What caused your Paladin to make a warlock pact?

[nickl_2000]

Paladin/Warlock is a very powerful multiclass combination and is often suggested on here as something that should be done with characters.

What would caused your holy warrior of light to make a pact with a elder being, fiend, chaotic fey, or an unknown blade likely from the shadowfell in character? How did you explain this in character since you are making a pact with this powerful being?


And maybe this is because I've played old editions where Paladins had to be LG and can't get that out of my mind.

[KorvinStarmast]

To attract the ladies, of course. :smallcool:
My Ancients Paladin took the Arc Fey patron since being mysterious really gets the ladies at court, in taverns, and pretty much everywhere all a-swooning over this handsome half elf.

*ducks, expecting incoming ....*

On a more thematic note, read up on the PHB's descriptive text for the Ancients Paladin, and then for the ArchFey patron; they are a really good RP match.
The ArchFey need not be chaotic by default. Discuss that with your DM.

Second line of discussion:
If you have XgTE, you can go Oath of Devotion and become a Celestial Pact Warlock and be perfectly set up for a Lawful Good character.

[MightyDuck]

I mean, the obvious story hook is that you require the power to overcome greater evil, its not outside the realms of your oath, in fact the power might allow you to better carry out your creed and protect people/wreek vengeance upon your enemies, of course it is a slippery slope.

[nickl_2000]

of course it is a slippery slope.

That's it exactly, I think it may be a personal problem since I still see almost all Paladins as a Michael Carpenter type character from Dresden Files.

[Keravath]

All of the following can be easily role played given the motivations of the specific paladin oaths.

Vengeance or conquest paladin + hexblade or fiend

Ancients paladin + fey warlock

Devotion paladin + celestial warlock

Any good paladin + celestial warlock

——

Other combinations can be role played as interest in shared goals or objectives or by the paladin being put in a position of accepting an oath as the lesser of two bad choices.

A fiend warlock paladin for example may be dedicated to the destruction of fiends and enjoy the irony of being assisted in that goal by a fiend patron. Meanwhile, the patron benefits by the removal of competitors.

There are many good role play reasons for a paladin to accept a warlock pact.

[Blood of Gaea]

I personally think the best fit is a Vengeance Paladin 6/X Hexblade and the story of the slippery slope to the top as they become more extreme over time, leaning farther and farther into the power of their patron rather than their personal convictions.

This works especially well if you start at like 12-15 strength, and play that up as their maximum level, no matter how hard they try or how much effort they put it, the only answer is to rely on their patron to increase their martial power.

[Mith]

That's it exactly, I think it may be a personal problem since I still see almost all Paladins as a Michael Carpenter type character from Dresden Files.

While a Michael Carpenter style character would have no need for a pact, consider that a Celestial Warlock pact could fit a more Light aligned bargain. Consider some of the Sword bearers in Changes for example, but extend out that 1 mission to an entire character arc.

[Chronos]

It's not that big a step, thematically, to go from Oath of the Ancients to Archfey pact. And of course there's also the Celestial pact for warlocks.

[Ganymede]

Vengeance or conquest paladin + hexblade or fiend For when you want your character's theme to be "Vaguely Edgy."


Ancients paladin + fey warlock For when you want your character's theme to be "Vaguely Naturey."


Devotion paladin + celestial warlock For when you want your character's theme to be "Vaguely Holy."

I would love if these decisions involved a little more than "Well, their power sources kinda relate to the same infinite planar region."

I mean, seriously. What motivated that particular ancients paladin to trade his fingernails to Great-Grandmother Agatha in exchange for power? What drove that particular vengeance paladin to strike a bargain with Bahnjasi, the Rakshasa King? What inspired that particular devotion paladin to brave the battlefields of Ysgard to beseech the Empyrean Council for help?

[MaxWilson]

Paladin/Warlock is a very powerful multiclass combination and is often suggested on here as something that should be done with characters.

What would caused your holy warrior of light to make a pact with a elder being, fiend, chaotic fey, or an unknown blade likely from the shadowfell in character? How did you explain this in character since you are making a pact with this powerful being?

This is exactly why Warlock 2 is so attractive (or was, before Celestialock came out): the PHB suggests that you can simply take knowledge from beings who are (in the case of the Great Old Ones) not even aware of your existence, and it isn't until level 3 that your class abilities become a "reward for faithful service" (IIRC).

