Infernal Pact & Celestial Patron Deal Ideas

Let me start off by saying if the Pact Seeker had a Celestial Pact option, I would have taken it. The fact of the matter is though I really don’t connect with any of the other backgrounds that give the stats I need.

Who know’s? Maybe it’s a sign: My character prayed for anyone to help him as he failed and was ridiculed at the time as an in-training Paladin until “something else” finally answered his prayers. Maybe the Celestials only reached out once his deal with the Infernals caught their attention. He has since found a religious sect that not only doesn’t frown on him but welcomes him despite his mistakes.

The real question is how can I manage this past decision without it contradicting the current patron. Maybe the Celestial paid or canceled his debt to the Infernal in exchange for a new contract with them?

Anyway, as messy as it sounds to pull off, based on what I’ve described, I’m looking for ideas that combine the two deals. I saw the Infernal as more of a traditional pact for power and the Celestial Patron as more of an at least seemingly friendly counter to it. I have the basics, but I would like it to be more fleshed out.

This is what I have so far:

”Born Flame Smith, you were the son of a brilliant and famous yet down to earth Battle Smith and Eldritch Knight (Eldritch Smith), as well as an Aberrant Mind Sorceress.

Those born from chaos like you often studied in a monastery of young paladins to purify themselves from their ancestors’ corruption as a Verdan. You were told it was a path to salvation. 

It wasn’t.

After years of “penance” with no blessing of redemption from the Celestials, your prayers were finally answered by… something else…

It wasn’t until after your deal with the devil that the Celestials took notice of your abilities and offered to pay your debt in exchange for your services.

Eventually, you found another religious organization that not only didn’t shun you but rather welcomed you despite your past.”

If you all have any ideas, I’d be happy to hear them. 

Seems like the easiest thing is to just kind of slap a piece of masking tape over the name of the feat, and write “celestial” on it. Just re-skin the existing feat (with DM approval) and call it good. The game mechanics don’t care where you hit your power.

Treat them as two pacts.  Two contracts.  Realize that pacts do not have to be long term continued items.  They can be payment for services rendered.  The 5e designers have talked at length that a pact and patron do not have to be ongoing concerns.  You could have saved celestial or fiend or provided a service and they granted you power.  They can be aloof and uncaring not wanting to be involved or heavily involved.

My recommendation is that your infernal pact from you background is payment for services rendered, but with mild strings (you cannot unattach those strings). 

The Celestial pact as it is your subclass is a path of redemption.  You could be a pet redemption project for a celestial.

What might that look like given what you have already stated the above.

While in the monastery you were struggling with something personal. Could have been budding Aberrant sorcery changes.  You prayed and prayed but nothing seemed to help.  While doing yard work at the monastery you met a man who seemed out of place.  He noticed your freakish lineage and said there was a book in the library that if you got for him he could help you.  Books aren't allowed outside the library, but he assured you that if you brought this to him he could help.  So you stole the book.  You gave it to the stranger.  He opened it to a page and a wall of flame circled around you.  The flames spoke to you assuring you that the aberration had been purged from your blood.  He asked for your soul, but you declined.  He thanked you for the book and left you with the gifts of the feat.  He said if you need him again he will find you, and if he needs you well... he knows where you always are.

The Celestial angle is much easier.  The monastery had to figure out what to do with you.  You stole a book and gave it to a devil.  What is wrong with you.  But a Celestial intervened and noted that you had not exchanged your soul.  While you were tied to the devil, he did not own you.  That Celestial asked if you would serve the cause of good.  You accepted.

Now you are capable of walking two paths and neither.  You are tainted by your infernal pact and cannot get rid of it.  A devil may recognize the pact in you which makes you possibly free to explore the Hells.  The Celestials can use this for their own purposes.

Both make sense. I do like that last part of walking the hells for them. And yeah, I suppose you are right; it doesn’t have to be an ongoing thing.

Thank you for the advice!

Classic redemption arc.

TLDR version, planned originally before 2024 as a "The Undead" patron. But story can easily explain fiend, celestial, good, evil all rolled into one. It's how the character plays it that drives the story. 

In service to a celestial church (paladin training/acolyte stuff) showed promise.

Accompanying [insert tragic figure here] somewhere and attacked by a vile cult. Captured and ITFH is about to be sacrificed to foul cult patron.

You call out with all your being for the power to save ITFH and it is granted ... by the cults patron. And you unleash their power and save/avenge poor ITFH.

In your heart of hearts you feel kinship to your celestial order, but are cast out because of the infernal taint.

The only way to be rid of the taint is to reclaim the part of your soul you gave away. The patron wishes to eat the rest of your soul but is only nourished by power, so they wish you to gain power so you may challenge them. If you win you reclaim your soul, if you lose you're on the BBQ for the patrons lunch.

Gives an end campaign fight to reclaim yourself, and a roleplay hook leading up to that where you are cast from the order as defiled but try and walk the righteous path, only accepting foul power to become strong enough to reclaim yourself.

Full version - longwinded etc --> original idea here