Why, on the material plane, would a warlock be able to strike up a pact deal with an otherworldly patron without conditions?
The only reason that comes to mind for me is if the patron just wanted to enable a flow of their magic into a certain context.
For instance, a fire or fae related patron might be viewed to have a reason for wanting their magic to be channelled into a context such as Icewind Dale.
Does this make sense?
What other pact possibilities might come with few or no strings attached?
The patron might want you as a spy. "Report back to me with your findings, and in exchange I give you powers."
The patron might want you to go on the quest for them "Go defeat the BBEG and in exchange I give you powers to do so."
In the hexblade's case, if you're the type that makes your weapon your patron as well, your patron might want you to act as a vessel for them, cause without a willing body they're just a sword gathering dust. "Take me with you and let me see the world and experience it's joys, and in turn i give you powers."
Not exactly unconditional, but they're not hard traditional pacts either.
The patron may have just wanted a service. You did a job, you got paid.
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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.
Why, on the material plane, would a warlock be able to strike up a pact deal with an otherworldly patron without conditions?
The only reason that comes to mind for me is if the patron just wanted to enable a flow of their magic into a certain context.
For instance, a fire or fae related patron might be viewed to have a reason for wanting their magic to be channelled into a context such as Icewind Dale.
Does this make sense?
What other pact possibilities might come with few or no strings attached?
A Celestial Patron might only require you help those in need or slay any undead you come across.
The patron may have just wanted a service. You did a job, you got paid.
It might have been quite a service for granting a potential lifetime of on-demand magic up to potentially near godlike levels.
When our party just tried to pay for castings of single spells it turned out to be expensive.
I have a character concept where my warlock (with a non-transmittable deadly disease) was merely traveling when he died. Nearby, a celestial spirit’s last shrine was about to be destroyed, so it resurrected him and gave him warlock powers if it would save the shrine.
TL;DR saving the patron’s very existence would likely be sufficient.
The patron may have just wanted a service. You did a job, you got paid.
It might have been quite a service for granting a potential lifetime of on-demand magic up to potentially near godlike levels.
When our party just tried to pay for castings of single spells it turned out to be expensive.
I have a character concept where my warlock (with a non-transmittable deadly disease) was merely traveling when he died. Nearby, a celestial spirit’s last shrine was about to be destroyed, so it resurrected him and gave him warlock powers if it would save the shrine.
TL;DR saving the patron’s very existence would likely be sufficient.
lol, that, DM permitting, would certainly be a way for a player to work advantage in a relationship with a warlock patron. Before the game even began, "I saved god!" :D
There is actually a really good in RAW example of this with the Great Old One patron:
The Great Old One might be unaware of your existence or entirely indifferent to you, but the secrets you have learned allow you to draw your magic from it.
The patron may have just wanted a service. You did a job, you got paid.
It might have been quite a service for granting a potential lifetime of on-demand magic up to potentially near godlike levels.
When our party just tried to pay for castings of single spells it turned out to be expensive.
Maybe, or maybe they just gave you a small spark of magic that its up to you to grow. Which could be worth a smaller service. beings with mortal offspring maybe you saved them. Like lets say a elemental lord had a genasi child on the prime material who you saved from blackmailers. The possibilities are endless for services rendered.
And for the general question they could just be doing it because they lost a bet or you are the bet 2 cosmic beings granting power to people with a wager on how they will turn out. Genies it could be you used a wish, a Fiend maybe you corrupted a soul they valued, fey are whimsical so it could be a whim etc.
The patron may have just wanted a service. You did a job, you got paid.
As per RAI(there is no RAW on it) they can't take their power back a one and done service is one of the things that make the most sense imo. It is also more likely given this that you aren't taking more and more power from them as you grow, they gave you a seed, you have to grow it.
You tricked or defeated them some how. Like beating death at a game of chess for undying
You indirectly made a pact like finding an object of power like GOO suggests
You already payed some price like human sacrifice or giving
Some may also have goals which are largely irrelevant. Like a devil may not care what you do as long as you go to hell at some point. Some like Zariel may even want you to prove yourself as a hero first. Fey also just kind of do what ever and may have done something stupid like make your middle name poopy. Things like this can work well if you have warlock with lots of little patrons as opposed to one big one. that can give you a constantine like character whose got a ponsy scheme of soul selling and collection of small trinkets he won gambling.
