Wicca in my Campaign?? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Wicca in my Campaign?? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Danvac
03-12-07, 08:34 PM There is definite magic in the DnD world (DUH), but I was wondering if it would screw up my campaign if I added eclectic occult groups to my deity campaign. I was wondering if anyone has a class for something like the Wiccan?

And any comments or feedback.
celtredleg
03-12-07, 08:51 PM Be careful, as with any RW religeon, you can get into a lot of trouble if one of them plays with you. Do you have any real wicca in your group?? If not, and you dont have much turn over, have fun. If you have one, or worse two, then you need to discuss what you want to dso with them. The reason two is worse is that they may not agree with each other, so it makes it much worse for you.
Rerecros
03-12-07, 09:13 PM Any Non-evil spell caster could follow that belief system (Very much a don't tread on me system), Though druids (and some clerics) would be most suited.
Kain Darkwind
03-12-07, 10:50 PM It is sort of the reverse, but I try to give my CN/CG religions as well as the Faerie Courts sort of a Wiccan feel, just as I give my LG/LN religions a Jewish feel. By which I mean I borrow heavily from the religion and mythos behind it to create something new.

I agree that druid magic seems more in tune with Wicca than cleric magic.
Shemeska the Marauder
03-13-07, 01:28 AM As long as no player is offended it shouldn't be a problem, though if your campaign world includes the actual Celtic, Norse, Greek, Egyptian, etc pantheons then in-game there might be problems (read: followers of those pantheons are likely going to take a very dim view of various branches of wicca).
GoriceXII
03-13-07, 04:19 AM What you might want to do is come up with either an ecclectic group (perhaps variously consisting of wizards, psions, clerics, etc) reflecting the fact that neopagans have a number of ideas on how magic actually works but share similar beliefs about the nature of deities and such, or else come up with one of the approaches to wicca you like and use that...

Are you just interested in seeing how it would work or did you have some idea of fitting them into adventures or your general storyline?
crimsonwolf
03-13-07, 09:06 AM gnome wiccan.......
Count Arioch the 28th
03-13-07, 11:29 AM "Wicca" would be different in a D&D world.

Wicca in real life is essentially a mish-mash of various pre-christian european religions cobbled together to the practitioner's desire.

If you are playing in D&D and want to be wicca, you should play a character that does the same thing with D&D deities. For example, he performs a ritual dedicated to Kord before a game, says a prayer to Wee Jas to protect his ancestors during a funeral, prays to Pelor for a bountiful harvest, makes a sacrifice to Nerull to appease his wrath, and so forth.

In my game, that's actually how I run most NPCs, very few people in my world are deidcated to only one god, as they don't want to offend all the others.
Naderion
03-13-07, 02:09 PM The setting I designed (and still expand) is quite strongly influence by ideas of spirits and eldritch forces and stuff like that. Outsiders, Deities andd the Outer Planes have a far smaller role than usual and most times only have any importance and appearance in the form of clerics or some rare demon-cults.
Much more important and influencing every-day life everywhere, are the elemental planes (earth, fire, air, and water) and "core-planes" (mortal, fey, and shadow). All spellcasters use the same eldritch energy, though by different means of accesing it. But this energy is not just like the force, but kind of alive and filled with countless spirits. Some are very tiny and not sentient, but are influenced by emotions present near them and they are the reason people can feel when they reach places of great evil, and why some places seem to be filled with life. Others manifest as solid creatures, that are known as the fey, and others are incredeble powerfull, like spirits of the land and some much more greater.

Not nesseccarily really wiccan, but it's really fun to have a world, where magic is not just a stuff you can use, but more a beast you have to handle.

The most coneccted classes to these spirits are druids of course, but also bards and witches. Witches are my version of sorcerers, but they have more enchantments and are strong in illusion, while they have no powers over outsiders or undead, which are not part of the natural order. Also they can chose among a couple of special abilities, like the monk does, like gaining low-light vision, strengthening their mind against enchantment and stuff like that.
Praedoran
03-21-07, 11:29 AM Spirit Shaman from Complete Divine. This class was made for spiritualistic pagan religions. The druid itself would probably be the celtic and native american beliefs, but Spirit Shaman is more suited to Voodoo and Wiccan.
sciborg2
03-21-07, 12:23 PM As long as no player is offended it shouldn't be a problem, though if your campaign world includes the actual Celtic, Norse, Greek, Egyptian, etc pantheons then in-game there might be problems (read: followers of those pantheons are likely going to take a very dim view of various branches of wicca).

