So I'm creating a new character and was pretty set on choosing the Arch Fey patron for thematic reasons (I love the dark fairy theme, like Oberon's court as presented in the Sandman comics). However I really REALLY alike the abilities that come with the Great Old One (telepathy at level 1?!) so am going that route. I'm trying to come up with an interesting patron that is still somewhat nature themed, like maybe the Old Gods in Game of Thrones, watching from the eyes of the weir woods. How the Three-Eyed Raven is this all-seeing distant entity that can influence events from afar by whispering into the minds of individuals.
Im going with the Cloistered Scholar background, and my character came across some ancient time, started having dreams of ancient and mysterious foresty beings, etc.
The Great Old One is heavily inspired by creatures in the Cthulhu mythos, even Cthulhu is name-dropped there. Within the universe of H.P Lovecraft's works and works made after, there are some eldritch gods that might have a nature slant to them(in that universe, eldritch abominations are not "unnatural", humans just wish they were!)- the most notable being Shubb-Niggurath, who comes across as a twisted "mother nature" figure and there is Yhoundeh, the wife of Nyarlathotep known as the "Elk Goddess". H.P Lovecraft himself often made homages and references to the Greek god Pan, as reference to a horror story by one of the authors who inspired him, Arthur Machen's Great God Pan. Cloven hooves, horns, goat-like creatures, satyrs, "maddening piping flutes" are things that appear often in the works.
So if you dig around you can actually find some beings that overlap motifs and themes of the Fey and Great Old Ones together. There might also be examples of fey in lore that might have a touch of the eldritch such as the legends of kelpies and lore in which the Loch Ness monster is a kelpie. Or legends of mermaids and sirens who drown sailors to their doom, and pair that up with H.P Lovecraft's Father Dagon and Mother Hydra and the Deep Ones.
Awesome, this is very helpful! It's been awhile since I've read any Lovecraft. I'll look into that now. Hopefully I won't uncover anything I shouldn't have... ;)
Well, that was 5 days ago and hasn't been heard from since. We can all assume he has joined a cult and is currently chanting Ia Ia Cthulu Fatagn now right?
It might be a challenge but here is where i'd start if want to make a great old one.
1- Does this entity need to be known? or is it so mysterious that there are barely any information about it.
2- What does it want? Is it something that mortals can comprehend or will it drive them mad if they try to understand it?
3- Alignment: the usual ones but it's kinda tied to their motive.
4- Why would it make pacts? is it to get open a portal to this world and perhaps conquer it? or the powers it gives were so minuscule to a point it cares not who gets it if they even manage to hold it. it's basically like when you throw the remains of your sandwich and a a fly hop and start eating it, will you even care since you threw it away? probably not.
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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"
Well, that was 5 days ago and hasn't been heard from since. We can all assume he has joined a cult and is currently chanting Ia Ia Cthulu Fatagn now right?
Searching for random stuff for building a Great Old One's stat's in a different campaign and look who I should stumble across LOL
Well, that was 5 days ago and hasn't been heard from since. We can all assume he has joined a cult and is currently chanting Ia Ia Cthulu Fatagn now right?
Searching for random stuff for building a Great Old One's stat's in a different campaign and look who I should stumble across LOL
Take a look at Rillifane Rallathil elven deity yes but He took as his principle form that of an enormous Oak Tree. How would a tree entity communicate with others? Telepathy.
If you want to do that, I would recommend watching the movie Annihilation with Nat Portman. In-your-face cancer allegory aside, the alien in that is pretty much what you are looking for. You could also do a really powerful beholder. Beholders reproduce by dreaming of new Beholders. If a Beholder dreams of it's own death, a Death Tyrant Beholder is born. You could say a Beholder dreamed of fey creatures that came into it's territory recently and you get some kind of bizarre plant beholder with Fey like power. Note that I said Fey LIKE power, not actual Fey power. See above mention of Annihilation for inspiration. For example it may emit it's own pixie dust but instead of just making you fly, you fly upside down and backwards. Instead of Charm you get Dissonant Whispers, meaning you try to charm them but drive them temporarily insane instead.