Anyway, that's how it was for the paladin I'm thinking of: he was already a Wild Sorcerer, and there were two other minor Warlocks in the party (a Bardlock and a Necrolock). The paladin had already turned down an opportunity to swear fealty to Oberon in exchange for a Fey Pact, because he didn't feel right about being beholden to anybody, but when the other PCs offered to share knowledge with him, pointing out that knowledge was merely knowledge, he ultimately agree with that logic and took a couple of levels of Cthulock.

This was in a party where the other PC was a Shadow Monk, so, amusingly, every PC in the whole party wound up able to communicate with any living creature. Sort of like having Star Trek Universal Translators or Douglas Adams Babelfish.

[Chronos]

In some of these cases, the paladin might have already been serving the patron in question as a paladin, and is just deciding to serve in a different way. Powerful entities like archfey or high celestials can have all sorts of servants and followers, not just warlocks.

[mephnick]

What caused your Paladin to make a warlock pact?

He was like.uhh..pretty good already because he was a Paladin and then Ihe wanted a powerful long range attack mysterious source of power so that he could be the strongest character at the AL table warrior of God. Except with also an excuse to kill NPCs Demon dad.

[Trampaige]

Some day, I want to play a member of a paladin order with no Paladin levels (bard/warlock?), who hexblade patrons believing that they're drawing power from a holy avenger or other divine blade. I suppose it's up to the DM whether they actually are or not. But I'm also of the belief that classes are the mechanical expression of your character in the game world, the fluff and roleplay of your character on whole matters.

I think Warlock pacts offer a lot of fun to fluff, on top of the obvious mechanical power they offer. Besides the poor Undying locks. Nobody cares about those.

[MilkmanDanimal]

I think you can flavor it however you want; a LG Paladin could be a Fiend Pact, in the sense they stole the power of darkness and are using for good, or a GOO pact, as, in their travels, they experienced some power beyond imagination, and are attempting to drag it towards the light. You can make anything work with a bit of creativity.

[Amdy_vill]

Paladin/Warlock is a very powerful multiclass combination and is often suggested on here as something that should be done with characters.

What would caused your holy warrior of light to make a pact with a elder being, fiend, chaotic fey, or an unknown blade likely from the shadowfell in character? How did you explain this in character since you are making a pact with this powerful being?


And maybe this is because I've played old editions where Paladins had to be LG and can't get that out of my mind.

distrust in his god. cooperation between his god and the power he is making a contract in. also not all paladins have gods, and some paladins worship dead/none interacting gods, people who worship these gods tend in cannon to seek out other power supplies often they don't get any power from worship

[ChildofLuthic]

Am I the only person that thinks it's super flavorful that the mechanics of the game tempt pure paladins to make deals with shadowy entities in order to increase their power? But I play in a game that's all about the corruption of pure souls, so it really fits to say "my paladin agreed to serve a dark entity from the Shadowfell, hoping that he could fight monsters better, only to become a monster himself."

[Sigreid]

Could go (I think it's the herald series) form a celestial pact with your Find Greater Steed unicorn partner.

[OverLordOcelot]

There really isn't much conflict between paladins and warlock pacts - lots of the paladin options are not especially 'holy' in the way most people mean it anyway. Vengeance paladins are all about smiting the greatest evil, so joining up with neutral or weird entities works find, and even fiendish pacts work as long as their intent is to defeat the fiend later. Conquest paladins are all about conquering, so have even less trouble. Ancients Paladins make a perfect fit with an arch fey patron. And of course celestial pacts fit right into the definition of holy people most commonly think of.

[KorvinStarmast]

Some day, I want to play a member of a paladin order with no Paladin levels (bard/warlock?) A friend of mine plays his paladins as Fighter 1/Cleric X. Works fine. He calls it Paladin. Holy Warrior. *shrug* works for me.

[noob]

Or maybe it could be the reverse: a warlock was granted paladin powers by its patron then the patron mixed in regular warlock power?

[MaxWilson]

Am I the only person that thinks it's super flavorful that the mechanics of the game tempt pure paladins to make deals with shadowy entities in order to increase their power? But I play in a game that's all about the corruption of pure souls, so it really fits to say "my paladin agreed to serve a dark entity from the Shadowfell, hoping that he could fight monsters better, only to become a monster himself."

I used to think that was interesting and flavorful, and then WotC came out with the Celestialock and made it clear that that interesting flavor was purely accidental. :-P

[BaconAwesome]

Some day, I want to play a member of a paladin order with no Paladin levels (bard/warlock?), who hexblade patrons believing that they're drawing power from a holy avenger or other divine blade. I suppose it's up to the DM whether they actually are or not. But I'm also of the belief that classes are the mechanical expression of your character in the game world, the fluff and roleplay of your character on whole matters.

