Grieving Mother Character Build

[ethertwist]

Hello playground!

First post here - may I just say that I appreciate the forum and all the insight/experience/adjudications you guys offer. Apologies in advance if this post is long and rambling - but I promise it's not about being hidden vs. invisible.

I am a long time player and DM - predominantly 3.5 but have been playing 5th edition for about 6 months and I'm loving it.

I thought I would throw this character idea open to the forum, I basically want to build a character inspired by the Grieving Mother (cipher) from Pillars of Eternity.

For those not familiar, the Grieving Mother is a haunted woman who is defined by her grief - slightly mad but incredibly compelling. The cipher is based around psychic abilities, a lot of control, domination and (I'll admit this doesn't translate well to DND) creating psychic/physical links with both allies and foes, to sometimes devastating effect.

I would love to play a character who was a commoner but was driven mad by the loss of a child and spent a few years in an asylum, eventually breaking out as an adventurer whose sole motivation is finding meaning in the great void before her.

In thinking about this build I feel that a Warlock with the Great Old One patron fits best. The flavour to this is that she was touched by 'That Which Lurks' during her time in the asylum and it allowed her to regain a modicum of control over herself - at the expense of a more sinister, lurking madness that threatens to consume her.

I imagine when the party has a prisoner who won't talk she will be the one to step in and tell them all about the time she spent 2 months peeling her own fingernail off just 'to feel something' then threaten to introduce them to her patron - and back this up with Awakened Mind for extra, creepy credibility.

I think I have the flavour sorted but I am seeking advice around the mechanics of the build (especially past the first few levels). Current thoughts are:


Half Elf for boosted Charisma, and additional skills like Persuasion and Insight - I don't think this character is the party 'face' as she is incredibly off-putting, but when she decides to step up and bring her crazy to the table she needs the stats to back it
At first level GOO patron allows access to Dissonant Whispers and Tasha's Hideous Laughter which fit the theme - also take Hex because it's thematic AND a damage boost.
At higher levels dominate beast/person fit very well thematically (along with Hunger of Hadar but I can't help but read the spell and feel underwhelmed)
I love Awakened Mind, Entropic Ward and Thought Shield - but in practice are these useful abilities?
Create Thrall seems cool but it comes online late - generally campaigns I've played in don't get to 14 for a very long time.




In terms of pact boons I was thinking Pact of the Tome.


Bladelock doesn't fit as this isn't a melee build (could be wrong here though)
I could be convinced to go Chainlock but the familiar doesn't currently align to my thinking for this character.



If I go Tomelock I get three cantrips from any list - Vicious Mockery? What else would work here?

I guess my question is - is a pure Tomelock GOO my best choice or is there a better build for me? I haven't had much experience with multiclassing so I'm open to opinion.


Note that this is a concept and not intended to fit into a specific party at this stage. Assume point buy or array if you want to go into stats.

Thanks again :)

[JohanOfKitten]

For the tome, i think a couple of cantrips are fun for your grieving mother :
- Vicious mockery is clearly good here.
- Taumathurgy : blackened your eyes, tremors, things funny in your voice... It can give you some tools for fun roleplay.
- Spare the dying : I don't know if that fits really, but the ability to avoid someone death is something a grieving mother would like to have. (and having it now, too late to save her son -or else- is a perpetual torture :smallamused: )
- friends : really low domination spell, but it can fit with the psychic abilities you talked about.
- Chill touch is a contact attack spell (always useful when someone is too close to use eldritch blast) which work well with the thematic white lady/banshee that could be close to your concept.
- Minor illusion can be nice to drive people crazy. illusion of a painful scream of a dying one, the vision of a child body disembodied, etc...


For the chain, I think a familiar can be nice, but need some agrement about it from the DM.
I would played it like it's some mental projection of the disturbed mind of the grieving mother. Not a real being, more like an imaginary friend in which she pours some of her powers.
Some of the possible familiar can be invisible, so it can help with that idea.
Specially, I think the quasit (invisibility and scare) and the sprite (invisibility and heart touch) fit well.
If the familiar attacks, it's some magical manifestation that becomes physical and affect someone.
And bonus point if your character seems to often talk alone. :smallcool:


About multiclassing, I don't see a great combinaison to developp your thematic.
Pure GOO warlock works really fine here.
Maybe levels in wizard-enchanter can add something about mental domination and some spells in that domain, but it would give a slow progression for not much.

