Pagan Feasts and Modern Life: Finding Relevance in Ancient Traditions

Coming Pagan Feasts Paganism is a term used to describe various religious and spiritual beliefs that were practiced by ancient cultures. Many of these beliefs and traditions incorporated the worship of nature and various deities. Pagan feasts were an important part of these practices, serving as both a time of celebration and religious observance. One of the upcoming pagan feasts is Samhain. Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. It is celebrated on October 31st and is considered a time when the veil between the living and the spirit world is thinnest.

Word of Nurturing, Critical: Give ally fast healing 15, or deal 8d6 damage each round for 2 rounds.

I didn t get a chance to look at much, but it seemed pretty solid, the book itself was nifty not the regular white page gold border thing , and there seemed like there was lots of fluff. The truenamer is every bit as powerful as the others, however, his magic is not as constant long-lasting as the binder s and not as reliable as the shadowcaster s.

It is celebrated on October 31st and is considered a time when the veil between the living and the spirit world is thinnest. It is a time when people honor their ancestors and communicate with the spirits. Traditions such as bonfires, divination, and costumes are common during Samhain.

Tome of Magic

I have only browsed the book, and I was super excited. I didn't get a chance to look at much, but it seemed pretty solid, the book itself was nifty (not the regular white page gold border thing), and there seemed like there was lots of fluff. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe 3.5 D&D hasn't jumped the shark.

But then I read the only review and my hear sinks. Is this the general opinion of the book? Does anyone like it, and why?

Vocenoctum

First Post

I'm currently playing a binder, and it's been fun. I think the Pact Magic section is great.

Truespeech has problems, based mostly on how they calculate the DC (15+double CR).

Shadow Magic I've not done much with, it's evocative, but the "1 per day" of each power makes me wonder about it's usefulness. A player is dabbling in it, so I'll see.

airwalkrr

Adventurer

I think the book is great. The only one I've looked very closely at is the truename magic section. And I wouldn't listen to the way some decry truename magic. These are probably the same people that say the bard is underpowered or that fighters don't have enough options. The only problem with the truenamer is that it is a balanced class. Some people expect splatbooks to have new options that allow more powerful characters than before. While I can agree at first glance the truename magic system seems a bit odd concerning the ways the DC to cast increases, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this, and it is the sole reason that truename magic is balanced. The only problem I can see is that a truenamer is practically forced to keep his truespeak skill maxed out. But this isn't a unique quirk of the truenamer. A rogue needs to keep Search and Disable Device maxed out if he wants to be any good at traps. A spellcaster needs to keep Concentration maxed out if he wants to have any hope of casting on the defensive. Maybe it isn't quite so crucial to these character types, but it is simply the nature of the game that if you want to be good at a skill, you need to keep it maxed out.

Anyway, I recommend it. It has been one of my better purchases and I am planning to play a truenamer for the Savage Tide Adventure Path from Dungeon.

wayne62682

First Post

I've looked at it but I dont own it.. my thought is that Truenamer and Shadowcaster are kinda weak, but I *love* the Binder. However, I think that ToM is one of those books like Incarnum or now Tome of Battle.. you have to integrate it into a campaign, you can't just drop it in or it feels "weird"

Jarrod

First Post

I don't mind the DC calculation at all.

First, it assumes you have access to skill boosting items - and if you don't, drop the DCs and remove the items from the game. The alternative is to assume that nobody has an item, and then if the items exist the entire system breaks down.

Personally, I'd remove the item and lower the DCs. But they were stuck with "it's a skill, you can get a booster item".

As for DCs vs CR - that's an easy way of keeping the difficulty constant as you increase in level. If it goes off saves or HD, then you have the problem that the 1:4 progression monsters become rapidly immune - consider the cleric trying to turn the massive-HD zombie. The main complaint is that CR is a game effect - but so are hit dice. Obviously an animal HD is worth "less" than a dragon HD - so make it worth less.

Remathilis

Legend

Someone in my game is considering a shadowcaster as the groups primary wizard (@9th level). What should I know before allowing/disallowing this?