My ancients pal-blade comes close to that. He's a really good hearted privileged surfer bro type who everything comes easy for and who believes that a good attitude solves all problems. One day he went to sleep, dreamed of his order's legendary holy avenger, and woke up with a bunch of cool blade tattoos and wild powers! Life is awesome - now his hair and clothes are always clean, his food is always delicious, and he can do more good in the world. And all the *other* Bros in his party woke up with *different* new awesome powers!! Dude - life is awesome!!!

(If that campaign ever meets again, I have some plans for character growth, but I seriously love that dude just as he is.)

[Millstone85]

It might be easier to flavor when it is the other way around:

The elven knight of a lord or lady of the Feywild eventually swears the Oath of the Ancients.
An aasimar under the tutelage of an angelic guide eventually swears the Oath of Devotion.
A tiefling who had been serving a devil for personal gain eventually becomes a true knight of the Blood War, swearing the Oath of Conquest.

[Ganders]

I rather like the idea of the patron actually being a 'patron of the arts'.

For example, some archfey needs some artistic carvings for his new mansion, but doesn't want the normal everyday type that everyone else has. He needs someone who can do woodcarving, but also an adventurer, someone who travels to dangerous places and uncovers unique and wondrous sights to inspire his art.

Well... your paladin just happens to be an adventurer with proficiency in woodcarver's tools. The only question remaining is how much power must he offer to convince you to work for him in your downtime?

[Guy Lombard-O]

I personally think the best fit is a Vengeance Paladin 6/X Hexblade and the story of the slippery slope to the top as they become more extreme over time, leaning farther and farther into the power of their patron rather than their personal convictions.

This works especially well if you start at like 12-15 strength, and play that up as their maximum level, no matter how hard they try or how much effort they put it, the only answer is to rely on their patron to increase their martial power.

I sort of did this with a Conquest paladin/Hexblade. She was the extremely competitive daughter of a warrior/soldier clan, and simply didn't have the strength or dexterity to ever excel in combat on her own merits. So her lust for power and dominance led her to begin looking to forbidden knowledge and eldritch entities to grant her the martial prowess she needed to compete and win. Conquest 1>Hexblade 1>Conquest X.

[LibraryOgre]

One suggestion I like is that the warlock pact is to a sub-divine servant of your deity. I am a Paladin devoted to St. Cuthbert, but I am particularly inspired by his divine proxy, St. Hakon the Just. So, in addition to my oath to St. Cuthbert, I have sworn myself to the service of Hakon the Just, who grants me his boons alongside those of Cuthbert.

[Benny89]

For some Oaths it's easy. For example Vengeance seeks out "by all means" to punish evil. I always look at them as guys who are not afraid to use evil to destroy bigger evil. Kind of like "I will use a weapon of my enemies against them". So Pact that will increase their power is not a problem for them, because of their motto "by all means".

Conquest seeks more glory, power and domination. Their goal is to become stronger, to crush their enemies. They will agree to that pact as long as they get more power because of it.

It's harded for me (even if we accept Celestials for Warlocks, which I don't personally but it's houserule) for "good" Oaths. And even harder for me for Paladins that have their God they serve. Because it's kind of imo strange to make pact with outer world being while your are faithfull servant of your God.

But yeah, some Oaths have it easier. Some need a good reason for it in my opinion.

[JackPhoenix]

What do you mean by "pact"? I simply learned how to channel my powers in slightly different way that makes me better at what I do. I was already powered by my desire to kick ass and chew bubblegum (and bubblegum wasn't invented yet) until I'm at the top of the figurative heap, and magical lasers and being more stabby and smite-y help with that. Also, if you piss me off, I'll murder you and force your ghost(well, spectre, but what's the difference?) to clean up the latrines of my (eventual) army. After taco night.

[Blood of Gaea]

For some Oaths it's easy. For example Vengeance seeks out "by all means" to punish evil. I always look at them as guys who are not afraid to use evil to destroy bigger evil. Kind of like "I will use a weapon of my enemies against them". So Pact that will increase their power is not a problem for them, because of their motto "by all means".

Conquest seeks more glory, power and domination. Their goal is to become stronger, to crush their enemies. They will agree to that pact as long as they get more power because of it.

It's harded for me (even if we accept Celestials for Warlocks, which I don't personally but it's houserule) for "good" Oaths. And even harder for me for Paladins that have their God they serve. Because it's kind of imo strange to make pact with outer world being while your are faithfull servant of your God.

But yeah, some Oaths have it easier. Some need a good reason for it in my opinion.
Worth noting that Paladins don't need a diety at all, so there need be no conflict there.

