I'm building a warlock with a patron that's literally the moon. It talks to my warlock via a big ass moth that lives in her hair and tells her what to do. Her backstory includes almost being sacrificed to a now mostly dead cult and being a weird mostly feral swamp child that people think is crazy because she talks to the moon.
It's a fun character with a fun story, but I'm not sure how to classify that patron so I can build her properly. I'm guessing celestial or undying, maybe great old one but it's hard to say. Any advice would be lovely.
This sounds way too great old ones imo, Undying is more in the line of zombies and undeath.
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Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
I would say great old one from how you are describing the moon. Celestial patrons tend to be kinder patrons in my mind while Great Old Ones tend to mess with the mind
I'm building a warlock with a patron that's literally the moon. It talks to my warlock via a big ass moth that lives in her hair and tells her what to do. Her backstory includes almost being sacrificed to a now mostly dead cult and being a weird mostly feral swamp child that people think is crazy because she talks to the moon.
It's a fun character with a fun story, but I'm not sure how to classify that patron so I can build her properly. I'm guessing celestial or undying, maybe great old one but it's hard to say. Any advice would be lovely.
This sounds way too great old ones imo, Undying is more in the line of zombies and undeath.
I would say great old one from how you are describing the moon. Celestial patrons tend to be kinder patrons in my mind while Great Old Ones tend to mess with the mind
Is it ok for a patron to force power onto someone? Just for a character concept, some immensely powerful being gives its power away with nothing in return
I don't see why not. The relationship could always change into something more traditional. And even if not, roleplaying a warlock who was essentially captive to his patron could be fairly interesting.
One of my characters has a patron that is a succubus who her great great grandmother made a deal with, saving her from death, but selling her soul and the soul of every female family member when they die. The succubus became the patron for every female family member, and eventually got to her. The succubus speaks in her head, often telling her what to do, and making her be very flirty.
In my current session that I run one of my players really loves the idea of warlock and she wanted to have an Ancient Old One as a patron; the dilemma is she wants to play a good character. Being a semi-new H.P Lovecraft fan I could not figure out how I could combine an Ancient Old One patron with a good character untill I've read a passage on the Monster Manual about the Gith. There are DEAD GODS! So I gave my player a tiara as her focus; tis tiara is not just a simple jewellery, it goes inside her head near the temples. And this dead god actually played a major role in chaining an archfiend inside the moon; her body IS the moon! But the consciousness of the god lives on thtough a few stones and pebbles that fell on the planet during the encapsulment of the archfiend.
So what does the patron want; to be able to come back. How ever this god does not realise that if she comes back, the archfiend can break free. Another point of conflict is the patron wants to come back through the body of her warlock servent. So throughout the game, this player will lose control of her body and will get meories that she does not remember where they came from. One possible solution that the warlock player can overcome her patron that tries steal her body is right a sonet or a long poem about her (the warlock chose the entertainer background so I figured it would be fitting) reminding the people the sacrifice of this specific god. I fpeople rmemeber the god, than she will not want to come back and the warlock can maintain her own body.
I'm not trying to be a jerk, but there is really no reason a DM should tell a character that they can't do something, especially be "good". Ancient Old One in particular, the description clearly says that the patron may not even be aware of the warlock's presence. Also, the RP element should not be shoved down the players throat, /particularly/ if it's a new player. If the player is on board, by all means go down that path, but if they are not, just let the player use the archetype for what it's intended to be: A chassis to provide sound mechanics.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
I went with the unaware in my GOO patron. The guy happened to copy a book, which formed his pact. he was compelled to keep copying it, and to truly read and comprehend it could drive someone insane, so he places clear warnings on the covers of all the copies he's forced to make.
I went with the unaware in my GOO patron. The guy happened to copy a book, which formed his pact. he was compelled to keep copying it, and to truly read and comprehend it could drive someone insane, so he places clear warnings on the covers of all the copies he's forced to make.
