D&D General Frustating Misunderstandings About Warlocks

[Incenjucar]

Communication solves this immediately. This is a social game, so it's abn excellent chance to practice core social skills. There are cerainly your indecisive Calvinball players but you'll need to work with them regardless.

 

[Kurotowa]

I am not sure what your point here is in regards to the original reason we talked about this. What you write doesn't change anything about the issue: When your choice of Patron is only finalized at Level 3 of the Warlock class, the first 2 Warlock levels, the GM can't integrate it as easily into the story for roleplaying and story hooks, because the patron is undecided, and any type of characterization and color added to a potential interaction could easily end up being inconsistent with the final Patron choice.

My point is that you're positing the uncertainty of Patron is an out-of-game situation. That in-game the Patron is already locked in, but it exists in a state of quantum uncertainty until the player commits to a choice at 3rd level. My counter argument is that the uncertainty can be in-game as well.

The book is explicit that Warlocks don't have be bound to a single Patron, but can instead shop around and have smaller pacts with multiple entities. So even if the player plans to lock in with a main Patron, they can still frame the intern levels as them getting power from a range of minor spirits and lesser powers. They aren't locked in, they haven't signed in with the big boss yet, they're applying with multiple powers and waiting to see who makes the right offer.

Or, you know, the player has a clear and specific idea of who they want as their Patron, and there's no issue at all.