I never ended up getting to play her, but I created a half elf named Ariadne whose village was struck by the plague. Her little sister fell ill and Ariadne pleaded with the gods to heal her. She would do anything! But the gods didn't listen. Instead, a lich came forward and promised he would take care of her sister if Ariadne agreed to work for him. The pact was made, Ariadne was granted new powers and she was sent to complete a small task. When she returned, she found that the lich had let her sister die and brought her back as an undead servant. Furious with grief, she swore to one day break the bond and kill the lich that gave her powers.
I never ended up getting to play her, but I created a half elf named Ariadne whose village was struck by the plague. Her little sister fell ill and Ariadne pleaded with the gods to heal her. She would do anything! But the gods didn't listen. Instead, a lich came forward and promised he would take care of her sister if Ariadne agreed to work for him. The pact was made, Ariadne was granted new powers and she was sent to complete a small task. When she returned, she found that the lich had let her sister die and brought her back as an undead servant. Furious with grief, she swore to one day break the bond and kill the lich that gave her powers.
Who's giving her power then? is she siphoning from him or from another creature.... or another lich?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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"
Just started playing a Fallen Aasimar warlock in pact with a fiend.
Born to a single mother in a backwoods village and reviled by all - including my mother - for a) being a bastard and b) having celestial powers, I found solace as a child visiting the "wizard" who lived in the woods. Said "wizard" was actually a warlock who was looking for a suitable innocent victim to perform a ritual on to transfer the pact he had onto.
One day he achieves the ritual, however the resulting shockwave brings the villagers to his door. Seeing me unconscious on the floor, they assume he has sacrificed me and en masse attack him and drag him off to the local lords keep to be imprisoned in the dungeon. While they are doing so I regain consciousness and sneak off into the woods and make my way to cities where I can blend in with other urchins.
The prophetic dreams I used to have have been replaced by what I think are nightmares, and I have spent the last 40+ years trying to maintain a balance between satisfying the fiend (whose instructions I have been percieving as something like the struggle non-celestial beings experience without celestial guidance, obviously not realising that not everyone has the urge to hurt people and create havoc to this extent) and keeping to what I now vaguely remember as the Right Way to live. I have done this in a similar fashion to Crowly in Good Omens - creating havoc and flow on misery to people through indirect actions - explaining the charlatan background, disguise kits and weighted dice.
When we meet Salvyn in Descent into Avernus they are 60ish (pact forged in early teens) and starting to really struggle with maintaining the balance. They have been avoiding using their dark powers as much as possible (explains the level 1 at 60), but it is getting harder and harder to avoid.
I was unsure which way the balance was going to fall until I "met" the rest of the party - twin Teiflings, a black Dragonborn and a really irritating shield dwarf, to be joined by a halfling monk in a few sessions - but now Salvyn will definitly be falling into the darkness as she spends more time around fiendish creatures. Being near other celestials or those who use radiant magics causes them pain, as does erring too close to being 'good'. No idea who my patron actually is - have left it up to the DM which I may live to regret...
My guy was/is a researcher-in-training from Waterdeep, specializing in the learning the backstory of old jewelry. Think “Antique Roadshow” meets Forgotten Realms. He was researching the history of a ring that he had found and made the rookie mistake of putting it on. That is how he became bound to his patron, the fiendish Crimson King.
My guy was/is a researcher-in-training from Waterdeep, specializing in the learning the backstory of old jewelry. Think “Antique Roadshow” meets Forgotten Realms. He was researching the history of a ring that he had found and made the rookie mistake of putting it on. That is how he became bound to his patron, the fiendish Crimson King.
I remember seeing the name "crimson king" somewhere else in the forum. Who is he exactly ?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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"
My guy was/is a researcher-in-training from Waterdeep, specializing in the learning the backstory of old jewelry. Think “Antique Roadshow” meets Forgotten Realms. He was researching the history of a ring that he had found and made the rookie mistake of putting it on. That is how he became bound to his patron, the fiendish Crimson King.
I remember seeing the name "crimson king" somewhere else in the forum. Who is he exactly ?
The Crimson King is a character from Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series of novels. He is described as a trans-dimensional demon set on causing the destruction of The Dark Tower which is sort of the hub of all universes. I have read the series a couple of times and just got into my head that he would make an interesting patron, especially since i am basing my warlock on the character Walter O’Dim, who in the novel is the minion of the Crimson King.
