Arcane Power Excerpt: Vestige Pact

[JPL]

The problem with that setup (speaking as someone who played in the same group as a binder), was that it seemed totally random and arbitrary unless you'd read that writeup.

Truth. I absolutely loved the Tome of Magic vestige writeups --- bizarre, flavorful, and oftentimes firmly grounded in D&D lore --- but it led to a weird suite of powers for each vestige, and a lot of strange behavior. Took up a lot of space, too. I hope that fluffy article happens, but I can understand the reasoning behind keeping things simple.

I imagine that some of the old ToM vestiges are an odd fit with the revised cosmology, but I suppose that's a hook in itself --- carrying over concepts from earlier editions of the game is strangely consistent with the notion that vestiges are entities that fell between the cracks of the universe. All of your older brother's old Basic D&D Immortals are now vestiges, baby.

 

[garyh]

As the player of an infernal warlock, I'm very happy to see more Con-based powers. I'm not entirely clear how the vestige stuff would play for other warlock pacts taking the powers, but hopefully there's be levels, as there are now, where none of the pacts gives bonuses, so it's purely a choice of powers uninfluenced by pact bonuses.

 

[inkmonkeys]

However, the trick is to make sure you don't pick someone who has more story potential as an active force than as a vestige. For instance, I think having Acererak and Geryon not vestiges is a good thing, because you can do more with 'em that way.

I'm not convinced you can't have Acererak and a shard of Acererak in the same setting. When your vestige-pact warlock fights Acererak with a sliver of his personality that was shed centuries ago, I see vast story potential.

I think they just didn't include them in the article, but I could be wrong.

You're not wrong.

As I understand, one warlock can have only one active vestige at time. That´s correct?!

You're correct.

Gee, I hope no one changed those mechanics while I wasn't looking. That would be embarrassing. =)

 

[Mouseferatu]

I'm not convinced you can't have Acererak and a shard of Acererak in the same setting. When your vestige-pact warlock fights Acererak with a sliver of his personality that was shed centuries ago, I see vast story potential.

Oh, certainly that can be done. It was my suggestion to Matt, back when we were doing Tome of Magic, to make Tenebrous a vestige even though Orcus was alive at the time, so I'm certainly not opposed to the idea.

But I think that could only be pulled off for one or two; doing any more than that would dilute the concept too much, IMO.

 

[Burrito Al Pastor]

I am delighted about this, because it's precedent towards incarnum.

PHB4: Incarnum Power?

(Also, going to have to resist making a Persona-themed character with this... THOU ART I AND I ART THOU!)

 

[Deverash]

I am delighted about this, because it's precedent towards incarnum.

PHB4: Incarnum Power?

(Also, going to have to resist making a Persona-themed character with this... THOU ART I AND I ART THOU!)

Maybe I just need to go to sleep, but I just had a thought. Incarnum was channeling the power of souls into various effects. That's really similar to what they've described the "ki" power source to be like. So maybe we'll see some incarnum-like stuff whenever the ki classes come out.