Forgotten Kingdoms Forums

I posted this on the old forums but it wasn't around long before the board switch I don't think.

Anyway, it's just a proposal for orcish witch doctors to be able to learn a few more spells. Nothing out of context though, spells like curse, poisoning spells, and dectect poison spells at most. I think this may bring a few more orc wizards in ( I've only seen two since I've played, and one is gone at the moment I believe ) into the game to add variety.

What is the the differance between the shaman and witchdoctors in an orc society. Besides how the code defines them, one being a cleric and the other a wizard. But how do they fit in the clan. To me, as shaman, they provide the orcs with something mere warriors don't. So would they too represent Gruumsh(orc pantheon) as the do shamen?

Maybe split some of the higher level spells so they work best when both a shaman and a witchdoctor are present. As with restoration. As I see it they are tow of the sam thing, neither intelligence nor wisdom are traits of the orcs. So a mix of skills and a sharing of jobs would be the best way those exceptional orcs would get the job done. Having the tow be the same but seperate, having one sect being witchdoctors and another shamen. Such as ancient agracultural religions that worship both the sun and moon to tell them when to plant and harvest. Though they serverd the same goal the religion was split by one sect studying the moon and the other half the sun.

I don't really think that orc witch doctors represent whatever deity they follow in the same sense that a shaman does. Shamans, clerics, and Lazguoi are seen as the direct "voices" of said deity ( Gruumsh, Yurtrus, etc. )

I don't have anything to back what I'm about to say, so it's really just an educated guess. Witch doctors are the odd ones of the group. Much like clerics and shamen they are left alone, but for different reasons. Witch doctors are the crazy guys who will cut off your finger for interrupting an experiment ( which happened ). They're the ones who sit for hours over a brewing pot, mixing in different herbs, chemicals, animal parts, etc. They would probably rather use a sacrifice as an experiment to their own means rather than to appease the gods.

Shamans are the real leaders in orc society. Usually there are Warlords or Bosses who are fighters that are seen at the leader, but the one in their shadow is the shamen. What they say goes for the most part, and although a Boss might not like what they're being told to do, they're going to do it out of fear of the orc gods. Witch doctors on the other hand get away with telling others what to do because you fear what they will do, unlike a Shaman who you fear because of what might happen.[/b]

Well the dictionary pretty much says the same thing for both of them, with the exception that shamen are tied to N. American Indians and witchdoctors to African tribes.

As far as arcane and divine magic goes, it was stated else where that the both come from the weave. So they aren't all that different. And in did not mean all the spells or maybe give a bonus to the spells if they work together. It is just that I have read snipets of humaniod/goblinkin tribs banning to gethare to take out a human settlement or what not and both withcdoctors and shamen doing their part to call down the wrath of their gods.

Oh well just a though...

Actually, I think it makes more sense if Witch Doctors are Sorcerers because of the way Charisma works in 3e. It doesn't determine beauty but it does determine your magnetism/inner "strength" of sorts. Orcs are stupid, but even orc clerics and warlords have higher charisma than most orcs which means a Sorcerer is more likely to happen than a Wizard.