Gatorman Witch Doctor

Gatorman Witch Doctor Minion Gatorman Solo

Prime This model is available in one Prime Army, Blindwater Congregation. It can also be used in the Unlimited game mode. You can view the other Mk3 models that made it into a Legacy Army at this page. Note that the rest of this page is about the model's Mark III rules.

Each witch doctor is a powerful mystic who lives and breathes the foul necromantic arts that are his birthright. Life and death are two edges of the same bloody knife to the witch doctor, who often sees his allies as nothing more than tools of battle to be moved between those two states as required. Amid the morass of combat he gathers the vile totems required to power his spells, tearing the fleshy trophies from the carcasses of vanquished foes. Raising his sacral blade aloft, the witch doctor utters sibilant incantations that impel the huge beasts he control in a wave of scaled death.

Basic Info

Gatorman Witch Doctor
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Medium SPD 5 STR 7 MAT 6 RAT N/A M.A. N/A DEF 12 ARM 16 CMD 8 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 5 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA 2 UNIT SIZE N/A COST 3 N/A N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Minion - This model will work for Circle, Legion, Skorne, or Trollbloods

Abilities

• Amphibious
• Tough
• Magic Ability [ - ] - This model can cast spells. Normally this uses up the model's Combat Action and as such is limited to one spell per activation, but exceptions do exist.

Weapons

• Bite - 0.5" reach, P+S 12 melee weapon
• Sacral Blade - 0.5" reach, P+S 11 melee weapon
  • Damage Type: Magical

Spells

	COST	RNG	AOE	POW	DUR	OFF
Death Ride	(★ Action)	-	CMD	-	Turn	No
Friendly Faction Undead models activating in this model's command range gain +1" movement when advancing as part of their Normal Movement. Death Ride lasts for one turn.
Sacrificial Strike	(★ Action)	CMD	-	(★)	-	No
Target a model in this model's LOS. If that model is in range, RFP a friendly Faction trooper model within 1" of this model. The target model suffers an unboostable magical damage roll with POW equal to the base ARM of the RFP'd model.
Shadow Walk	(★ Action)	CMD	-	-	Turn	No
Target friendly Faction model. If the model is in range, it gains Ghostly for one turn. Ghostly - A model with Ghostly can advance through terrain and obstacles without penalty and can advance through obstructions if it has enough movement to move completely past them. It cannot be targeted by free strikes.

Theme Forces

• Minions
  • The Blindwater Congregation
  • Will Work for Food

• Other Factions
  • Minion models can be hired by other Factions. Normally those Factions' themes will have a limit on how many models they can hire. Refer to #Other Theme Forces, below.

Thoughts on Gatorman Witch Doctor

Gatorman Witch Doctor in a nutshell

The CrocDoc is a buff and utility solo. His key ability is his magic; Sacrificial Strike is an excellent solo-killer, Death Ride helps undead models, and Shadow Walk is mostly Pathfinder-on-a-stick.

Combos & Synergies

• Maelok the Dreadbound - the CrocDoc might as well be an auto-include with Maelok for an extra 1" of movement for the entire army. A Gatorman Posse with this and Predator's Prayer charges 11" - and that's before the reach of their weapons. Occasionally you'll Sac Strike a Posse - just remember you can't do revive a Sac Strike'd model as it is removed from play...
  • Maelok also comes with the advantage of making the Witch Doctor go from above average to hard to kill with +2 arm but this isn’t unique to the croc doc. Also should you choose to run 2 witch doctors the first to activate can effect the second with Death Ride.
• Gatorman Bokor & Bog Trog Swamp Shamblers The shamblers are great Sac Strike targets
• Swamp Gobber Chef - the cheapest thing to sacrifice that's not a shambler.
• Farrow Bone Grinders - slightly more expensive than the Swamp Gobbers - but also ARM 14 so arguably a better power/points ratio.
• Greygore Boomhowler & Co. Top end of what you can sacrifice for single wound models.
• Any large warbeast that doesn't have Pathfinder; Shadow Walk is de facto Pathfinder and immunity to free strikes works really well with (Will Work For Food-granted) Overtake.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Death Ride is only useful to other Minions.
• 2 out of 3 spells are quite hard to trigger without the right support he makes up for it by being cheap.

Tricks & Tips

• Sacrificial Strike is awesome at getting rid of solos - or even catching casters by surprise when they think they are safe.
• When included in a Skorne list, use Death Ride to extend the threat range of a Zaal1 Kovaas assassination, warrior units/models under Mordikaar1's upkeep: Hollow, and Void Spirits hunting living models.

