Depends on the type of warlock? I mean, the back story is probably going to be vastly different depending on your Patron.
Celestial patron could just be a deal with your dwarven ancestors who've gone to Moradin's forge in ... was it Mount Celestia or Arcadia? Where's Dwarfhome again? Anyways, you get my point - dwarf heaven.
Hexblade is generally a pact made with things from the Shadowfell- So, why would you make a deal with a power related to the undead? Vengence is usually a good idea.
Fathomless and GOO are kind of related - they're both related to kracken, abolith, and similar. I like of thinking that you've been exposed to the Far Realms, and you're hearing whispers in your dreams that serve as your Patron.
Fey, fiend? No good ideas, really. Fiend pacts are usually for desperate people needing power NOW. And the fey pact is very elvish in theme - the fey courts or a deal with a hag usually aren't around dwarves.
Genie pact.... you made the wrong Wish. And it came back to bite you - you're now being turned into a genie yourself.
Patrons can be pretty much any sentient being with the potential to grant power. Could it be the spirit of long dead dwarven hero who has unfinished goals? (Celestial), could a long standing debt to the elves need to be paid back? (Archfey). What if those forges churning out exquisite weapons came at a price? (Fiend). Or is perhaps The Axe of the Dwarven Lords calls out for the next hero to fulfill a quest? (GOO).
Hexblade would be IMO the easiest to design, but you need to think about if this warlock is a combat build, a utility caster, or other concept.
Burrowing from Gimli/LOTR and Arthurian myth....How about:
You were a young Dwarf, barely 50 years old as the humans would measure things, when you first encountered her. You were in the woods, chopping wood for the communal fires when you came across her bathing in a stream nearby. You were instantly smitten and, although you are loathed to admit it, she was the first non-Dwarf you ever felt affection for. Over the next few decades you came across her more often and always in the same spot by the stream, you made sure any woodland threats never went near her stream. It came as quite a shock when on one particular day she called to you by name and as thanks for keeing her safe over the years she gave ou a lock of her hair and asked if you would come to her aid if she ever needed help, you agreed. Now you have your first quest from the Lady of the Streams and set out on your adventuring career.
Go for Hill Dwarf and Patron wise take either Celestial or Archfey with Outlander as Background. Then I'd likely go for Pact of Chain and nab a Pseudodragon familiar, Weapon of Choice is some form of Axe because why would you try to chop a tree down with anything else?
For me, one of the things that 4th Edition got REALLY right was the "Power Source" entry for each of the classes. For those not familiar, each class contained a descriptor laying out where the class drew its abilities from: Martial, Arcane, Divine, Primal, Psionic, etc.
And that's really one of the main questions I answer up front when coming up with a character concept. Unless my character relies strictly on skills grounded in the real world (standard combat training, mundane tactics, etc.) then I REALLY need to establish where they're channeling their power from.
The nice thing about the Warlock subclasses is that the writers did a REALLY fantastic job of establishing the flavor of the Otherwordly Patrons, and you can use this as a jumping-off point. Here's kind of how I see them.
The Archfey: You could pull your power directly from an Archfey patron, so you could very easily run with the idea of siphoning your power from an Arcane source. Or, they could literally teach you to tap the mystic essence of the natural world, if you wanted to go more Primal. Or, your patron could function as an intermediary for one of the gods associated with the Fey in your campaign, giving you a Divine feel.
The Fiend: This one's SUPER easy. Since you're bargaining for power with a demon or devil, you could be learning Arcane secrets, or trading your soul for power from an evil DIVINE source. Go crazy.
The Great Old One: This one is - hands down - my favorite warlock subclass, because it just SCREAMS psionics. The character I have in reserve for a hopeful Dark Sun release will be built around this, with the patron being a VERY hands-on Master of the Way, who expects his psionic tutelage to be repaid with acts of service aimed at the betterment of the world. But you could also write your character as someone in tune with a psychic entity from a distant realm, too. Of course, the old Arcane flavored stand-by (and an amazing one, at that) is the eldritch being from beyond who grants you magic in exchange for some inscrutable price.