What prevents some groups from actively creating large numbers of Warlocks?
A Drow family could sacrifice babies to some demon so that those who survive becomes Warlocks the clan can sell as high rating slaves. Or a clan of elves could worship, or be protected by, a powerful Archfey and have a high opinion of their Warlocks.
I also had this idea for an Undying elf/half elf Warlock in which the patron is their forest itself. At birth the elves bind their souls to the forest so that at their death it claims them. The elves can interact with their deads in some leyline hotspots and those gifted can be given Warlock powers this way (if they survive).
What prevents some groups from actively creating large numbers of Warlocks?
A Drow family could sacrifice babies to some demon so that those who survive becomes Warlocks the clan can sell as high rating slaves. Or a clan of elves could worship, or be protected by, a powerful Archfey and have a high opinion of their Warlocks.
I also had this idea for an Undying elf/half elf Warlock in which the patron is their forest itself. At birth the elves bind their souls to the forest so that at their death it claims them. The elves can interact with their deads in some leyline hotspots and those gifted can be given Warlock powers this way (if they survive).
I still think you have to have some talent for magic, an ability to understand and manipulate the weave. Just as average people have a stat block of everything at 10 on a 3d6, average people do not manipulate the weave. PCs are inherently more powerful and gifted than others, otherwise it would be impossible to create their heroic or villainous tales. I would argue that that prevents just the mass creation of Warlocks.
As to a magical semi sentient (or perhaps, fully so) forest, I like it. It might be interesting to see the forest bind the elves to it, but how might Dryads and Treants react? It provides a lot of intriguing role-playing possibilities, if fully fleshed out.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
What prevents some groups from actively creating large numbers of Warlocks?
A Drow family could sacrifice babies to some demon so that those who survive becomes Warlocks the clan can sell as high rating slaves. Or a clan of elves could worship, or be protected by, a powerful Archfey and have a high opinion of their Warlocks.
I also had this idea for an Undying elf/half elf Warlock in which the patron is their forest itself. At birth the elves bind their souls to the forest so that at their death it claims them. The elves can interact with their deads in some leyline hotspots and those gifted can be given Warlock powers this way (if they survive).
I still think you have to have some talent for magic, an ability to understand and manipulate the weave. Just as average people have a stat block of everything at 10 on a 3d6, average people do not manipulate the weave. PCs are inherently more powerful and gifted than others, otherwise it would be impossible to create their heroic or villainous tales. I would argue that that prevents just the mass creation of Warlocks.
As to a magical semi sentient (or perhaps, fully so) forest, I like it. It might be interesting to see the forest bind the elves to it, but how might Dryads and Treants react? It provides a lot of intriguing role-playing possibilities, if fully fleshed out.
I agree that an aspiring Warlock needs something to attract a patron, for that reason I added something like 'if they survive'. Having a couple of Warlocks with the same patron may be interesting, but 50 of them would be not.
Still, a demon could decide that every tenth or so child offered has power just because that's the tenth one.
The sentient forest is something I've been thinking about for long. Anyway, the elves bind themselves to the forest and the forest became sentient due to the accumulation of souls through centuries. The forest would be more like a Lich, with the phylactery being the leyline hotspots were the binding rituals are conducted. Indeed, at birth the elves hold a baptism-like ritual for that very reason. I also thought that the corpses of the elves are mummified and scattered throughout the forest so that the spirits could reanimate them in cases of need.
Dryads and Treants could appreciate such a thing because the elf spirits end up being subordinate to them and being an help to protect the forest, but I like more the other possibility:
-They feel very insulted by what they see as an invasion of the spirit plane of the forest and being actually be at war against the elves. The point is that the gestant mind of the forest is elf-based, so it also resists against the wood creatures. Dryads and Treants took too long to understand the danger this practice was to them (long view and all), so when they realised it, the elves were too strong to be faced alone. Thus they decided to ask for the help of the Green Dragon living there and helped it spread its influence throughout the forest (I assume a sufficently powerful dragon can make Dryads half dragons and can alchemically mix his blood with trees (poisonous Dragon Willows?)). So, the sentient forest is actually a schizophrenic one, divided between an elf-based mind and a dragon-based one, and at war with itself: necromantic elves with undying Warlock elites against baby Green Dragons and half-dragon Dryads and Treants.
To faster replace casualties, the elf could decide to send their women among the near human kingdoms to breed half-elves who grow faster.
