I usually play mine insane, or slowly corrupted. Although, sometimes being a warlock isn’t the role playing aspect. I sometimes like to have external sources of torment. I had a Dwarf without an eye. Therefore, he just kinda went by with his powers, and worried more about the fact he can’t see.
Right now I'm playing my warlock as just a normal dude who accepted a pact with the Raven Queen to save his own life. He's not a bad guy, just made a decision to save his life once. The problem is I don't feel like this does much for role playing. He's just a normal guy. I need some more fun things to do with him!
I’ve played a good aligned Celestial Warlock who was an active servant of his patron who had more or less the same goals as his patron. Role playing him was similar to playing a cleric, but different because he didn’t worship his patron.
I’m playing a Great Old One Warlock right now who was studying to be a wizard and he’s lazy and didn’t want to do the work to learn wizardry. His patron extruded a piece of itself and animated a book in the library where he was pretending to study and he made a pact to gain arcane secrets and power without spending years learning to be a wizard in exchange for his service to his patron. So he’s lazy, he’s lying about his magic and is telling everyone that he’s a wizard, and he’s searching for lost secrets to enhance his power.
My character doesn't identify as a warlock explicitly. She identifies by her background (urchin). Her patron is Nicnevin (archfey). I basically play her as a fun loving, optimistic urchin that is amazed by the other PCs' heroism. She gives to the poor whenever she comes into money and is wary but in awe of authority figures.
I've found using the background as the emphasis for the character more than class to be more fun and easily mined for emotion or RP opportunity.
My Hexblade was a (typical...) orphaned, young criminal who needed help committing her first murder for hire. The Raven Queen strengthened her resolve to kill the man, and she was whisked off to the Shadowfell.
I play her pretty reckless - she's not afraid to just jump blindly into battle, but also loyal to a fault with her party. She hasn't had anyone to rely on in the past, so she latched on pretty tightly to her team.
She's fun to play, especially since as careless as I play her, there's a couple other characters who are even more crazy, so she mutters "stupid boys..." and charges in after them.
My thoughts right now are to make him have a good heart. He doesn't regret his decision to make the pact, but he does look at it as something to be afraid of. He doesn't want to use his powers or commit deeds he might deem evil, but he will when pushed. His resolve is somewhat weak though and while he tries to do good, he may quickly turn to his pact to do what needs to be done. Every time he uses his powers, he has remorse and tries to atone for it in some way. Alms to the poor, helping out at an orphanage, whatever else. The campaign we're doing now is high seas and has some pirate flair, so I am not sure this is how it will work out. It's the plan so far though!
Thanks for the help so far. Your ideas have helped me flesh out my own. Keep them coming!
He's just a normal guy. I need some more fun things to do with him!
What background did you pick for your character, by chance?
Depending on the personalities in your party, this could actually work out to be interesting! In a group of weird characters sometimes the straightman stands out the most. Maybe you have the brooding rogue, the quirky wizard, or the smarmy bard--and your character just can't fathom their antics sometimes! Why does it seem like every problem has to be solved with seduction or the sharp end of an axe? He yearns for his old life--one of peace and common sense. But it's that common sense (and often bewilderment) that make him a staple to the party. He's willing to listen to the paladin's tragic quest for justice or act as the bard's, albiet stiff, wingman. He often gets exasperated with the party as he tries to keep them out of trouble.
But traveling with the party isn't all bad. Maybe for the first time since making his pact, he doesn't feel like an outcast or an agent of death. The party treats him just like a normal guy. They tease him, drink with him--just like you might expect anyone else. And maybe, just maybe, the dark weight of his pact lightens every day as this ship full of odd and rambunctious personalities starts to feel more and more like home.
He's just a normal guy. I need some more fun things to do with him!
What background did you pick for your character, by chance?
Depending on the personalities in your party, this could actually work out to be interesting! In a group of weird characters sometimes the straightman stands out the most. Maybe you have the brooding rogue, the quirky wizard, or the smarmy bard--and your character just can't fathom their antics sometimes! Why does it seem like every problem has to be solved with seduction or the sharp end of an axe? He yearns for his old life--one of peace and common sense. But it's that common sense (and often bewilderment) that make him a staple to the party. He's willing to listen to the paladin's tragic quest for justice or act as the bard's, albiet stiff, wingman. He often gets exasperated with the party as he tries to keep them out of trouble.