:confused:
jaw4ever
03-21-07, 07:36 PM Recommended reading: From The Quintessential Series, The Quintessential Witch from Mongoose Publishng: It has a Witch core class, with blends both fantasty and real-world aspects of the Wicca. You can probably get it from www.mongoosepublishing.com or ebay. :tiphat:
Shemeska the Marauder
03-21-07, 07:53 PM :confused:

It started as a romanticized cobbling together of bits of various pre-Xtian european religions, and so in a fantasy world where clerics of those pantheons are likely going to have direct contact with their gods and the servants of their gods, and possibly be in competition for worshippers with other religions, something like Wicca might draw considerable negative attention, probably as a gross heresy in areas where state and church power are mixed such as a pharonic theocracy.

At least that's likely the case if Wicca was being presented as a seperate religion on its own in the "its really the true old religion before it was suppressed etc etc" manner. If it was presented as less a seperate religion and a worship of various gods across multiple pantheons, then probably it wouldn't cause problems at all, but some branches of wicca in a D&D world would certainly be viewed as heretical manglings of established religions.
Vagrond
03-21-07, 09:54 PM Wow, the D&D world as well?
The_Shaman
03-21-07, 10:02 PM @OP: I think you should just check with any Wiccans in your group. If there aren't any, use it as you see fit. You have artistic license over your own campaign, and even Gary Gygax can't tell you to do this or that.
The Ubbergeek
03-22-07, 12:19 PM Bah... Neopagans are an overrepresented minority in roleplaying world - they are about 1milions in the whole world. Don't feel bad about using celtic, norse, etc pantheons.... Not much chance of offensing someone, and generaly (liberal) neopagans are mellow and relax, they will be ok.

Now, an hinduist or candomblé pantheon, that may present more troubles.
MatthiasKaiser
03-22-07, 12:42 PM I don't see Wicca as having much of a place in a standard campaign.

"Wicca" typically refers to a family of religions with some areas of overlapping beliefs and practices, as well as about as many subsects as there are Wiccans. However, among the pagan community, there's very little real consensus on what can actually be called Wicca properly. Some general guidelines, but nothing definitive.

In a typical DnD setting, there's very little reason for this to occur. The setting's gods have firm, established, uninterrupted traditions, and even if that weren't the case, the gods are responsive to their worshippers and entirely capable of coordinating beliefs and practices so that they are entirely uniform across the world. Therefore, there's no need for what we currently call "eclectic" practices.

You could always go the traditional historical route. Organize the religion of the setting so that individuals must recognize several gods for various tasks - even clerics, if their god isn't the appropriate one for the situation, must offer a prayer, at least, to the god that is.

If you really want a more Wiccan feel to a setting's religion, have a "forgotten" pantheon that has finally found a way to begin a return by "whispering" to individuals, granting them divine gifts (spells) without being able to do more than hint at their own nature and expectations.

If you want a more traditional setting, but to include something that will pass as Wicca, there's always druids. The class abilities are more closely related to modern impressions of pagan religions than the actual doctrines of those religions anyway, so it's entirely suitable.
docballen
03-23-07, 01:27 AM How much do you know about Wicca?

I think Relics and Rituals has a section of ritual magic that you might want to look at.

The idea of "worshipping" the four elements, as well as a ritual to worship the God and the Goddess, will be very important.(Which of the D&D pantheon you pick will be determined by what alignment your wiccans are.)

I have been to rituals where almost any of the gods in Deities and Demigods have been prayed to-- Asgard, Greek/Roman, and Egyptian. (No one has called to St. Cuthbert or Kord...)
People have also just prayed to "the one god" or "the goddess" so consider that route also.
sciborg2
03-23-07, 02:20 AM In a typical DnD setting, there's very little reason for this to occur.