[Maxilian]

It sounds interesting, i have a character down the pipeline that is also a grieving mother (and also a Warlock) but she uses the Invocation that let her change appeareance to look like her daughter, but time and the connection with unfathomable things and creatures, have driven her mad, to the point that she now believes her daughter is still alive, and every place she goes, she start handing small paintings and drawings of her daughter (most people just get confused cause she's basically giving a painting of herself -at least for most people cause she looks like her daughter-)

[ethertwist]

For the tome, i think a couple of cantrips are fun for your grieving mother :
- Spare the dying : I don't know if that fits really, but the ability to avoid someone death is something a grieving mother would like to have. (and having it now, too late to save her son -or else- is a perpetual torture :smallamused: )


You sir are to be commended.

I'm not trying to optimise this build, so having Spare the Dying as a constant reminder of how she failed to save her child fits perfectly with my idea.

Thanks :)

[Joe the Rat]

On array or point buy, Lightfoot halfling can work here, as well as Variant Human - but I don't have a solid idea on what feat. Tiefling and Drow also can work, but now you're getting into not-so-common commoners.

I agree on Tome being the most natural fit. Adding the Message cantrip (2-way communication, longer range and through modest barriers) would fit your mentalist perspective. From there, you can either add utility (Guidance being the big one), or something with a bit more of a "haunting" feel - minor illusion or dancing lights for a little ghost imagery, or thaumaturgy for some proper poltergeistspielen.

Chain can work, but I think it works best played as part of being unhinged. Take an "Old-One-flavored" Imp or Quasit, or maybe Sprite - something that can spend almost all of its time invisible. Now you are talking to something - sometimes out loud - that isn't there, and tell people about what's around corners while having fits of hysterical blindness, and occasionally talking some random frog,rat,raven,etc. that "shows up" like it was your lost child. The Chain invocations give you a bit more compel and control, should you need it.

Bard and Sorcerer play best with Warlock, but I don't know how much they will fit with concept. The exception here is Subtle metamagic from Sorcerer, which lets you stand there all Carrie-like while stuff starts exploding or flying or igniting around you. Wild magic has the crazy, but tends to be a bit more whimsical than haunted. Storm Sorcerer (SCAG) doesn't add a ton, but that first level effect - the option to fly 10' every time you cast a 1st+ level spell - can be creepy as hell. Cackle out a dissonant whispers, then float backwards 10'? Are you haunted or possessed?

[ethertwist]

It sounds interesting, i have a character down the pipeline that is also a grieving mother (and also a Warlock) but she uses the Invocation that let her change appeareance to look like her daughter, but time and the connection with unfathomable things and creatures, have driven her mad, to the point that she now believes her daughter is still alive, and every place she goes, she start handing small paintings and drawings of her daughter (most people just get confused cause she's basically giving a painting of herself -at least for most people cause she looks like her daughter-)

I didn't even THINK about invocations. Gah!

For my Grieving Mother I am thinking Sign of Ill Omen, Dreadful Word, Bewitching Whispers would all work (they sound so much cooler by their titles than just the spell they let you cast.

Your character sounds great though. Maybe one day there will be a party of -seriously- disturbed warlock women wreaking havoc. I'm in.

[Waffle_Iron]

You sir are to be commended.

I'm not trying to optimise this build, so having STD as a constant reminder of how she failed to save her child fits perfectly with my idea.

Thanks :)

PTSD = post traumatic stress disorder

STD = sexually transmitted disease

FYI

[Draco4472]

The Haunted One background presented in the Curse of Strahd hardcover would fit with your character concept quite well. Here's the link:
http://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/CoS_Character_Options.pdf

As for your characters class, I can imagine sorcerer would be a great fit as her grief manifests into magic, and the UA Shadow Sorcerer would fit the dark character quite well in my eyes. Warlock's flavor seems out of place given it would involve a pact, so perhaps she sold her soul to a demon with a poorly worded contract? Or sought a means to bring her daughter back to life which led to contacting elder beings from the far realms?

