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View Full Version : An acceptable idea for an (Undying) warlock patron?



Euclidodese
2019-10-17, 06:19 AM
Hi

I'm a tad worried that my idea for a warlock Patron could be seen as not powerful or 'major' enough to fill the role, or that the motivations might seem a bit silly.

My idea is that the ruler of an ancient emperor, desperate to remain alive at all costs, was transformed into a Mummy Lord. This kept his mind intact, but trapped him in the burial chambers of a now long-forgotten tomb.

Unable to leave the tomb without crumbling into dust, the old pharaoh offers pacts to mortals, simply so that he can see the world through their eyes. He's bored, and grants my character power on the proviso that the power is used to go on adventures, so that he can watch.

He has no intention of conquering the world (or so he says,) and knows rebuilding his empire is unlikely. He's just bored. He wants someone to communicate telepathically with, and he wants to see the world through their eyes.

The pharaoh was evil in life, but countless centuries trapped underground have mellowed him out a bit, and he's a bit more philosophical and functionalist now.

My character took the pact to escape an awful near-slave existence. He's a bit of a coward but, desperate to keep his powers so that he doesn't end up back in poverty, he has to go on dangerous adventures whether he wants to or not.

What do you guys think?

Berenger
2019-10-17, 07:10 AM
Works. Deification / apotheosis of living or dead rulers happened in several cultures, as did the idea of gods that wanted entertainment from watching and interacting with mortals. So, if it works with the general tone of your setting...

J-H
2019-10-17, 07:55 AM
I like it. There are also several good plot hooks including:


Old enemies of his trying to dig him up and kill him.... or trying to kill your character
Forgotten deities from his time coming back or trying to do so.
Tomb robbers
Him providing the location of a long-lost, buried treasury (with or without XYZ evil artifact in it)

Euclidodese
2019-10-18, 06:09 AM
Thanks for the feedback guys, very much appreciated :smallsmile:

ATHATH
2019-10-21, 03:49 PM
Reminds me of Vestiges from D&D 3.5e (if you don't know what they are, look up information about the "Binder" class).

iceman10058
2019-10-29, 06:59 PM
Also, undead do work on very different time tables than regular mortals. Your patron may simply be watching, waiting for a specific event to happen from something he started a thousand years ago so he may proceed with whatever plan he has.