True, but this can be one of the sadder things about the setting really - there is definitely a problem evoking the essence of Mystery in a D&D game. Perhaps one of the reasons that PS came up with the factions as people who are more like RL people joined by faiths.
Prak, the Mad
03-23-07, 02:50 AM As long as no player is offended it shouldn't be a problem, though if your campaign world includes the actual Celtic, Norse, Greek, Egyptian, etc pantheons then in-game there might be problems (read: followers of those pantheons are likely going to take a very dim view of various branches of wicca).

and likely take complete and utter advantage of them, as wiccans tend to not use 'black magic'

basically, wicca would simply be a belief system that discourages the use of harmful magic, with some sects teaching that if one has already been harmed, the energy's already come to them, so they are free to send it back(my gf was this kind of wiccan before she converted to satanism). It doesn't require a special class any more than any other religion in D&D, hell, I've made a satanic paladin, if I can do that, any class could be a wiccan.

Bah... Neopagans are an overrepresented minority in roleplaying world - they are about 1milions in the whole world. Don't feel bad about using celtic, norse, etc pantheons.... Not much chance of offensing someone, and generaly (liberal) neopagans are mellow and relax, they will be ok.
no... reasonable pagans are mellow and relaxed, liberal pagans are the ones making the fuss...

(No one has called to St. Cuthbert or Kord...)
funny thing is... satanists can do that... we don't worship anyone, we call the names of those most conducive to our use of magic... I've oft considered invoking shar....
swallowyersoul
03-23-07, 03:09 AM my advice: don't call it 'wicca'.

take the beliefs, ideas and concepts you like about having wiccans in your campaign and then attribute them to a god you make up or already have. obad-hai wouldn't be a bad choice.

as soon as you call it by the name of a real-world religion, you open the door to two things:

1. annoying any member of your gaming group or their circles of friends who happen to go about skyclad from time to time.

2. having one of your players challenge a call based on their having read 'wicca for dummies' last weekend.

it's great to draw inspiration from real life, but labels have an inflated importance in our culture. call it something else. call it 'acciw'
The_Shaman
03-23-07, 10:11 AM hell, I've made a satanic paladin, if I can do that, any class could be a wiccan.

That's kinda weird, what was satanic about him/her?

we don't worship anyone, we call the names of those most conducive to our use of magic... I've oft considered invoking shar....

:eek: :rofl: Let us know if she answers :D
Prak, the Mad
03-25-07, 02:42 PM That's kinda weird, what was satanic about him/her?
he followed the philosophy of the Church of Satan, feel free to visit the site, I don't feel like going into it at length right now... too early and too sunday...

:eek: :rofl: Let us know if she answers :D
of course she wouldn't, it would merely be theatrics to ease myself into the proper state of mind for rituals.

now who might answer? the goddess of darkness and magic from ancient civilizations upon which she is based...
sciborg2
03-25-07, 08:59 PM Let's not veer away from the discussion of using Wicca IN THE CAMPAIGN, rather than Wicca in REAL LIFE. Otherwise this will just get locked like the other RL based threads have.

I'll be the first person to admit I know little of this religion, but am interested in hearing about how I might incorporate certain aspects into a campaign.

I'd assumed that Wicca was based on the Celtic faiths or a pseudo-modernization of those. What might be interesting if the gods themselves are unsure whether they should revert to the "old-ways" or "new-ways" - perhaps they were awakened by neo-pagans (in the campaign) worshipping them. Now they walk the earth, beginning to play old games but unsure of where they stand, especially in relation to whatever current religion(s) dominate the campaign in the time they were asleep.
Return of the Flumph
03-25-07, 09:33 PM Wicca is a modern, generalized term for worship of various pagan gods and goddesses, or just abstract forces of nature. Everyone in the DnD universe already does that.

Badically, defining Wicca the way they themselves do, Wicca is the dominant religion in almost all DnD settings.

I've oft considered invoking shar....

n00b
sciborg2
03-25-07, 10:44 PM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca

Seems interesting. Certain branches seem to have almost a Signer-Godsmen bent, as in the gods are reflections of eternal archetypes. If we consider the Greater Unknown as Feminine or as the Lord and Lady, this might even apply to the Athar.

