Witch Hunter

Archetype: Melee DPS

Special Mechanic: Infiltration and Accusation

Witch Hunters are the Melee DPS class of the Empire. An offensive melee career that relies on ambushing and lightning fast assaults, Witch Hunters rely on careful movement and infiltration to allow them to close the distance with their targets. Once in melee range they build up Accusation against their foes, which allows them to unleash powerful execution attacks.

Specialty
The Witch Hunter brings to the battlefield a system of combat developed in the unseen war between Order and Chaos that rages on in the shadows of Imperial society. To the Witch Hunter, accustomed to serving as "investigator, judge, and executioner" in quick, desperate combat in close quarters, combat and investigation are one and the same.

The Witch Hunter fights by throwing out Accusations "at swordpoint until they're satisfied of their enemy's guilt," at which point he brings the cleansing fire of a wheel-lock pistol to bear in an Execution of the condemned, causing egregious bodily harm. Given that they are but mortal men tasked with fighting the supernatural, the Witch Hunters have over time developed techniques for leveling the playing field between man and inhuman: Blessed Bullets are used to enhance their Executions with greater power and additional debilitating effects, and Holy Relics are used to enhance the Witch Hunter's own fighting ability for a limited time.

In game terms, the Witch Hunter uses a combo-point system, building up combo points through Accusation abilities and then using them through Execution abilities, which are more powerful the more Accusation points (up to 5) he has accumulated. In addition, Witch Hunters have a number of weapon buffs that can boost finishing moves and overall fighting ability.

Stealth. Key to the Witch Hunter is his ability to stealth for short periods of time (about 30 seconds or so). This is gained at level 10 with the Incognitoability. Thereafter, he gains other abilities that can only be triggered while stealthed, that do substantial amounts of damage to the target. This ability is commonly used to stealth past the front lines of tanks and surprise ranged spell casters.

Path of Confession
The Path of Confession is direct and uncompromising, and focused primarily on direct and immediate opposition to heresy. A specialist in Confession will eschew subtlety and lengthy investigations in favor of simply approaching his enemy and beating the truth out of him. While not necessarily the most powerful approach, it is effective in its straightforward brutality, and provides a small measure of increased protection when the Witch Hunter finds himself under direct attack.

Path of Inquisition
The Path of Inquisition is focused on longer and detailed investigations, weakening and progressively working over an enemy until the victim's guilt is all but assured. A player with heavy Inquisition Mastery may appear less powerful at first glance, but the devastating effects of his attacks are felt more and more as the fight progresses.

Path of Judgment
The Path of Judgment is taken by Witch Hunters who are assured that their targets are guilty and no questioning is needed. They tend to take their suspects by surprise, and are at their best when the enemy's attention is elsewhere. A Master of Judgment will seek to avoid face-to-face confrontations, and will be at his most powerful when he has allies nearby that can distract his enemies, allowing the Witch Hunter to lay down very potent attacks.

Main Article: Witch Hunter Abilities
The Witch Hunter has a total of 24 career Tactics, 36 Actions and 12 Morale abilities