New Character Backstory, enough possible hooks?

[MarkVIIIMarc]

We are working up some new characters Saturday and I have an idea for a Warlock. I want to do Warlock because our group has never had one and they are....different....mechanically.

I need a name for one, but let me tell his backstory.

(Insert name here) is a middle ageish variant human. He was in the er, shipping business, when he ran afoul of the local tax man and wrongly lost everything not just what he did owe. His amazingly young looking (elf) wife left him. His kid was at his brother in law's monastery and ran off.

(Insert name here) was despondant and down on his luck so in a moment of extreme weakness offered service to a painting of demi-god and POOF! A Warlock he was.

If anyone has ideas for a character name and what patron I am all ears.

Whatever is up with the wife, son, and implied corrupt tax official are the possible plot hooks. That enough?

[clash]

Patron depends on what the painting was and what type of warlock you want to play. From just the information provided a painting of a "demi-god" I would suggest either Celestial (self-explanatory), or Archefey(Several of them were worshiped or seen as demi-gods) but the description could easily be matched to any patron.

[Unoriginal]

You could call him Ian Duo (with possible nickname "Duo'n-on-his-luck"), and have his patron be an entity called Bajja the Luth.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

Patron depends on what the painting was and what type of warlock you want to play. From just the information provided a painting of a "demi-god" I would suggest either Celestial (self-explanatory), or Archefey(Several of them were worshiped or seen as demi-gods) but the description could easily be matched to any patron.

I am totally up for suggestions as to what was on the painting and who the patron is. Having a patron more evil than the character can be entertaining as well as having a goody doodie fey one who is sorta reabilitating him.

[Vogie]

As he's despondent, he gives up on his previous belief system, and going to off himself, then makes a joking prayer to the old painting of The Morrigan (or another god of the dead, god of life, or chooser of the slain), prior to doing the deed. Little did he know that it was an image of the Undying one, who accepted the pact, and he didn't die - when his body was discovered, he was merely stable, and was able to be healed back to life.

Since it is originally based on a painting, you could take some tropes from the Picture of Dorian Gray, which can tap into the Undying Nature boon at level 10. If you were wanting him to be a tome warlock, the tome could actually have a picture of him with all of the damage taken as if he didn't heal.

If it isn't dramatic enough, maybe the issue that causes the PC to become despondent is the death of his wife/child, rather than them simply leaving. Perhaps there was a plague, or zombie incursion in their small remote town, and he somehow was the last one alive in his little family. When he awakes after not-dying, he finds he's the only one in the entire town still alive. That'll give the PC's introduction to being a Warlock a "Walking Dead Pilot" feel. While you lose some of the hooks, you get a much bigger one - who unleashed the Zombies/plague/both on his village? Maybe he starts trying to find other extended family members, who fled the area before the incursion?

[MarkVIIIMarc]

As he's despondent, he gives up on his previous belief system, and going to off himself, then makes a joking prayer to the old painting of The Morrigan (or another god of the dead, god of life, or chooser of the slain), prior to doing the deed. Little did he know that it was an image of the Undying one, who accepted the pact, and he didn't die - when his body was discovered, he was merely stable, and was able to be healed back to life.

Since it is originally based on a painting, you could take some tropes from the Picture of Dorian Gray, which can tap into the Undying Nature boon at level 10. If you were wanting him to be a tome warlock, the tome could actually have a picture of him with all of the damage taken as if he didn't heal.

If it isn't dramatic enough, maybe the issue that causes the PC to become despondent is the death of his wife/child, rather than them simply leaving. Perhaps there was a plague, or zombie incursion in their small remote town, and he somehow was the last one alive in his little family. When he awakes after not-dying, he finds he's the only one in the entire town still alive. That'll give the PC's introduction to being a Warlock a "Walking Dead Pilot" feel. While you lose some of the hooks, you get a much bigger one - who unleashed the Zombies/plague/both on his village? Maybe he starts trying to find other extended family members, who fled the area before the incursion?

Nice, dark and full of lore. Haveing a bunch of great options choices to think about is a good problem!

[MarkVIIIMarc]

You could call him Ian Duo (with possible nickname "Duo'n-on-his-luck"), and have his patron be an entity called Bajja the Luth.

I think you see some of the inspiration behind my story lol.

I like the nickname.

[Honest Tiefling]

The nick name doesn't have to be his real name. He might have reacted to his pact made in a moment of despair badly and felt ashamed of it. As he is also dodging the law, having a bit of protection can't hurt. It could be an alias.

As for the demigod...You got a setting? We'd need to know that before we start giving ideas.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

The nick name doesn't have to be his real name. He might have reacted to his pact made in a moment of despair badly and felt ashamed of it. As he is also dodging the law, having a bit of protection can't hurt. It could be an alias.

As for the demigod...You got a setting? We'd need to know that before we start giving ideas.

We are very loosely Greyhawk. Pelor has made an actual appearance in a semi related campaign.

[Honest Tiefling]

Well, if you want to be silly, Zygag.

A more serious answer is Vathris. From what little I read from the wikipedia, he is obsessed with revenge and quite a minor god. I could see the character trying to fight the compulsion to get revenge, which would give him a reason to go after those plot hooks as opposed to just leaving. He could even help others along the way get their own vengeance, perhaps as a way to temporarily appease the pact so that bad things don't happen to him due to not fulfilling the pact.

[KorvinStarmast]

Recommended Character Name: Gar Lucchi, or Garth Lucci

Recommended Patron: Rudd (World of Greyhawk)
Rudd, CN Oerdian Demigoddess / Domains: Chaos, Good, Luck / Weapons: Rapier

Pact: Blade.
Nature of the Patron: Archfey due to the "luck" and "chaos" tie ins.

Based on the back story, a theme seems to be: if it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. Patron Rudd lobs good luck at this warlock now and again.

Build: variant human, warlock, PoB, ArchFey, Lucky Feat.
If point buy ...
15, 15, 14, 10 8 8 => S8 D 15 C 14 I 10 W 8 Ch 15 => 8/16/14/10/8/16
(Swap Wis and Int if desired)
Weapon: rapier when the pact of the blade arrives.
Daggers until then.
Background: Noble or Criminal .. I am a bit torn on this. Could make either work.
Skills: to taste ...
Story Hooks:

Whatever is up with the wife, son, and implied corrupt tax official are the possible plot hooks.
Wife: his wife was concerned with his not being able to handle adversity better, and removed herself to have a few years of peaceful serenity and restoring harmony to her life. She'll be contacted by the Arch Fey that Gar misses her and needs her. She'll come to him since she is worried a little bit about their son. This works better if he has Criminal background, as she is not happy with his hanging with crooks, but also works well if he's of Noble background and he is losing status/face/prestige/political contacts due to his misfortune.

Son: transitions from a monastery to a Paladin training school ... send money. (And maybe there is a problem at the school with him being a half elf and almost nobody else being a half elf ... bullying ... )

Tax Collector:
Becomes a small to medium sized 'distributor' of said commodity (whatever that was, call it X) with ties to multiple underworld clans and guilds:

There is a thieves guild who he supplies with X.
There is an orc tribe he does contraband dealing with in a variety of commodities.
There is a smuggler's guild, mostly half elves from a port/coastal area, who he is a fence for. Their side of it is bringing loot from various pirates to be "laundered" via his contacts. He converts their stuff into liquid assets.
He runs a modestly successful brothel through proxies in a larger city where he has other contacts, and has a lot of dirt on various members of the city council/duke's ministers.