But traveling with the party isn't all bad. Maybe for the first time since making his pact, he doesn't feel like an outcast or an agent of death. The party treats him just like a normal guy. They tease him, drink with him--just like you might expect anyone else. And maybe, just maybe, the dark weight of his pact lightens every day as this ship full of odd and rambunctious personalities starts to feel more and more like home.
He's a sailor.
The party is a barbarian that typically rages and smashes! The rest of the party is pretty normal and hasn't really shown their Role playing chops yet. It's still a new campaign.
What I usually do when the team won’t RP, is do something stupid/crazy. Zombie apocalypse, backstory shenanigans, etc. or, when I’m a player, maybe cheat a little and burn some places down. That’s fun.
get them interested, is what I’m saying! They might just be shy, or they don’t have anything fun to do. If you’re also a player, talk to the DM, or take it into your own hands, and get their attention with your character
The Raven Queen hates sentient undead. As part of your pact with her she could require that you hunt vampires and liches. Being a vampire hunter defiantly makes the character more interesting. It turns your "He's just a normal guy." into a Van Helsing or Fox Molder type with a normal guy history and you can work to his transition between the two states.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The lack of inflection in text means that a reader of any post adds their own inflection as they "verbalize" it in their head. I write long and repetitive in an effort to be clear and avoid my intent from being skewed or inverted. I am also bad at examples. It is common for people to skim my posts pull out the idea they think I mean or want to argue against or focus on my bad example instead of the point I am actually trying to make. I apologies for the confusion my failure to be clear and concise creates.
He's just a normal guy. I need some more fun things to do with him!
He was a normal guy...now he is a Warlock, the closest thing D&D has to a superhero. That there provides a wealth of RP fodder.
I assume most D&D worlds are pretty low-tech and most "Normal" people are at the mercy of the elements and their rulers. Imagine then being given access to a whole suite of powers, some which are incredibly dangerous.
How does he handle being able to generate bolts of Eldritch Energy at will?
Is it a lark?
Is it morally troubling?
Does it scare him what is slowly becoming, which in most Warlock's cases is a one man arsenal of death an destruction?
Does he like the violence?
A normal guy in an abnormal situation or a world gone mad can be a hell of a story.
What is the campaign setting? Where does your character fit into the world? What motivates your character? Once you know this, you will most certainly come to the realization of what role your character plays in the story being told at the "table".
I once built a Kenku Warlock (Great Old One / Pact of the Tome). I just used the motivation suggested in the book: "wants to fly again and lift the curse imposed on him". That second part I translated to "wants to earn his own voice". That was the personal motivation for my character. And pursuing that motivation came with a price, the more powerful my character grew, the more insane he became. He started to disregard his physical appearance, on idle times he would do seemingly random things, and so on. But having everything revolve around that relationship can get boring; for me (the player) and everyone else at the "table". I also look at the specific perks of the race, and what the setting is. It then becomes situational. Whatever is happening to the group, there is something to do, or a specific way to do it. I found it very fun to describe what my character wanted to say instead of outright saying it (because kenku don't have a voice of their own).
The best advice I can give is: "know your character". You don't need a novels worth of background, but at the very least you need to know the perks, traits and motivations. These things will help you roleplay not just a warlock, but any character.
Warlocks can be very fun. I am still figuring out my warlock a little. He is a Drow who got lost in the underdark when his family sold him into slavery (but he escaped) met an elven undying. They fell in love with each other. She got bored of him because he is so young compared to her. He is nothing special average stats besides CHA and fairly intelligent. So she formed a contract to protect him but left him to gain some depth. He is very eager to make her happy and is adventuring to become a more interesting person and become worthy of his patron.
But I love the joe shomoe story idea. Warlocks can come into power and may not want or have any clue what to do with that power
My warlock's backstory is that of a normal guy who out of curiosity looks into a glowing mirror, sees wondrous things that he can't fully comprehend (planed by the GOO), and starts being obsessed with gaining an understanding of what he saw. I play him as very single minded, and slowly going insane.
Yeah my warlock will do just about anything his patron tells him to... it hasn't come into play yet but I am excited to see what my DM is going to do with it
Yeah my warlock will do just about anything his patron tells him to... it hasn't come into play yet but I am excited to see what my DM is going to do with it
Cool! That will open up a bunch of RP and adventure possibilities!
