A “Witch Hunter” typically denotes a Van Helsing-like character that uses technological devices and/or natural reagents (such as garlic) to defeat supernatural foes. It typically does NOT denote using supernatural abilities.
So why in Grim Dawn can a “Witch Hunter” acquire supernatural abilities provided by the Witch-Gods by putting points in Occultist skills? Is it not the highest of heresies for a Witch Hunter to become a witch himself?
In the GD universe, the closest thing to a Witch Hunter would probably be an Inquisitor like Creed. There is absolutely no evidence Inquisitors in GD are allowed to acquire witch abilities. The most supernatural thing they can do is use certain items provided by the Luminari. But the available lore strongly suggests they are merely talented humans primarily using their wits, equipment and knowledge to combat witchcraft and are not witches themselves.
It is a well known fact that Cairn witch hunters use the power of their enemies against them. Never heard of this Van Helsing, is he in the Imperial registry of Witch Hunters?
Maybe I missed something but I don’t remember any in-game lore that states Cairn witch hunters use witch abilities. Granted, I didn’t see any lore that explicitly states they don’t use witch abilities either, but if they did such an important factoid ought to be explicitly stated in the game.
When I refer to Van Helsing I’m referring to what “Witch Hunter” typically denotes in English language literature and media and therefore what the majority of players typically think of when they see “Witch Hunter” prior to playing Grim Dawn.
The moment a Witch Hunter acquires witch abilities (or more generally, some level of mastery in the witch arts AKA occultism), he effectively becomes a witch. If he chooses to retain his role and title as a Witch Hunter sincerely, then he is forced to hunt himself. It takes probably 300 ms to realize that he’s found himself. Now he has the difficult decision to choose the method of suicide. Let’s say he spends 10 seconds deciding. If he immediately stabs himself in the heart (ostensibly with a stake and hammer) it will take a bit of time to bleed out and die. If he somehow cast Blood of Dreeg shortly before doing this, it will take longer. So let’s assume it takes a maximum of 1 minute to die from the beginning of the stabbing animation. In such case, this Witch Hunter exists for only up to 70.3 seconds the moment he permanently puts skill points into the Occultist mastery.
Obviously, this is no fun for the player, especially if it’s HC. Therefore, Occultist + Nightblade should have a different name.
There’s nothing in the gaming rule book that says a witch hunter must be a Van Helsing clone is there? So why expect a class to be “typical” of something in another game? Do you want GD to be “typical” of everything else in the gaming world or different/more interesting/exciting because it’s not?
The concept of Witch Hunter predates the video game by centuries. The most influential work relating to it is the wonderful 15th-century treatise, Malleus Maleficarum (Hammer of the Witches in English). It was intended for use by inquisitors of its time, who definitely wouldn’t want to be caught practising witchcraft or be accused of heresy.
I could do that, but there’s nothing in the game to suggest that I should, especially since the prevailing definition of Witch Hunter in the English language is not a witch that hunts, but one who hunts witches.
Yes, I know. The Wiki definition: a witch hunter is someone who hunts witches. No further definition of how they do that so I can’t see why in a world changed by Grim Dawn witch hunters can’t use any powers they may have been granted by said Grim Dawn. That would only be hampering themselves in the fight against the new “witches” which have appeared and who have unknown abilities.
They would be forced to commit suicide if they have any semblance of integrity.
Imagine a Witch Hunter that uses Possession. “Oh, there’s nothing wrong with letting a Witch-God possess me, even though I’m a Witch Hunter. Nothing wrong at all…”
They’re not here to seek people’s acceptance, they’re here to do their job of clearing witches.
Creed is the only inquisitor we have seen so far and without his artifacts his skills fall short when dealing with something above his pay-scale. Imagine being a Witch Hunter when the Warden captures you. You can channel the power of Three Ascendants, the story would’ve been very different if that had been the case
As for your part about integrity, this is the Nightblade order. They’re assassins, what assassin do you know operates by a moral code?
Plus, the Witch Hunters are out there to kill the heretics, who knows whether they’re even given credit for that? The Inquisitors probably hog all the glory to portray the “Good triumphs over evil” image. This might not be morally correct, but it’s necessary to rid the world of ''evil".
P.S
Since we’re on the argument of names of class combinations. Why is Shaman + Arcanist = Druid, shouldn’t it be Elementalist? And why is Shaman + Nightblade a Trickster?
The first time I ever heard the term in video games was in Morrowind, where witch hunters were described as using the same magics as witches and warlocks to better hunt them down.
Fantasy worlds operate different from the real world. In fact the real world analogy is deeply flawed, seeing how “witches” never existed in the first place, and “witch hunters” were chasing ghosts.
The thing you missed is that Cairn has its own lore, its own history. Lore from other worlds is irrelevant. The people of Cairn have never heard of Van Helsing.
If all games have the same thing, why would anyone buy other games? Just play the one.
The similarity between this ARPG and other ARPG is that it is an ARPG. The world’s lore is its own.
I think that the point of naming things is to know what we are talking about in a given context.
For example, when we talk about “football” (name), almost everyone (context) knows what sport we are talking about,
but when we talk about “football” (name) in USA (context), we are talking about another sport, there the importance of context.
I think when someone, CRATE in this case creates an Universe, Grim Dawn (context) in this case, you can choose the name of things.
Thus whenever we speak of “witchhunters” in Grim Dawn, you can know what we are talking about.
Given that the name means nothing without the context, “witchhunters” class could be called “stonethrower” because it is just a name.
And a name without context is nothing.
Just my two cents.
Where does it says Cairn follows the same logic as the real world? What if their logic is giving the heretics the taste of their own medicine? Feel the sting of their own power? To show that their own power can be used against them.
Also, if we are following the same real world logic, where are my machine guns when i’m playing my Commando? I wanna go Arnold style, shooting an insane aumont of bullets while the enemies can’t hit me even when i’m one inch away from them.
The main point of my post is that you are applying the lore of another fantasy universe here. The second is that there are many fantasy examples of fighting the enemy with their own powers, and that is what is happening here.
