Questions about Eldritch Invocations

[caoshunter22]

I was wondering does Eldritch Invocations come from your patron? I'm not new but I've only played 5 sessions and so I'm not too familiar with the rules. My character is a Dhampir celestial warlock and I was watching a video by a D&D youtuber which I can't remember off the top of my head where devil's sight makes the character's eyes a black void which I thought was cool. The plan if for whatever reason if I end up disliking the subclass devil's sight could be used as a plot hook to be tempted by a different patron since that invocation information didn't come from my patron. However if the the invocation come from the patron then I think I'll go with a golden radiant eyes.

[meandean]

The rules usually don't spell out the details of the source of your powers, preferring to let you craft your own story. In fact, in this instance, what the Player's Handbook says is "In your study of occult lore, you have unearthed Eldritch Invocations", which certainly at least suggests that you could have discovered these secrets without any help. So yeah, this would be fine, unless your DM objects.

[Bardbarian91]

I agree with meandean, it's a big reason I love warlock in particular, it's D&D so it comes from whatever you and your DM say it does. You want temptation? If you tell your DM you'd like a different patron he could describe your golden eyes slowly being filled with flecks of pitch black for example, strange figures appearing just out of the corner of your eye, night time visions when you sleep and are approached by some (possibly menacing) figure that eventually offers you a deal.

Example, in my primary campaign, we're about a year and a half in, and one of my players made a warlock who was forced to either accept the power of a great old one or die. Shortly after we started, Tasha's comes out with the Fathomless - so for over a year it's been in the works to change his patron, and after several fights (one during which he was fighting a devout servant of his patron and found his well of power briefly disconnected), and after retrieving a sword that his patron wanted him to find and wield to create an opening for it to slip through fully, he was hit by power word stun, and in that moment of being stunned was approached by a sea goddess basically whose talisman he had received over a year ago irl, and the deal was struck - he's now level 7, and Fathomless instead of GOO, a beautiful moment I've been waiting for since Tasha's was first released, finally achieved a few weeks ago. That's the kind of character arc that makes me love warlocks.

[KorvinStarmast]

it comes from whatever you and your DM say it does. If I may second this motion. Works fine in all of the games where I have had warlocks.

[caoshunter22]

The rules usually don't spell out the details of the source of your powers, preferring to let you craft your own story. In fact, in this instance, what the Player's Handbook says is "In your study of occult lore, you have unearthed Eldritch Invocations", which certainly at least suggests that you could have discovered these secrets without any help. So yeah, this would be fine, unless your DM objects.

Thank for the advice and I'm sure the DM would allow it but I'll ask just in case.

[caoshunter22]

I agree with meandean, it's a big reason I love warlock in particular, it's D&D so it comes from whatever you and your DM say it does. You want temptation? If you tell your DM you'd like a different patron he could describe your golden eyes slowly being filled with flecks of pitch black for example, strange figures appearing just out of the corner of your eye, night time visions when you sleep and are approached by some (possibly menacing) figure that eventually offers you a deal.

Example, in my primary campaign, we're about a year and a half in, and one of my players made a warlock who was forced to either accept the power of a great old one or die. Shortly after we started, Tasha's comes out with the Fathomless - so for over a year it's been in the works to change his patron, and after several fights (one during which he was fighting a devout servant of his patron and found his well of power briefly disconnected), and after retrieving a sword that his patron wanted him to find and wield to create an opening for it to slip through fully, he was hit by power word stun, and in that moment of being stunned was approached by a sea goddess basically whose talisman he had received over a year ago irl, and the deal was struck - he's now level 7, and Fathomless instead of GOO, a beautiful moment I've been waiting for since Tasha's was first released, finally achieved a few weeks ago. That's the kind of character arc that makes me love warlocks.

That's a really good idea. I'll have to think about how to best describe things but your short description will definitely help. I wish I could use Tasha's but the DM only has the players handbook and Xanathar's Guide so GOO or Fiend will probably the one I'll pick if I end up wanting to switch patrons.

[Chronos]

Warlock power in general comes from your patron... at least in some sense. It might be that your patron is somehow directly involved whenever you use your powers, like a deity with a cleric. It might be that there's some sort of conduit to your patron's power, but without their direct involvement (or maybe even knowledge). And it might be that, when you made your pact, your patron gave you a package of power, and that's it, it's all yours now. Or anything in between: Maybe spells work one way and invocations work another. Maybe the pact has to be renewed every time you gain a new warlock level. Maybe some of the power doesn't originate with your patron themself, but they got it from elsewhere (stolen, or another deal, or found it abandoned). Whatever.