As a neo-fath, like any other new faiths in history, it would be interesting in a eberron-god-style campaign to watch a new religion attempt to flower. One might even look at persecution of Christianity or Buddhism for inspiration, though the latter I can't recall any specifics of in ancient times though its defiance of the caste system has caused certain Indian officials to attack it.
Shemeska the Marauder
03-25-07, 11:12 PM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca

Perhaps not the most unbiased source. Wicca proper didn't exist prior to 1954, but Gardner was certainly influenced by various strains of much earlier theosophy or pop-occultism from the early 20th and late 19th centuries. He combined that with a large dose of the (entirely pseudo-historical) theories of Margaret Murray, and we have what has since become the varied strands of wicca, though modern neo-paganism in general is fragmented enough that any individual self-professed neo-pagan may or may not actually hold to any of those ideas that Garder brewed up.

It's difficult however to translate it into an in-game use perhaps, precisely because the fragmentation from its source in the 50s has left it largely a stew-pot of individual creeds, often without any unifying thread, which pull both from historical religions (or romantic recreations thereof), or entirely fictional modern sources (referred to as "fluffbunny wicca" by wiccans of more established traditions).
Prak, the Mad
03-25-07, 11:50 PM Let's not veer away from the discussion of using Wicca IN THE CAMPAIGN, rather than Wicca in REAL LIFE. Otherwise this will just get locked like the other RL based threads have.

I wasn't talking about wicca in real life.... I was talking about satanism... :D

n00b
First, I'm a satanist... we don't believe in any gods, we invoke properly thematic names to put ourselves in a state of mind conducive to the ritual. It's basically the same thing everyone else does, except we don't pretend the beings we invoke are real or are going to answer. Second, 57|=|_| & g7|=0...
sciborg2
03-26-07, 12:03 AM hmmmm....rather not get into the historical truth of Wicca, not that claims to elder roots means any religion is true as both lies and truths can be long running across generations.

but this as a debate in campaign is what opens up possibilities. What if women are secondary citizens in the world, and many find liberation in this Diana-based Wicca the entry mentions. Some will attack the religion (we need not call it Wicca) for its lack of history while others will praise its breaking away of old shackles.

Some will criticize it based on more recent entrance into the playing field of faiths, others will claim that religious truth has nothing at all to do with historical origins and in fact such history may simply choke divine revelation with pointless restrictions of dead cultures.

Where will all this lead? Pogroms? Politicking? Infighting in the party itself?

It this mixing of religion with historical faith, rather than gods, that is not present in D&D. This would be very complex campaign that might not see the slaying of a single orc or drow....Gygax forfend....

It's basically the same thing everyone else does, except we don't pretend the beings we invoke are real or are going to answer

Perhaps you guys start your own thread or PM privately about your respective beliefs or whatever it is you are arguing about?
Prak, the Mad
03-26-07, 12:02 PM actually, that really should be the end of it... I'll say no more if others agree to do the same...
docballen
03-27-07, 01:31 AM I suppose the easiest thing for you to do would be to get into Google and type in "wicca" or "paganism" and then read the first five or six entries you get (after the book adverts, of course!) (Unless they are anti-wicca X-tian stuff.)

...because there are as many versions of wicca and paganism as there are those of us who use those terms to describe ourselves. My personal beliefs differ radically from the group of wise that I worship with, but it's more comfortable than having to swear fealty to someone I don't worship.
Emirikol
03-29-07, 11:44 AM CONAN THE HUNTER was a book that involved "wiccana." You might find some ideas there.

jh
sciborg2
03-29-07, 10:13 PM Dead House gates features a tribal peoples known as the Wickans as well....yes, I want to brainwash everyone into reading Malazan of the Fallen....
DebiHuman
04-06-07, 12:41 PM Since I'm jumping into this thread rather late, I'll post briefly. Wicca as a "real world" religion isn't necessarily a topic that should be shied away from as inappropriate, but it does make a lot of people uncomfortable.

However, wicca as a fantasy religion is not the same thing. Liber Mysterium: the Netbook of Witches and Warlocks tackled this topic extensively. See here: http://www.dcrouzet.net/nbownw/. It's a free download too. I don't know if this will help you in any way but it may be worth taking a look.

Just my 2 cents
Debby
ElberethSilverleaf
04-08-07, 07:32 PM That's kinda weird, what was satanic about him/her?