[Benny89]

Worth noting that Paladins don't need a diety at all, so there need be no conflict there.

Sorry for being not precise. Mechanically they don't need but still many players roleplay that they have their Deity that serve. So if they roleplay worshipers I expect a really good reason to make a Pact with some other "deity".

[Mjolnirbear]

While a Michael Carpenter style character would have no need for a pact, consider that a Celestial Warlock pact could fit a more Light aligned bargain. Consider some of the Sword bearers in Changes for example, but extend out that 1 mission to an entire character arc.

I hope Dresden fans have already read this far.

Michael is retired. His home and family are protected by holy angels. And then along come the Nickleheads with an impossible choice for anyone except Michael, who steps out from under said protection prepared to die.

Until Uriel lends His Grace (I'm not Christian, you capitalize for angels too, right?).

Conceivably, for a while, Michael was a Celestial Warlock.

[Finback]

Vengadin, with Celestial patron.

Gerhart was an angry man, angry with the lords who sent good men of the land to fight in a war that just lined the lords' pockets, and angry because he returned to find his homestead razed. So with all this anger and vengeance in his heart, he attracted the notice of Hoar, god of vengeance. Basically, Hoar is buffing this guy without Gerhart ever even asking, because he doesn't care about seeking patronage. Hoar just basically said, "this guy's doing my work without even asking! Have some free stuff, guy", and now Gerhart doesn't know why, or care, as to why when he gets his BURNING JUSTICE on that he can erupt in flame and shoot lasers out his eyes.

[Malifice]

My ancients paladin is also a hexblade.

Hes a Drow paladin of Elistraee. She's also his warlock patron, granting him a potent silver Moonsword that sings etc (Blade pact Hexblade).

[Mith]

Until Uriel lends His Grace (I'm not Christian, you capitalize for angels too, right?).

In the sense you are talking, no. But in another way, you are entirely correct. :smalltongue:

And that's all I think we are allowed to say on the subject.

That is a good example.

While I like the Archetypal feel of Class design, I almost wish Warlock and Paladin were either meta classes, or that you could convert your features from one to another. So a Warlock that loses their Patron's favour would instead be an equivilent level Sorceror, and gain different benefits. Paladins switch to Fighter, etc. So that a base class can retrain class levels over time into a comparable other class.

Basically, I'm rebuilding the old Name Level Specialisations.

[NecroDancer]

What about a devotion Paladin dedicated to upholding truth? Only as they search for truth they become more and more entangled in Eldritch mysteries. Now they serve an emissary for some voidborn entity, they are still an honorable and good person but they believe that people should know about “the truth beyond the stars”.

After all the Great Old Ones aren’t evil, they surpass our mortality and once someone has been driven insane by accepting the knowledge of the Great Old Ones then the person will truly be happy.

[Rowan Wolf]

Crown Oath and Undying Patron for the worship of an Undead Tyrannt.

[TripleD]

Devotion Paladin with Fiend pact.

“Just a second guys I need to talk to my patron”

“Patron!? I thought you had sworn an oath to Ogbal the Just!”

“Look it’s complicated I -“

The Paladin is cut off as darkness sweeps over the glade. A thin line shimmers in the air before a hole is torn in reality itself. Flames and screams of the damned pour out like liquid metal. A hand of blades grasps the edge of the portal as a towering creature of spikes and shadows pulls itself through.

The Paladin sighs.

“Look mom I’m kind of busy, can we make this quick?”

[saucerhead]

Lots of food for thought in this thread. I have a second level paladin of Lathandar in Dragon Heist and wasn't sure which oath to take, so I multi-classed to dragon(gold) sorcerer. I had thought about hexblade, but again couldn't think of how that would come about in game. Thanks for some ideas.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

My Paladin was able to get in contact with one of the weapons serving his god, Tyr.

This weapon is in charge of execution of justice and it is very fitting for my Vengeance Paladin.

My Paladin is very lawful and the fact that he is in service under a commander in the service of Tyr is very appealing.
It looks like a chain of command.

[LibraryOgre]

An alternative....

A warlock who takes a Paladin Oath, and has to worry about their Warlock Patron sending goons to take back his gifts (especially appropriate for a Warlock dip)

[Xetheral]

Becoming a Devotion Paladin sounds like a great way to try to redeem yourself after swearing an ill-advised Fiend Pact in your youth.

[ProsecutorGodot]

My first ever DND character was a stereotypical LG Devotion Paladin. Second session into HoTDQ we TPK in Greenrest.

Fast forward about 3 years and over a century in game (DM set the timeline), I have the opportunity to reroll him.