[Bardbarian91]

That's a really good idea. I'll have to think about how to best describe things but your short description will definitely help. I wish I could use Tasha's but the DM only has the players handbook and Xanathar's Guide so GOO or Fiend will probably the one I'll pick if I end up wanting to switch patrons.

Ouch, that's fair though personally I'd advise picking it up, I've even started seeing it pop up at target in the books section for about $35, along with the PHB, DMG, I even bought Monsters of the Multiverse there. It has a ton of content and I still put it as probably the 1st or 2nd place on my list of most worthwhile purchases.

Having said that, if you do use GOO or Fiend, definitely discuss it with your DM because it can become a major story arc for your character as I described above. Also it can be relevant to figure out the precise identity of your Patron, even if your character doesn't know themselves (as an example again, the warlock I mentioned above only just discovered his patron's actual name after being stuck with it for some years), and figuring out that can help set up the flavor for your warlock's transition. For a GOO, maybe you start to have unsettling nightmares, your dreams filled with whispers, and your (possibly voluntary, possibly not) change of patron could become a constant razor's edge balancing act between maintaining your power and succumbing to madness, fending off attacks by Star Spawn trying to push you so deep into the well of power that you rejoin them.

For a Fiend, is the source of your power a devil, or demon? You might find yourself with unintended allies, a group of terrorists that are cultists of your patron causing havoc and casually claiming kinship with you might cause some trouble that you have to clarify. What race are you? If you go Fiend and you're human, maybe your character might slowly or suddenly, after a stressful battle, find themselves with characteristics of a tiefling, either as a direct result of infernal power flowing through you, or awakening a long buried bloodline. Maybe some low level Devils even attempt to strike bargains with you for power, offering information or standing aside in a battle they have no particular stake in to attempt to climb the hierarchy. Honestly, the possibilities are limitless even with just those two patrons.

[caoshunter22]

Ouch, that's fair though personally I'd advise picking it up, I've even started seeing it pop up at target in the books section for about $35, along with the PHB, DMG, I even bought Monsters of the Multiverse there. It has a ton of content and I still put it as probably the 1st or 2nd place on my list of most worthwhile purchases.

Having said that, if you do use GOO or Fiend, definitely discuss it with your DM because it can become a major story arc for your character as I described above. Also it can be relevant to figure out the precise identity of your Patron, even if your character doesn't know themselves (as an example again, the warlock I mentioned above only just discovered his patron's actual name after being stuck with it for some years), and figuring out that can help set up the flavor for your warlock's transition. For a GOO, maybe you start to have unsettling nightmares, your dreams filled with whispers, and your (possibly voluntary, possibly not) change of patron could become a constant razor's edge balancing act between maintaining your power and succumbing to madness, fending off attacks by Star Spawn trying to push you so deep into the well of power that you rejoin them.

For a Fiend, is the source of your power a devil, or demon? You might find yourself with unintended allies, a group of terrorists that are cultists of your patron causing havoc and casually claiming kinship with you might cause some trouble that you have to clarify. What race are you? If you go Fiend and you're human, maybe your character might slowly or suddenly, after a stressful battle, find themselves with characteristics of a tiefling, either as a direct result of infernal power flowing through you, or awakening a long buried bloodline. Maybe some low level Devils even attempt to strike bargains with you for power, offering information or standing aside in a battle they have no particular stake in to attempt to climb the hierarchy. Honestly, the possibilities are limitless even with just those two patrons.

I do plan on buying those books at some point. The party has a cleric and a paladin in it so switching to a fiend patron would be a lot of fun. The paladin is slowly going down the path of the oath breaker from what I hear so being a fiend warlock and persuading the paladin to be become oath breaker by slowly eroding his faith and or conviction in his oath would be a lot of fun assuming player is ok with it anyways. Though at first glace at the oath breaker paladin it's not entirely clear if aura of hate applies to all undead and fiends or friendly ones. This gives me a lot to think about thank you.

[PhantomSoul]

Though at first glace at the oath breaker paladin it's not entirely clear if aura of hate applies to all undead and fiends or friendly ones. This gives me a lot to think about thank you.

Unless there's been errata since my copy, it's all of them regardless of "allyhood"!