(stuff redacted to save space). That forest of the undying sounds like an incredibly deep role-playing opportunity, with all kinds of different difficulties / adventuring opportunities. Might make a cool module (or two, or five...) On DM's guild.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
(stuff redacted to save space). That forest of the undying sounds like an incredibly deep role-playing opportunity, with all kinds of different difficulties / adventuring opportunities. Might make a cool module (or two, or five...) On DM's guild.
Thanks. I'd really like to expand the idea. Actually, I just took some of the things I like the most and thought of how they would work together. Now I'm writing a background for the forest.
'Forest of the Undying' is a nice name, my idea is the 'Forest that Breathes'. At least that's how the elves call it.
A things I forgot to add in the previous post is that the factions are not as united as they could be: there are elves fighting for the dragon and dryads fighting against it. A way to justify a surge of green draconic bloodline sorcerers among other things. There could also be spontaneous surges of elementals.
Have half dragon trees ever been made? And an half dragon oak would automatically make also its dryad an half dragon?
I never ended up getting to play her, but I created a half elf named Ariadne whose village was struck by the plague. Her little sister fell ill and Ariadne pleaded with the gods to heal her. She would do anything! But the gods didn't listen. Instead, a lich came forward and promised he would take care of her sister if Ariadne agreed to work for him. The pact was made, Ariadne was granted new powers and she was sent to complete a small task. When she returned, she found that the lich had let her sister die and brought her back as an undead servant. Furious with grief, she swore to one day break the bond and kill the lich that gave her powers.
Who's giving her power then? is she siphoning from him or from another creature.... or another lich?
A patron gift of power is not a god's link with a cleric once given the power can't be taken back.
I never ended up getting to play her, but I created a half elf named Ariadne whose village was struck by the plague. Her little sister fell ill and Ariadne pleaded with the gods to heal her. She would do anything! But the gods didn't listen. Instead, a lich came forward and promised he would take care of her sister if Ariadne agreed to work for him. The pact was made, Ariadne was granted new powers and she was sent to complete a small task. When she returned, she found that the lich had let her sister die and brought her back as an undead servant. Furious with grief, she swore to one day break the bond and kill the lich that gave her powers.
Who's giving her power then? is she siphoning from him or from another creature.... or another lich?
A patron gift of power is not a god's link with a cleric once given the power can't be taken back.
True, but how is she gaining more power though ? She has no reason to learn from the lich anymore meaning (in mechanical perspective) her level will be frozen and won't be able to take more levels in warlock.
Just to avoid confusion, the lich already gave her enough power for example until level 3, but she won't take power from the lich since the sister is dead. How is she going to gain further power to get her revenge ?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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 am about to play a Warlock of the Great Old One, who gained his powers (accidentally) by reading a book that had been delivered to his college, where he was a teacher.
I never ended up getting to play her, but I created a half elf named Ariadne whose village was struck by the plague. Her little sister fell ill and Ariadne pleaded with the gods to heal her. She would do anything! But the gods didn't listen. Instead, a lich came forward and promised he would take care of her sister if Ariadne agreed to work for him. The pact was made, Ariadne was granted new powers and she was sent to complete a small task. When she returned, she found that the lich had let her sister die and brought her back as an undead servant. Furious with grief, she swore to one day break the bond and kill the lich that gave her powers.
Who's giving her power then? is she siphoning from him or from another creature.... or another lich?
A patron gift of power is not a god's link with a cleric once given the power can't be taken back.
True, but how is she gaining more power though ? She has no reason to learn from the lich anymore meaning (in mechanical perspective) her level will be frozen and won't be able to take more levels in warlock.
Just to avoid confusion, the lich already gave her enough power for example until level 3, but she won't take power from the lich since the sister is dead. How is she going to gain further power to get her revenge ?
self reflection and study,finding new ways to use and apply themselves and abilities, ie...
I never ended up getting to play her, but I created a half elf named Ariadne whose village was struck by the plague. Her little sister fell ill and Ariadne pleaded with the gods to heal her. She would do anything! But the gods didn't listen. Instead, a lich came forward and promised he would take care of her sister if Ariadne agreed to work for him. The pact was made, Ariadne was granted new powers and she was sent to complete a small task. When she returned, she found that the lich had let her sister die and brought her back as an undead servant. Furious with grief, she swore to one day break the bond and kill the lich that gave her powers.
Who's giving her power then? is she siphoning from him or from another creature.... or another lich?