The in depth explanation is too longwinded for me to share. The short version is that the Cassalanter's tricked his family into attempting to resurrect him to save their falling reputation. What started as an attempt at to steal his soul from the afterlife and sell it to Asmodeus ended in an unprecedented "successful" resurrection. The part of his soul that gave him youth and strength was sealed in the large phony diamond and a weak old man was left.

Whatever power that intervened allows him to make use of that strength by affixing the gem to a weapon. He hopes to someday redeem himself for his utter failure to defend his allies and Greenrest.

Sure its a bit contrived but my DM is really excited to fit it into the campaign. I'm really excited to finally play the righteous protector I'd envisioned when I was introduced to DND.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Thematically the easiest to accept might be someone who is devoted to some main god as a paladin and to some sort of underling of the same god as a warlock. You pray to a saint/angel/fey/eldritch abomination as an indirect path to your true lord.

Another option with strong storywise roots would be to go the other way around. A warrior dedicated to an eldritch entity over a long time turns his life around. Now fully a force for lawful good, his old master still keeps him to the letter of their contract. It costs the creature power, but it provides him glorious suffering. The good god he now serves as a paladin accepts this pre-existing condition, because no mortal is perfect, and those souls who can come back from great tragedy and accept suffering for doing good are the purest of all. And hey, as long as you have demon powers, why not use them?

For most other options you where you serve two separate lords and start as a paladin you might need to stretch the perfect knight in shining armor archetype a little. Your paladin may have gotten bitter, or desperate, or had to make a deal with the devil to save an orphanage, giving up their own purity of soul to save that of others. Or they simply decided they would be a more effective all around good guy if they start worshiping this pretty fey in addition to their one eternal lord and master. Hey, no harm done right? Strict GM's might make a paladin fall for any or all of those options. But in other groups they're options.

[Unoriginal]

Paladins don't have to serve gods. Their Oath is not "I promise to serve thee, divine lord", it's "I swear to do X".

If on top of that they sign up for other kinds of deals or vassal-hood, it's up to them.

Also, Pacts don't have to be a continuous dealing. Or even to be mutual pacts both parties agree on. Some Great Old Ones are unaware of the mortals who are siphoning their powers.

Strictly speaking the minimum requirement for a Warlock is to get a spark of power from an outside entity. How and against what you get is entirely independent of that.

[Talionis]

My Paladin was not very strong so he didn’t feel like he was very good at being a Paladin. He went Hexblade Chain to attack with his Charisma and get improved heals. We backstoried that a Devil gave him his Hexblade powers to see the Paladin get hurt a lot. The Devil just wanted to feel a piece of the pain the Paladin endured. The Paladin was a damage sponge. The Paladin was focused on protecting those around him and used his power that way. The Familiar just always wanted to talk the Paladin into dangerous situations.

[sombrastewart]

I have a build I haven't gotten to do yet, but a Vengeance Paladin devoted to the Raven Queen who was gifted with one of her weapons to help him. So, he serves her by killing undead with her blessing twice over. I could play the guy with whatever personality I want (edgelord, super nice guy, whatever), because he hates undead. Anyone can hate undead.

[Urukubarr]

I have a x conquest paladin / 3 warlock (could go more)

the story was that the character and his love were both volunteers for the local church's crusade. they asked any nobles to take up arms and repel the faithless invaders (it was a volunteer outfit so no problem leaving later) they didn't really believe in the religion but like the excuse to travel to distant places and kill interesting people (I was exploring a darker side to churches and paladins) the women especially loved the pure emotion of combat and found joy in it.

so the two of them racked up quite the body count, being collectively known as *names* the crimson

long story short they push to far against too heavy odds and his love end up getting killed. as he grips her hand near death himself he wishes they could have seen more places and killed more people. she agrees and they make a pact, he gets her power, and she gets to see more places and kill more people. he leaves the crusade and ventures forth to fulfil his promise (I didn't want anyone from his backstory coming after him but if you wanted more repercussions you could easily change stuff to have the church or places he crusaded against hold a grudge)

she becomes his personal patron, linked to him, he ends up 3 warlock hexblade pact of the blade, the weapon he summons is a crimson kriegmesser (her personal weapon) and one of his warlock abilities (mask of many faces) I only use to mimic her appearance when she want to "come out" for a while. even his spiritual weapons spell (conquest paladin) is the crimson sword with a ghostly image of her wielding it. (letting her fight beside him)

depending on the development I will go more warlock or more paladin. I have some cool touches with his race and other tid bits but that's all I felt like sharing.