I really like this, it's very cool
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
My current character in a campaign is a good character with a Fiend patron. She's part of this ancient order of warlock warriors who in this campaign world, eons ago, actually imprisoned a powerful fiend in this magical pyramid that allows them to syphon their powers from him against his will. They then use that power to act as vigilantes throughout the world, however they also have to take extreme care to maintain the prison because they would pretty much be the first ones on the chopping block should the fiend ever escape...
oh yeah I agree that is why I ve discussed with the player what she wants to do with her character and what are her expectations from the game before I started writing her patron; that being said I believe there should be a bit wiggling room for the DM so that I can blindsight the players every now and then resulting with unforgettable moments
According to Jewish myth, Samael, better known as the Grim Reaper, is a fallen angel. He is the chief seducer, accuser, and destroyer. Samael is also called the chief of the Dragons of Evil and Prince of Darkness. Samael is both kind and cruel and was once a heavenly host. He lorded over ‘Sheba Ha-yechaloth’, or the seven habitations. His sphere of influence extends to the infernal realm as well.
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Cedo nulli, Calcanda semel via leti. Parvi sed magni.
mine is probally not as creative as the rest of you i just wrote too much :(
Nickname: "Taz"
Full name: "Tazcatlipoky"
It is a god, trapped in an obsidian dagger.
Appearance is always black with yellow eyes.
Dagger description: an obsidian dagger with a mirror like blade, and an all-black metallic pummel. Inscribed on the pummel of the blade are the two words, smoke and mirror. On the guard of the blade is a face of a jaguar.
Once the follower gains approval of Tazcatlipoky, the dagger can transform into different items, and even split into two parts one named smoke, and another mirror.
Examples:
* A black sword (smoke) with a yellow leather covered pummel, and a black shield (mirror) with the front as smooth as a mirror.
* Two short swords one black (smoke) and one metallic silver (mirror).
* A black obsidian staff that has a sculptor of a jaguar on top.
*A single black spear with a small yellow ribbon.
*A simple black mirror.
But once the form is taken it cannot be changed for a year and a day.
The god is symbolized with:
* Mainly- smoke, obsidian mirror (black mirror) and divination.
* On the sides- the night winds and sky, hurricanes, the north, the earth, obsidian, enmity, discord, rulership, illusion, temptation, jaguars, war and strife.
Colors of the god: mostly black with a stripe of yellow on the eyes
Personality of Tazcatlipoky: prideful- in his mind a god is still a god no matter where he is. He has the end goal of escaping his prison in the dagger and taking control of the realm of the gods. He prefers not to lie but he will not tell you the whole truth. He does love tricking his enemies and will even sacrifice a leg for a good plan of his followers (only if it's take over the world good).
He hates those who in his words -"are blatantly trying to copy me and are giving me a poor reputation". His favorite killing method is cutting out the heart and stabbing it while it's in the air.
How was he trapped? – He was betrayed by a different god (chosen by the GM) in a plan to end the rising of the sun and cause eternal darkness (which will increase his power as a god).
Can the dagger be destroyed? – It will always re-appear in a random dark corner of the world a year and a day after it is destroyed by normal means. True destruction of the dagger means freeing the god inside. It can only be destroyed by… (Details are up to the game master.)
Side note: the god is also known in different names to his previous followers such as :"my master", "He by Whom I am allowed to Live", "Enemy of Both Sides", "Night Wind", "the second Reed"(reed is a plant... that follower died really fast), "Possessor of the Sky and Earth" and mostly "the black one".
the god is also hated by gods who have a connection to the sun.
Contract details:
Conditions:
When a "copycat"@ appears you have one month and a day to kill him/her or you die (Tazcatlipoky will tell you when you are near one).
Never separate smoke and mirror for more than a day (more than 360 ft. apart) or you lose favor with Tazcatlipoky (up to the discretion of the Game Master).
You have to try and destroy the dagger (true destruction), and release Tazcatlipoky.
Benefits:
Gain Tazcatlipoky's favor (Become a warlock)
Have his advice on any plan (a divination - the Game Master decides how many details are reviled)
@What is a "copycat"? A "copycat" is a person who has at least 4 out of these things:
* has 4 wives/husbands.
* is rich.
* has black skin (not brown or any kind of normal skin color but completely black).
* Wears black clothes (most of the time).
* owns a jaguar.
* is an illusionist or/and diviner.
* has yellow eyes.
BTW- This god is a blatant "copy" of the god "Tazcatlipoca" from the Aztec religion. For more possible inspiration materials for the god go to the wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tezcatlipoca .
