Hocus-poker

Dragon Quest monster
Hocus-Poker
	; Art by Akira Toriyama
Japanese	アークマージ
Romaji	Ākumāji
First appearance	Dragon Quest III
Old localisation	Archmage

The Hocus-Poker is a recurring monster in the Dragon Quest series, first appearing in Dragon Quest III. It is a high-ranking warlock in the service of a Demon Lord.

Characteristics

Hocus-pokers are evil sorcerers that resemble Prestidigitators wearing magenta robes with white or purple belts tied around their waists. They have green or yellow eyes glowing from their hoods and have their hands outstretched from the sleeves of their robes, ready to cast magic on their enemies. Hocus-pokers have an impressive magical arsenal at their fingertips, and they are also capable of breathing ice on their enemies. For their reappearance in XI, the hocus-pokers lost their position as the second most powerful of their sorcerous brethren to the leger-de-men.

Appearances

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation

Hocus-Poker (アークマージ Ākumāji)
Bestiary Number: #119

Sprites				Attributes
NES	SFC	GBC	Switch	Level	HP	MP	EXP	Gold	Attack	Defence	Agility	Evasion
				43	130	100	2,850	140	90	150	75	¹⁄₁₆

Resistances

Fire	Crack	Woosh	Zap	Whack	Kamikazee	Poof	Dazzle	Snooze	Drain Magic	Fizzle	Fuddle	Sap	Deceleratle
70%	70%	0%	0%	70%	0%	70%	25%	100%	25%	70%	25%	25%	70%

Additional information

Spells	Skills	Locations	Item Drop
Kaboom Kazing	Cool Breath	Alefgard Nail Mark Zoma's Citadel	Staff of strife¹⁄₁₂₈

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Hocus-poker (アークマージ, Ākumāji )
Defeated Monster List No. : #221

Image	Attributes
	Family	HP	MP	EXP	Gold	Attack	Defence	Agility
	Humanoid	159	14	384	80	94	125	81

Resistances
Fire	Ice	Wind	Lightning	Earth	Dark	Light	MP Theft	Insta-Death
0%	0%	-110%	0%	0%	-125%	25%	0%	50%
Poof	Dazzle	Fizzle	Confusion	Paralysis	Poison	Sleep	Blunt	Deceleratle
100%	25%	25%	50%	50%	0%	50%	0%	0%
Sap	Spooky Aura	Stumble	Stun	Charm	Beguilement	Double Down	Elem Res Down
0%	0%	0%	99%	100%	25%	0%	0%

Additional information
Spells	Skills	Locations	Dropped item
Boom Zing Co-Boom (Pep power, with Hocus-poker)	Becomes Pepped up	Heliodor Dungeons - Upper Level (second act) The Costa Valor (second act, 3DS and Definitive Editions only)	Magic water¹⁄₃₂ Tsunami staff¹⁄₁₂₈
Description	Sorcerers who sought to augment their already impressive abilities and, having grown drunk on their new-found power, became terrible tyrants.

Malicious hocus-poker (アークマージ・邪, Ākumāji・ja )
Defeated Monster List No. : #436

Image	Attributes
	Family	HP	MP	EXP	Gold	Attack	Defence	Agility
	Humanoid	321	56	1,475	372	162	255	135

Resistances
Fire	Ice	Wind	Lightning	Earth	Dark	Light	MP Theft	Insta-Death
0%	0%	-110%	0%	0%	-125%	25%	0%	50%
Poof	Dazzle	Fizzle	Confusion	Paralysis	Poison	Sleep	Blunt	Deceleratle
100%	25%	50%	50%	50%	0%	50%	0%	0%
Sap	Spooky Aura	Stumble	Stun	Charm	Beguilement	Double Down	Elem Res Down
0%	0%	0%	99%	100%	25%	0%	0%

Additional information
Spells	Skills	Locations	Dropped item
Kaboom Kazing Co-Kaboom (Pep power, with Abracadabrer)	Becomes Pepped up	Heliodor Sewers (third act)	Magic water¹⁄₃₂ Tsunami staff¹⁄₁₂₈
Description	Hocus-pokers who have morphed into a truly malevolent form under the malign influence of infinite evil.

Dragon Quest Rivals

Hocus-poker appeared as a rare card exclusive for Mage leaders in the 5th card pack, "Heroic Tales of Bravery".

Etymology

Hocus-Poker's name is derived from the term, "hocus pocus", an exclamation used by magicians in order to bring about a change of some sort, but it can also be a term to refer to magic tricks or sleight-of-hand in general.

Gallery

XI polygon model
A malicious hocus-poker
Rivals card
A hocus-poker in Keshi Keshi.