Here's the link to the Shadow Sorcerer if you're interested:
https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/02_UA_Underdark_Characters.pdf

[ethertwist]

PTSD = post traumatic stress disorder

STD = sexually transmitted disease

FYI

Guh! Late night posts sorry, I didn't make the connection to a sexually transmitted disease. I meant STD = Spare the Dying, but have edited for clarity.

Cheers.

[ethertwist]

The Haunted One background presented in the Curse of Strahd hardcover would fit with your character concept quite well.

As for your characters class, I can imagine sorcerer would be a great fit as her grief manifests into magic, and the UA Shadow Sorcerer would fit the dark character quite well in my eyes. Warlock's flavor seems out of place given it would involve a pact, so perhaps she sold her soul to a demon with a poorly worded contract? Or sought a means to bring her daughter back to life which led to contacting elder beings from the far realms?



Haunted One background is perfect!

Shadow Sorcerer is interesting and I really like the 'quirks' - being cold to the touch is great for flavour (maybe a DM would allow it anyway with the understanding that it has no mechanical benefit other than upping the creep factor).

I just feel that the sorcerer spell list doesn't quite hit the mark. In terms of concept I the pact with the GOO was something she made during her incarceration - partly out of madness and partly because her grief meant she just did not care about herself/her soul.

I also like the Awakened Mind feature of the GOO Warlock for getting in people's heads. Still, good food for thought.

[Talionis]

The Haunted One background presented in the Curse of Strahd hardcover would fit with your character concept quite well. Here's the link:
http://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/CoS_Character_Options.pdf

As for your characters class, I can imagine sorcerer would be a great fit as her grief manifests into magic, and the UA Shadow Sorcerer would fit the dark character quite well in my eyes. Warlock's flavor seems out of place given it would involve a pact, so perhaps she sold her soul to a demon with a poorly worded contract? Or sought a means to bring her daughter back to life which led to contacting elder beings from the far realms?

Here's the link to the Shadow Sorcerer if you're interested:
https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/02_UA_Underdark_Characters.pdf
So tired with everyone thinking that Fiend Pact Warlocks are the only Warlocks in existence. Both Fey and Goo exist. They are pacts but can have vastly different fluff and are not the same as selling your soul to the devil.

As far as optimization goes, Warlock is a great dip for other classes, but it doesn't dip as well with other casters, because they don't progress Warlock spell casting. So unless you really want a low level ability from another class it's a good idea to stay Warlock.

I wouldn't necessarily write off Bladelock. It might be fun to play a crazed woman who gets crazed with Rage from grief. A small dip in Barbarian might be helpful from an optimization standpoint, but also thematic. Using spells like Armor of Agathys then raging. The Armor damage gets pretty good, especially against many weaker foes, Barbarian shields and resistances can help the Armor last. You couldn't concentrate on spells while you Rage, but you don't have an infinite number of Rages and Hex is more useful against single tough targets, and just to give disadvantage. This is really a fun combination.

[lunaticfringe]

If you decide to go GOO Tome Lock:

Vicious Mockery, Guidance

Guidance is Awesome. Vicious Mockery is Awesome. Don't get Spare tD, just buy a few Healer's Kits. The last slot is up to you

[djreynolds]

Tavern brawler so you can throw plates and wield a rolling pin.

[Addaran]

TWarlock's flavor seems out of place given it would involve a pact, so perhaps she sold her soul to a demon with a poorly worded contract? Or sought a means to bring her daughter back to life which led to contacting elder beings from the far realms?


Despite the name, there's no need for a pact to be a warlock. The phb itself show examples where there is no pact involved. It works extremely well with devils and it can be fun to have a pact for your backstory. But nothing forces you to have one. Especialy for the GOO, where the higher levels might not even be aware of you.

[djreynolds]

A raging caster, but the power is like a wild sorcerer... poltergeist. Could work with a mystic maybe. Try this route.

Try tying the wild sorcerer with the mystic. When you use a thought spear, you have to roll on the wild sorcerer chart.