Hussar

Legend

Considering that Shadowcasters are mostly indirect in their power, I would consider it about the same as allowing a bard. It makes the party as a whole stronger, but, he's certainly not going to steal that show. From what I see, SC's focus a lot on battlefield control rather than outright blasting.

Pay particular attention to the immobilized rules and incorporeal. They will likely both come up.

Moorcrys

Explorer

Someone in my game is considering a shadowcaster as the groups primary wizard (@9th level). What should I know before allowing/disallowing this?

There was a thread in the Rules section about the shadowcaster. Mouseferatu (Ari, the guy who came up with the shadowcaster) ended up suggesting a few tweaks that helps out the class a lot. It's worth taking a look if you have a chance -- it gives a boost but isn't overpowering IMHO.

Vocenoctum

First Post

I've looked at it but I dont own it.. my thought is that Truenamer and Shadowcaster are kinda weak, but I *love* the Binder. However, I think that ToM is one of those books like Incarnum or now Tome of Battle.. you have to integrate it into a campaign, you can't just drop it in or it feels "weird"

Incarnum is a bit obvious, so I can see it, but Pact Magic IMO is actually better off not integrated too much. It preserves the neatness of the class if normal folks don't know what you're doing.

Hussar

Legend

I agree with Vocenoctum. All three classes are very easily portable into any campaign. Pact Binders are meant to be a secretive cult that no one's ever heard of. Shadowcasters are just another kind of wizard and truenamers are pretty much the same. Specialists in Power Word wizards.

Parachuting these particular classes into an ongoing campaign should be pretty simple.

Andor

First Post

I think TOM integrates a lot more easliy that Incarnum. It's also worth noteing that the three magic systems in the book are unrelated, you can choose to use 1,2, or all 3 of them.

WRT the systems, I love Binders, just a cool, cool class. Probably actually a notch behind Incarnum users powerwise, but way more flavorful.

Shadowcasters have been addressed elsewhere, but I'll add that the Shadowmagic section has some of the coolest Prestige Classes around IMHO.

Truenamers. I've never seen them in play so I honestly don't know but the system doesn't feel right to me.

Khairn

First Post

I'm VERY happy with my Tome of Magic. Certain parts of it might require a bit of tweeking, but overall I am impressed

FrostedMini1337

First Post

your comments are heartening.

Is there an abundance(or at least more than normal) fluffl? I saw some pictures for the binding circles and it looked liked each of them had good backstory to it. Good roleplaying bits?

Pants

First Post

your comments are heartening.

Is there an abundance(or at least more than normal) fluffl? I saw some pictures for the binding circles and it looked liked each of them had good backstory to it. Good roleplaying bits?

Lotsa good stuff, each section of the book has a good ratio of fluff vs crunch, though imo the binder section has the most fluff with the shadow magic section the 'least'.

airwalkrr

Adventurer

Typically, the three magic forms rate like this in popularity:
1) pact magic
2) shadow magic
3) truename magic

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that the reason for this is because pact magic seems like it is the most powerful and truename magic seems like it is the least powerful. I believe the reason for this perception is because pact magic gives your character a lot of static bonuses that your character can "walk around with," much like the cleric can walk around with hour/level and 10 min/level effects like freedom of movement, death ward, magic vestment, greater magic weapon, etc. The more effects you can pile onto your character the higher the perceived effectiveness.

Shadow magic on the other hand is utility magic. The shadowcaster doesn't "cast the spells that makes the peoples fall down." He casts spells that immobilize or hinder enemies and overcome trials. In that respect he is like an enchanter or illusionist specialist wizard who has prohibited evocation and necromancy. Not a lot of death happening, but a remarkably useful character. He has a lot of tricks up his sleeve that make otherwise challenging situations a piece of cake. For that reason, he is well-liked.