A patron gift of power is not a god's link with a cleric once given the power can't be taken back.
True, but how is she gaining more power though ? She has no reason to learn from the lich anymore meaning (in mechanical perspective) her level will be frozen and won't be able to take more levels in warlock.
Just to avoid confusion, the lich already gave her enough power for example until level 3, but she won't take power from the lich since the sister is dead. How is she going to gain further power to get her revenge ?
self reflection and study,finding new ways to use and apply themselves and abilities, ie...
Not the normal way a warlock would learn their dark arts... but i guess if your DM has their way then have fun!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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 never ended up getting to play her, but I created a half elf named Ariadne whose village was struck by the plague. Her little sister fell ill and Ariadne pleaded with the gods to heal her. She would do anything! But the gods didn't listen. Instead, a lich came forward and promised he would take care of her sister if Ariadne agreed to work for him. The pact was made, Ariadne was granted new powers and she was sent to complete a small task. When she returned, she found that the lich had let her sister die and brought her back as an undead servant. Furious with grief, she swore to one day break the bond and kill the lich that gave her powers.
Who's giving her power then? is she siphoning from him or from another creature.... or another lich?
A patron gift of power is not a god's link with a cleric once given the power can't be taken back.
True, but how is she gaining more power though ? She has no reason to learn from the lich anymore meaning (in mechanical perspective) her level will be frozen and won't be able to take more levels in warlock.
Just to avoid confusion, the lich already gave her enough power for example until level 3, but she won't take power from the lich since the sister is dead. How is she going to gain further power to get her revenge ?
self reflection and study,finding new ways to use and apply themselves and abilities, ie...
Not the normal way a warlock would learn their dark arts... but i guess if your DM has their way then have fun!
I do not understand what you mean by normal way , but i think what you mean is how dose she get more power without instruction or having it imbued to/on her. Well The Great Old One might not even know you exist how would you do it that case?And if you just need instruction Chain and Tome have built in ways. Wizards and Artificers classes based on study and instruction have ways to get more powers thru self study and experimentation
The elves are the most recent inhabitants in the forest, but they are also the ones who have left the most lasting mark on it.
When the first stragglers reached the trees, telling half stories of having been driven out of their lands, the ancient inhabitants of the forest, the Dryads and the Treants, and all the other spirits, thought little of them. They were never properly allowed to resettle there, but after long consultations the spirits decreted that the newcomers could be allowed to live among them, albeit separated, as long as from their presence wouldn't come harm the forests.
With that, the proper immigration of the elves into the forest they called the Forest that Breathes; Eyran Serin in their dialect: the vast mangrove forest that lies in the Great Dragon bay. The forest itself lais on a massive web of leylines and it's this peculiarity that guided the elves in their migration: the forest was one of the few points which was likely to reach for them where they could continue the practice of their customs and traditions. Those customs, especially their birth and funerary practices, were not properly harmful to the forest, or to anyone else, but still they had unpredictable consequences on the very fabric of the forest, leading to its current state of war.
Those elves use to bind the soul of their newborn to the very nature of the places they call home: ritually at their 29th day of life they are brought to a leyline nexus, where the elders of their clan tattoo the Glyph of the Return on the crown of their heads: at their death, the mark would summon their souls back to the forest. Those very spirits could then be accessed in areas where the magic is strong, to offer confort and counsel to the living. For this reason many youths are pushed to travel and pursue different paths in their life, so that the pool of knowledge could always grow bigger and better with any elf.
When an elf dies in the Forest that Breathes, their body is collected, mummified to keep it as long as possible, armed and armored as in life, and then left scattered in the forest. In times of need, or just to better interact with their living kins, the souls of the dead elves can inhabit and reanimate the bodies.
For the first few generations things seemed to proceed peacefully. Then, the spirits of the forest started perceiving a change in the spiritual plane of their home. The bound souls of the elves were coalescing within the magic-heavy background of the forest, approaching something that seemed like sentience: young but growing in power and knowlege with the death of any elf.
What was worst for the spirits was that they had no way of control over this new consciousness, as it was based exclusively on elves' mind and souls and was alien to them. The only solution they could find was making the elves stop their practice and wait for the consciousness to disperse itself into the forest, otherwise they could only destroy the leyline hotspots where the binding rituals are conducted, and this was deemed unacceptable.
When they were asked, the elves refused. Rather than explaining their reasons and risking a new refusal, the spirits decided to wage war and either drive the elves away or exterminate them.