:eek: :rofl: Let us know if she answers :D

Don't laugh! Corellon answered me!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Danvac 03-12-07, 08:34 PM	There is definite magic in the DnD world (DUH), but I was wondering if it would screw up my campaign if I added eclectic occult groups to my deity campaign. I was wondering if anyone has a class for something like the Wiccan? And any comments or feedback.
celtredleg 03-12-07, 08:51 PM	Be careful, as with any RW religeon, you can get into a lot of trouble if one of them plays with you. Do you have any real wicca in your group?? If not, and you dont have much turn over, have fun. If you have one, or worse two, then you need to discuss what you want to dso with them. The reason two is worse is that they may not agree with each other, so it makes it much worse for you.
Rerecros 03-12-07, 09:13 PM	Any Non-evil spell caster could follow that belief system (Very much a don't tread on me system), Though druids (and some clerics) would be most suited.
Kain Darkwind 03-12-07, 10:50 PM	It is sort of the reverse, but I try to give my CN/CG religions as well as the Faerie Courts sort of a Wiccan feel, just as I give my LG/LN religions a Jewish feel. By which I mean I borrow heavily from the religion and mythos behind it to create something new. I agree that druid magic seems more in tune with Wicca than cleric magic.
Shemeska the Marauder 03-13-07, 01:28 AM	As long as no player is offended it shouldn't be a problem, though if your campaign world includes the actual Celtic, Norse, Greek, Egyptian, etc pantheons then in-game there might be problems (read: followers of those pantheons are likely going to take a very dim view of various branches of wicca).
GoriceXII 03-13-07, 04:19 AM	What you might want to do is come up with either an ecclectic group (perhaps variously consisting of wizards, psions, clerics, etc) reflecting the fact that neopagans have a number of ideas on how magic actually works but share similar beliefs about the nature of deities and such, or else come up with one of the approaches to wicca you like and use that... Are you just interested in seeing how it would work or did you have some idea of fitting them into adventures or your general storyline?
crimsonwolf 03-13-07, 09:06 AM	gnome wiccan.......
Count Arioch the 28th 03-13-07, 11:29 AM	"Wicca" would be different in a D&D world. Wicca in real life is essentially a mish-mash of various pre-christian european religions cobbled together to the practitioner's desire. If you are playing in D&D and want to be wicca, you should play a character that does the same thing with D&D deities. For example, he performs a ritual dedicated to Kord before a game, says a prayer to Wee Jas to protect his ancestors during a funeral, prays to Pelor for a bountiful harvest, makes a sacrifice to Nerull to appease his wrath, and so forth. In my game, that's actually how I run most NPCs, very few people in my world are deidcated to only one god, as they don't want to offend all the others.
Naderion 03-13-07, 02:09 PM	The setting I designed (and still expand) is quite strongly influence by ideas of spirits and eldritch forces and stuff like that. Outsiders, Deities andd the Outer Planes have a far smaller role than usual and most times only have any importance and appearance in the form of clerics or some rare demon-cults. Much more important and influencing every-day life everywhere, are the elemental planes (earth, fire, air, and water) and "core-planes" (mortal, fey, and shadow). All spellcasters use the same eldritch energy, though by different means of accesing it. But this energy is not just like the force, but kind of alive and filled with countless spirits. Some are very tiny and not sentient, but are influenced by emotions present near them and they are the reason people can feel when they reach places of great evil, and why some places seem to be filled with life. Others manifest as solid creatures, that are known as the fey, and others are incredeble powerfull, like spirits of the land and some much more greater. Not nesseccarily really wiccan, but it's really fun to have a world, where magic is not just a stuff you can use, but more a beast you have to handle. The most coneccted classes to these spirits are druids of course, but also bards and witches. Witches are my version of sorcerers, but they have more enchantments and are strong in illusion, while they have no powers over outsiders or undead, which are not part of the natural order. Also they can chose among a couple of special abilities, like the monk does, like gaining low-light vision, strengthening their mind against enchantment and stuff like that.
Praedoran 03-21-07, 11:29 AM	Spirit Shaman from Complete Divine. This class was made for spiritualistic pagan religions. The druid itself would probably be the celtic and native american beliefs, but Spirit Shaman is more suited to Voodoo and Wiccan.