AURA OF HATE
Starting at 7th level, the paladin, as well any fiends and
undead within 10 feet of the paladin, gains a bonus
to melee weapon damage rolls equal to the paladin's
Charisma modifier (minimum of +1). A creature can
benefit from this feature from only one paladin at a time.
f\t 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

[caoshunter22]

Unless there's been errata since my copy, it's all of them regardless of "allyhood"!

Good to know thank you. If that the paladin does become an oath breaker I hope the DM will allow a tweak to the rules then so it doesn't buff all undead and fiends.

[PhantomSoul]

Good to know thank you. If that the paladin does become an oath breaker I hope the DM will allow a tweak to the rules then so it doesn't buff all undead and fiends.

It does seem more thematic for it to be all of them for an Oathbreaker :)

[caoshunter22]

It does seem more thematic for it to be all of them for an Oathbreaker :)

I agree it does but with undead being a big part of the campaign and the tank of the group buffing the enemy for a group inexperienced player isn't the ideal. I could see for more experienced players how the extra challenge would be fun but my group is not at that skill level yet.

[Quietus]

I do plan on buying those books at some point. The party has a cleric and a paladin in it so switching to a fiend patron would be a lot of fun. The paladin is slowly going down the path of the oath breaker from what I hear so being a fiend warlock and persuading the paladin to be become oath breaker by slowly eroding his faith and or conviction in his oath would be a lot of fun assuming player is ok with it anyways. Though at first glace at the oath breaker paladin it's not entirely clear if aura of hate applies to all undead and fiends or friendly ones. This gives me a lot to think about thank you.

I have nothing to add narratively, just wanted to say thank you for emphasizing this. It warms my cynical heart to see people respecting fellow players.

[caoshunter22]

I have nothing to add narratively, just wanted to say thank you for emphasizing this. It warms my cynical heart to see people respecting fellow players.

Really? From your comment I take it people respecting their fellow players isn't common. You're welcome.

[Bardbarian91]

Just a random thought for the Aura - maybe your DM could make it "any fiends or undead of your choice within 10ft" instead? And if this is the route the party is going, you could easily awaken some tiefling blood as I said before, and/or one of you could be killed at some point and revived as the Reborn race, though I can't recall the book (Ravenloft maybe?), plenty of narrative options if you decide you feel like a change.

[caoshunter22]

Just a random thought for the Aura - maybe your DM could make it "any fiends or undead of your choice within 10ft" instead? And if this is the route the party is going, you could easily awaken some tiefling blood as I said before, and/or one of you could be killed at some point and revived as the Reborn race, though I can't recall the book (Ravenloft maybe?), plenty of narrative options if you decide you feel like a change.

I sent what everyone said to the player and see what they think. If they like it they can talk to them DM about it. Thank you.

[Quietus]

Really? From your comment I take it people respecting their fellow players isn't common. You're welcome.

Among the groups I interact with? We're mostly pretty good about it. But I live on the internet, and we all know how that can be!

[Bardbarian91]

I sent what everyone said to the player and see what they think. If they like it they can talk to them DM about it. Thank you.

Hopefully everything works out, I know everyone here is happy to help.


Among the groups I interact with? We're mostly pretty good about it. But I live on the internet, and we all know how that can be!

Oh we do, there are far worse trolls on the internet than in any campaign, and some people just shouldn't be allowed near any form of communication truthfully.

[caoshunter22]

Among the groups I interact with? We're mostly pretty good about it. But I live on the internet, and we all know how that can be!

Yeah it can be pretty rough. Use to part of a competitive raid group and maining a healer while fun you get a lot of **** when things go wrong. While I'll say overall D&D has been a far more enjoyable overall I have been with a group for a 1 shot that had a couple of min/maxers that liked to be a back seat drivers who told me exactly how they think I should play a cleric. Annoying but way better then the raiding group on a bad day.

[Bardbarian91]

Yeah it can be pretty rough. Use to part of a competitive raid group and maining a healer while fun you get a lot of **** when things go wrong. While I'll say overall D&D has been a far more enjoyable overall I have been with a group for a 1 shot that had a couple of min/maxers that liked to be a back seat drivers who told me exactly how they think I should play a cleric. Annoying but way better then the raiding group on a bad day.