[Crgaston]

I have a x conquest paladin / 3 warlock (could go more)

the story was that the character and his love were both volunteers for the local church's crusade. they asked any nobles to take up arms and repel the faithless invaders (it was a volunteer outfit so no problem leaving later) they didn't really believe in the religion but like the excuse to travel to distant places and kill interesting people (I was exploring a darker side to churches and paladins) the women especially loved the pure emotion of combat and found joy in it.

so the two of them racked up quite the body count, being collectively known as *names* the crimson

long story short they push to far against too heavy odds and his love end up getting killed. as he grips her hand near death himself he wishes they could have seen more places and killed more people. she agrees and they make a pact, he gets her power, and she gets to see more places and kill more people. he leaves the crusade and ventures forth to fulfil his promise (I didn't want anyone from his backstory coming after him but if you wanted more repercussions you could easily change stuff to have the church or places he crusaded against hold a grudge)

she becomes his personal patron, linked to him, he ends up 3 warlock hexblade pact of the blade, the weapon he summons is a crimson kriegmesser (her personal weapon) and one of his warlock abilities (mask of many faces) I only use to mimic her appearance when she want to "come out" for a while. even his spiritual weapons spell (conquest paladin) is the crimson sword with a ghostly image of her wielding it. (letting her fight beside him)

depending on the development I will go more warlock or more paladin. I have some cool touches with his race and other tid bits but that's all I felt like sharing.

This is fantastic... well done!

[Laserlight]

What would caused your holy warrior of light to make a pact with a elder being, fiend, chaotic fey, or an unknown blade likely from the shadowfell in character? How did you explain this in character since you are making a pact with this powerful being?

As if I had a choice! I kinda borrowed this really neat black glass dagger, okay? Just a ritzy emo letter opener! And next thing I know, the thing is a yard long and you can see veins, like actual blood, okay, under the surface of the glass, and it's whispering in my head about how I am Chosen and Bound and creepy stuff like that. I was too scared to even pawn it, I just chucked it in the river off Queensbridge. I saw it splash, okay? And it was back in my belt before I made it to Harlots Square. I didn't want to do any of this. You told me two years ago that I'd be the Raven Knight, I'd have thought you were crazy. And now I AM the Raven Knight...and I'm pretty sure
I am crazy too.

[Urukubarr]

This is fantastic... well done!

hey thanks it means a lot, its one thing when you think somethings neat its another when others agree! ^_^

[Manitou]

Huh. I was thinking about a Paladin that served an ArchUnicorn(they are to unicorns like Archangels are to angels). His heart was in the right place but he wasn't very strong or dextrous>OTOH he was plenty likable(EI cha 17+). So after he formally swore his Oath he got a vision in which the ArchUni told him to let the Hexblade he'd just manifested become his patron, it would help him just like his mentor at the temple who had trained him in combat. The hexblade(a speart named DawnMaker) then reveled how to meditate over his weapons to apply it's blessing, which would let him use his likeability to aide his weapon in hitting harder and more often. Basically his Patron min/maxed him.

[Asmotherion]

There's this wrong assumption of "warlock is always the Fiend Pact Warlock Trope or at least with something vile".

Eldritch (one of the core words linked to the the warlock) is meant to describe something "otherwordly strange or unnatural". it's meaning is believed to come from "elfriche" wich translates to fairyland (a medieval imagination of an Elf kingdom... thing faywild).

That makes the warlock a caster who gets his powers from other Planes through a Deal by a Representative of that Plane.

By definition there are no morals here. What the Bargain will be about will probably bind you for a moral trip (for example a Fiend will either trick you or have you do something Evil or a Celestial will try to force you do good that you otherwise wouldn't). But the Free Will Factor Says you can always try to get out of your pact duties.

So to answear the Question "why would a Paladin enter a Pact with an Otherwordly Being?" my answear is simple: He learned how to do it and found a being that fit his criteria to get more power and become more effective in his battle against Evil/Chaos and/or for Vengence/Nature. He even probably viewed it as a "sin" not to use every means at his disposal for his cause (the more of (insert polar oposit of mine) i could have stoped and didn't... the more of their actions are on my hands etc etc).

[Millstone85]

There's this wrong assumption of "warlock is always the Fiend Pact Warlock Trope or at least with something vile".

Eldritch (one of the core words linked to the the warlock) is meant to describe something "otherwordly strange or unnatural". it's meaning is believed to come from "elfriche" wich translates to fairyland (a medieval imagination of an Elf kingdom... thing faywild).For worldbuilding purposes, I would definitely make the Archfey the most common type of patron. Still very ominous, what with hags, the Unseelie Court, and such, but easier to justify as not being an automatic burn-the-witch everywhere.

