Better name?

[Munedwg]

Hi all. I thought that "Witch Doctor" sounds a bit hokey. It reminds me of clownish things like the oo ee oo aah ahh song (as seen in the thread above!), or the people eating monkey brains in Temple of Doom. So, I suggest he and she be named the "Shaman" instead. A shaman can summon things, but also kick *** when necessary. Any thoughts or other suggestions for better names?

[NKlint]

I like how whimsical Witch Doctor sounds. Just to clarify I think that the people eating monkey brains in "Indiana Jones: The Temple of Doom" were Thuggee, lead by the Thuggee High Priest; Mola Ram. :)

That being said, I wouldn't mind seeing the Witch Doctor pull a man's still beating heart from their chest and burst it into flames!

[MooCQ]

what a sham!

WD RULES!!

[5zigen]

Shaman doesn't have the connotation of playing with dead things that the witch doctor does.

Working Voodoo something in to the name would have been cool though. Like... Voodoomancer or Voodoo Priest, but those don't have a very nice ring to them.

[Mad Mantis]

Shaman makes me think of tree hugging hippies.

[NKlint]

Quick! Someone start a thread exclaiming how the Witch Doctor is a rip-off from the hippy stereotype!

Just like some compared the necro to a Mullet-Goth when it was announced.

[MooCQ]

Big Bad Voodoo!

[ill logic]

Witch Nurse

[mince pies]

Shaman seems a bit vague to me. Witch Doctor seems more specific

[stillman]

I'm hoping he lives up to the "doctor" portion of his name. We've seen his witchery, but maybe he can use heal magic or some other party friendly spells.

And what about those wacky drugs Blizzard's site claims he uses? I'd like it if he could whip up some of those....maybe create potions.

[Frostraven]

Witch doctor.

The term was first mentioned and first appeared in england.
A man who claims to cure diseases caused by the devil; a new type of quack at the time.

Witch doctor.
As the name implies, it WAS the description of civilized men in black suits performing obscene rituals or dealing with the devil.

See?
Doctor DOES refer to the classic stereotypical man in white suit.
I knew there was a reason for me hating, hating HATING the doctor part of witch doctor in fantasy -- and that reason IS that a doctor is a chemist; more akin to a librarian, lawyer and clerk than to anything mystical, magical or combat effective.

The term was used for african shamans at a later time -- because they too were recongnised as frauds who deal medicine againt non-existing illnesses.

Sigh.
They could just as well have named him quack -- that is what his name means after all.

Which again fits a bit with the daffy-duck look and attitude they gave him.
http://i34.tinypic.com/nycs2h.gif

[stillman]

Hmm...he seems to be missing something....

I know. It's macho. He needs more macho.

It's probably the color purple that irradicates any perception of macho. I don't think this color fits in well to the Diablo world. In d2, leechers wearing the purple rattlecage are the brunt of many jokes.

But I digress. Getting back to the topic, I kind of like the name WD, but not the appearance.

[Matora]

The name wich doctor brings up too many stereotypes and real world connotations for my liking. I think Blizz could have been a bit more creaative on their part, even the Barbarian.

Death Drinker?
Death Seeker?
Voodoo Chieftain?
Jungle Herbalist?
Jungle Adept?
Voodoo Priest?

[Greven]

And what about those wacky drugs Blizzard's site claims he uses? I'd like it if he could whip up some of those....maybe create potions.

And his weapon of choice would be the "Iron lung bong".

Does anyone remember this one? Someone made a fake screenshot showing the item stats for the "Iron lung bong" sometime back in ´01 . Iron lung bong of course being a spoof of the unique stave "Iron Jang Bong"
The Iron lung bong had stats like "+2 to THC levels" and "-10 Vision" :cool:

I bet the WD could make some nasty drugs with ths staff :crazyeyes:

[stillman]

Just looking at the pictures above again...it's hard to make out the WD's form. The barb on the other hand is crystal clear. He screams: I'm a barb, don't even bother looking at me.

But the WD screams: AAAAAAEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII !!! AK AK AK AKKK!!! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE WOOOOOOOOOOP.....WEEEE OP WOP WOP WOP. UK UK UK UK UK UK UK UK WEEEEEEE. UK WEEEEEEE, UK WEEEEEEEE. WOO WOO WOO WOO. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE !!

[Yuri The Barbarian]

Hi all. I thought that "Witch Doctor" sounds a bit hokey. It reminds me of clownish things like the oo ee oo aah ahh song (as seen in the thread above!), or the people eating monkey brains in Temple of Doom. So, I suggest he and she be named the "Shaman" instead. A shaman can summon things, but also kick *** when necessary. Any thoughts or other suggestions for better names?

1. It's really sad if you think of that stupid kids song when you hear "witch doctor"
2. Temple of Doom was the best Indy movie period. Although I've got no idea why Thuggees would practice voodoo.
3. Shamans serve a similar role in tribal society, but are markedly different. They're more focused on the spiritual world and nature and equilibrium. Witchdoctors are all about curses, zombies, incantations to improve your love life, and stuff.