That's definitely fair. My first campaign (both as DM and player) featured a wizard (cleric when I DMed) who, for someone who liked using spells so much, couldn't seem to read them to save his life - or ours. First ever session he cast thunderwave and said everyone within 100ft took the damage, instead of just 5ft and everyone could hear it it for 100ft. As a cleric he cast call lightning and missed the part that said you pick a point within the radius to hit with lightning, and just thought it was everyone takes the 6d10. Both campaigns also featured a man who at one point when I said I was working on a crafting system so they could use parts of monsters but was trying to balance it not to break things said "if we can't break it what's the point?" So yeah, it takes the right group. But I agree it's still better than a raid party, same with league of legends, no one wants to play support, but "you stole my kill" or "you let me die" even if you tell them you aren't experienced or they're just being idiots that you can't protect.

[caoshunter22]

[QUOTE=Bardbarian91;25506061]Hopefully everything works out, I know everyone here is happy to help.

Also a question about RP. Now the more I think about a fiend warlock I'm actually want to play that instead but while I like the idea of playing an evil character I'm not sure how RP one without being an *******.

I really appreciate all the advice everyone has given me. Thank you.

[Bardbarian91]

Also a question about RP. Now the more I think about a fiend warlock I'm actually want to play that instead but while I like the idea of playing an evil character I'm not sure how RP one without being an *******.

I really appreciate all the advice everyone has given me. Thank you.

That one is a touch easier I think! Ever seen Hellboy? You can be a bit of a jerk, struggling with your impulses, trying not to let yourself slide down that ever slippery slope. It would be easier to to kill the prisoner out in the middle of the wilderness instead of carrying them back to civilization, but should you? Your patron is likely going to tempt you down the diabolical route, but that doesn't mean they're telling you to go kick kittens. Think Dumbledore - its for the greater good, isn't it, to end this threat to your quest now? Perhaps that npc your party finds charming rubs you the wrong way, they're distracting them from the more important tasks ahead. It's for the best that you let slip to some shady people at the tavern that someone wants them, dead or alive perhaps. Evil has many faces, and typically the most evil are the ones that don't seem evil.

[meandean]

I know it's often not all that useful as advice, but it's nonetheless true: You can play it any way you want (that your DM approves). A Fiend Warlock doesn't have to be evil at all. Some possible scenarios:


The fiend doesn't know that the Warlock is leeching off his powers
The Warlock was deceived into thinking the fiend was good
The fiend made the deal with the intent of corrupting the Warlock, but it's a hopeless task
The Warlock and fiend simply drew up a different kind of deal

For an example of the latter, you've probably heard legends about musicians who sold their soul to the Devil to become famous. There's usually nothing in these stories about the human becoming "evil". They just made a deal such that, for the rest of their lifetime, they get the power that they want. The Devil doesn't bother with them at all until the expiration date, so to speak...

[animorte]

I know it's often not all that useful as advice, but it's nonetheless true: You can play it any way you want (that your DM approves). A Fiend Warlock doesn't have to be evil at all. Some possible scenarios:


The fiend doesn't know that the Warlock is leeching off his powers
The Warlock was deceived into thinking the fiend was good
The fiend made the deal with the intent of corrupting the Warlock, but it's a hopeless task
The Warlock and fiend simply drew up a different kind of deal

For an example of the latter, you've probably heard legends about musicians who sold their soul to the Devil to become famous. There's usually nothing in these stories about the human becoming "evil". They just made a deal such that, for the rest of their lifetime, they get the power that they want. The Devil doesn't bother with them at all until the expiration date, so to speak...

This here is such good advice. Just because you've made a deal doesn't mean you seek the same goals. I mean, look at loan-sharks. They'll help you out if you're desperate, but you're not likely to end that acquaintance as drinking buddies.

My GenieLock's patron is Efreeti, Lawful Evil. My Warlock does not agree with the attitude of his patron and often gets lectures for not enough "Vanquishing-in-my-name!" There's not too much the Genie is willing to do about it because Nexus Astoria (my Warlock), Invoker of Agni Kai (patron) has possession of, and is soul-bound to, something extremely valuable that Genie-Patron wants protected.

[caoshunter22]

That one is a touch easier I think! Ever seen Hellboy? You can be a bit of a jerk, struggling with your impulses, trying not to let yourself slide down that ever slippery slope. It would be easier to to kill the prisoner out in the middle of the wilderness instead of carrying them back to civilization, but should you? Your patron is likely going to tempt you down the diabolical route, but that doesn't mean they're telling you to go kick kittens. Think Dumbledore - its for the greater good, isn't it, to end this threat to your quest now? Perhaps that npc your party finds charming rubs you the wrong way, they're distracting them from the more important tasks ahead. It's for the best that you let slip to some shady people at the tavern that someone wants them, dead or alive perhaps. Evil has many faces, and typically the most evil are the ones that don't seem evil.