My Warforged Warlock is interested in how non-constructs interact with each other. It's naive about social cues, but learning. DM had a child NPC (with odd abilities) take a liking to me, so now it's sort of a foster parent.
Hi!
How do you role play your warlock to maximize the fun? What characteristics did you give him or her to make your character more interesting and fun?
I usually play mine insane, or slowly corrupted. Although, sometimes being a warlock isn’t the role playing aspect. I sometimes like to have external sources of torment. I had a Dwarf without an eye. Therefore, he just kinda went by with his powers, and worried more about the fact he can’t see.
Extended Signature! Yay! https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/3153-extended-signature-thread?page=2#c21
Haven’t used this account in forever. Still a big fan of crawling claws.
Right now I'm playing my warlock as just a normal dude who accepted a pact with the Raven Queen to save his own life. He's not a bad guy, just made a decision to save his life once. The problem is I don't feel like this does much for role playing. He's just a normal guy. I need some more fun things to do with him!
I’ve played a good aligned Celestial Warlock who was an active servant of his patron who had more or less the same goals as his patron. Role playing him was similar to playing a cleric, but different because he didn’t worship his patron.
I’m playing a Great Old One Warlock right now who was studying to be a wizard and he’s lazy and didn’t want to do the work to learn wizardry. His patron extruded a piece of itself and animated a book in the library where he was pretending to study and he made a pact to gain arcane secrets and power without spending years learning to be a wizard in exchange for his service to his patron. So he’s lazy, he’s lying about his magic and is telling everyone that he’s a wizard, and he’s searching for lost secrets to enhance his power.
Professional computer geek
My character doesn't identify as a warlock explicitly. She identifies by her background (urchin). Her patron is Nicnevin (archfey). I basically play her as a fun loving, optimistic urchin that is amazed by the other PCs' heroism. She gives to the poor whenever she comes into money and is wary but in awe of authority figures.
I've found using the background as the emphasis for the character more than class to be more fun and easily mined for emotion or RP opportunity.
My Hexblade was a (typical...) orphaned, young criminal who needed help committing her first murder for hire. The Raven Queen strengthened her resolve to kill the man, and she was whisked off to the Shadowfell.
I play her pretty reckless - she's not afraid to just jump blindly into battle, but also loyal to a fault with her party. She hasn't had anyone to rely on in the past, so she latched on pretty tightly to her team.
She's fun to play, especially since as careless as I play her, there's a couple other characters who are even more crazy, so she mutters "stupid boys..." and charges in after them.
My thoughts right now are to make him have a good heart. He doesn't regret his decision to make the pact, but he does look at it as something to be afraid of. He doesn't want to use his powers or commit deeds he might deem evil, but he will when pushed. His resolve is somewhat weak though and while he tries to do good, he may quickly turn to his pact to do what needs to be done. Every time he uses his powers, he has remorse and tries to atone for it in some way. Alms to the poor, helping out at an orphanage, whatever else. The campaign we're doing now is high seas and has some pirate flair, so I am not sure this is how it will work out. It's the plan so far though!
Thanks for the help so far. Your ideas have helped me flesh out my own. Keep them coming!
What background did you pick for your character, by chance?
Depending on the personalities in your party, this could actually work out to be interesting! In a group of weird characters sometimes the straightman stands out the most. Maybe you have the brooding rogue, the quirky wizard, or the smarmy bard--and your character just can't fathom their antics sometimes! Why does it seem like every problem has to be solved with seduction or the sharp end of an axe? He yearns for his old life--one of peace and common sense. But it's that common sense (and often bewilderment) that make him a staple to the party. He's willing to listen to the paladin's tragic quest for justice or act as the bard's, albiet stiff, wingman. He often gets exasperated with the party as he tries to keep them out of trouble.
But traveling with the party isn't all bad. Maybe for the first time since making his pact, he doesn't feel like an outcast or an agent of death. The party treats him just like a normal guy. They tease him, drink with him--just like you might expect anyone else. And maybe, just maybe, the dark weight of his pact lightens every day as this ship full of odd and rambunctious personalities starts to feel more and more like home.
He's a sailor.
