Dianic Wicca is a form of modern Wicca that focuses on the worship of the Goddess and the sacred feminine. It emerged in the 1970s as a feminist response to the patriarchal nature of traditional Wicca, which often emphasizes the worship of both the God and the Goddess. Dianic Wicca draws inspiration from ancient goddess worship and incorporates feminist ideology into its practice. Texts on Dianic Wicca provide a wealth of information and guidance for those interested in exploring this branch of Wicca. They cover a range of topics, including the history and philosophy of Dianic Wicca, rituals and ceremonies, and the role of gender and sexuality in the tradition. These texts may also explore the various traditions and lineages within Dianic Wicca, as well as the practices and beliefs of specific Dianic covens or practitioners.
What's the text for mages, explaining why they can't wear armor? I don't have a 1e PHB, only the DMG, which is why I'm asking. Why are single class mages unable to don armor?
It is another thing to relearn how to do your primary function spell casting and its movement s with the variations that may be required because now you have a cuirass on. I might be wrong, but I always took the thief class restriction to mean that you could wear the armor in the case of a fighter thief say but you just couldn t sneak up on someone or climb walls or stuff like that only and IMHO because it would be too clunky encumbering whatnot.
These texts may also explore the various traditions and lineages within Dianic Wicca, as well as the practices and beliefs of specific Dianic covens or practitioners. One important text is "The Spiral Dance" by Starhawk, which is often credited with popularizing modern feminist spirituality and Dianic Wicca. This influential book explores the theory and practice of witchcraft, with a focus on the Goddess and women's empowerment.
Magic Users in LotFP – The Usurpers of the Campaign
Hello Dear Readers! It is time a returned to discussing some of the character classes for Lamentations of the Flame Princess. I’ve done some deep-dive videos concerning the ruleset and I’ve already talked about Specialists, Fighters, and Clerics. It is time I discuss the magic user.
I’ve taken my time getting to this topic simply because Magic is incredibly important for LotFP. Magic is the source of the weird and the horrific. The rules contemplate that the Magic-user (and the Elf) must be Chaotic in alignment because these classes dabble in the arcane arts; they reach out into the void to touch upon the unknown; they have peeled back the fabric of reality and seen what is beyond the veil…
…and it isn’t a pleasant sight.
Magic by its nature is a source of power in most games. In LotFP, this is no different. Warriors and specialists will gain abilities and utility at a steady rate. In contrast, the magic user in LotFP is the quadratic mage of other editions of the world’s most popular role-playing game. It will be relatively weak—and potentially useless—at earlier levels as much will depend on what spells the magic user randomly rolls at the first level. Some see this as a design flaw. I do not. I think that, when the warriors and rogues reach their peak (human) potential, the magic user is reaching into the void to break the natural order and become something greater than his mortal brethren.
Sounds awfully chaotic, doesn’t it? You can understand Calcidius’ arrogance in Tower of the Stargazer. He’s a 14th-level magic user after all.
While a high-level spellcaster in your usual fantasy RPG is going to have the ability to hurl fireballs and meteor swarms, the LotFP magic user’s power is going to be a bit more subtle. They do not have that kind of power. Rather, the LotFP version of Magic Missile creates one missile per level. Who needs fireballs? Indeed, using 6x6x6: The Mayhemic Misssile Method, the LotFP magic user can modify that spell to do all sorts of reality-breaking effects on top of doing insane amounts of damage.
Don’t even get me started on the Summon spell…Okay, I’ll get started. It is a first-level spell that can randomly generate an entity that is forcibly pulled from another dimension to be controlled by the magic user. The more the magic user increases in power, the greater the entity summoned. Magic users can become so powerful that, should they lose control of the Summoning ritual, they can inadvertently open a portal that draws a campaign-killing entity into the Referee’s world.
Yes. Magic Users in LotFP can end the Game Master’s campaign. I think it’s safe to say that LotFP magic users are the more powerful spell casters in the entirety of the TTRPG hobby. I think they are also the most interesting.
As magic is a central theme to the weird and horrific, there are a whole host of options for the spell caster out there. Vaginas are Magic and Eldritch Cock are two supplements that provide additional spells and an alternative spellcasting system. Using these rules, your magic user can become a more spontaneous spellcaster in contrast to the more traditional Vancian magic user of the core rulebook. Of course, spontaneous spell casting comes with a risk. A miscast will result in a random effect that could be detrimental to the caster and his allies.
Other supplements abound, such as She Bleeds. (I cannot link to it on DriveThru because of the age restriction). This is a simple supplement that details a summoning ritual of sorts for female spellcasters. The ritual follows the phases of the moon and the menstrual cycle of the magic user. What is summoned is an avatar of the Feminine. It is a supplement that must be read to properly understand it.
Consequently, this is one of the first supplements I picked up for LotFP. This is the supplement that told me LotFP is something unique and special. It is the reason why I am a stalwart defender of indie game designers. TTRPGS may not be high art, but they are art.