Interesting. Start off with noble intentions to take the pact but have the patron slowly corrupt him. I'll talk to my DM to talk about how my patron could have a vested interest in the main story.

[caoshunter22]

I know it's often not all that useful as advice, but it's nonetheless true: You can play it any way you want (that your DM approves). A Fiend Warlock doesn't have to be evil at all. Some possible scenarios:


The fiend doesn't know that the Warlock is leeching off his powers
The Warlock was deceived into thinking the fiend was good
The fiend made the deal with the intent of corrupting the Warlock, but it's a hopeless task
The Warlock and fiend simply drew up a different kind of deal

For an example of the latter, you've probably heard legends about musicians who sold their soul to the Devil to become famous. There's usually nothing in these stories about the human becoming "evil". They just made a deal such that, for the rest of their lifetime, they get the power that they want. The Devil doesn't bother with them at all until the expiration date, so to speak...

That is a good point and being a fiend warlock would have a literal devil on his shoulder to try and convince my character to doing something more extreme. However whether my character follows the fiends advice or not all roads lead to the same destination.

[caoshunter22]

This here is such good advice. Just because you've made a deal doesn't mean you seek the same goals. I mean, look at loan-sharks. They'll help you out if you're desperate, but you're not likely to end that acquaintance as drinking buddies.

My GenieLock's patron is Efreeti, Lawful Evil. My Warlock does not agree with the attitude of his patron and often gets lectures for not enough "Vanquishing-in-my-name!" There's not too much the Genie is willing to do about it because Nexus Astoria (my Warlock), Invoker of Agni Kai (patron) has possession of, and is soul-bound to, something extremely valuable that Genie-Patron wants protected.

That a good point as well. It could be the fiend is tricking my character who believes their doing good could be unknowingly doing the fiends bidding. Similar to your patron my character could have a personal quest to rid his village of something evil but by doing so allows his patron to be summoned into the material plane.

[Bardbarian91]

Interesting. Start off with noble intentions to take the pact but have the patron slowly corrupt him. I'll talk to my DM to talk about how my patron could have a vested interest in the main story.

Precisely, it could be a long term struggle over the course of the campaign, it can be quest hooks, warlock is great for any number of story investments.


That is a good point and being a fiend warlock would have a literal devil on his shoulder to try and convince my character to doing something more extreme. However whether my character follows the fiends advice or not all roads lead to the same destination.

Another good view point to approach, but might want to see if you can find out from your DM depending on how you want your character to go, if (as was stated somewhere earlier in this thread) your patron just provides a well of power and it's now yours, no muss or fuss, or if it'll be more like the GOO warlock in my campaign, where disobedience to your patron can have your powers withdrawn temporarily, if you fight against them at times. Even then it could easily turn into a quest hook of needing your powers but you need them to be reliable, so you either find a different demonic/devilish patron, maybe go full Constantine from DC comics and strike multiple fiendish pacts so you have the power regardless of who you serve, or maybe you have a personal quest to find some infernal relic you can draw upon as a permanent tie to the Abyss or Nine Hells, maybe as a focus, so in that case you're essentially jamming your foot in the door so it can't be closed on you.


That a good point as well. It could be the fiend is tricking my character who believes their doing good could be unknowingly doing the fiends bidding. Similar to your patron my character could have a personal quest to rid his village of something evil but by doing so allows his patron to be summoned into the material plane.

That can also provide plenty of plot hooks, like having your party constantly pursued throughout the campaign by some holy order that thinks you're some cultist (maybe you are, maybe you aren't) and is trying to stop your patron from entering, but maybe they don't even make it clear, they just label you as a heretic and are seeking your death and the death of your party by extension. Plenty of gray area to exploit in this case.

[caoshunter22]

Precisely, it could be a long term struggle over the course of the campaign, it can be quest hooks, warlock is great for any number of story investments.



Another good view point to approach, but might want to see if you can find out from your DM depending on how you want your character to go, if (as was stated somewhere earlier in this thread) your patron just provides a well of power and it's now yours, no muss or fuss, or if it'll be more like the GOO warlock in my campaign, where disobedience to your patron can have your powers withdrawn temporarily, if you fight against them at times. Even then it could easily turn into a quest hook of needing your powers but you need them to be reliable, so you either find a different demonic/devilish patron, maybe go full Constantine from DC comics and strike multiple fiendish pacts so you have the power regardless of who you serve, or maybe you have a personal quest to find some infernal relic you can draw upon as a permanent tie to the Abyss or Nine Hells, maybe as a focus, so in that case you're essentially jamming your foot in the door so it can't be closed on you.