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So I'm creating a new character and was pretty set on choosing the Arch Fey patron for thematic reasons (I love the dark fairy theme, like Oberon's court as presented in the Sandman comics). However I really REALLY alike the abilities that come with the Great Old One (telepathy at level 1?!) so am going that route. I'm trying to come up with an interesting patron that is still somewhat nature themed, like maybe the Old Gods in Game of Thrones, watching from the eyes of the weir woods. How the Three-Eyed Raven is this all-seeing distant entity that can influence events from afar by whispering into the minds of individuals.
Im going with the Cloistered Scholar background, and my character came across some ancient time, started having dreams of ancient and mysterious foresty beings, etc.
What do you think?
The Great Old One is heavily inspired by creatures in the Cthulhu mythos, even Cthulhu is name-dropped there. Within the universe of H.P Lovecraft's works and works made after, there are some eldritch gods that might have a nature slant to them(in that universe, eldritch abominations are not "unnatural", humans just wish they were!)- the most notable being Shubb-Niggurath, who comes across as a twisted "mother nature" figure and there is Yhoundeh, the wife of Nyarlathotep known as the "Elk Goddess". H.P Lovecraft himself often made homages and references to the Greek god Pan, as reference to a horror story by one of the authors who inspired him, Arthur Machen's Great God Pan. Cloven hooves, horns, goat-like creatures, satyrs, "maddening piping flutes" are things that appear often in the works.
So if you dig around you can actually find some beings that overlap motifs and themes of the Fey and Great Old Ones together. There might also be examples of fey in lore that might have a touch of the eldritch such as the legends of kelpies and lore in which the Loch Ness monster is a kelpie. Or legends of mermaids and sirens who drown sailors to their doom, and pair that up with H.P Lovecraft's Father Dagon and Mother Hydra and the Deep Ones.
Awesome, this is very helpful! It's been awhile since I've read any Lovecraft. I'll look into that now. Hopefully I won't uncover anything I shouldn't have... ;)
Well, that was 5 days ago and hasn't been heard from since. We can all assume he has joined a cult and is currently chanting Ia Ia Cthulu Fatagn now right?
Join ussss...
It might be a challenge but here is where i'd start if want to make a great old one.
1- Does this entity need to be known? or is it so mysterious that there are barely any information about it.
2- What does it want? Is it something that mortals can comprehend or will it drive them mad if they try to understand it?
3- Alignment: the usual ones but it's kinda tied to their motive.
4- Why would it make pacts? is it to get open a portal to this world and perhaps conquer it? or the powers it gives were so minuscule to a point it cares not who gets it if they even manage to hold it. it's basically like when you throw the remains of your sandwich and a a fly hop and start eating it, will you even care since you threw it away? probably not.
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"
Searching for random stuff for building a Great Old One's stat's in a different campaign and look who I should stumble across LOL
Flying Spaghetti Monster is also of Lovcraftian origin: Yog Soloth
This can give you a good excuse to flavor toward whimsy. Or offer multi class for various reasons!
Take a look at Rillifane Rallathil elven deity yes but He took as his principle form that of an enormous Oak Tree. How would a tree entity communicate with others? Telepathy.
Just in case you haven't found it already, I recommend this site for some Lovecraftian ideas.
https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page
If you want to do that, I would recommend watching the movie Annihilation with Nat Portman. In-your-face cancer allegory aside, the alien in that is pretty much what you are looking for. You could also do a really powerful beholder. Beholders reproduce by dreaming of new Beholders. If a Beholder dreams of it's own death, a Death Tyrant Beholder is born. You could say a Beholder dreamed of fey creatures that came into it's territory recently and you get some kind of bizarre plant beholder with Fey like power. Note that I said Fey LIKE power, not actual Fey power. See above mention of Annihilation for inspiration. For example it may emit it's own pixie dust but instead of just making you fly, you fly upside down and backwards. Instead of Charm you get Dissonant Whispers, meaning you try to charm them but drive them temporarily insane instead.