Dungeons & Dragons' Warlocks are mysterious individuals who, more or less, sell themselves to a greater being to advance their power and knowledge of the arcane. Whether in a moment of desperation or while on the verge of something huge, these people reach beyond themselves towards powerful entities willing to grant them power in exchange for service. What that eventually entails varies, but it is all but guaranteed a Warlock's patron will, one day, ask a price for the gifts they've granted.
Comparable to the relationship between a Cleric and their deity, the Warlock serves in their patron's name -- but Otherworldly Patrons are rarely gods. Still, the powers they bestow range from impressive to astronomical, making them an envy to peers who don't understand how they are able to carry out such things in the field.
When choosing this patron, there are a variety of undead entities one could choose from. For example, Strahd Von Zarovich or Lord Soth could extend their boons to a Warlock looking to unlock the secrets of power in living death. The Undead Patron offers a ton of cool features, like an expanded spell list to choose from, manifestation of the Warlock's patron that allows the player to transform for up to a minute (gaining neat features during that time), the ability to continue surviving without eating, drinking or breathing, and the ability for the Warlock to project their spirit over their physical form.
Unfortunately, until Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft releases, the Undead Patron's features aren't entirely official, and could be altered or removed. While the current incarnation of the Undead Patron is intriguing, it's currently in playtesting mode, placing it at the bottom of the list -- for now.
The Hexblade Patron is a mysterious entity from the Shadowfell, perhaps one like the Raven Queen, who extends her power to the Warlock and grants them abilities that rely heavily on the use of shadows. As the Hexblade Warlock levels up, they gain access to powerful hexes and curses that wreak psychic damage on their enemies, as well as learning the art of crafting shadows into weapons.
This patron also grants access to a number of intriguing spells designed to coincide with the powerful shadows they wield, like Blink, Phantasmal Killer and Banishing Smite. Hexblade Warlocks also gain powerful features, like Accursed Spectre, which allows them to bind the soul of a slain enemy into their service until it is slain or the caster takes a long rest, at which time it disappears and moves on to the afterlife. But while undeniably strong, other patrons offer even more intriguing options.
Those who form a pact with the Noble Genie find themselves granted elemental abilities, but at a price that could come back to bite them in the end. Most genies in the position to extend such a pact rival minor gods in power, and their arrogance typically makes them vindictive. They take great delight in wreaking havoc in the lives of those who would seek to trap their kind in servitude. When they enter into a pact with a Warlock seeking power, it is almost always to expand their own reach and power.
The power granted by a Genie Patron depends upon its nature, which the Warlock can choose before entering into their pact or roll on the Genie Kind table. Each of the four types of Genie (Dao, Efriti, Djinni and Marid) offer a different powers that reflect their element. In time, the Genie grants their Warlock a number of boons that enhance characteristics and resistances similar to the Genie itself. As the Warlock levels up, they can even gain access to small wishes. Unfortunately, despite the association with Genies, these Warlocks never actually gain access to the Wish spell itself.
The Archfey Patron falls in the middle of the list because their pacts are often whimsically terrifying and completely inscrutable when they are made. An Archfey rarely reveals their motivations, and they can fall anywhere between them simply searching for a way to make mischief to priming their Warlock for an ages' old revenge plot they've been itching to carry out for centuries.
Archfey Patrons lend their Warlocks a fraction of their own power, like immunity to charm, the ability to charm and manipulate others, and illusory magic that casts frightening presence or maddening aspects. These leave enemies all but addled -- if they actually survive an encounter with the Warlock. The Archfey thrives on causing madness, which makes the Warlocks who enter into pacts with them dangerous enemies to encounter.
Celestial Patrons are powerful beings of the Upper Planes, which include entities like solars, ki-rin, unicorns and empyreans. Entering into a pact with a Celestial grants the Warlock just a touch of the holy light that touches every corner of the multiverse. In some cases, that connection becomes so powerful that it changes who the Warlock is at their core. Some become so bound to their Patrons that they find themselves driven to right wrongs, eliminate darkness and spare the innocent from harm.