The Celestial: Of course, this one has a Divine flavor. And I LOVE it. I also like this one for its potential Arcane flavor, particularly if you were to form your pact with an entity in service to one of the gods of magic or knowledge. I think this would be Stellar when multi-classed with an Abjuration Wizard, and I can see smart players making this one tank like a BOSS.
The Hexblade: This one has a WIDE range of possibilities, in my opinion. You could play Arcane, especially if you're a gish fan looking for something different. Then there's the obvious Divine angle, with the Raven Queen (or other similar entity) being a very popular patron for this one. And if you were a fan of some of the older psionic Battlemind incarnations, this might be an option. I know we already have the Soulknife for Rogues, but if you wanted a psychic warrior who pours his energies into physical weapons as opposed to spectral blades, you could have a lot of fun with this one. I can TOTALLY see a character meting out psionic awesomeness with this subclass, while wielding a blade crafted of pure crystal.
The Fathomless: This one's deep. (Heh heh.) I am LOVING the idea of drawing power from parts of the natural world, and I don't think it's a coincidence that the guy on page 72 of TCoE looks like Jason Momoa a bit. But, yeah. This subclass has a very clean, wholesome, good-guy vibe to me. Of course, you can be just as weird as you want, and embrace the deep, mysterious, weird, and gross. You can eschew Primal power for Arcane mystery, or Divine essence drawn from the creepiest of Deep Gods.
The Genie: This one's pretty easy, and quite versatile. You can go wizardly Arcane, priestly Divine, or elemental Primal. And having four basic ways to build this subclass lets you go all in on your favorite of the four primary elements, if that's something that appeals to you.
Sorry for the wall of text, but that's just my way of saying that - sometimes - if you get a clear picture of where your character is getting their power, then some other pieces of your story can start to build themselves.
I want to make a cool dwarf warlock, any cool backstory ideas you can share?
Depends on the type of warlock? I mean, the back story is probably going to be vastly different depending on your Patron.
Celestial patron could just be a deal with your dwarven ancestors who've gone to Moradin's forge in ... was it Mount Celestia or Arcadia? Where's Dwarfhome again? Anyways, you get my point - dwarf heaven.
Hexblade is generally a pact made with things from the Shadowfell- So, why would you make a deal with a power related to the undead? Vengence is usually a good idea.
Fathomless and GOO are kind of related - they're both related to kracken, abolith, and similar. I like of thinking that you've been exposed to the Far Realms, and you're hearing whispers in your dreams that serve as your Patron.
Fey, fiend? No good ideas, really. Fiend pacts are usually for desperate people needing power NOW. And the fey pact is very elvish in theme - the fey courts or a deal with a hag usually aren't around dwarves.
Genie pact.... you made the wrong Wish. And it came back to bite you - you're now being turned into a genie yourself.
Patrons can be pretty much any sentient being with the potential to grant power. Could it be the spirit of long dead dwarven hero who has unfinished goals? (Celestial), could a long standing debt to the elves need to be paid back? (Archfey). What if those forges churning out exquisite weapons came at a price? (Fiend). Or is perhaps The Axe of the Dwarven Lords calls out for the next hero to fulfill a quest? (GOO).
Hexblade would be IMO the easiest to design, but you need to think about if this warlock is a combat build, a utility caster, or other concept.
Burrowing from Gimli/LOTR and Arthurian myth....How about:
You were a young Dwarf, barely 50 years old as the humans would measure things, when you first encountered her. You were in the woods, chopping wood for the communal fires when you came across her bathing in a stream nearby. You were instantly smitten and, although you are loathed to admit it, she was the first non-Dwarf you ever felt affection for. Over the next few decades you came across her more often and always in the same spot by the stream, you made sure any woodland threats never went near her stream. It came as quite a shock when on one particular day she called to you by name and as thanks for keeing her safe over the years she gave ou a lock of her hair and asked if you would come to her aid if she ever needed help, you agreed. Now you have your first quest from the Lady of the Streams and set out on your adventuring career.