Some patrons may just delight in chaos and/or death, so by granting powers to an adventurer they're sure to create some.
A patron may just have taken an interest in the player and their story, and wants to help them along for their own amusement (or perhaps indirectly it benefits them).
A being like Hadar may just need its warlocks to kill things so it can absorb the energy to forestall its own demise. You could count this as unconditional if it isn't actively pushing you to kill more, just granting you the power knowing that you will periodically do it anyway?
Maybe you died in service to it and so it brought you back with gifts for your service?
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Why, on the material plane, would a warlock be able to strike up a pact deal with an otherworldly patron without conditions?
The only reason that comes to mind for me is if the patron just wanted to enable a flow of their magic into a certain context.
For instance, a fire or fae related patron might be viewed to have a reason for wanting their magic to be channelled into a context such as Icewind Dale.
Does this make sense?
What other pact possibilities might come with few or no strings attached?
The patron might want you as a spy. "Report back to me with your findings, and in exchange I give you powers."
The patron might want you to go on the quest for them "Go defeat the BBEG and in exchange I give you powers to do so."
In the hexblade's case, if you're the type that makes your weapon your patron as well, your patron might want you to act as a vessel for them, cause without a willing body they're just a sword gathering dust. "Take me with you and let me see the world and experience it's joys, and in turn i give you powers."
Not exactly unconditional, but they're not hard traditional pacts either.
The patron may have just wanted a service. You did a job, you got paid.
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.
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It might have been quite a service for granting a potential lifetime of on-demand magic up to potentially near godlike levels.
When our party just tried to pay for castings of single spells it turned out to be expensive.
A Celestial Patron might only require you help those in need or slay any undead you come across.
I have a character concept where my warlock (with a non-transmittable deadly disease) was merely traveling when he died. Nearby, a celestial spirit’s last shrine was about to be destroyed, so it resurrected him and gave him warlock powers if it would save the shrine.
TL;DR saving the patron’s very existence would likely be sufficient.
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lol, that, DM permitting, would certainly be a way for a player to work advantage in a relationship with a warlock patron. Before the game even began, "I saved god!" :D
There is actually a really good in RAW example of this with the Great Old One patron:
The Great Old One might be unaware of your existence or entirely indifferent to you, but the secrets you have learned allow you to draw your magic from it.
I am also here.
Am snek.
Maybe, or maybe they just gave you a small spark of magic that its up to you to grow. Which could be worth a smaller service. beings with mortal offspring maybe you saved them. Like lets say a elemental lord had a genasi child on the prime material who you saved from blackmailers. The possibilities are endless for services rendered.
And for the general question they could just be doing it because they lost a bet or you are the bet 2 cosmic beings granting power to people with a wager on how they will turn out. Genies it could be you used a wish, a Fiend maybe you corrupted a soul they valued, fey are whimsical so it could be a whim etc.
As per RAI(there is no RAW on it) they can't take their power back a one and done service is one of the things that make the most sense imo. It is also more likely given this that you aren't taking more and more power from them as you grow, they gave you a seed, you have to grow it.
Lots of reasons:
You tricked or defeated them some how. Like beating death at a game of chess for undying
You indirectly made a pact like finding an object of power like GOO suggests
You already payed some price like human sacrifice or giving
Some may also have goals which are largely irrelevant. Like a devil may not care what you do as long as you go to hell at some point. Some like Zariel may even want you to prove yourself as a hero first. Fey also just kind of do what ever and may have done something stupid like make your middle name poopy. Things like this can work well if you have warlock with lots of little patrons as opposed to one big one. that can give you a constantine like character whose got a ponsy scheme of soul selling and collection of small trinkets he won gambling.
Depends how unconditional you want:
Just a few ideas.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
A lot of patrons would have so much power that whatever they give to you would seem to them to be a pittance.
It would be like a human teaching a dog how to read and write. Amazing for the dog, but most humans have that ability.