Warlock Origin Variant?

[Psykenthrope]

Hey, had a hypothetical question for all you DMs out there.

What if somebody wanted to play a warlock, but instead of having his character make a pact with his patron, his character figured out a way to steal a bit of the patron's power?

I was thinking that then maybe instead of having the occasional errand to do for the patron, the warlock has to be on the lookout for the patron's minions.

Thoughts?

[linklele]

That's ok! Everithing that add depth to your story and flavor is always a good thing!
After all this game is about your imagination!
If you want to keep the game balanced follow the mechanic rules of the handbook, but everything else is up to you!
You could even say your character is the creator of the world but lost his power...
You could say you are a Gruhhkrazam from the 9th dimension that has ben cursed and has been transformed into an halflig, and that his magic powers are actually natural to his race!
You can tell everything!!! [Crowd applause]

[Yagyujubei]

yeah honestly that seems totally fine to me. I feel like any DM would allow that, and I might do this actually myself, since my Lock has a criminal background and is neutral leaning towards morally bankrupt so it would make sense.

[BW022]

The PHB already covers this.

p106, "Work with your DM to determine how big a part your pact will play in your character's adventuring career. ...
What kind of relationship do you have with your patron? Is it friendly, antagonistic, uneasy, or romantic?"

It already says work with your DM on it and that it can be antagonistic.

As a DM... anything interesting, makes sense for the campaign setting, and is within the scope of the campaign would be fine. Maybe you are part of a group trying to destroy the creature or keep it from entering the world. Maybe its powers come not from it, but from someone else.

[Naanomi]

Sounds fine to me. A player in my group is a Warlock with the Entertainer background, and his backstory is he was 'spirited away' from the woods as a young child and grew up as a servant in the Fey Courts; escaping as an adult and being 'changed' by his time in the Feywyld. No real 'patron' there, but still a good Warlock story to me.

[Cambrian]

As a GM I would be thrilled if a player suggested that as a backstory. That kind of creativity gives you more to work with and should foster the memorable experience everyone is looking for.

[Sir_Leorik]

Hey, had a hypothetical question for all you DMs out there.

What if somebody wanted to play a warlock, but instead of having his character make a pact with his patron, his character figured out a way to steal a bit of the patron's power?

I was thinking that then maybe instead of having the occasional errand to do for the patron, the warlock has to be on the lookout for the patron's minions.

Thoughts?

I think its a great idea. I recommend discussing this with your DM to get approval first. Good suggestions for the victims of the theft include Hags and Unseelie Court Fey for the Archfey, Pit Fiends, Ultroloths or Balors for the Fiend, or Tharizdun or Zargon (who would be pissed off, but need to work through their minions since they are imprisoned) for the Great Old One.

EDIT: My own Warlock has a positive relationship with her patron, despite never having met her. The patron is an Archfey, Tiandra the Summer Queen. My Warlock believes that she has served in the Queen's court as a handmaiden, in dreams. Suffice to say I managed to unnerve both player characters and NPCs with my Warlock's constant declarations of fealty to the Summer Queen, usually sounding like a refugee from a Magical Girl Anime. :smallbiggrin:

[Psykenthrope]

Thanks for the feedback guys!
There are some good suggestions in here.