In a separate thread, there was a discussion on patrons. There are many cultures from which they could be drawn, and also, if your DM is not good with using gods themselves, there's the possibility of demigods that are deification of abstract thought. In Egyptian mythology, Seshet was the daughter of Thoth, the goddess of applied knowledge like astronomy, scribing, geometry, etc. In Greek, she's Ourania - one of the 9 muses. Thoth also had 8 demigods of abstract thought - things like "darkness", "light", "repose", etc. Each of these could provide a thematic boost as a patron. For example, a celestial who's patron is the abstract demigod of "light" or an undying who's the abstract concept of death. Note that abstract concept primordial gods aren't like the Odins and Zeuses and Correllons of the Prime Material- they're the result of sentients' first understandings of mythical thoughts. They often don't have temples or even significant cultic sites here on Earth. Thus, as abstract concepts, would make for some very interesting patron possibilities.
Some DMs subscribe that a god/goddess may be the same being but differently aspected to each species. For example, although Selune and Sehanine are different beings in Forgotten Realms mythos, they are known to closely work together and one culture might easily think another culture's concept god might simply be the same being, explained by different people. Thus, a being like Ourania might well be the same being in concept as Seshet, one of the 7 Shards of Selune, or a servant of Sehanine. In this case, my patron - figured out after a year and a half of role-playing - is Ilmarë, the chief assistant to Sehanine. She's functionally an Elven demigod, and the name, Ilmarë, I straight up swiped from Tolkien. In Middle Earth, Ilmarë is the chief Maia to Varda, the Vala of the stars and revered of the Elves.
She serves as patron of geometry, astronomy, navigation, and scholarly pursuits with magic. Given my Feylock's emphasis on Intellectual pursuit as a Pact of the Tome and a guy with Int 16, there's natural synergy between him as a Half-Moon Elf. They communicate through his Grimoire in Ancient Eladrin, and she wishes him not to just know magic, but to study it, and their pact is built on understanding. Intentionally, I took time to build this relationship up without knowing whom it actually was that served as patron. Quite honestly, I didn't know whom I wanted to be the patron early on. So, I let it evolve over a year and a half and 8 levels, before finally actually encountering her in a recent adventure. The regular DM and I had worked it out where I ran a two session special module with that being the result (He also wanted a break and play a bit, so it served more than one purpose.)
There are as many possible patrons as there are Warlock concepts in 5e. So, the above could also potentially be used as a Celestial patron as well, depending on the way you conceive of a Muse as a being and the way the pact is written - depends on your table and DM. In my case, she serves as an Archfey and while probably far less directly powerful, she could be seen as somewhat analogous to the way Asmodeus is both patron and god.
Best wishes for all of your continued health and safety.
I am making a Monster Manual of Great Old One patrons because the fun thing about Great Old Ones, the dm doesnt need to approve their existence. They can just exist.
I've got a PadLock that I was trying to figure out how to make a devoted Paladin also become a Warlock - and I was stuck for a bit. We are playing in a "Greek Gods" themed campaign (this was before Theros...) and she worships Athena. I decided to have her patron be Alke, the Spirit of Courage. So, Athena teaches her wisdom, Alke grants her courage. I figured that way I can alternate between classes as she levels up.
An idea that I am fond of is using a vestige of a dead god as your patron.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
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This sounds way too great old ones imo, Undying is more in the line of zombies and undeath.
Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
I would say great old one from how you are describing the moon. Celestial patrons tend to be kinder patrons in my mind while Great Old Ones tend to mess with the mind
That's great! Thanks so much to the both of you.
Have you ever heard of Futakuchi-Onna? from Japanese folk-lore? might give some inspiration.
My idea exactly...
One of my characters has a patron that is a succubus who her great great grandmother made a deal with, saving her from death, but selling her soul and the soul of every female family member when they die. The succubus became the patron for every female family member, and eventually got to her. The succubus speaks in her head, often telling her what to do, and making her be very flirty.
In my current session that I run one of my players really loves the idea of warlock and she wanted to have an Ancient Old One as a patron; the dilemma is she wants to play a good character. Being a semi-new H.P Lovecraft fan I could not figure out how I could combine an Ancient Old One patron with a good character untill I've read a passage on the Monster Manual about the Gith. There are DEAD GODS! So I gave my player a tiara as her focus; tis tiara is not just a simple jewellery, it goes inside her head near the temples. And this dead god actually played a major role in chaining an archfiend inside the moon; her body IS the moon! But the consciousness of the god lives on thtough a few stones and pebbles that fell on the planet during the encapsulment of the archfiend.