The party is a barbarian that typically rages and smashes! The rest of the party is pretty normal and hasn't really shown their Role playing chops yet. It's still a new campaign.
What I usually do when the team won’t RP, is do something stupid/crazy. Zombie apocalypse, backstory shenanigans, etc. or, when I’m a player, maybe cheat a little and burn some places down. That’s fun.
get them interested, is what I’m saying! They might just be shy, or they don’t have anything fun to do. If you’re also a player, talk to the DM, or take it into your own hands, and get their attention with your character
Extended Signature! Yay! https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/3153-extended-signature-thread?page=2#c21
Haven’t used this account in forever. Still a big fan of crawling claws.
The Raven Queen hates sentient undead. As part of your pact with her she could require that you hunt vampires and liches. Being a vampire hunter defiantly makes the character more interesting. It turns your "He's just a normal guy." into a Van Helsing or Fox Molder type with a normal guy history and you can work to his transition between the two states.
The lack of inflection in text means that a reader of any post adds their own inflection as they "verbalize" it in their head. I write long and repetitive in an effort to be clear and avoid my intent from being skewed or inverted. I am also bad at examples. It is common for people to skim my posts pull out the idea they think I mean or want to argue against or focus on my bad example instead of the point I am actually trying to make. I apologies for the confusion my failure to be clear and concise creates.
He was a normal guy...now he is a Warlock, the closest thing D&D has to a superhero. That there provides a wealth of RP fodder.
I assume most D&D worlds are pretty low-tech and most "Normal" people are at the mercy of the elements and their rulers. Imagine then being given access to a whole suite of powers, some which are incredibly dangerous.
How does he handle being able to generate bolts of Eldritch Energy at will?
Is it a lark?
Is it morally troubling?
Does it scare him what is slowly becoming, which in most Warlock's cases is a one man arsenal of death an destruction?
Does he like the violence?
A normal guy in an abnormal situation or a world gone mad can be a hell of a story.
Abide.
What is the campaign setting? Where does your character fit into the world? What motivates your character? Once you know this, you will most certainly come to the realization of what role your character plays in the story being told at the "table".
I once built a Kenku Warlock (Great Old One / Pact of the Tome). I just used the motivation suggested in the book: "wants to fly again and lift the curse imposed on him". That second part I translated to "wants to earn his own voice". That was the personal motivation for my character. And pursuing that motivation came with a price, the more powerful my character grew, the more insane he became. He started to disregard his physical appearance, on idle times he would do seemingly random things, and so on. But having everything revolve around that relationship can get boring; for me (the player) and everyone else at the "table". I also look at the specific perks of the race, and what the setting is. It then becomes situational. Whatever is happening to the group, there is something to do, or a specific way to do it. I found it very fun to describe what my character wanted to say instead of outright saying it (because kenku don't have a voice of their own).
The best advice I can give is: "know your character". You don't need a novels worth of background, but at the very least you need to know the perks, traits and motivations. These things will help you roleplay not just a warlock, but any character.
Burukena
New to D&D 5E & Online Roleplaying Games
Warlocks can be very fun. I am still figuring out my warlock a little. He is a Drow who got lost in the underdark when his family sold him into slavery (but he escaped) met an elven undying. They fell in love with each other. She got bored of him because he is so young compared to her. He is nothing special average stats besides CHA and fairly intelligent. So she formed a contract to protect him but left him to gain some depth. He is very eager to make her happy and is adventuring to become a more interesting person and become worthy of his patron.
But I love the joe shomoe story idea. Warlocks can come into power and may not want or have any clue what to do with that power
My warlock's backstory is that of a normal guy who out of curiosity looks into a glowing mirror, sees wondrous things that he can't fully comprehend (planed by the GOO), and starts being obsessed with gaining an understanding of what he saw. I play him as very single minded, and slowly going insane.
Nice! @Grunk999
Yeah my warlock will do just about anything his patron tells him to... it hasn't come into play yet but I am excited to see what my DM is going to do with it
Cool! That will open up a bunch of RP and adventure possibilities!
My Warforged Warlock is interested in how non-constructs interact with each other. It's naive about social cues, but learning. DM had a child NPC (with odd abilities) take a liking to me, so now it's sort of a foster parent.
Who is your patron?
Hexblade, pact of the blade