My DM is running "Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frost Maiden". There are 3 other players: a dwarven fighter, a human druid, and a halfling bard. I'm playing as a variant human Warlock who originally was a wizard's apprentice in Waterdeep.
My character used to be an apprentice to a famous Leonardo da Vinci style polymath: wizard, artificer, artist and engineer, and an important member of Waterdeep's Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors. I was a useful assistant and great at the research side of things, but I struggled to put that knowledge to use and cast spells of my own, after a decade I only knew a couple of cantrips and one 1st level spell. (The consequence of me having the "Magic Initiate" feat to fit the backstory of being a wizard's apprentice.) I'm good natured and cheerful, but frustrated at my slow progress in spellcasting, and I'm starting to become jealous.
One day I returned to my master's workshop to find him unconscious and some magical device going out of control, crackling with energy and about to cause some kind of disaster. I managed to stop the device, but was blasted with magical energy.
I found myself in another plane of reality, in the presence of some kind of devil or demon. The devil offered to make a pact, but I refused, not willing to sell my soul just to return home. But then the amused devil told me that the deal would be similar to the one he had already given to my famous master: it turns out that the reason my master was so skilled at so many things was that he had infernal help!
What's more, the devil was glad that I had saved my master's life, as he was useful to him and it would have impeded his plans. In an "enemy of my enemy is my friend" situation, it claimed that it used people like my master in power struggles with other devils. By making pacts with "good" mages it can interfere with the plans of evil mages and warlocks that are in league with its enemies, without those enemies discovering the devil's involvement.
The devil claims that its rivals were responsible for causing the magical accident that I just prevented, and so surely it seemed reasonable to strike back against them. And it offers me the power to make that possible: I've been a rubbish wizard, but now I can have the magical ability I crave!
So... question is, what's would be a good fit for the devil/demon that would make this pact with me? (Apparently devils and demons are different things.) One that's not asking for my soul, but is interested in messing up the plans of its rivals. One that wants plausible deniability, so chooses unlikely people to make pacts with.
My DM suggested Levistus. "Frozen Stygia is ruled by Levistus, an archdevil known for offering bargains to those who face an inescapable doom." I think he got that from this Unearthed Arcana about "Fiendish Options", for tiefling sub-races and for cults that serve devils and demons. https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UA_FiendishOptions.pdf
My guess is that he was thinking Levistus would be a good fit because my character was in an escapable situation of being trapped in hell/another plane, and also because we're doing Rime of the Frost Maiden and so having a pact with a devil associated with ice seemed appropriate.
Did a bit of googling, and a wiki says that "He is alone among the rulers of the Nine in ignoring the rules and strict hierarchy followed by powerful devils ". So I guess that might fit the idea of him making a pact with me just to mess with the plans of other devils.
However, according to the description in the unearthed arcana's Cult of Levistus section, "Levistus usually grants those who pledge their souls to him a single chance to escape from danger, but some cunning folk strike a deal with Levistus, pledging their souls to him in return for escape at a future date." So it doesn't really sound in-character for Levistus to help me escape, and then do pact magic and grant me powers, and then not expect my soul after death as the price. Also, it sounds like Levistus isn't very sneaky, he's more open about opposing other devils and wouldn't bother with the plausible deniability thing. (That's why he got sealed in a block of ice!)
Plus, one of the appealing things about having an infernal patron is getting a bunch of fire-based spells. And I figure it could be especially useful in Icewind Dale - there will surely be icy things that will be weak against fire. But Levistus is associated with ice, and the Levistus tiefling subrace gets ray of frost. So it would be weird if he gave me a bunch of fire powers from the fiend patron expanded spell list. (Though I guess throwing fireballs and scorching rays could be within the power of an archdemon, even one normally associated with ice).
I've also found people doing homebrew rules for being a Warlock with Levistus as a patron where all the fire spells are reskinned to instead be equivalent cold spells. In most campaigns that might be pretty cool (pun unintended), but in Icewind Dale I can't see it being very helpful blasting stuff with cold and ice when everything's frozen anyway, and I imagine the big boss battles are going to be against enemies resistant to cold.