sciborg2 03-21-07, 12:23 PM	As long as no player is offended it shouldn't be a problem, though if your campaign world includes the actual Celtic, Norse, Greek, Egyptian, etc pantheons then in-game there might be problems (read: followers of those pantheons are likely going to take a very dim view of various branches of wicca). :confused:
jaw4ever 03-21-07, 07:36 PM	Recommended reading: From The Quintessential Series, The Quintessential Witch from Mongoose Publishng: It has a Witch core class, with blends both fantasty and real-world aspects of the Wicca. You can probably get it from www.mongoosepublishing.com or ebay. :tiphat:
Shemeska the Marauder 03-21-07, 07:53 PM	:confused: It started as a romanticized cobbling together of bits of various pre-Xtian european religions, and so in a fantasy world where clerics of those pantheons are likely going to have direct contact with their gods and the servants of their gods, and possibly be in competition for worshippers with other religions, something like Wicca might draw considerable negative attention, probably as a gross heresy in areas where state and church power are mixed such as a pharonic theocracy. At least that's likely the case if Wicca was being presented as a seperate religion on its own in the "its really the true old religion before it was suppressed etc etc" manner. If it was presented as less a seperate religion and a worship of various gods across multiple pantheons, then probably it wouldn't cause problems at all, but some branches of wicca in a D&D world would certainly be viewed as heretical manglings of established religions.
Vagrond 03-21-07, 09:54 PM	Wow, the D&D world as well?
The_Shaman 03-21-07, 10:02 PM	@OP: I think you should just check with any Wiccans in your group. If there aren't any, use it as you see fit. You have artistic license over your own campaign, and even Gary Gygax can't tell you to do this or that.
The Ubbergeek 03-22-07, 12:19 PM	Bah... Neopagans are an overrepresented minority in roleplaying world - they are about 1milions in the whole world. Don't feel bad about using celtic, norse, etc pantheons.... Not much chance of offensing someone, and generaly (liberal) neopagans are mellow and relax, they will be ok. Now, an hinduist or candomblé pantheon, that may present more troubles.
MatthiasKaiser 03-22-07, 12:42 PM	I don't see Wicca as having much of a place in a standard campaign. "Wicca" typically refers to a family of religions with some areas of overlapping beliefs and practices, as well as about as many subsects as there are Wiccans. However, among the pagan community, there's very little real consensus on what can actually be called Wicca properly. Some general guidelines, but nothing definitive. In a typical DnD setting, there's very little reason for this to occur. The setting's gods have firm, established, uninterrupted traditions, and even if that weren't the case, the gods are responsive to their worshippers and entirely capable of coordinating beliefs and practices so that they are entirely uniform across the world. Therefore, there's no need for what we currently call "eclectic" practices. You could always go the traditional historical route. Organize the religion of the setting so that individuals must recognize several gods for various tasks - even clerics, if their god isn't the appropriate one for the situation, must offer a prayer, at least, to the god that is. If you really want a more Wiccan feel to a setting's religion, have a "forgotten" pantheon that has finally found a way to begin a return by "whispering" to individuals, granting them divine gifts (spells) without being able to do more than hint at their own nature and expectations. If you want a more traditional setting, but to include something that will pass as Wicca, there's always druids. The class abilities are more closely related to modern impressions of pagan religions than the actual doctrines of those religions anyway, so it's entirely suitable.
docballen 03-23-07, 01:27 AM	How much do you know about Wicca? I think Relics and Rituals has a section of ritual magic that you might want to look at. The idea of "worshipping" the four elements, as well as a ritual to worship the God and the Goddess, will be very important.(Which of the D&D pantheon you pick will be determined by what alignment your wiccans are.) I have been to rituals where almost any of the gods in Deities and Demigods have been prayed to-- Asgard, Greek/Roman, and Egyptian. (No one has called to St. Cuthbert or Kord...) People have also just prayed to "the one god" or "the goddess" so consider that route also.
sciborg2 03-23-07, 02:20 AM	In a typical DnD setting, there's very little reason for this to occur. True, but this can be one of the sadder things about the setting really - there is definitely a problem evoking the essence of Mystery in a D&D game. Perhaps one of the reasons that PS came up with the factions as people who are more like RL people joined by faiths.