That can also provide plenty of plot hooks, like having your party constantly pursued throughout the campaign by some holy order that thinks you're some cultist (maybe you are, maybe you aren't) and is trying to stop your patron from entering, but maybe they don't even make it clear, they just label you as a heretic and are seeking your death and the death of your party by extension. Plenty of gray area to exploit in this case.

I'm definitely going to use the relic idea in the event an emergency if the DM allows. With a paladin and cleric in the group it could make conflict with a holy order would be interesting.

Also at some point I would like to give DMing a try. I have an idea on world building but not how make combat balanced or interesting.

[animorte]

Also at some point I would like to give DMing a try. I have an idea on world building but not how make combat balanced or interesting.

Terrain. Make clever use of the environment. Especially if the PCs are in enemy territory for any reason, that enemy would have a much greater familiarity with their home turf. That works both ways, such as in the case where they might be defending an area.

Crest tasks during encounters. One time I had a pulley system that required at least one person on it at all times to life the platform so the PCs could get above ground, but they had angered some local cave dwellers that would periodically attempt to interrupt them.

Learn from the party and adjust encounters based on how they react. After all bad guys can learn and adapt as well.

Mostly, don’t be afraid to get creative and make sure everybody has fun.

[caoshunter22]

Terrain. Make clever use of the environment. Especially if the PCs are in enemy territory for any reason, that enemy would have a much greater familiarity with their home turf. That works both ways, such as in the case where they might be defending an area.

Crest tasks during encounters. One time I had a pulley system that required at least one person on it at all times to life the platform so the PCs could get above ground, but they had angered some local cave dwellers that would periodically attempt to interrupt them.


Learn from the party and adjust encounters based on how they react. After all bad guys can learn and adapt as well.

Mostly, don’t be afraid to get creative and make sure everybody has fun.

Ok. I was thinking of a where a lot of enemies are aberration game since my campaign is lovecraftian. An idea I had while reading this was as the party gets closer to a portal that goes to a different plane weird anomalies weird anomalies start to happen like gravity isn't the same but I don't know if that's to complicated for a new DM.

[Bardbarian91]

I'm definitely going to use the relic idea in the event an emergency if the DM allows. With a paladin and cleric in the group it could make conflict with a holy order would be interesting.

Also at some point I would like to give DMing a try. I have an idea on world building but not how make combat balanced or interesting.

In that case glad something came out of it!? It really can, particularly if part of the group or your enemies are pushing for the relic's destruction, and could inspire additional subplot if someone within that order secretly has their own use for it. Could even see them as playing the "I believe you aren't evil so I'll let you go..." to let you get away with finding it simply because it's easier for them to plan on stealing it from a trio that wants to keep it rather than an entire army that will happily destroy. Easier to kill than capture, right?

Good luck! Being a DM is a deeply rewarding aspect of D&D but it truly takes the right group. My first attempt went horribly because I didn't realize I was playing with full on munchkins and was overly permissive, so I almost didn't start DMing again because of it. But I've realized my mistakes, realized what I did wrong and what they did wrong, and found a much better group.

As a general world building tip feel free to steal idea outright and modify them as needed (I stole Darksteel and Etherium from MtG among other things), and the less familiar your players are the easier it is, it all lends inspiration.

As far as combat, for balance, the CR system is a decent estimate when you begin but less accurate as you gain levels, but you can find that being discussed here in other threads. Remember that some enemies can be skewed depending on the party, so if you mostly have a bunch of Martial classes that deal a lot of damage but rely heavily on attack rolls, a Helmed Horror is significantly more dangerous at lower levels than a Hill Giant despite the same CR. Don't be afraid to fudge a roll here or there (if you play behind a screen) when you first start I think, so you can give them a terrifying experience when you need to but you don't want to kill them just because you misjudged your encounter. Or you can also have other things like (if the party hasn't done X damage to the boss before taking Y damage, roughly, some monster will attack the boss or an NPC/environmental hazard like a tree falling, small earthquake, will disrupt the fight), this can add a little flavor. Nothing wrong with them having an easy fight here and there, and save the truly life threatening battles for major points or enemies. I would rank your combats into three tiers, Trivial (maybe a handful of grunts, enough to take a few rounds but mostly incidental, like a random encounter or something that just doesn't affect the story), Average (maybe a couple big beasties and a couple grunts, possibly an environmental factor, enough to make them have to think a little instead of chilling, but not dire threats every turn), and Epic (a boss fight, either against a single big boss with the hit points, reactions, and resistance to shut down player attacks or just make them ineffective till he gets his swings in, or something slightly less dangerous but paired with a horde of gribblies and maybe a couple beasties, enough things to be a serious threat so when they do win, they feel truly accomplished) and I would save an Epic fight for every few levels or so, do a smaller grade one partway through an arc as a mini boss of sorts.

For making things interesting, I again mention the layout of fights, so you have a mix of a bigger beast and a few smaller (good example is a troll backed up by maybe a handful of hobgoblins and half a dozen goblins, the goblins are mostly pests that a couple of attacks can take out but they're numerous enough to have to be dealt with at low levels and a distraction from the bigger threats - another favorite is a young black/green dragon and maybe half a dozen or so lizardfolk), it also gives a good range of targets to pick from and strategize. Also environmental layouts, like if they're fighting in some manor, or around a rocky overpass. I also personally like to take advantage of big monsters, like having a troll or hill giant literally rip a tree out and sending it rolling down the hill. Make a Dex save. Had a Barbarian see it coming and try to catch it instead, so it gives fun opportunities like that, plus it can add a bit terror to have to dodge trees and rocks being hurled out of the way of this giant thing coming at you. For boss fights it's fun to add an external element, like some ritual being conducted, or maybe there's some crystals the boss can harness to heal/empower himself so they need to destroy the crystals before they can take him down, like the old Star Wars KOTOR games.

Last couple points you don't have to use but I like them, you as DM can make death savings throws behind the screen, so is your ally okay with a success? Did they fail? Did they roll a 1 and might actually die next turn? Only the DM knows. Also I like to keep characters a little healthier, so when they roll hit dice I let them reroll a result lower than their Con modifier, let's it feel more rewarding to have a high Con, but that depends on your group largely.

[Leon]

We have a Warlock that has no idea what is giving it its powers, the Character has been a religious "mouthpiece" for a whole mess of gods prior to starting to adventure and now has to work out what is powering it thusly.

[animorte]

Ok. I was thinking of a where a lot of enemies are aberration game since my campaign is lovecraftian. An idea I had while reading this was as the party gets closer to a portal that goes to a different plane weird anomalies weird anomalies start to happen like gravity isn't the same but I don't know if that's to complicated for a new DM.
I understand what you mean. A few months ago, a campaign I'm a player in, we were in the death realm and different segments had various interesting environments.
There was a heavy dark mist that couldn't be moved by wind spells, not dispelled, not seen through with any sort of dark vision, light and dancing lights revealed nothing. Any fight we had away from a clearing was basically figure out where the enemy is coming from and go a different way, as we could only see 10 ft. away. Faint lights far off in the distance shone through all of this and we had to go shut down those 4 (or 5) light wells by defeating enough enemies and dropping them into the well.

We collected talismans along the way that served a great number of purposes. Wearing one prevented fear, charm, petrification, incapacitation, and much more. Extremely beneficial, BUT casting a spell while wearing it caused one to forget they ever even had that spell for a couple days (I lost Light, which was only kind of useful as a path reminder, casting it on sticks and such). Really solid for everyone only if we're strictly not casting spells, and then for martials during combat.

We had acquired enough for everyone in the party and had discovered that we could immediately shut down any light well by dropping one into it as opposed to fighting everything around it and pushing the bad guys in (Repelling Blast was SO useful). We only chose to do this twice, once to try it out and another because the fight was going poorly. It also immediately destroyed any of the besties nearby upon being shut off.

Once we finally shut down all of them, it cleared the mist and allowed us to step into the next level. Unfortunately we noticed that there was now a pillar of mist escaping from those very same wells. Turns out we had to come back about every day to clear whatever came out of them so it wouldn't get taken over again. At least until we cleared out all three levels we were there for anyway.

Also, in the next level there were a certain areas that we figured out the Talismans had an omni-directional gravitational effect on whoever carried one making movement difficult, even if you weren't wearing it. At one point we decided to give several of them to the Barbarian as he could resist better and it created a sort of pinball effect that was quite amusing, to be honest. Each Talisman had its own directional pull, leading us to different spots where we needed to use them as keys.

Feel free to make use of this.


