Evil Storm Giants

[the_brazenburn]

Hello, I'm a relatively new DM. I recently played through an ocean-based adventure, and the ranger/warlock ended up with a storm giant patron. After finishing a few more adventures, it became clear that this acted as a severely overpowered crutch, and the party ended up doing very little. They just relied on the storm giant to do everything for them. I decided to teach the ranger/warlock a lesson by making the storm giant a meglomaniacal villain hell-bent on deposing Stromaus and becoming a god. He's been manipulating the hapless player to do his dirty work, but I'm having trouble figuring out how to make the evil plans apparent and teach the player a much-needed lesson. Any help?

[Ronnocius]

Why is his patron helping them? Patrons give warlocks powers so they can carry out missions for the patron. Just make the patron stop helping them. Also, the storm giant could tell the warlock to gather evil artifacts for him, or the giant could just tell the warlock his plans. What level is the party, would they be able to defeat a storm giant?

[ThurlRavenscrof]

Yeah I'm not sure why a storm giant is doing the party's bidding...
Maybe you could start with some subtle hints like the giant kills some innocents next time he's helping the party or he's being very secretive about something. When the party gets suspicious and sets up surveillance on him, they see him doing his evil villain stuff.
I think it's also important you eventually give a reason for why he was helping the party like that he was lulling them into a false sense of security (although I don't know why he would since he already has extreme power over the warlock) or he is just willing to kill anyone for any reason (although in that case I don't know why he hasn't killed the party).

[the_brazenburn]

Yeah I'm not sure why a storm giant is doing the party's bidding...
Maybe you could start with some subtle hints like the giant kills some innocents next time he's helping the party or he's being very secretive about something. When the party gets suspicious and sets up surveillance on him, they see him doing his evil villain stuff.
I think it's also important you eventually give a reason for why he was helping the party like that he was lulling them into a false sense of security (although I don't know why he would since he already has extreme power over the warlock) or he is just willing to kill anyone for any reason (although in that case I don't know why he hasn't killed the party).

He's doing these things already. He's confined to his underwater lair, and has no other high-level minions. He needs certain evil artifacts to ascend to godhood, and they need to be found by the PC. Also, he isn't doing their bidding, it's more like a divine intervention thing.

[Sigreid]

Well, since he's not a god yet, I'm confused by his being able to provide divine intervention.

Anyway, on to your core question.

There are a couple of good dragons in the adventure. If the giant were to need a metallic dragon's heart for his ritual, that's pretty bluntly evil. Even better if he needs the still beating heart from an adult good dragon as that also makes them figure out how to get a still living good dragon back to him. A near impossible task at the SKT levels.

[the_brazenburn]

1. I didn't mean that he actually provides literal PHB divine intervention, he just always seems to step in when he is needed most, using his armies of minions, spellcasting allies, many magic items, and cleric levels to provide an intervention-like effect.

2. It isn't actually STK, I'm planning on incorporating PotA, giving each of the elemental cults an artifact necessary for the storm giant's ritual.

[lunaticfringe]

Wait what? Are the players controlling the giant?

[Beelzebubba]

1. I didn't mean that he actually provides literal PHB divine intervention, he just always seems to step in when he is needed most, using his armies of minions, spellcasting allies, many magic items, and cleric levels to provide an intervention-like effect.

As a DM, that is completely under your control, and none of that is ever required of a Warlock patron.

It's not suggested in flavor text, demanded in the rules, or anything like that.

The patron just grants spells.

So just stop doing it.

--

Patient: "Doctor, it hurts when I do this."

Doctor: "Then don't do that!"

[Armored Walrus]

What "lesson" are you trying to teach? "Never use the OP stuff your DM gives you"? You gave them this, why do they need to be punished for using it? Take some time to think about who needs to learn a lesson from this situation.

[the_brazenburn]

I know that I need to learn a lesson from this, but so does the player. Let me clarify his RP style. Storm giant needs the heart of a shapeshifter for his ritual, so he told the player to kill shapeshifter NPC ally and butcher him for his heart. The player complied without even asking why the storm giant wanted it, yet he still roleplays his character as a LG hero.