Prak, the Mad 03-23-07, 02:50 AM	As long as no player is offended it shouldn't be a problem, though if your campaign world includes the actual Celtic, Norse, Greek, Egyptian, etc pantheons then in-game there might be problems (read: followers of those pantheons are likely going to take a very dim view of various branches of wicca). and likely take complete and utter advantage of them, as wiccans tend to not use 'black magic' basically, wicca would simply be a belief system that discourages the use of harmful magic, with some sects teaching that if one has already been harmed, the energy's already come to them, so they are free to send it back(my gf was this kind of wiccan before she converted to satanism). It doesn't require a special class any more than any other religion in D&D, hell, I've made a satanic paladin, if I can do that, any class could be a wiccan. Bah... Neopagans are an overrepresented minority in roleplaying world - they are about 1milions in the whole world. Don't feel bad about using celtic, norse, etc pantheons.... Not much chance of offensing someone, and generaly (liberal) neopagans are mellow and relax, they will be ok. no... reasonable pagans are mellow and relaxed, liberal pagans are the ones making the fuss... (No one has called to St. Cuthbert or Kord...) funny thing is... satanists can do that... we don't worship anyone, we call the names of those most conducive to our use of magic... I've oft considered invoking shar....
swallowyersoul 03-23-07, 03:09 AM	my advice: don't call it 'wicca'. take the beliefs, ideas and concepts you like about having wiccans in your campaign and then attribute them to a god you make up or already have. obad-hai wouldn't be a bad choice. as soon as you call it by the name of a real-world religion, you open the door to two things: 1. annoying any member of your gaming group or their circles of friends who happen to go about skyclad from time to time. 2. having one of your players challenge a call based on their having read 'wicca for dummies' last weekend. it's great to draw inspiration from real life, but labels have an inflated importance in our culture. call it something else. call it 'acciw'
The_Shaman 03-23-07, 10:11 AM	hell, I've made a satanic paladin, if I can do that, any class could be a wiccan. That's kinda weird, what was satanic about him/her? we don't worship anyone, we call the names of those most conducive to our use of magic... I've oft considered invoking shar.... :eek: :rofl: Let us know if she answers :D
Prak, the Mad 03-25-07, 02:42 PM	That's kinda weird, what was satanic about him/her? he followed the philosophy of the Church of Satan, feel free to visit the site, I don't feel like going into it at length right now... too early and too sunday... :eek: :rofl: Let us know if she answers :D of course she wouldn't, it would merely be theatrics to ease myself into the proper state of mind for rituals. now who might answer? the goddess of darkness and magic from ancient civilizations upon which she is based...
sciborg2 03-25-07, 08:59 PM	Let's not veer away from the discussion of using Wicca IN THE CAMPAIGN, rather than Wicca in REAL LIFE. Otherwise this will just get locked like the other RL based threads have. I'll be the first person to admit I know little of this religion, but am interested in hearing about how I might incorporate certain aspects into a campaign. I'd assumed that Wicca was based on the Celtic faiths or a pseudo-modernization of those. What might be interesting if the gods themselves are unsure whether they should revert to the "old-ways" or "new-ways" - perhaps they were awakened by neo-pagans (in the campaign) worshipping them. Now they walk the earth, beginning to play old games but unsure of where they stand, especially in relation to whatever current religion(s) dominate the campaign in the time they were asleep.
Return of the Flumph 03-25-07, 09:33 PM	Wicca is a modern, generalized term for worship of various pagan gods and goddesses, or just abstract forces of nature. Everyone in the DnD universe already does that. Badically, defining Wicca the way they themselves do, Wicca is the dominant religion in almost all DnD settings. I've oft considered invoking shar.... n00b
sciborg2 03-25-07, 10:44 PM	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca Seems interesting. Certain branches seem to have almost a Signer-Godsmen bent, as in the gods are reflections of eternal archetypes. If we consider the Greater Unknown as Feminine or as the Lord and Lady, this might even apply to the Athar. As a neo-fath, like any other new faiths in history, it would be interesting in a eberron-god-style campaign to watch a new religion attempt to flower. One might even look at persecution of Christianity or Buddhism for inspiration, though the latter I can't recall any specifics of in ancient times though its defiance of the caste system has caused certain Indian officials to attack it.
