31 Flavors of Warlock

[erf_beto]

What, exactly, is wrong with "pact"? I'm starting to think that people (not you, but people in general) are inventing outrage for outrage's sake.

I'm sorry if I sounded so outraged, that's not the case (here). There's nothing wrong with 'pact' - but it kinda 'drips of evil'. It's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a 'pact': it's demons, and devils, and corruption, and 'you're gonna get screwed in the end'.
It might be ok with the scary flavor of the warlock, but almost limits our (general) imagination in the sense that people dont think a celestial warlock is actually possible, because no one makes 'pacts' with the good gods (wich is not true: making deals with angels is very cool). It might be misdirection, since we dont know how much evil the warlock actually is, but using words like these... :\

 

[Engilbrand]

Groups of kids in a "club" that they make might say that they make a pact. Pacts are rather neutral. I get no negative connotation from it.
I could see Nature as a good Warlock "pact". He doesn't even need to specifically choose it. Nature chooses a select group of champions to act as its stewards. They strive for balance and the protection of nature. This sort of Warlock would be able to Tree Stride, Awaken Plants (for a bit) or Create Quicksand. It could Summon Animals, Change Shape and do any of a myriad other things. People want a Druid. A Nature-oriented Warlock could easily be that.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Well, if the warlock killed the sorcerer and took his stuff, how could you forget

Draconic: The warlock is steeped in the elder mysteries of draconic lore; has made pacts with draconic lineages lasting generations upon generations of men.

 

[Aeolius]

Hag Advocate: The warlock draws power from a dark and mysterious pact forged with a covey of hags.

 

[Stone Dog]

It's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a 'pact': it's demons, and devils, and corruption, and 'you're gonna get screwed in the end'.

No, the first thing that goes comes to my mind when I hear pact is "contract." It is an archaic sort of word, but really it has as much diabolic connotations as "deal."

 

[GreatLemur]

Far Realms: I have no idea what I would expect of a warlock that entered a pact with Cthulu, but that's the kind of thing I'm probably better off not understanding. I do expect tentacles to be involved somehow, though.

Oh, hell yes.

It would be a different kind of deal of course, he wouldn't represent a god or have to appeal to it for power, he's just charged with serving that lesser divine beings interests. It's the same kind of difference between forming a pact with a demon or being a cleric or paladin of Asmodeus.

Yeah, just as you can have both Clerics and Warlocks linked to evil entities, it stands to reason you can have both Warlocks as well as Clerics linked to good entities. I think the difference between these types of arrangements might be that gods (good or evil) have Clerics, while lesser beings have Warlocks. And I suspect Warlocks don't worship the beings they made pacts with; they just perform some kind of service in exchange for power.

EDIT: I think part of the problem is the word 'pact' itself, and it's connotations. Dealing with celestials would be called an oath, with fey it could be called a binding, etc.

I'm not really getting any negative connotations from "pact". Really, I'd say the word "binding" has more infernal connotations. A "pact" can be something along the lines of a peace treaty or an agreement between friends.

 

[Irda Ranger]

Groups of kids in a "club" that they make might say that they make a pact. Pacts are rather neutral. I get no negative connotation from it.

I do. I think a pact is neutral at best, but possibly evil. You don't make a pact with angels because angels don't "bargain."

The key to a pact is the bargain, and the quid pro quo. That can't be truly "good" because (even if you agree to do good things), you're doing it for the material reward, not because if the action's inherant goodness.

At first I was thinking that this meant there could never be a Celestial Warlock; but now I realize this just means there could never be a good Celestial Warlock. However, there are some interesting possibilities with being a "spiritual mercenary, doing good deeds, because that's what you're paid to do." Hmmm.

Imagine you're an Angel, right, and you want to spread good works and cheer and happy goodness throughout the kingdom. And you find a young boy or girl of great potential. This child (because of their natural talents and ambitions) is destined to change the world; but because they're amoral, there's no telling whether it will be for Good or Evil. You can't have the child killed (you're an Angel), but if you let him go his own way an Infernal or Shadowy master might find him. So, instead, you get him to use his talents for Good, not Evil, and here's the material reward that motivates you.

Sort of like Dexter, I guess ....

 

[Irda Ranger]

There should be a difference between an infernal warlock and an abyssal one because demons are not devils.

True, but how would you ever get the demon to keep his half of the bargain? They're pure chaos - they don't do "pacts."

 

[Cadfan]

While I like the idea of expanding the pact power source to other areas besides the three listed so far, I don't know that variant warlocks will be the best way to do it. Some of the possible pacts may be so different in flavor that they need a new character class to support them properly.

Consider the old warlock. You could make a warlock that was themed to have a dragon based pact. But you'd probably be better off with a dragonfire adept.

 

[Cadfan]

True, but how would you ever get the demon to keep his half of the bargain? They're pure chaos - they don't do "pacts."

Retheme it. Its not a demonic pact. Its a bound demon.

Same with the angel. Its not an angelic pact. The character is channeling the angel's strength.

Pseudonatural? You can't make pacts with them because they're too alien to grasp the concept. But you can open yourself and let the Far Realms leak through you into the real world.

You can do anything with retheming.