My group has been running Rime of the Frostmaidan for around 2 months and the party is currently level 3. I have a player who is a tiefling warlock and his patron is Levistus. The group will get to Caer-Dineval next week and I am wondering how the cultists would react to another follower of Levistus. The player is not Lawful Evil like the cultists but he encountered Levistus the same way as all of the cultists.
Without having read the adventure, I might suggest that the cultists are driven by cult activities and requirements above and beyond the religious connection that one might have in common. Additionally, your Warlock will more-than-likely disagree with some of the ideas that the cult is supportive of. Long story short, the cult is probably acting more on a theo-political platform and your PCs are acting on behalf of the public welfare, potentially outside of any political leaning. There will most certainly be a difference of opinion. Some would call the cultists the "true believers" in this sense.
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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
This is interesting! If the cultists become aware that the Warlock has personally received powers from Levistus, I imagine that they would react with 1. Jealousy, and 2. Trying to recruit them to their group. Depending on how zealous you're portraying the cultists, it could be a fun encounter if they see the Warlock as a messiah of sorts for Levistus. That could lead to some fun conflict, particularly with Avarice if you are playing her as the de-facto leader of the Blackswords.
Having read the adventure, I think it's interesting or gives a lot of interesting potential for RotFM to go different ways than written if you have a Warlock indebted to Levistus. That's pretty cool, did the player pick Levistus on purpose because they knew it was an Icewind Dale game or did you coax the player that way?
In the immediate scenario you're talking about, note Levistus finds his local cult's leader insufferable. Maybe Levistus manipulated the warlock's path to play some rule in relieving Kadroth from their leadership. Not necessarily take over the cult as leader (that might anchor and put too much focus on the Warlock at the expense of the party relatively early in the game) but maybe they can conspire with other members of the cult to make Kadroth "go away" or disgrace them in a way that results in another Black Swords member taking control (and then Kadroth could become a more personalized antagonist, maybe taking patronage from Asmodeus to assist the Duergar by sabotaging the Black Swords out of revenge or the like).
On the longer term: This character definitely brings more cause for the "enemy of my enemy" alliance with the Black Swords against the Duergar cold to hot war with Ten Towns. But those sorts of tangled alliances is really playing Ten Towns as normal, but the Black Swords may be an otherwise difficult faction to league up with for other "good guy" groups.
On the longer term, as in conclusion, loyalty or obligation to Levistus is interesting given the prospect of Everlasting Winter in Icewind Dale (you know, what the PCs ultimately try to stop). The Warlock may be incentivized to have a heel turn or maybe make a strong case of leaving Auril alone, with vague promises of greater (infernal, but cold infernal) riches if they let her be ... which could lead the characters to becoming involved in Levistus v. Asmodeus intrigue played out in the frozen north. There's a lot you could do there if your party was up for it.
Levistus is great. MrRhexx has a great lore video to check out for more background. For the the cultist attitudes towards this PC Check the social interaction rules described in the DMG (Pages 244 and 245)? Super helpful for this stuff:
Broadly speaking, NPC have attitudes (friendly, indifferent, and hostile) towards the PC’s. These attitudes are initially set by the DM. So while the cultists may start neutral or hostile towards outsiders, the would start friendly to someone whom they know is a follower of their Archdevil.
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Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
Hello fellow Dm's
My group has been running Rime of the Frostmaidan for around 2 months and the party is currently level 3. I have a player who is a tiefling warlock and his patron is Levistus. The group will get to Caer-Dineval next week and I am wondering how the cultists would react to another follower of Levistus. The player is not Lawful Evil like the cultists but he encountered Levistus the same way as all of the cultists.
Thanks for all replies!
Without having read the adventure, I might suggest that the cultists are driven by cult activities and requirements above and beyond the religious connection that one might have in common. Additionally, your Warlock will more-than-likely disagree with some of the ideas that the cult is supportive of. Long story short, the cult is probably acting more on a theo-political platform and your PCs are acting on behalf of the public welfare, potentially outside of any political leaning. There will most certainly be a difference of opinion. Some would call the cultists the "true believers" in this sense.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
This is interesting! If the cultists become aware that the Warlock has personally received powers from Levistus, I imagine that they would react with 1. Jealousy, and 2. Trying to recruit them to their group. Depending on how zealous you're portraying the cultists, it could be a fun encounter if they see the Warlock as a messiah of sorts for Levistus. That could lead to some fun conflict, particularly with Avarice if you are playing her as the de-facto leader of the Blackswords.
Having read the adventure, I think it's interesting or gives a lot of interesting potential for RotFM to go different ways than written if you have a Warlock indebted to Levistus. That's pretty cool, did the player pick Levistus on purpose because they knew it was an Icewind Dale game or did you coax the player that way?
In the immediate scenario you're talking about, note Levistus finds his local cult's leader insufferable. Maybe Levistus manipulated the warlock's path to play some rule in relieving Kadroth from their leadership. Not necessarily take over the cult as leader (that might anchor and put too much focus on the Warlock at the expense of the party relatively early in the game) but maybe they can conspire with other members of the cult to make Kadroth "go away" or disgrace them in a way that results in another Black Swords member taking control (and then Kadroth could become a more personalized antagonist, maybe taking patronage from Asmodeus to assist the Duergar by sabotaging the Black Swords out of revenge or the like).
On the longer term: This character definitely brings more cause for the "enemy of my enemy" alliance with the Black Swords against the Duergar cold to hot war with Ten Towns. But those sorts of tangled alliances is really playing Ten Towns as normal, but the Black Swords may be an otherwise difficult faction to league up with for other "good guy" groups.
On the longer term, as in conclusion, loyalty or obligation to Levistus is interesting given the prospect of Everlasting Winter in Icewind Dale (you know, what the PCs ultimately try to stop). The Warlock may be incentivized to have a heel turn or maybe make a strong case of leaving Auril alone, with vague promises of greater (infernal, but cold infernal) riches if they let her be ... which could lead the characters to becoming involved in Levistus v. Asmodeus intrigue played out in the frozen north. There's a lot you could do there if your party was up for it.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Thanks for all of the replies so far!
This is only our groups second campaign so the player did not know any arch devils and since I had read most of the book I suggested Levistus.
Levistus is great. MrRhexx has a great lore video to check out for more background. For the the cultist attitudes towards this PC Check the social interaction rules described in the DMG (Pages 244 and 245)? Super helpful for this stuff:
Broadly speaking, NPC have attitudes (friendly, indifferent, and hostile) towards the PC’s. These attitudes are initially set by the DM. So while the cultists may start neutral or hostile towards outsiders, the would start friendly to someone whom they know is a follower of their Archdevil.
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPmyTI0tZ6nM-bzY0IG3ww