It seemed a simple plan, but they didn't realize how powerful and numerous the elves had become. Plus, every casualty made the gestalt consciousness grow in power and awareness. Fearing defeat, and the end of the forest as they knew it, the dryad Saerriefrie Cypresscrown decided to resort to an extreme solution: awaken the great Green Dragon Rhansedra, hoping to make her a powerful ally.
Saerriefrie's gambit paid off: despite her condescension to non-draconic life forms, Rhansedra loves the Forest that Breath and considers her property and to her the practices of the elves mean theft and invasion. She was willing to help the dryads and the treants, but but in return she would spread her influence throughout the forest. Saerriefrie agreed and Rhansedra made the dryad an half dragon.
In the following years, the balance of the war, until then in favor of the elves, became uncertain again. Half dragon Treants and Dryads started joining the fray, while trees started growing scale-like leaves and release poisonous mists. Finally, a worrying number of green dragon Wyrmling started fighting against the eves.
All of this meant that the spirits actually had a chance to win their forest back. However, all those changes brought by the dragon and Saerriefrie started having the same effect on the forest that the arrival of the elves had: an ever growing presence that threatens to encompass the whole forest, but at least the dragon promised Saerriefrie that she wouldn't leave the original inhabitants alone and Rhansedra started growing ever fonder of the dryad.
To cope with this new shift, the elves decided to seek allies among nearby human tribes. Eventually a few half-elf children were born and the elves were delighted to learn that not only those children grow faster than a pure blood elf, they could also commune with the souls, just like them, and had an easier way to draw raw power from the spirits. They were the first Warlocks of the Forest that Breaths and the forerunners of a new offensive.
Lorarila was born in the Fyfe Esari (Whispering Leaves) clan of the elves living in the Forest that Breathes.
As the custom dictates, in her 29th day of life Loralia was brought to a leyline nexus in a pond. There the elders tattooed the Glyph of the Return on crown of Lorarila's head and her genealogy on her back: all her noteworthy deeds would be added and at her death the skin would be removed, treated and kept in her clan's archives. Running out of free space in life, thus having more than one sheet in the archives, is considered a mark of great honor (for the same reason, purposely harming one's back in a way that cancels the tattoos is taboo).
The clan of the Fyfe Esari basically is a single, large family and its children were raised with the participation of most of the adults. Lorarila's childhood went by with as much lightheartedness was possible to balance with her learning and weapons training. She was lucky in being born in one of the areas more firmly in the hands of the elves, so the war was something she never experienced first hand, even though her parents brought Lorarila and her siblings to see its effects more than once.
When she reached 20 years of age (maturity for an half-elf, even though her pure blood siblings were older in years but much less mature), Lorarila was brought once more to the elders and to the nexus. Once more she was presented to the spirits of their forebearers, and they found her worthy of receiving their Pact. That was the rebirth of Lorarila as a Warlock of the Forest that Breaths, receiving the vertical green line above the left eye and meeting warlock Ilimaer, who would be her master for the ritual three years of apprenticeship.
That was the first time Lorarila faced the war and her deeds earned new lines on her back, as well as new scars.
After that period, once her master deemed her able to protect herself and properly use their power and that of their patron, the time of the journey came. Lorarila has to leave the Forest that Breaths and, for at least the next ten years, she is supposed to travel the world, experiencing and learning news that couldn't be found in the forest. On her return she will be considered an adult member of her clan.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
I never ended up getting to play her, but I created a half elf named Ariadne whose village was struck by the plague. Her little sister fell ill and Ariadne pleaded with the gods to heal her. She would do anything! But the gods didn't listen. Instead, a lich came forward and promised he would take care of her sister if Ariadne agreed to work for him. The pact was made, Ariadne was granted new powers and she was sent to complete a small task. When she returned, she found that the lich had let her sister die and brought her back as an undead servant. Furious with grief, she swore to one day break the bond and kill the lich that gave her powers.
Who's giving her power then? is she siphoning from him or from another creature.... or another lich?
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"
Just started playing a Fallen Aasimar warlock in pact with a fiend.
Born to a single mother in a backwoods village and reviled by all - including my mother - for a) being a bastard and b) having celestial powers, I found solace as a child visiting the "wizard" who lived in the woods. Said "wizard" was actually a warlock who was looking for a suitable innocent victim to perform a ritual on to transfer the pact he had onto.