Anyway…where was I? Art…magic…divinity…The Way of the LotFP Magic User.
I am sure there are other third-party supplements out there to provide LotFP Magic Users with further options. The fanbase for LotFP is varied and very creative.
A gamer acquaintance of mine is putting together a LotFP campaign and he asked me what I would do to nerf the power of a LotFP magic user. I said “Nothing. Being a Magic User in LotFP is already challenging. Why would I nerf any of its spells and/or its progression?”
How is it challenging? Well, the default setting is 17 th Century Europe. Witches are burned at the stake, and heretics are crucified. Magic users can’t just walk into a town, cast a Charm Person or Phantasmal Supergoria spell, and think it’s going to be okay with everyone. The magic user is bucking the natural order—willfully. The Church knows this, most of the ordinary citizenry knows this, and you bet your ass the Inquisition knows this too!
There is a reason why clerics must be lawful. They are diametrically opposed to magic users. Will clerics in your LotFP campaign use their cure magic on their foul companions? Run a LotFP campaign to find out!
Mechanically, the LotFP Core Rules make it difficult to acquire spells. The rules provide very stringent methods for research. Time must pass, silver must be spent, and laboratories/libraries built. This slows the progression of the magic user down even further. For, finding a space to build a library will require negotiation, investment, and dedication to the long term of the game. Sure, your magic user may be 6th level, but if he’s stuck with only a handful of spells due to time and construction constraints, his utility won’t be much higher than what his utility was at the first level.
Getting to the higher levels is tough; making yourself useful at the lower levels is even tougher. What can you do at the lower levels? Well, scrolls are your friend. You can keep a few offense spells written on scrolls and keep your cool exploration-type spells memorized, or vice versa. This does require an initial influx of cash to pull off. If you don’t have that, what then?
Zak S. wrote a very famous blog post about 5th-level fighters in the OSR. Fighters at level five are typically given the title “swashbuckler.” As I recall, the gist is to embrace the title of swashbuckler and do crazy feats of combat when engaging with foes. Don’t just declare you’re going to “hit the goblin.” Swing from that chandelier, trip that orc, and disarm the ogre. You’re a swashbuckler!
I submit to you that the same applies to the magic user. You’ve studied ancient and esoteric tomes. You’ve deciphered cryptic runes and riddles. You’ve witnessed horrors that would drive mortal men mad. Use that when exploring dark places. Ask those questions! Poke, prod, and push your Referee into giving you the secrets. Even if the exasperated Referee tells you to make an intelligence check (or some other ability check) and you fail, do it again! You are a magic user. Your job is to push headlong into the unknown, into the Abyss, into the vast Nothing in search of something. Any referee worth his title ought to place consequences onto any such investigation, but you’re a Magic User: the knowledge is worth the risk!
Playing a Magic-User in LotFP is hard and is not for the faint of heart. You must be willing to think two, three, or ten steps ahead of the Referee to plan your rise to power. At first level, you are at the mercy of whatever horror is crawling out of a forgotten well, a hidden tomb, or crashed alien spaceship. Mercenaries, bandits, and brigands laugh at you. You will rely upon your fighting comrades to defend you. You will be considered cowardly, useless, and maybe even a liability…
…but persistence guarantees that the results are inevitable. And woe be to he who stood in your way.
At level 14 (or higher!), you will have every right to be as arrogant as Calcidius. For, creatures great and small will bend to your will. You will be dealing out greater amounts of damage; manipulating a greater number of opponents; and uncovering secrets long forgotten. And, at any given moment, the Referee’s precious world—homebrew or not—could be destroyed by a miscast summon: by you.
You are what happens when the ambitious unshackle themselves from the natural order. You are what happens when you think outside the standard game box. You are a magic user and your job is to unravel and control the order the Referee has wrought.
Until next time, Dear Readers!
It provides step-by-step instructions for creating ritual and spells, as well as insights into the history and mythology behind the tradition. Other texts, such as "The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries" by Zsuzsanna Budapest, delve deeper into the feminist aspects of Dianic Wicca. Budapest, one of the founders of Dianic Wicca, explores themes of women's spirituality, sexuality, and the power of the Goddess. Her book includes rituals, meditations, and stories that celebrate the sacred feminine and guide women on their spiritual journeys. "Drawing Down the Moon" by Margot Adler also includes a section on Dianic Wicca, providing an overview of its history and practices. This book serves as a comprehensive guide to contemporary Paganism and Witchcraft, covering various traditions and their beliefs. It is an excellent resource for anyone interested in exploring the broader context of Dianic Wicca within the wider Wiccan and Pagan communities. Overall, texts on Dianic Wicca offer valuable insights into this vibrant and empowering tradition. By exploring the history, philosophy, and practices of Dianic Wicca, readers can gain a deeper understanding of the Goddess-focused aspects of modern Wicca and the feminist spirituality movement. These texts provide guidance and inspiration for those seeking to connect with the sacred feminine and embrace their own personal power..
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