So what does the patron want; to be able to come back. How ever this god does not realise that if she comes back, the archfiend can break free. Another point of conflict is the patron wants to come back through the body of her warlock servent. So throughout the game, this player will lose control of her body and will get meories that she does not remember where they came from. One possible solution that the warlock player can overcome her patron that tries steal her body is right a sonet or a long poem about her (the warlock chose the entertainer background so I figured it would be fitting) reminding the people the sacrifice of this specific god. I fpeople rmemeber the god, than she will not want to come back and the warlock can maintain her own body.
I'm not trying to be a jerk, but there is really no reason a DM should tell a character that they can't do something, especially be "good". Ancient Old One in particular, the description clearly says that the patron may not even be aware of the warlock's presence. Also, the RP element should not be shoved down the players throat, /particularly/ if it's a new player. If the player is on board, by all means go down that path, but if they are not, just let the player use the archetype for what it's intended to be: A chassis to provide sound mechanics.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
I went with the unaware in my GOO patron. The guy happened to copy a book, which formed his pact. he was compelled to keep copying it, and to truly read and comprehend it could drive someone insane, so he places clear warnings on the covers of all the copies he's forced to make.
My changeling hexblade's patron is Karsus.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
I really like this, it's very cool
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
My current character in a campaign is a good character with a Fiend patron. She's part of this ancient order of warlock warriors who in this campaign world, eons ago, actually imprisoned a powerful fiend in this magical pyramid that allows them to syphon their powers from him against his will. They then use that power to act as vigilantes throughout the world, however they also have to take extreme care to maintain the prison because they would pretty much be the first ones on the chopping block should the fiend ever escape...
oh yeah I agree that is why I ve discussed with the player what she wants to do with her character and what are her expectations from the game before I started writing her patron; that being said I believe there should be a bit wiggling room for the DM so that I can blindsight the players every now and then resulting with unforgettable moments
My Patron: Samael
According to Jewish myth, Samael, better known as the Grim Reaper, is a fallen angel. He is the chief seducer, accuser, and destroyer. Samael is also called the chief of the Dragons of Evil and Prince of Darkness. Samael is both kind and cruel and was once a heavenly host. He lorded over ‘Sheba Ha-yechaloth’, or the seven habitations. His sphere of influence extends to the infernal realm as well.
Cedo nulli, Calcanda semel via leti.
Parvi sed magni.
mine is probally not as creative as the rest of you i just wrote too much :(
Nickname: "Taz"
Full name: "Tazcatlipoky"
It is a god, trapped in an obsidian dagger.
Appearance is always black with yellow eyes.
Dagger description: an obsidian dagger with a mirror like blade, and an all-black metallic pummel. Inscribed on the pummel of the blade are the two words, smoke and mirror. On the guard of the blade is a face of a jaguar.
Once the follower gains approval of Tazcatlipoky, the dagger can transform into different items, and even split into two parts one named smoke, and another mirror.
Examples:
* A black sword (smoke) with a yellow leather covered pummel, and a black shield (mirror) with the front as smooth as a mirror.
* Two short swords one black (smoke) and one metallic silver (mirror).
* A black obsidian staff that has a sculptor of a jaguar on top.
*A single black spear with a small yellow ribbon.
*A simple black mirror.
But once the form is taken it cannot be changed for a year and a day.
The god is symbolized with:
* Mainly- smoke, obsidian mirror (black mirror) and divination.
* On the sides- the night winds and sky, hurricanes, the north, the earth, obsidian, enmity, discord, rulership, illusion, temptation, jaguars, war and strife.
Colors of the god: mostly black with a stripe of yellow on the eyes
Personality of Tazcatlipoky: prideful- in his mind a god is still a god no matter where he is. He has the end goal of escaping his prison in the dagger and taking control of the realm of the gods. He prefers not to lie but he will not tell you the whole truth. He does love tricking his enemies and will even sacrifice a leg for a good plan of his followers (only if it's take over the world good).
He hates those who in his words -"are blatantly trying to copy me and are giving me a poor reputation". His favorite killing method is cutting out the heart and stabbing it while it's in the air.
How was he trapped? – He was betrayed by a different god (chosen by the GM) in a plan to end the rising of the sun and cause eternal darkness (which will increase his power as a god).