One day he achieves the ritual, however the resulting shockwave brings the villagers to his door. Seeing me unconscious on the floor, they assume he has sacrificed me and en masse attack him and drag him off to the local lords keep to be imprisoned in the dungeon. While they are doing so I regain consciousness and sneak off into the woods and make my way to cities where I can blend in with other urchins.
The prophetic dreams I used to have have been replaced by what I think are nightmares, and I have spent the last 40+ years trying to maintain a balance between satisfying the fiend (whose instructions I have been percieving as something like the struggle non-celestial beings experience without celestial guidance, obviously not realising that not everyone has the urge to hurt people and create havoc to this extent) and keeping to what I now vaguely remember as the Right Way to live. I have done this in a similar fashion to Crowly in Good Omens - creating havoc and flow on misery to people through indirect actions - explaining the charlatan background, disguise kits and weighted dice.
When we meet Salvyn in Descent into Avernus they are 60ish (pact forged in early teens) and starting to really struggle with maintaining the balance. They have been avoiding using their dark powers as much as possible (explains the level 1 at 60), but it is getting harder and harder to avoid.
I was unsure which way the balance was going to fall until I "met" the rest of the party - twin Teiflings, a black Dragonborn and a really irritating shield dwarf, to be joined by a halfling monk in a few sessions - but now Salvyn will definitly be falling into the darkness as she spends more time around fiendish creatures. Being near other celestials or those who use radiant magics causes them pain, as does erring too close to being 'good'. No idea who my patron actually is - have left it up to the DM which I may live to regret...
My guy was/is a researcher-in-training from Waterdeep, specializing in the learning the backstory of old jewelry. Think “Antique Roadshow” meets Forgotten Realms. He was researching the history of a ring that he had found and made the rookie mistake of putting it on. That is how he became bound to his patron, the fiendish Crimson King.
I remember seeing the name "crimson king" somewhere else in the forum. Who is he exactly ?
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"
The Crimson King is a character from Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series of novels. He is described as a trans-dimensional demon set on causing the destruction of The Dark Tower which is sort of the hub of all universes. I have read the series a couple of times and just got into my head that he would make an interesting patron, especially since i am basing my warlock on the character Walter O’Dim, who in the novel is the minion of the Crimson King.
What prevents some groups from actively creating large numbers of Warlocks?
A Drow family could sacrifice babies to some demon so that those who survive becomes Warlocks the clan can sell as high rating slaves. Or a clan of elves could worship, or be protected by, a powerful Archfey and have a high opinion of their Warlocks.
I also had this idea for an Undying elf/half elf Warlock in which the patron is their forest itself. At birth the elves bind their souls to the forest so that at their death it claims them. The elves can interact with their deads in some leyline hotspots and those gifted can be given Warlock powers this way (if they survive).
I still think you have to have some talent for magic, an ability to understand and manipulate the weave. Just as average people have a stat block of everything at 10 on a 3d6, average people do not manipulate the weave. PCs are inherently more powerful and gifted than others, otherwise it would be impossible to create their heroic or villainous tales. I would argue that that prevents just the mass creation of Warlocks.
As to a magical semi sentient (or perhaps, fully so) forest, I like it. It might be interesting to see the forest bind the elves to it, but how might Dryads and Treants react? It provides a lot of intriguing role-playing possibilities, if fully fleshed out.
May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
I agree that an aspiring Warlock needs something to attract a patron, for that reason I added something like 'if they survive'. Having a couple of Warlocks with the same patron may be interesting, but 50 of them would be not.
Still, a demon could decide that every tenth or so child offered has power just because that's the tenth one.
The sentient forest is something I've been thinking about for long. Anyway, the elves bind themselves to the forest and the forest became sentient due to the accumulation of souls through centuries. The forest would be more like a Lich, with the phylactery being the leyline hotspots were the binding rituals are conducted. Indeed, at birth the elves hold a baptism-like ritual for that very reason. I also thought that the corpses of the elves are mummified and scattered throughout the forest so that the spirits could reanimate them in cases of need.