The powers granted by Celestial Patrons, while powerful, tend be somewhat similar to those granted to Clerics, providing access to spells like Cure Wounds, Guiding Bolt and Greater Restoration. As they level up, Celestial Warlocks gain powerful boons like Celestial Radiance (which grants temporary hit points upon completion of a short or long rest) and Searing Vengeance (which allows them to resist death itself so they can continue on with their work). Though it definitely puts a new spin on the role of the healer, its similarities to other healing builds puts it in the middle of the list.
The Undying Patron was once mortal themself, so they understand the all-consuming lust for power, knowledge and everlasting life. Through their own quest for immortality and power, they gained vast amounts of knowledge, and they're willing to pass it on -- for a price. Undying Patrons include beings like Vecna and Gilgeam the God of Unther.
This Patron ranks high on the list because they bestow their wisdom on the acquisition of eternal life. Warlocks who make pacts with the Undying Patron gain access to Spare the Dying. Their ability to cheat their own death (as well as helping others do the same) grants them the opportunity to bounce back to life when they succeed on Death Saving Throws.
As this Warlock levels up, they no longer need to breathe, eat, sleep or hydrate to stay alive, though they do still require "rest" to diminish points of exhaustion. At level 14, they gain the Indestructible Life feature, which allows them to regain hit points to sustain them in battle and reattach severed body parts without the pesky use of a Cleric.
Making a pact with a Fiend from the lower planes of existence is a dangerous endeavor, as all beings of this nature have evil intentions. The Warlock will struggle against this evil even if that is not their own nature. Fiends seek only destruction, and will do everything in their power to destroy all in their path -- especially those who enter into pacts with them.
The Fiend Patron ranks so high because it's a delicate and exciting balance between the Warlock's nature and their patron's power. Fighting that corruption can become all-consuming the longer their pact remains. As this Warlock levels up, they learn how to draw life from those who die around them to fuel their own power. They can also call on their Fiendish Patron to turn their luck around when things don't go their way. They even gain the ability to send their foes straight to hell, resulting in non-fiend enemies taking 10d10 psychic damage upon their return.
Warlocks who reach out to those entities of the deep find themselves making pacts with creatures of the sea and the Elemental Plane of Air. Shipwrecked sailors on the verge of death may find themselves reaching out to these Patrons in hopes of not only surviving, but rising above their level of power to control the very sea that tried to take their life. The Fathomless Patron grants Warlocks the ability to Create or Destroy Water, Control Elements like wind, thunder and lightning, and actually Control Water itself as they gain power.
One of the reasons this ranks so high is that Warlocks in pacts with the Fathomless can summon tentacles to attack their foes in battle. The higher their proficiency bonus, the more tentacles they can summon to wreak havoc on enemies and eventually even grant the caster temporary hit points.
As the Warlock grows stronger, so do the tentacles, eventually earning the ability to cast Evard's Black Tentacles without expending a spell slot once per long rest. They also gain the ability to transport themselves and up to five willing allies in a whirl of tentacles through a watery portal that resurfaces the party into another pool of water the Warlock is familiar with up to a mile away.
The highest ranking Otherworldly Patron is the Great Old One, powerful creatures like H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu whose very essence and nature are unfamiliar to the reality people have come to understand and rely on. Beings of this nature come from places like the Far Realms, where absolutely nothing makes sense, and their motivations for entering into pacts with mortals are indiscernible to those who try to understand them.
These Great Old Ones often aren't even aware of the mortals who enter into pacts with them, and many don't really care one way or the other. However, the secrets Warlocks gain through this mysterious alliance are horrifyingly intense. Those who fall prey to their abilities are often left mentally destroyed, their intact skulls little more than a vessel for what may have once been a perfectly functioning mind.
With spells like Telepathy, Clairvoyance, Detect Thoughts and Dominate Person, Warlocks who follow the path of the Great Old One make it their business to reach into the minds of those around them. They have the ability to telepathically communicate with anyone, regardless of whether they share a common language. These Warlocks can also protect their own minds from invasion as they grow more powerful, and the controlling nature of their abilities allows them to create thralls who must do their bidding until another caster removes the curse from them -- or the Warlock casts the spell on someone else.
0 Comments