Go for Hill Dwarf and Patron wise take either Celestial or Archfey with Outlander as Background. Then I'd likely go for Pact of Chain and nab a Pseudodragon familiar, Weapon of Choice is some form of Axe because why would you try to chop a tree down with anything else?
For me, one of the things that 4th Edition got REALLY right was the "Power Source" entry for each of the classes. For those not familiar, each class contained a descriptor laying out where the class drew its abilities from: Martial, Arcane, Divine, Primal, Psionic, etc.
And that's really one of the main questions I answer up front when coming up with a character concept. Unless my character relies strictly on skills grounded in the real world (standard combat training, mundane tactics, etc.) then I REALLY need to establish where they're channeling their power from.
The nice thing about the Warlock subclasses is that the writers did a REALLY fantastic job of establishing the flavor of the Otherwordly Patrons, and you can use this as a jumping-off point. Here's kind of how I see them.
The Archfey: You could pull your power directly from an Archfey patron, so you could very easily run with the idea of siphoning your power from an Arcane source. Or, they could literally teach you to tap the mystic essence of the natural world, if you wanted to go more Primal. Or, your patron could function as an intermediary for one of the gods associated with the Fey in your campaign, giving you a Divine feel.
The Fiend: This one's SUPER easy. Since you're bargaining for power with a demon or devil, you could be learning Arcane secrets, or trading your soul for power from an evil DIVINE source. Go crazy.
The Great Old One: This one is - hands down - my favorite warlock subclass, because it just SCREAMS psionics. The character I have in reserve for a hopeful Dark Sun release will be built around this, with the patron being a VERY hands-on Master of the Way, who expects his psionic tutelage to be repaid with acts of service aimed at the betterment of the world. But you could also write your character as someone in tune with a psychic entity from a distant realm, too. Of course, the old Arcane flavored stand-by (and an amazing one, at that) is the eldritch being from beyond who grants you magic in exchange for some inscrutable price.
The Celestial: Of course, this one has a Divine flavor. And I LOVE it. I also like this one for its potential Arcane flavor, particularly if you were to form your pact with an entity in service to one of the gods of magic or knowledge. I think this would be Stellar when multi-classed with an Abjuration Wizard, and I can see smart players making this one tank like a BOSS.
The Hexblade: This one has a WIDE range of possibilities, in my opinion. You could play Arcane, especially if you're a gish fan looking for something different. Then there's the obvious Divine angle, with the Raven Queen (or other similar entity) being a very popular patron for this one. And if you were a fan of some of the older psionic Battlemind incarnations, this might be an option. I know we already have the Soulknife for Rogues, but if you wanted a psychic warrior who pours his energies into physical weapons as opposed to spectral blades, you could have a lot of fun with this one. I can TOTALLY see a character meting out psionic awesomeness with this subclass, while wielding a blade crafted of pure crystal.
The Fathomless: This one's deep. (Heh heh.) I am LOVING the idea of drawing power from parts of the natural world, and I don't think it's a coincidence that the guy on page 72 of TCoE looks like Jason Momoa a bit. But, yeah. This subclass has a very clean, wholesome, good-guy vibe to me. Of course, you can be just as weird as you want, and embrace the deep, mysterious, weird, and gross. You can eschew Primal power for Arcane mystery, or Divine essence drawn from the creepiest of Deep Gods.
The Genie: This one's pretty easy, and quite versatile. You can go wizardly Arcane, priestly Divine, or elemental Primal. And having four basic ways to build this subclass lets you go all in on your favorite of the four primary elements, if that's something that appeals to you.
Sorry for the wall of text, but that's just my way of saying that - sometimes - if you get a clear picture of where your character is getting their power, then some other pieces of your story can start to build themselves.
I can't wait to see what you come up with! HUGS!