I'm wondering if Mephistopheles might be a better fit? The Fiendish Options unearthed arcana says "In the frozen realm of Cania, Mephistopheles offers arcane power to those who entreat with him." Cultis of Mephistopheles seek "Magical skill and power, backed with the will to use it to crush rivals". And says that "As a master of the arcane arts, Mephistopheles finds eager recruits among those who study magic" and "wizards’ guilds and conclaves of sages are the most likely to come under his influence." So that might be a more plausible fit for a patron that granted my famous wizard master lots of power, and now is doing the same for me. And although Mephistopheles lives in a frozen realm, his signature spells for his cultists are all fire spells, he lives in a cold realm but is impervious to cold due to his mastery of hellfire.
I'm a bit reluctant to pick Mephistopheles though, because it seems a rather unoriginal choice. Mephistopheles is the first possible patron mentioned on D&D Beyond's "Warlock 101: The Fiend" guide, and that's the name of the devil Faust did a deal with in the old story/play. Before deciding to be a Warlock I didn't know the name of any devils or demons other than Mephistopheles. It seems a bit lame that after hours of research I pick the one that everyone's already heard of. Also, he's very high ranking, he's the most powerful archdevil next to Asmodeus, so it seems a bit much that'd he'd be interested in my level 1 character.
Just started reading the book "Brimstone Angels" where a cambion (half-devil) makes a pact with a tiefling. So if a low ranking devil or half-devil can do pacts and make someone into a warlock, do you think maybe I should be thinking more along those lines, rather than some famous powerful archdevil?
It's really up to you. I have a character waiting that I really want to play that makes a pact with a succubus, which is too low of power level to really /be/ a patron, but that's all part of the story. Much like your character, mine is a wizard and quite a rubbish wizard at that (13 int), MC to warlock. The Succubus is cursed and forges a pact to get /herself/ out of a jam, and realized she got stuck with a pretty crummy wizard, and she doesn't really have the native power she needs to boost the wizard much, which leads to other stuff.
As you said, Mephistopheles is the obvious pick. Levistus...doesn't feel like a great match to me. yeah, last chance, yada yada...it just doesn't feel right for what you suggest.
I'd take a look at Dispater. Dispater is into knowledge and secrets, which fits in pretty well with what you're described.
For a really outside pick, Dispater's consort, Lilis could be solid. She has a network of agents, second only to Asmodeus himself. Perhaps she'd have need of another mortal agent on the prime. I'm probably looking /really/ close at Lilis because there's more freedom than picking a mainstream arch devil.
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.
It doesn't have to be a big time named Fiend. You could go with a pit fiend, balor, or another relatively high CR fiend. If its a no-name devil, but close to the top, it could be working to undermine its Duke or duchess to take over their spot, or its rivals in the duke/duchess' court to gain more influence with him/her.
demons absolutely work. Fiend is more than just devils, it is also demons.
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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.
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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Go with Levistus. It works. You can read Mordinkanen's Tome of Foes if you need more inspiration.
It's really up to you. I have a character waiting that I really want to play that makes a pact with a succubus, which is too low of power level to really /be/ a patron, but that's all part of the story. Much like your character, mine is a wizard and quite a rubbish wizard at that (13 int), MC to warlock. The Succubus is cursed and forges a pact to get /herself/ out of a jam, and realized she got stuck with a pretty crummy wizard, and she doesn't really have the native power she needs to boost the wizard much, which leads to other stuff.
As you said, Mephistopheles is the obvious pick. Levistus...doesn't feel like a great match to me. yeah, last chance, yada yada...it just doesn't feel right for what you suggest.
I'd take a look at Dispater. Dispater is into knowledge and secrets, which fits in pretty well with what you're described.
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Dispater
For a really outside pick, Dispater's consort, Lilis could be solid. She has a network of agents, second only to Asmodeus himself. Perhaps she'd have need of another mortal agent on the prime. I'm probably looking /really/ close at Lilis because there's more freedom than picking a mainstream arch devil.
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Lilis
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
It doesn't have to be a big time named Fiend. You could go with a pit fiend, balor, or another relatively high CR fiend. If its a no-name devil, but close to the top, it could be working to undermine its Duke or duchess to take over their spot, or its rivals in the duke/duchess' court to gain more influence with him/her.
If a Demon Lord is a general, a Fiend Patron can be a major. So any named Devil works. Demon's, not so much. It is a Pact, remember.
demons absolutely work. Fiend is more than just devils, it is also demons.
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
Yes, but thematically, Devils make Pacts. They are the ones that have armies of lawyers. They are Lawful Evil. Demon's, not so much.
Doesn't matter, demons can make pacts too.
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