The truenamer is the red-headed step-child of the bunch because of that ever so touchy subject of the DCs that scale with CR. This means that a truenamer's spells are always going to be challenging to cast unless he is casting them on low-CR opponents. The truenamer is every bit as powerful as the others, however, his magic is not as constant/long-lasting as the binder's and not as reliable as the shadowcaster's. D&D gamers (especially 3e gamers) by and large (i.e. most, but not all, so don't accuse me of applying this to everyone) like effects that are simple, reliable, and effective. That is why magic missile is perhaps the most popular spell in the game. There is no save, and force effects can damage anyone. Many of the truenamer's spells are typically simple and VERY effective. But they are not reliable, because there is virtually no way a truenamer can ever have his truespeak skill high enough to succeed on a truespeak check without the chance of failure. Strategic thinkers, like many gamers are, do not like this aspect of unreliability. Many of them probably dream of '1' filled nights where they never get a spell off because they can't roll worth a damn.

Perhaps I'm totally off the mark here. Perhaps not. Given the complaints I have heard and the directions they point, I think I am at least pretty close to the reasons for why people don't like truename magic in general. However, the bottom line is that truename magic is balanced by this random factor. If it weren't for that factor, then truename magic would be way too powerful. Wizards have to budget their spells for the day. Truenamers have no such limit (though the laws of resistance can make things cumbersome). But they aren't as reliable as wizards. That is not a bad thing though. It simply adds an element of randomness into the game and that doesn't mean it is less fun unless the only reason you play the game is to "win."

Anyway, that's all I really have to say on the matter. I'll try to abstain from saying more as it would probably be simply a regurgitation of my points here.

your comments are heartening.

Another significant pagan feast is Yule, which takes place around the winter solstice, usually on December 21st. Yule celebrates the rebirth of the sun and the return of light after the darkest days of the year. It is a time of joy and renewal, often marked by feasting, gift-giving, and decorating homes with evergreen trees and wreaths. The Yule log is a central part of the celebrations, symbolizing the continuous cycle of life and the warmth of the hearth. Beltane is a pagan feast that occurs on May 1st, marking the beginning of summer. It is a celebration of fertility and abundance, honoring the union of the masculine and feminine energies. People often gather in nature for Maypole dancing, where ribbons are woven around a tall pole as a symbolic representation of the union of these energies. Beltane is also a time for outdoor rituals, feasting, and bonfires. While many of these pagan feasts have ancient roots, they continue to be celebrated by modern-day pagans and those interested in reconnecting with nature and ancient traditions. These feasts serve as reminders of our connection to the cycles of nature and the importance of honoring and celebrating the seasons. Whether it is Samhain, Yule, or Beltane, these celebrations bring communities together and provide an opportunity for reflection, gratitude, and spiritual connection..

Reviews for "Pagan Feasts and Folklore: Unraveling the Legends and Tales"

1. Mark - 2/5 stars - I was really disappointed with "Coming pagan feasts". The storyline felt disjointed and the characters were not developed well enough. The writing also seemed rushed and lacked depth. Overall, I found this book to be underwhelming and would not recommend it.

2. Emily - 1/5 stars - I struggled to get through "Coming pagan feasts". The pacing was incredibly slow and the plot was confusing. I never felt fully engaged with the story and found myself losing interest multiple times. The excessive descriptions and lack of action made it hard for me to stay interested. I would not recommend this book to others.

3. Sarah - 2/5 stars - "Coming pagan feasts" was not what I expected. The writing style was overly descriptive and the author seemed more focused on painting a picture rather than developing a compelling story. The characters were one-dimensional and I struggled to connect with them. The lack of dialogue also made it difficult to engage with the book. Overall, I was disappointed and wouldn't recommend it to others.

4. Michael - 2/5 stars - I found "Coming pagan feasts" to be quite boring. The plot dragged on and I never felt invested in what was happening. The author's writing style was difficult to follow, with long sentences and unclear descriptions. The lack of character development made it hard for me to care about any of the characters. I wouldn't recommend this book as there are much better options out there.

Sacred Fire and Ancient Rites: The Role of Fire in Pagan Festivals