Please excuse me if I say anything stupid, I'm a new player making my very first character, so I don't know anything.
I was thinking of making a Dragonborn Warlock with a Great Old One patron. The problem is: Everywhere I look online, I can't find a straight answer on who all of the (I guess canon) Great Old Ones are, and what their backgrounds/backstories are. I've heard of suggestions to just make up my own, but I'm not very confident that's the best idea, since it's my first time playing. Can anyone tell me anything about the Great Old Ones, or even give some tips on making my own?
Please excuse me if I say anything stupid, I'm a new player making my very first character, so I don't know anything.
I was thinking of making a Dragonborn Warlock with a Great Old One patron. The problem is: Everywhere I look online, I can't find a straight answer on who all of the (I guess canon) Great Old Ones are, and what their backgrounds/backstories are. I've heard of suggestions to just make up my own, but I'm not very confident that's the best idea, since it's my first time playing. Can anyone tell me anything about the Great Old Ones, or even give some tips on making my own?
Thanks! :3
As far as I’m aware, there are no canonical great old ones. The most common published setting for D&D currently is The Forgotten Realms, but that hasn’t always been the case, and most likely will eventually change again one day. But the most common settings at the average table are home brewed be the DMs. I have a list of some GOOs for my setting, but even that isn’t exhaustive. If one of my players were to approach me with an idea for a GOO they had just invented out of whole cloth, I would actively work with them to fit their ideas into my setting as best as possible. That’s what D&D really is all about at it’s core, people working together to tell a story. Like Xalthuwrote, talk to your DM, that’s part of their role on the game, part of what they’re there for.
I got something. The shoth, from the creature codex. They are alien slime which seek to use cooperation to turn other species into shoth. Course confirm with your dm if you can work for alien slime.
There are a few Great Old Ones mentioned in official 5e books: Ghaunadar, Tharizdun, Dendar the Night Serpent, Zargon, Hadar (as in Arms of Hadar and Hunger of Hadar). You should find additional information with a web search - There are even good lore videos on YouTube.
Great Cthulhu is also an official GOO in 5e, so you could also look for inspiration in Call of Cthulhu lore.
If you want more inspiration for GOO patrons, look no further than the Chtulhu Mythos by Lovecraft. Every Old One can serve as a patron there, like Azathoth, Tsathoggua, Shub-Niggurath, Dagon, Nyarlathotep, Cthugha, Ghatanothoa, Hastur, the King in Yellow and Yog-Sothoth...to name a few.
Moreover, if you can find a copy of Sandy Petersen's Chtulhu Mythos campaign setting for 5E, it has great information on all the Great Old Ones, their cults, campaign specific spells, monsters and creatures, magic items, etc. There is even a subclass specific for Warlocks which is basically another take on the GOOlock.
If you're using 2024 revised rules, then the book is still very compatible, but there are some things that you might have to Homebrew for 2024 (like the Pact of the Skull).
In terms of specific D&D canon, the Elder Evils were the closest to canon Old Ones, and I believe James Wyatt mentioned that the 2024 DMG will include entries in the Lore Glossary for them. Beyond that, there might be some Homebrew conversions of the Elder Evils supplement from 3.5E to 5E.
Hello DND Beyond!
Please excuse me if I say anything stupid, I'm a new player making my very first character, so I don't know anything.
I was thinking of making a Dragonborn Warlock with a Great Old One patron. The problem is: Everywhere I look online, I can't find a straight answer on who all of the (I guess canon) Great Old Ones are, and what their backgrounds/backstories are. I've heard of suggestions to just make up my own, but I'm not very confident that's the best idea, since it's my first time playing. Can anyone tell me anything about the Great Old Ones, or even give some tips on making my own?
Thanks! :3
Talk to your DM. They’re the one who will sort out what it means in their world.
As far as I’m aware, there are no canonical great old ones. The most common published setting for D&D currently is The Forgotten Realms, but that hasn’t always been the case, and most likely will eventually change again one day. But the most common settings at the average table are home brewed be the DMs. I have a list of some GOOs for my setting, but even that isn’t exhaustive. If one of my players were to approach me with an idea for a GOO they had just invented out of whole cloth, I would actively work with them to fit their ideas into my setting as best as possible. That’s what D&D really is all about at it’s core, people working together to tell a story. Like Xalthu wrote, talk to your DM, that’s part of their role on the game, part of what they’re there for.
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Oh! Thank you! This was really helpful! :)
I got something. The shoth, from the creature codex. They are alien slime which seek to use cooperation to turn other species into shoth. Course confirm with your dm if you can work for alien slime.
There are a few Great Old Ones mentioned in official 5e books: Ghaunadar, Tharizdun, Dendar the Night Serpent, Zargon, Hadar (as in Arms of Hadar and Hunger of Hadar). You should find additional information with a web search - There are even good lore videos on YouTube.
Great Cthulhu is also an official GOO in 5e, so you could also look for inspiration in Call of Cthulhu lore.
This site has some resources to spark an interest...
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Great_Old_One_patron#Great_Old_One_Patrons
YOU CAN PLAY AS A FOLLOWER OF CTHULHU???!!! *squeaks of laughter and pure joy*
If you want more inspiration for GOO patrons, look no further than the Chtulhu Mythos by Lovecraft. Every Old One can serve as a patron there, like Azathoth, Tsathoggua, Shub-Niggurath, Dagon, Nyarlathotep, Cthugha, Ghatanothoa, Hastur, the King in Yellow and Yog-Sothoth...to name a few.
Moreover, if you can find a copy of Sandy Petersen's Chtulhu Mythos campaign setting for 5E, it has great information on all the Great Old Ones, their cults, campaign specific spells, monsters and creatures, magic items, etc. There is even a subclass specific for Warlocks which is basically another take on the GOOlock.
If you're using 2024 revised rules, then the book is still very compatible, but there are some things that you might have to Homebrew for 2024 (like the Pact of the Skull).
In terms of specific D&D canon, the Elder Evils were the closest to canon Old Ones, and I believe James Wyatt mentioned that the 2024 DMG will include entries in the Lore Glossary for them. Beyond that, there might be some Homebrew conversions of the Elder Evils supplement from 3.5E to 5E.
Fiend patron, get Juiblex as your patron.
As for Great Old Ones, there are no canon ones. You could technically make one up, at your DM's discretion.
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