Can the dagger be destroyed? – It will always re-appear in a random dark corner of the world a year and a day after it is destroyed by normal means. True destruction of the dagger means freeing the god inside. It can only be destroyed by… (Details are up to the game master.)
Side note: the god is also known in different names to his previous followers such as :"my master", "He by Whom I am allowed to Live", "Enemy of Both Sides", "Night Wind", "the second Reed"(reed is a plant... that follower died really fast), "Possessor of the Sky and Earth" and mostly "the black one".
the god is also hated by gods who have a connection to the sun.
Contract details:
Conditions:
Benefits:
@What is a "copycat"? A "copycat" is a person who has at least 4 out of these things:
* has 4 wives/husbands.
* is rich.
* has black skin (not brown or any kind of normal skin color but completely black).
* Wears black clothes (most of the time).
* owns a jaguar.
* is an illusionist or/and diviner.
* has yellow eyes.
BTW- This god is a blatant "copy" of the god "Tazcatlipoca" from the Aztec religion. For more possible inspiration materials for the god go to the wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tezcatlipoca .
Jack Skellington - Trickery and Shadows
In a separate thread, there was a discussion on patrons. There are many cultures from which they could be drawn, and also, if your DM is not good with using gods themselves, there's the possibility of demigods that are deification of abstract thought. In Egyptian mythology, Seshet was the daughter of Thoth, the goddess of applied knowledge like astronomy, scribing, geometry, etc. In Greek, she's Ourania - one of the 9 muses. Thoth also had 8 demigods of abstract thought - things like "darkness", "light", "repose", etc. Each of these could provide a thematic boost as a patron. For example, a celestial who's patron is the abstract demigod of "light" or an undying who's the abstract concept of death. Note that abstract concept primordial gods aren't like the Odins and Zeuses and Correllons of the Prime Material- they're the result of sentients' first understandings of mythical thoughts. They often don't have temples or even significant cultic sites here on Earth. Thus, as abstract concepts, would make for some very interesting patron possibilities.
Some DMs subscribe that a god/goddess may be the same being but differently aspected to each species. For example, although Selune and Sehanine are different beings in Forgotten Realms mythos, they are known to closely work together and one culture might easily think another culture's concept god might simply be the same being, explained by different people. Thus, a being like Ourania might well be the same being in concept as Seshet, one of the 7 Shards of Selune, or a servant of Sehanine. In this case, my patron - figured out after a year and a half of role-playing - is Ilmarë, the chief assistant to Sehanine. She's functionally an Elven demigod, and the name, Ilmarë, I straight up swiped from Tolkien. In Middle Earth, Ilmarë is the chief Maia to Varda, the Vala of the stars and revered of the Elves.
She serves as patron of geometry, astronomy, navigation, and scholarly pursuits with magic. Given my Feylock's emphasis on Intellectual pursuit as a Pact of the Tome and a guy with Int 16, there's natural synergy between him as a Half-Moon Elf. They communicate through his Grimoire in Ancient Eladrin, and she wishes him not to just know magic, but to study it, and their pact is built on understanding. Intentionally, I took time to build this relationship up without knowing whom it actually was that served as patron. Quite honestly, I didn't know whom I wanted to be the patron early on. So, I let it evolve over a year and a half and 8 levels, before finally actually encountering her in a recent adventure. The regular DM and I had worked it out where I ran a two session special module with that being the result (He also wanted a break and play a bit, so it served more than one purpose.)
There are as many possible patrons as there are Warlock concepts in 5e. So, the above could also potentially be used as a Celestial patron as well, depending on the way you conceive of a Muse as a being and the way the pact is written - depends on your table and DM. In my case, she serves as an Archfey and while probably far less directly powerful, she could be seen as somewhat analogous to the way Asmodeus is both patron and god.
Best wishes for all of your continued health and safety.
May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
I am making a Monster Manual of Great Old One patrons because the fun thing about Great Old Ones, the dm doesnt need to approve their existence. They can just exist.
I've got a PadLock that I was trying to figure out how to make a devoted Paladin also become a Warlock - and I was stuck for a bit.
We are playing in a "Greek Gods" themed campaign (this was before Theros...) and she worships Athena. I decided to have her patron be Alke, the Spirit of Courage. So, Athena teaches her wisdom, Alke grants her courage. I figured that way I can alternate between classes as she levels up.
An idea that I am fond of is using a vestige of a dead god as your patron.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha