My previous character just got killed last session, and after looking at the options, I've decided to play a Half Elf Warlock Pact of the Tome with a Celestial Patron. I've decided to do an Urban Bounty Hunter background. At my DM's suggestion I looked at the alternative Half Elf options in the SCAG, but I've decided that the standard Half Elf from the PHB is best. I'm starting off with one level in Fighter, and then going all Celestial Warlock after that (Fighter 1 Warlock 14 if we get that far, but right now I'll be a Fighter 1 Warlock 5). I'll have proficiency in Acrobatics, Deception, Intimidation, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth. I'll speak Common, Celestial, and Elvish, and I'll be proficient with Thieves' Tools and the Dragonchess set (although I could definitely change this last one).
The party is working for the Harper's, and we're doing the Storm King's Thunder campaign. The other members of the party are an Evocation Wizard, a Battlemaster Fighter, a Bard (his character also got killed last session, and he's not decided on a new one, but he has said that he's probably doing a Bard), and there was a Kensei Monk, but he had to quit because he was too busy working two jobs. Mechanically, it should work well because I think we'll be doing a fair amount of short rests. Working for the Harper's faction and having a Celestial Patron should work better than most other patrons, I think there's less conflict between the Harper's goals and my Patron's goals (whatever those goals will be).
Because of my own play style, I'm the type that loves unlimited use abilities, and I'm very hesitant to use limited use abilities. I plan on mostly using my spell slots to cast Shadow Blade, and attacking with Green Flame Blade. I'll have Sacred Flame when I really need a ranged attack, but I'll mostly be melee. I plan on taking the Devil's Sight invocation, the Book of Ancient Secrets invocation (so lots of cantrips and rituals available to me), and the Mask of Many Faces invocation. With one level in fighter, and mainly relying on the Warlock pact for my two spells that make my melee attacks much more powerful, my relationship with my Patron is clearly focused around him giving me excellent martial abilities. But I will also take Cure Wounds and I'll have the Healing Light ability, so there will also be some aspect of Healing gifts being granted to me. I'm not looking for discussion on how effective my character will be: I'm mentioning these abilities because the abilities that I receive will probably play a role in my character's personality and his relationship with the Patron.
So to sum it up, my character is seeking/receiving martial abilities, healing abilities, and non-combat utility abilities from the Patron.
I need some advice on how to pick out a Celestial Patron, how to build that into my character's backstory, how to form a relationship with my Patron, and how to show that relationship to the party. How much of it is my character asking for specific abilities, and how much of it is my patron selecting these abilities for my character? Should my Patron have a relationship with the Harper's Faction? How can I link together my Celestial Patron and my alignment with the Harper's Faction?
There are two paths that you can take with your patron that will be fun. One that's really obvious is your patron can be an ally of the Harpers and your side of the pact is supporting them. The other one that your DM will have fun with is your patron can be a Celestial who is Lawful and who dislikes the tactics that the Harpers use because only cowards hide in the shadows.
There are two paths that you can take with your patron that will be fun. One that's really obvious is your patron can be an ally of the Harpers and your side of the pact is supporting them. The other one that your DM will have fun with is your patron can be a Celestial who is Lawful and who dislikes the tactics that the Harpers use because only cowards hide in the shadows.
That's an interesting idea. I don't think it would work, my character will have a +7 in stealth. At least he won't have the One with Shadows invocation, but that is one that appeals to me. If my Patron dislikes the tactics of the Harpers because only cowards hide in the Shadows, he's certainly not going to grant me the One with Shadows invocation. I don't think I want to close that door to my character :)
But your comment did bring up an important question: Are Celestials capable of having an alliance with the Harper's?
I'm not quite sure how the heirarchy works between actual gods like Mystra and Selune, then Celestials (I don't know of any, which is why I need help), and organizations of lesser beings, such as the Harper's or the Lord's Alliance. Do Celestials see themselves as being above the organizations like the Harper's, or do they see these organizations as their equals? Do they see themselves as being closer to the gods, or closer to the lesser beings?
I was thinking it would more be like my Patron is sending me to help the Harper's out in our quest because he (or she) wants the Harper's to succeed in their current quest. If I'm making a pact with my Patron as one that is inferior to my Patron, wouldn't my Patron also treat the Harper's alliance like inferiors? I guess my lack of knowledge of Celestials is why it wasn't obvious to me that a Celestial Patron would lower themselves to being an ally of an organization of lesser beings like the Harper's.
Check out the Celestial Monster list and pick anything from that list. Then either create a story with your DM for that celestial where it wants to support the Harpers or create the story yourself. You’re only limited by your imagination since it’s a story element that won’t give you and mechanical advantages.
Check out the Celestial Monster list and pick anything from that list. Then either create a story with your DM for that celestial where it wants to support the Harpers or create the story yourself. You’re only limited by your imagination since it’s a story element that won’t give you and mechanical advantages.
That provides stat blocks, but it doesn't really provide much for roleplaying.
I just started one of these today, incidentally also in storm kings thunder. I made a chaotic good mark of hospitality halfling with an extremely low intelligence stat (5) who entered into a pact with a unicorn that he thought was just a regular horse he was playing with.
I quickly became the party's mascot, letting my low rolls have chaotic outcomes and just generally being an idiot who can show some power when he gets things right.
I'm still trying to come up with further roleplay ideas though. We have a celestial paladin who I'm drawn to because it feels like when I'm near my patron.
I would probably go with a celestial who's in service to one of the more martial gods. You did something in battle that drew the attention of one of these servants of battle; a valkyrie perhaps. To quote Robin Hood: Prince of thieves; "I've seen the lowliest, unarmed squire pull a spear from his own body to defend a dying horse." In return, your patron expects greatness from you on the battlefield. You're expected to follow the highest calling of being a soldier, you never abandon your comrades, you stand firm in the face of adversity. As a patron of war, your patron grants you the powers that enhance your capabilities, both to aid your fellow soldiers and to strike down your foes. They're the experts and know what to give you. What your patron asks in return, is merely your best. To be the best warrior you can be and to reflect great credit on them for choosing you to represent them.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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.
I'm in a similar situation - but my PC started as a Paladin. So, she's devoted to Athena. I'm trying to figure out a good Celestial Patron for her, that won't conflict with her Paladin background. I'd like to minimize any discord between deity and patron. Perhaps her Patron was an angel of battle, like Nike, or Alke... or an Amazon... someone sent by Athena to guide my PC.
crzyhawk I think has the flavor I'm looking for: "never abandon your comrades, stand firm in the face of adversity... aid your fellows and strike down foes."
I ended up making my patron a Ghaele (a Celestial Eladrin found in 2e and 3e that was a swordsman) that is a follower of Selune and resides in Arvandor. I ended up choosing Pact of the Chain instead of Pact of the Tome (mostly for the increased healing).
My character joined the Harpers, and it was after joining the Harpers that he was approached by his patron with the offer to increase his powers as a Swordsman through service to his patron. At the moment, that service means that the city boy Urban Bounty Hunter had to leave Waterdeep and go out into the countryside and join up with a group of Harpers that is investigating the problems the giants are causing. So he is compelled by his patron to investigate what the giants are doing, and to stop them. He's also not happy about being away from the city and being in the countryside.
We haven't gone too much into his backstory for what services he performed in Waterdeep for his patron, and for the Harper's, but we did decide that while he was in Waterdeep, that he did encounter and work alongside the Evocation Wizard in our party that was also in Waterdeep at the time and was also working for the Harper's at that time. With the Urban Bounty Hunter background, his swordsman skills, his proficiencies in the charisma and dexterity skills, and the Mask of Many Faces invocation, there's plenty that he could do in Waterdeep in service to his patron there. So I'm ready to fill that part of his backstory in if it's ever needed, but our party seems more focused on combat than they are on roleplay.
I'm also not as interested in having a detailed backstory, I'm more interested in the character's personality and goals. With a Warlock, the goals are heavily influenced by the patron, so I've had to work with the DM to figure out what my patron's goals are, and to incorporate that into my character's behavior. I have made my character brash and confident, which means that I have to push him into danger even when I think it might be too dangerous. Every character that I have played has either been overly confident or overly cautious, I like pushing a character one way or the other in this spectrum, and not staying near the middle. It makes sense that the patron would choose an overly confident person for the pact, rather than one that is scared to take risks. If the patron is asking his servant to do something, he doesn't want the servant to be too scared of the risks to take on the task. I've given my familiar (the Sprite with higher intelligence and wisdom than my character) the task from the patron of reigning in my character's overconfidence and warning him when he's being overconfident. Basically, one of the familiar's primary tasks is to keep my character from doing anything stupid.
I'll be happy to focus more on the backstory and relationship with the patron if necessary, but I'm quite happy with how full of a character I've developed so far. To me, the backstory serves two purposes - first to tie you in to the campaign and to explain why you're participating, second to help you create your character's personality. Details in a backstory that don't contribute to either of these purposes only serve the purpose of being there for people that like telling or listening to stories, which is a legitimate purpose in some groups, but in our group, we have shown less interest in the story telling aspect than we probably should.
I guess it's a good thing that my group isn't as heavy into the roleplaying aspect, because I haven't had to do a good job incorporating my patron into the campaign.
Your patron can be as involved or not as you wish. None of the warlocks or sorlocks that I have played have had much interaction with their patron.
For me, the backstory is simply how did I get to where I am. No more, no less. It helps explain the how and why, which helps me to get an understanding of what his personality might be like. I've got some ideas on a more involved patron should the right campaign come along, but my present group hasn't rocked that boat.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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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My previous character just got killed last session, and after looking at the options, I've decided to play a Half Elf Warlock Pact of the Tome with a Celestial Patron. I've decided to do an Urban Bounty Hunter background. At my DM's suggestion I looked at the alternative Half Elf options in the SCAG, but I've decided that the standard Half Elf from the PHB is best. I'm starting off with one level in Fighter, and then going all Celestial Warlock after that (Fighter 1 Warlock 14 if we get that far, but right now I'll be a Fighter 1 Warlock 5). I'll have proficiency in Acrobatics, Deception, Intimidation, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth. I'll speak Common, Celestial, and Elvish, and I'll be proficient with Thieves' Tools and the Dragonchess set (although I could definitely change this last one).
The party is working for the Harper's, and we're doing the Storm King's Thunder campaign. The other members of the party are an Evocation Wizard, a Battlemaster Fighter, a Bard (his character also got killed last session, and he's not decided on a new one, but he has said that he's probably doing a Bard), and there was a Kensei Monk, but he had to quit because he was too busy working two jobs. Mechanically, it should work well because I think we'll be doing a fair amount of short rests. Working for the Harper's faction and having a Celestial Patron should work better than most other patrons, I think there's less conflict between the Harper's goals and my Patron's goals (whatever those goals will be).
Because of my own play style, I'm the type that loves unlimited use abilities, and I'm very hesitant to use limited use abilities. I plan on mostly using my spell slots to cast Shadow Blade, and attacking with Green Flame Blade. I'll have Sacred Flame when I really need a ranged attack, but I'll mostly be melee. I plan on taking the Devil's Sight invocation, the Book of Ancient Secrets invocation (so lots of cantrips and rituals available to me), and the Mask of Many Faces invocation. With one level in fighter, and mainly relying on the Warlock pact for my two spells that make my melee attacks much more powerful, my relationship with my Patron is clearly focused around him giving me excellent martial abilities. But I will also take Cure Wounds and I'll have the Healing Light ability, so there will also be some aspect of Healing gifts being granted to me. I'm not looking for discussion on how effective my character will be: I'm mentioning these abilities because the abilities that I receive will probably play a role in my character's personality and his relationship with the Patron.
So to sum it up, my character is seeking/receiving martial abilities, healing abilities, and non-combat utility abilities from the Patron.
I need some advice on how to pick out a Celestial Patron, how to build that into my character's backstory, how to form a relationship with my Patron, and how to show that relationship to the party. How much of it is my character asking for specific abilities, and how much of it is my patron selecting these abilities for my character? Should my Patron have a relationship with the Harper's Faction? How can I link together my Celestial Patron and my alignment with the Harper's Faction?
There are two paths that you can take with your patron that will be fun. One that's really obvious is your patron can be an ally of the Harpers and your side of the pact is supporting them. The other one that your DM will have fun with is your patron can be a Celestial who is Lawful and who dislikes the tactics that the Harpers use because only cowards hide in the shadows.
Professional computer geek
That's an interesting idea. I don't think it would work, my character will have a +7 in stealth. At least he won't have the One with Shadows invocation, but that is one that appeals to me. If my Patron dislikes the tactics of the Harpers because only cowards hide in the Shadows, he's certainly not going to grant me the One with Shadows invocation. I don't think I want to close that door to my character :)
But your comment did bring up an important question: Are Celestials capable of having an alliance with the Harper's?
I'm not quite sure how the heirarchy works between actual gods like Mystra and Selune, then Celestials (I don't know of any, which is why I need help), and organizations of lesser beings, such as the Harper's or the Lord's Alliance. Do Celestials see themselves as being above the organizations like the Harper's, or do they see these organizations as their equals? Do they see themselves as being closer to the gods, or closer to the lesser beings?
I was thinking it would more be like my Patron is sending me to help the Harper's out in our quest because he (or she) wants the Harper's to succeed in their current quest. If I'm making a pact with my Patron as one that is inferior to my Patron, wouldn't my Patron also treat the Harper's alliance like inferiors? I guess my lack of knowledge of Celestials is why it wasn't obvious to me that a Celestial Patron would lower themselves to being an ally of an organization of lesser beings like the Harper's.
Check out the Celestial Monster list and pick anything from that list. Then either create a story with your DM for that celestial where it wants to support the Harpers or create the story yourself. You’re only limited by your imagination since it’s a story element that won’t give you and mechanical advantages.
Professional computer geek
That provides stat blocks, but it doesn't really provide much for roleplaying.
I just started one of these today, incidentally also in storm kings thunder. I made a chaotic good mark of hospitality halfling with an extremely low intelligence stat (5) who entered into a pact with a unicorn that he thought was just a regular horse he was playing with.
I quickly became the party's mascot, letting my low rolls have chaotic outcomes and just generally being an idiot who can show some power when he gets things right.
I'm still trying to come up with further roleplay ideas though. We have a celestial paladin who I'm drawn to because it feels like when I'm near my patron.
I would probably go with a celestial who's in service to one of the more martial gods. You did something in battle that drew the attention of one of these servants of battle; a valkyrie perhaps. To quote Robin Hood: Prince of thieves; "I've seen the lowliest, unarmed squire pull a spear from his own body to defend a dying horse." In return, your patron expects greatness from you on the battlefield. You're expected to follow the highest calling of being a soldier, you never abandon your comrades, you stand firm in the face of adversity. As a patron of war, your patron grants you the powers that enhance your capabilities, both to aid your fellow soldiers and to strike down your foes. They're the experts and know what to give you. What your patron asks in return, is merely your best. To be the best warrior you can be and to reflect great credit on them for choosing you to represent them.
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
I'm in a similar situation - but my PC started as a Paladin. So, she's devoted to Athena. I'm trying to figure out a good Celestial Patron for her, that won't conflict with her Paladin background. I'd like to minimize any discord between deity and patron.
Perhaps her Patron was an angel of battle, like Nike, or Alke... or an Amazon... someone sent by Athena to guide my PC.
crzyhawk I think has the flavor I'm looking for: "never abandon your comrades, stand firm in the face of adversity... aid your fellows and strike down foes."
I ended up making my patron a Ghaele (a Celestial Eladrin found in 2e and 3e that was a swordsman) that is a follower of Selune and resides in Arvandor. I ended up choosing Pact of the Chain instead of Pact of the Tome (mostly for the increased healing).
My character joined the Harpers, and it was after joining the Harpers that he was approached by his patron with the offer to increase his powers as a Swordsman through service to his patron. At the moment, that service means that the city boy Urban Bounty Hunter had to leave Waterdeep and go out into the countryside and join up with a group of Harpers that is investigating the problems the giants are causing. So he is compelled by his patron to investigate what the giants are doing, and to stop them. He's also not happy about being away from the city and being in the countryside.
We haven't gone too much into his backstory for what services he performed in Waterdeep for his patron, and for the Harper's, but we did decide that while he was in Waterdeep, that he did encounter and work alongside the Evocation Wizard in our party that was also in Waterdeep at the time and was also working for the Harper's at that time. With the Urban Bounty Hunter background, his swordsman skills, his proficiencies in the charisma and dexterity skills, and the Mask of Many Faces invocation, there's plenty that he could do in Waterdeep in service to his patron there. So I'm ready to fill that part of his backstory in if it's ever needed, but our party seems more focused on combat than they are on roleplay.
I'm also not as interested in having a detailed backstory, I'm more interested in the character's personality and goals. With a Warlock, the goals are heavily influenced by the patron, so I've had to work with the DM to figure out what my patron's goals are, and to incorporate that into my character's behavior. I have made my character brash and confident, which means that I have to push him into danger even when I think it might be too dangerous. Every character that I have played has either been overly confident or overly cautious, I like pushing a character one way or the other in this spectrum, and not staying near the middle. It makes sense that the patron would choose an overly confident person for the pact, rather than one that is scared to take risks. If the patron is asking his servant to do something, he doesn't want the servant to be too scared of the risks to take on the task. I've given my familiar (the Sprite with higher intelligence and wisdom than my character) the task from the patron of reigning in my character's overconfidence and warning him when he's being overconfident. Basically, one of the familiar's primary tasks is to keep my character from doing anything stupid.
I'll be happy to focus more on the backstory and relationship with the patron if necessary, but I'm quite happy with how full of a character I've developed so far. To me, the backstory serves two purposes - first to tie you in to the campaign and to explain why you're participating, second to help you create your character's personality. Details in a backstory that don't contribute to either of these purposes only serve the purpose of being there for people that like telling or listening to stories, which is a legitimate purpose in some groups, but in our group, we have shown less interest in the story telling aspect than we probably should.
I guess it's a good thing that my group isn't as heavy into the roleplaying aspect, because I haven't had to do a good job incorporating my patron into the campaign.
Your patron can be as involved or not as you wish. None of the warlocks or sorlocks that I have played have had much interaction with their patron.
For me, the backstory is simply how did I get to where I am. No more, no less. It helps explain the how and why, which helps me to get an understanding of what his personality might be like. I've got some ideas on a more involved patron should the right campaign come along, but my present group hasn't rocked that boat.
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