As a general world building tip feel free to steal idea outright and modify them as needed (I stole Darksteel and Etherium from MtG among other things), and the less familiar your players are the easier it is, it all lends inspiration.
Yes, absolutely this. Find inspiration in whatever books you read, shows/movies you watch, life experiences, live performances, and other game experiences (video/board/any). There's nothing wrong with printed adventures as they can help you understand how to put one together, but some less fun players can't help but to look up details and spoilers. Homebrew is unlimited!

I don't remember where but I saw a funny tip on some basic DM encounter/adventure ideas.
- Look up layout schematics of different malls or stores, use it as a dungeon/mansion/what-have-you.
- Format your next path(s) after an episode of Dora the Explorer.

[Bardbarian91]

Ok. I was thinking of a where a lot of enemies are aberration game since my campaign is lovecraftian. An idea I had while reading this was as the party gets closer to a portal that goes to a different plane weird anomalies weird anomalies start to happen like gravity isn't the same but I don't know if that's to complicated for a new DM.

First off I wanted to say how funny it is that I didn't even see the post above this or this post while I typed up my wall of text, but glad we covered a lot of the same points as it turns out!

As far as your idea, check out Tasha's section on Eldritch Storms, it should provide plenty of material, either directly, as a framework to edit, or just inspiration. I actually plan to run a game at some point where something like Atlantis happened resulting in a Fallout-esque type of post-apocalyptic setting with pockets of strange magic and peculiar planar overlaps, and plan to use that segment quite heavily. There are even sections for different environments including running them through a mimic colony! It's fantastic.

I wouldn't worry over much about it being too complicated as long as you remember that you're the DM, and you can edit things if needed. If you're worried about it still just make sure to tell your players something like "Hey, this is my first time DMing so I might get some things wrong and have to tweak some things if it isn't working as intended, are you cool with that?"

In addition, maybe just start off with some one shots to get your feet wet - you don't have to worry about balancing so much, just plan a short bit of RP, lead into a battle, and a little RP to wrap up maybe, then you can see how your encounters balance a little, see how your players operate through the lens of a DM. As for a campaign,LMoP I've heard is a magnificent starter campaign you can work through while you refine your skills, and if you like that setting you could even set up your own campaign to spin off from that if you don't wanna come up with your own whole world. Or if you do, set up some teaser of some alternate world maybe, have some fun with it and have their LMoP characters cameo maybe as NPCs in your main campaign trying to get back to their reality. I could easily see some abberation (like Vecna/Mind Flayer of Stranger Things) having consumed an entire realm and managed to connect the Forgotten Realms to your world in a sort of twisted parody of Yggdrasil.

[caoshunter22]

First off I wanted to say how funny it is that I didn't even see the post above this or this post while I typed up my wall of text, but glad we covered a lot of the same points as it turns out!

As far as your idea, check out Tasha's section on Eldritch Storms, it should provide plenty of material, either directly, as a framework to edit, or just inspiration. I actually plan to run a game at some point where something like Atlantis happened resulting in a Fallout-esque type of post-apocalyptic setting with pockets of strange magic and peculiar planar overlaps, and plan to use that segment quite heavily. There are even sections for different environments including running them through a mimic colony! It's fantastic.

I wouldn't worry over much about it being too complicated as long as you remember that you're the DM, and you can edit things if needed. If you're worried about it still just make sure to tell your players something like "Hey, this is my first time DMing so I might get some things wrong and have to tweak some things if it isn't working as intended, are you cool with that?"

In addition, maybe just start off with some one shots to get your feet wet - you don't have to worry about balancing so much, just plan a short bit of RP, lead into a battle, and a little RP to wrap up maybe, then you can see how your encounters balance a little, see how your players operate through the lens of a DM. As for a campaign,LMoP I've heard is a magnificent starter campaign you can work through while you refine your skills, and if you like that setting you could even set up your own campaign to spin off from that if you don't wanna come up with your own whole world. Or if you do, set up some teaser of some alternate world maybe, have some fun with it and have their LMoP characters cameo maybe as NPCs in your main campaign trying to get back to their reality. I could easily see some abberation (like Vecna/Mind Flayer of Stranger Things) having consumed an entire realm and managed to connect the Forgotten Realms to your world in a sort of twisted parody of Yggdrasil.

I'll definitely take a look at LMoP and see if it's something the group I've joined has an interest in playing if not well then time to look for a group then. That is a really good idea and will definitely use thst idea. Any ways like you said in a previous post since this is no longer about the original subject of the post I should make a different thread. Thank you all for giving great information and advice for me to use.