Dryads and Treants could appreciate such a thing because the elf spirits end up being subordinate to them and being an help to protect the forest, but I like more the other possibility:
-They feel very insulted by what they see as an invasion of the spirit plane of the forest and being actually be at war against the elves. The point is that the gestant mind of the forest is elf-based, so it also resists against the wood creatures. Dryads and Treants took too long to understand the danger this practice was to them (long view and all), so when they realised it, the elves were too strong to be faced alone. Thus they decided to ask for the help of the Green Dragon living there and helped it spread its influence throughout the forest (I assume a sufficently powerful dragon can make Dryads half dragons and can alchemically mix his blood with trees (poisonous Dragon Willows?)). So, the sentient forest is actually a schizophrenic one, divided between an elf-based mind and a dragon-based one, and at war with itself: necromantic elves with undying Warlock elites against baby Green Dragons and half-dragon Dryads and Treants.
To faster replace casualties, the elf could decide to send their women among the near human kingdoms to breed half-elves who grow faster.
Shiv the Shanker, Shank the Shiv
Hello! I am just a relatively new D&D player, who also likes SimplePlanes and War Thunder.
My characters are:
(stuff redacted to save space). That forest of the undying sounds like an incredibly deep role-playing opportunity, with all kinds of different difficulties / adventuring opportunities. Might make a cool module (or two, or five...) On DM's guild.
May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
Thanks. I'd really like to expand the idea. Actually, I just took some of the things I like the most and thought of how they would work together. Now I'm writing a background for the forest.
'Forest of the Undying' is a nice name, my idea is the 'Forest that Breathes'. At least that's how the elves call it.
A things I forgot to add in the previous post is that the factions are not as united as they could be: there are elves fighting for the dragon and dryads fighting against it. A way to justify a surge of green draconic bloodline sorcerers among other things. There could also be spontaneous surges of elementals.
Have half dragon trees ever been made? And an half dragon oak would automatically make also its dryad an half dragon?
A patron gift of power is not a god's link with a cleric once given the power can't be taken back.
True, but how is she gaining more power though ? She has no reason to learn from the lich anymore meaning (in mechanical perspective) her level will be frozen and won't be able to take more levels in warlock.
Just to avoid confusion, the lich already gave her enough power for example until level 3, but she won't take power from the lich since the sister is dead. How is she going to gain further power to get her revenge ?
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 am about to play a Warlock of the Great Old One, who gained his powers (accidentally) by reading a book that had been delivered to his college, where he was a teacher.
Hello! I am just a relatively new D&D player, who also likes SimplePlanes and War Thunder.
My characters are:
self reflection and study,finding new ways to use and apply themselves and abilities, ie...
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MidSeasonUpgrade
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NextTierPowerUp
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TimeToUnlockMoreTruePotential
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FullPotentialUpgrade
Not the normal way a warlock would learn their dark arts... but i guess if your DM has their way then have fun!
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 do not understand what you mean by normal way , but i think what you mean is how dose she get more power without instruction or having it imbued to/on her. Well The Great Old One might not even know you exist how would you do it that case?And if you just need instruction Chain and Tome have built in ways. Wizards and Artificers classes based on study and instruction have ways to get more powers thru self study and experimentation
Warlock of a pit fiend that was turned into a piece of silverware. (Just an idea)
Name: Lorarila
Race: Half-elf
Class: Warlock (Undying patron)
The elves are the most recent inhabitants in the forest, but they are also the ones who have left the most lasting mark on it.
When the first stragglers reached the trees, telling half stories of having been driven out of their lands, the ancient inhabitants of the forest, the Dryads and the Treants, and all the other spirits, thought little of them. They were never properly allowed to resettle there, but after long consultations the spirits decreted that the newcomers could be allowed to live among them, albeit separated, as long as from their presence wouldn't come harm the forests.
With that, the proper immigration of the elves into the forest they called the Forest that Breathes; Eyran Serin in their dialect: the vast mangrove forest that lies in the Great Dragon bay. The forest itself lais on a massive web of leylines and it's this peculiarity that guided the elves in their migration: the forest was one of the few points which was likely to reach for them where they could continue the practice of their customs and traditions. Those customs, especially their birth and funerary practices, were not properly harmful to the forest, or to anyone else, but still they had unpredictable consequences on the very fabric of the forest, leading to its current state of war.
Those elves use to bind the soul of their newborn to the very nature of the places they call home: ritually at their 29th day of life they are brought to a leyline nexus, where the elders of their clan tattoo the Glyph of the Return on the crown of their heads: at their death, the mark would summon their souls back to the forest. Those very spirits could then be accessed in areas where the magic is strong, to offer confort and counsel to the living. For this reason many youths are pushed to travel and pursue different paths in their life, so that the pool of knowledge could always grow bigger and better with any elf.