Other

Trivia

Blindwater Brew Witch Doctor
Limited Edition Sculpt (GenCon)

• Released in Forces of Hordes: Minions (2011)
• This model has a limited edition sculpt, released in 2015.07.

Other Theme Forces

Circle Orboros (Edit)

• Secret Masters. This theme doesn't have a limit on how many Minion solos you can take. Also, you can spend Requistion Points on Minion solos.
• The Bones of Orboros
• The Devourer's Host
• The Wild Hunt

Legion of Everblight (Edit)

• Ravens of War
• Children of the Dragon
• Oracles of Annihilation. In this theme (1) There is no limit on the number of Minion solos you can take, (2) Minions become Blighted models, and (3) enemy models that end their activation within 2" of a Blighted model in this theme suffer continuous corrosion.
• Primal Terrors

Skorne (Edit)

• Disciples of Agony. There is no limit to the number of Minion solos you can take in this theme.
• The Exalted
• Masters of War
• Winds of Death

Trollbloods (Edit)

• Band of Heroes
• Kriel Company
• Power of Dhunia
• Storm of the North

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification:  : Magical Damage      (Edit) (Click Expand to read)

* The "Damage Type: Magical" is not inherited by "secondary" damage from a weapon. That is, stuff like arcs (Electro Leap) or hazards (Scather). (Infernal Ruling) All spells have "Damage Type: Magical" (refer errata). This is inherited by "immediate" secondary damage (such as Eruption of Spines). (Infernal Ruling) and might be inherited by "lingering" secondary damage (see below). If a spell leaves a template in play that does damage to models that walk around in it, then: if it is not described as a hazard it will do magical damage to models that walk around in it. (Example: Razor Wall) if it is a hazard then it will not do magical damage to models that walk around in it. Instead, it does whatever damage type is specified by the spell description. (Example: Breath of Corruption). (Infernal Ruling) If a weapon/spell includes Magic Damage and another kind of elemental damage it will still damage Incorporeal models. Incorporeal models are not affected by the rule "if an attack does multiple types of damage and a model is immune to at least one it is immune to the entire attack." The phrase "immune to non-magical damage" should be interpreted as "immune to damage that doesn't include Damage Type: Magical" (not interpreted as "has immunity to Corrosion and Electricity and Cold and etc.")

Rules Clarification : Amphibious - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Tough - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Magic Ability      (Edit) Using a Magic Ability counts as a spell, for effects such as Spell Ward, Witch Hunter, etc. Combat Action Nearly all Magic Ability spells require the spellcaster to use their Combat Action to cast the spell. As such it is not an "at any time" ability (like it is when warcasters/warlocks cast spells). This means ... You must complete your movement before you use a MA. A model in a unit cannot use its Combat Action to cast a spell until all members of the unit have completed their movement. (Infernal Ruling) You cannot make initial ranged or initial melee attacks on the same turn you use a MA. You cannot buy additional melee/ranged attacks after using a MA special attack. Refer to the core rulebook, "Special attacks listed as a rule of the model itself are neither melee attacks nor ranged attacks. The rules for these special attacks indicate the nature of any additional attacks that can be made afterward, if any." You cannot use a MA on the same turn you charge. Because a charge must (almost always) be followed by a melee attack. Non-Combat Action There are a few models that can use a Magic Ability without using their Combat Action. These models get around all the restrictions listed above. Models with Geomancy or Necromancy can use a Magic Ability at "any time" just like a warcaster/warlock. Models with Battle Wizard or Necrophage can make melee attacks then get a bonus "free" spell. Models with Combat Caster can cast a spell before charging, then do a normal charge + melee attack. Note that Battle Wizards, Combat Casters, etc have the option to use their Combat Action to cast a spell. Their special rule is in addition to the normal spell casting, not instead of.

Rules Clarification : Death Ride - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Sacrificial Strike      (Edit) You use the base ARM of the model, not the current ARM. Because the damage roll occurs after it has been RFP'd, and any ARM buffs expire the instant it was removed. You need LOS to the target, as per normal, but you don't need LOS to the trooper that you RFP. Despite having a target and a damage roll, this ability is an action, not an attack. So ... It doesn't trigger stuff like Vengeance. You cannot purchase additional attacks after using Sacrificial Strike. Stealth doesn't work vs Sacrificial Strike. There is no attack roll, so Stealth can't make the attack auto-miss.

Rules Clarification : Shadow Walk      (Edit) Rules Clarification : Ghostly      (Edit) Ghostly doesn't let you move through other models, just terrain. Ghostly doesn't let you ignore damage from hazardous terrain. (Infernal Ruling) Ghostly ignores Windswept terrain penalties. A model with both Flight and Ghostly will move through Windswept terrain at full speed. (Infernal Ruling)