Of course, that would make the "fey knight" (one of the names the PHB gives to a paladin of the Ancients) the most common type of palalock. Maybe the oath is part of the pact as a sign of good will from all involved parties.

[Urukubarr]

yeah warlock does tend to have negative connotations with their patrons and in theory archfey being one of the main three in the book is supposed to kind of address that by going "look it could be a deal with fairies!" but in reality the fey are really random and trolly. but I think it also comes from that most people that RP warlocks always get asked to do some evil or messed up stuff for their patrons and that stereotype is the one that has gotten passed along the most.

I personally always RP my warlocks in such a way as to avoid the "patron asks you to do F'd up stuff" but that's not saying playing a character that's just at the whim of their patron is "bad" just no really for me.

[LibraryOgre]

Since we're having a brief linguistic digression, it amuses me that the word that means "oath breaker" is applied to the people with magical powers from a pact.

[Tanarii]

For worldbuilding purposes, I would definitely make the Archfey the most common type of patron. Still very ominous, what with hags, the Unseelie Court, and such, but easier to justify as not being an automatic burn-the-witch everywhere.

Of course, that would make the "fey knight" (one of the names the PHB gives to a paladin of the Ancients) the most common type of palalock. Maybe the oath is part of the pact as a sign of good will from all involved parties.
My head canon is that Ancient Paladins are knights of the Summer Court, and Fey Warlocks with the Pact of the Blade Boon are Unseelie Knights.

[Spore]

My good characters are often Good to the point of self destruction. Be merciful towards the necromancer that killed millions because he could atone? Yes, of course! Imprison my parents for summoning demons for their own profit? Yes, as long as they live to suffer their punishment. 'Sacrifice my own soul to a demon lord in order to save hundred thousands'? Of course!*
_______________________________
* Whoever finds the hypocrisy can keep it :smallamused:

[Asmotherion]

Since we're having a brief linguistic digression, it amuses me that the word that means "oath breaker" is applied to the people with magical powers from a pact.

This might be a more interesting find than meets the eye. The whole point of being a warlock instead of just a cultist granted powers by a being might lie in this fine line: you find a way to make a pact that allows you a high degree of your own agenda (or free will)... effectivelly having "broken" the proverbial oath or unwritten rule of the pact that "your Patron is your boss in all matters". And this ability to form such a Pact may justyfy the high Charisma.

Or i might be reading too much into this :P

[samcifer]

I'm already playing an mc sorcadin but am considering 2 levels of hexblade for Eldritch blast for a ranged option as well as the hb curse and the devil's sight darkness spell cheese for easy advantage. Since it's an evil campaign and I already have Baphomet as my god, I was considering making a pact with him for extra power as I help to spread his faith across the lands.

[WeaselGuy]

My character went about it the other way. He was a Warlock first, in service, indirectly, to the Raven Queen (Shadar-kai Hexblade Blade-lock). After more than a few near-death experiences, and some seriously bad run-ins with some undead, he vowed his service to the Raven Queen, and is now working with the Temple of Kelemvor to re-establish her faith in Waterdeep. His goal is to now bring her back to her 4e glory, as one of the more respected deities of the deceased.

[GreyBlack]

My paladin was such so lawful that he wound up out-lawyering a devil. He now channels the power of hell to do good works.

[Sception]

Background for fallen aasimar conquest paladin multiclassing into hexblade warlock later in his career:

When the Deva Tore'el, a soldier of a celestial host sworn to the service of a deity of mercy, paused for a moment in her eternal battle with the forces of darkness to consider the mortal world, she beheld the suffering and iniquity there, and her heart was moved to compassion. Forbidden from interfering directly in mortal affairs, she chose instead to bequeath a portion of her power to a mortal infant, in the hope that the child would grow to become a champion that could lead mortal kind to virtue through their example.

Thus was the aasimar Varis born, with golden eyes and silver hair and the holy rune of mercy glowing on his chest. His parents, recognizing the child's chosen nature, handed him over to the monks of mercy to raise.

Seeking to maintain the boy's purity of spirit they raised him in a remote monestary, sheltered from all the cruelty, evil, and injustuce of the world, while training him for his calling as a paladin. As a young man, Varis chafed at his isolation, and so he left as soon as his training was complete. But his sheltered childhood had not prepared him for what he would find outside the monestary walls.

