2009.''*+1 point in '''Willpower''' gives ''+x% Spell Damage Bonus'' and ''+x% Health Globe Bonus''
==Witch Doctor Skills==
The Witch Doctor skills are arranged into to three distinctive skill tree categories, [[Witch_Doctor_skills#Plague|Plague]], [[Witch_Doctor_skills#Spirit|Spirit]] and [[Witch_Doctor_skills#Voodoo|Voodoo]].
All three trees have a combination of active and passive skills<!--==Trivia==Use only if actual trivia. Active skills are used in combatIf so, while the passive skills boost or change the behaviour of the active skills.add to [[:Category:Trivia]] as well-->
===[[Witch_Doctor_skills#Plague|Plague]]===
''Short description''
===[[Witch_Doctor_skills#Spirit|Spirit]]===
''Short description''
===[[Witch_Doctor_skills#Voodoo|Voodoo]]===
''Short description''
==Media==
You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/ Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=all&si=Witch+Doctor Witch Doctor-specific gallery contents]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=doctor&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=546&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=546 Witch Doctor Screenshots].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=563&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=563 Witch Doctor Concept Art].
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=witch&x=0&y=0&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=24&cat=550&ppuser=&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=550 Witch Doctor Wallpapers].
[[Image:Wd-concept1.jpg|frame|center]]
<gallery>
Image:Wd-1.jpg|Witch Doctor in game
Image:Wd-concept1.jpg|WD concept art
Image:Wd-firebats1.jpg|[[Spirit_Skill_Tree#Firebats|Firebats]] unleashed.
Image:Skill_witchdoctor_firebomb.jpg|[[Skull of Flame]] animation shots.
</gallery>
 
 
 
==References==
* [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013|Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0013: The Witch Doctor]]
* [[Media Coverage|Diablo III Media Coverage Archive]] for all interviews, previews, pictures and more.
 
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