October Movie Challenge: The Last Witch Hunter (2015)

Last week's Class Struggles I detailed many (but not all) of the Witch Hunter classes.  This last weekend I got a chance to see the movie.

Ok. So this movie is not going to win any awards. But it was still a lot of fun.  I have been a Vin Diesel fan since Iron Giant. In this one, he gets to punch things, stab things and generally have a good time.

Vin Diesel is good as the eponymous witch hunter Kaulder. I guess "Melkior" was out of the question.  Kaulder is the "no spells" type of Witch Hunter.

Rose Leslie is a lot of fun as "Dream walker" witch Chole and of course Micheal Caine is great in whatever he does.  Elijah Wood was also fun to see in a role that goes against type.

Don't go into this movie with high expectations. Go into it know it is a Vin Diesel flick.  Though from a gamer's point of view it is geek-worthy to know that he is basically playing his D&D character on screen.

Ok. What else did I like. The Witch Queen was really cool looking and I am happy they kept her "monstrous" rather than turning on the sexual charm.

The "witch bar" was really cool. A place where witches try out different potions and magical concoctions.  That is something I could totally steal for my own games (but obviously not of publication).

I also liked the mirror-ish, flashy, "Witch eyes" from the movie.  Basically this was so the audience could tell who was really a witch.  In my games witches can always tell who is who.  Some witch hunters can also learn this. There is the tacit assumption that witches in this world are a different species, much in the same manner as in Kim Harrison's "Hollows" books, Harry Potter and a lot of other media. Interestingly the movie contends that the Black Plauge was cooked up by witches to purge the Earth of humans. So like the Hollows, human diseases do not effect witches. There has to be diseases then that can infect witches that do not harm humans.

There is no doubt that this is a "D&D" movie. The opening scene, which takes place in the past, features a group of hunters. My kids pointed out that the group contained a fighter, a cleric, rangers, even one that could be a thief.

Even Kaulder's sword can be easily stated up.  Here it is with some liberties taken.

"Hexenbane"
+1 Sword, +3 Flaming vs. Witches*
Hexenbane is normally a +1 magical sword but in the presence of witches, warlock or evil-aligned spell casters it becomes a +3 Flaming sword.  Witches know this sword on sight and any witch below 5th level must save vs. Petrification (or Will or Wisdom) or act as if a fear spell has been cast on them.

I think I want to detail the Dream Walkers in another post.

Stats
21 Watched / 16 New