For a time he travelled as a young paladin, attempting to lead by example, but everywhere he went his mercy and altruism were taken advantage of. People he would save would turn around to visit even greater cruelties on those he had saved them from. Criminals he thwarted but spared would only redouble their criminal ways the moment he turned his back. Desperate villagers would send him out to slay goblin raiders threatening their towns only for him to find that the goblins had been peaceful and the villagers had just wanted their land. Lords begged for help enforcing their laws only for Varis to find them breaking those same laws themselves.

Everywhere compassion was met with cruelty, the chaos, disorder, and fundamental injustice of the world allowing villains to thrive like weeds while decent folk cowered and did nothing. The only emotions that motivated mortals to act were fear and greed.

And so Varis foreswore the way of mercy. If the only language mortals understood was that of violence and fear, then that was the language he would use to speak to them. He made himself grow cold and cruel, striking down corrupt politicians and violent criminals alike, terrorizing bigoted communities until they feared his wrath more than the outsiders they had persecuted. It was wicked, bloody work, but for once his efforts were bearing fruit, as mortals who had failed to do good for goodness' sake now did so for fear of what the legendary black knight 'Varis the Merciful' would do to them were they found out.

Tore'el of course was aghast. Her champion was meant to lead his fellow mortals through example, not through brute force and intimidation. Her disapproval poisoned their bond, turning the glowing rune on Varis's chest to a burning scar and causing his visage to grow ever more twisted and terrifying, but Varis did not mind. This new form only made it all the easier to scare his enemies into line. As for his patron's disapproval, she was just too far removed from mortal experience to understand. In time she would come to see that his way was right, that yhe results justified his methods.

Things continued in this way for some time, the legend of Varis the Merciful spreading far and wide as he grew into a mighty champion at the head of a personal retinue of misfit adventurers who shared his vision for what 'mercy' really meant.

But that all changed when the group sought to liberate the bleak city of Calighast from its cruel tyrant, the lich king Nicodemus and his diabolic allies. Varis's adventuring party successfully infiltrated the city, arming and leading an uprising against Nicodemus, but in the final confrontation Varis found fear, the weapon that had served him so long and so well against mortal foes, to be utterly ineffective against these immortal adversaries. Especially as the lich, in anticipation of conflict with divine foes, had sought out artifacts to protect itself from both radient and necrotic energies.

Varis's band still won the day, but Varis died in the battle. In the afterlife, Tore'el lambasted Varis for failing to live up to his mission. She would hear nothing of the good he had done, cared nothing for how much more successful cruelty had been than compassion. She pointed to how worthless the fear he relied upon had been against true evil, and to this Varis had no answer. Tore'el had only just finished rejecting Varis when his allies called him back to the living world.

Afterwords, Varis's weakness and worthlessness in the battle against Nicodemus haunted him. Tore'el was right about one thing at the very least, his quest to root out evil in the world would inevitably bring him into combat with more supernatural foes, foes who knew nothing of fear. He needed another weapon, a strength not relient on the weakness of his foes, a power that could strike down the powerful.

Tore'el still called to Varis in his dreams, hoping this moment of doubt might turn him from the cruel path he had chosen. Maybe it might have, had something else not also responded to the paladin's frustration, an entity summoned by Varis's desperate need for power and longing for a weapon that could strike down any foe.

This entity was the hexblade Neveredge, a weapon of pure shadow folded into existance from nothingness itself. In ages past Neveredge had been used to strike down not just entire bloodlines of mortals, but also celestials, elementals, dragons, and fiends. But when it goaded its wielder to slay one of the gods themselves, the rest of the pantheon set aside their differences to destroy the blade's physical form and banish its spiritual essence from existence.

Now only its vestige remained, and that vestige whispered a bargain to Varis. The hexblade would grant him the power he needed to strike down his foes in exchange for the souls of those slain through that power, life energy that Neveredge could use to sustain its vestige and in time maybe even restore its physical form. Finding the terms acceptible, and eager to spite the celestial patron that had so utterly rejected him, Varis readily agreed.

[MagneticKitty]

I like paladin of the raven queen, Warlock raven queen patron. You needed that extra power unobtainable from just being a follower, and made a specific deal (pact) with her for more power. Choice of oath, whichever fits most. Bonus points if the raven familiar you get from it acts as her mouth piece telling you what to do.
Bonus points if you're a kenku

[tieren]

I had an OoTA paladin who just fell in love with an Arch fey and devoted his heart and soul to her. She does not return his affection but accepts his service and rewards him for it.

He sees her as the living embodiment of light and beauty and anything she asks of him must be in furtherance of his oath, even if he doesn't understand how.

[Temperjoke]

Enemy of my enemy offers me more power to fight against our mutual foe, and without it I may not survive long enough to gain that level of strength by myself.