Shemeska the Marauder 03-25-07, 11:12 PM	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca Perhaps not the most unbiased source. Wicca proper didn't exist prior to 1954, but Gardner was certainly influenced by various strains of much earlier theosophy or pop-occultism from the early 20th and late 19th centuries. He combined that with a large dose of the (entirely pseudo-historical) theories of Margaret Murray, and we have what has since become the varied strands of wicca, though modern neo-paganism in general is fragmented enough that any individual self-professed neo-pagan may or may not actually hold to any of those ideas that Garder brewed up. It's difficult however to translate it into an in-game use perhaps, precisely because the fragmentation from its source in the 50s has left it largely a stew-pot of individual creeds, often without any unifying thread, which pull both from historical religions (or romantic recreations thereof), or entirely fictional modern sources (referred to as "fluffbunny wicca" by wiccans of more established traditions).
Prak, the Mad 03-25-07, 11:50 PM	Let's not veer away from the discussion of using Wicca IN THE CAMPAIGN, rather than Wicca in REAL LIFE. Otherwise this will just get locked like the other RL based threads have. I wasn't talking about wicca in real life.... I was talking about satanism... :D n00b First, I'm a satanist... we don't believe in any gods, we invoke properly thematic names to put ourselves in a state of mind conducive to the ritual. It's basically the same thing everyone else does, except we don't pretend the beings we invoke are real or are going to answer. Second, 57\|=\|_\| & g7\|=0...
sciborg2 03-26-07, 12:03 AM	hmmmm....rather not get into the historical truth of Wicca, not that claims to elder roots means any religion is true as both lies and truths can be long running across generations. but this as a debate in campaign is what opens up possibilities. What if women are secondary citizens in the world, and many find liberation in this Diana-based Wicca the entry mentions. Some will attack the religion (we need not call it Wicca) for its lack of history while others will praise its breaking away of old shackles. Some will criticize it based on more recent entrance into the playing field of faiths, others will claim that religious truth has nothing at all to do with historical origins and in fact such history may simply choke divine revelation with pointless restrictions of dead cultures. Where will all this lead? Pogroms? Politicking? Infighting in the party itself? It this mixing of religion with historical faith, rather than gods, that is not present in D&D. This would be very complex campaign that might not see the slaying of a single orc or drow....Gygax forfend.... It's basically the same thing everyone else does, except we don't pretend the beings we invoke are real or are going to answer Perhaps you guys start your own thread or PM privately about your respective beliefs or whatever it is you are arguing about?
Prak, the Mad 03-26-07, 12:02 PM	actually, that really should be the end of it... I'll say no more if others agree to do the same...
docballen 03-27-07, 01:31 AM	I suppose the easiest thing for you to do would be to get into Google and type in "wicca" or "paganism" and then read the first five or six entries you get (after the book adverts, of course!) (Unless they are anti-wicca X-tian stuff.) ...because there are as many versions of wicca and paganism as there are those of us who use those terms to describe ourselves. My personal beliefs differ radically from the group of wise that I worship with, but it's more comfortable than having to swear fealty to someone I don't worship.
Emirikol 03-29-07, 11:44 AM	CONAN THE HUNTER was a book that involved "wiccana." You might find some ideas there. jh
sciborg2 03-29-07, 10:13 PM	Dead House gates features a tribal peoples known as the Wickans as well....yes, I want to brainwash everyone into reading Malazan of the Fallen....
DebiHuman 04-06-07, 12:41 PM	Since I'm jumping into this thread rather late, I'll post briefly. Wicca as a "real world" religion isn't necessarily a topic that should be shied away from as inappropriate, but it does make a lot of people uncomfortable. However, wicca as a fantasy religion is not the same thing. Liber Mysterium: the Netbook of Witches and Warlocks tackled this topic extensively. See here: http://www.dcrouzet.net/nbownw/. It's a free download too. I don't know if this will help you in any way but it may be worth taking a look. Just my 2 cents Debby
ElberethSilverleaf 04-08-07, 07:32 PM	That's kinda weird, what was satanic about him/her? :eek: :rofl: Let us know if she answers :D Don't laugh! Corellon answered me!