When an elf dies in the Forest that Breathes, their body is collected, mummified to keep it as long as possible, armed and armored as in life, and then left scattered in the forest. In times of need, or just to better interact with their living kins, the souls of the dead elves can inhabit and reanimate the bodies.
For the first few generations things seemed to proceed peacefully. Then, the spirits of the forest started perceiving a change in the spiritual plane of their home. The bound souls of the elves were coalescing within the magic-heavy background of the forest, approaching something that seemed like sentience: young but growing in power and knowlege with the death of any elf.
What was worst for the spirits was that they had no way of control over this new consciousness, as it was based exclusively on elves' mind and souls and was alien to them. The only solution they could find was making the elves stop their practice and wait for the consciousness to disperse itself into the forest, otherwise they could only destroy the leyline hotspots where the binding rituals are conducted, and this was deemed unacceptable.
When they were asked, the elves refused. Rather than explaining their reasons and risking a new refusal, the spirits decided to wage war and either drive the elves away or exterminate them.
It seemed a simple plan, but they didn't realize how powerful and numerous the elves had become. Plus, every casualty made the gestalt consciousness grow in power and awareness. Fearing defeat, and the end of the forest as they knew it, the dryad Saerriefrie Cypresscrown decided to resort to an extreme solution: awaken the great Green Dragon Rhansedra, hoping to make her a powerful ally.
Saerriefrie's gambit paid off: despite her condescension to non-draconic life forms, Rhansedra loves the Forest that Breath and considers her property and to her the practices of the elves mean theft and invasion. She was willing to help the dryads and the treants, but but in return she would spread her influence throughout the forest. Saerriefrie agreed and Rhansedra made the dryad an half dragon.
In the following years, the balance of the war, until then in favor of the elves, became uncertain again. Half dragon Treants and Dryads started joining the fray, while trees started growing scale-like leaves and release poisonous mists. Finally, a worrying number of green dragon Wyrmling started fighting against the eves.
All of this meant that the spirits actually had a chance to win their forest back. However, all those changes brought by the dragon and Saerriefrie started having the same effect on the forest that the arrival of the elves had: an ever growing presence that threatens to encompass the whole forest, but at least the dragon promised Saerriefrie that she wouldn't leave the original inhabitants alone and Rhansedra started growing ever fonder of the dryad.
To cope with this new shift, the elves decided to seek allies among nearby human tribes. Eventually a few half-elf children were born and the elves were delighted to learn that not only those children grow faster than a pure blood elf, they could also commune with the souls, just like them, and had an easier way to draw raw power from the spirits. They were the first Warlocks of the Forest that Breaths and the forerunners of a new offensive.
Lorarila was born in the Fyfe Esari (Whispering Leaves) clan of the elves living in the Forest that Breathes.
As the custom dictates, in her 29th day of life Loralia was brought to a leyline nexus in a pond. There the elders tattooed the Glyph of the Return on crown of Lorarila's head and her genealogy on her back: all her noteworthy deeds would be added and at her death the skin would be removed, treated and kept in her clan's archives. Running out of free space in life, thus having more than one sheet in the archives, is considered a mark of great honor (for the same reason, purposely harming one's back in a way that cancels the tattoos is taboo).
The clan of the Fyfe Esari basically is a single, large family and its children were raised with the participation of most of the adults. Lorarila's childhood went by with as much lightheartedness was possible to balance with her learning and weapons training. She was lucky in being born in one of the areas more firmly in the hands of the elves, so the war was something she never experienced first hand, even though her parents brought Lorarila and her siblings to see its effects more than once.
When she reached 20 years of age (maturity for an half-elf, even though her pure blood siblings were older in years but much less mature), Lorarila was brought once more to the elders and to the nexus. Once more she was presented to the spirits of their forebearers, and they found her worthy of receiving their Pact. That was the rebirth of Lorarila as a Warlock of the Forest that Breaths, receiving the vertical green line above the left eye and meeting warlock Ilimaer, who would be her master for the ritual three years of apprenticeship.
That was the first time Lorarila faced the war and her deeds earned new lines on her back, as well as new scars.
After that period, once her master deemed her able to protect herself and properly use their power and that of their patron, the time of the journey came. Lorarila has to leave the Forest that Breaths and, for at least the next ten years, she is supposed to travel the world, experiencing and learning news that couldn't be found in the forest. On her return she will be considered an adult member of her clan.