Help me pick or create a patron for the PCs

[dreaded_beast]

This Friday, I will be starting a new campaign with around 8 PCs, starting at 1st level, playing in Greyhawk.

In another thread, a poster presented an idea of having a patron for the PCs in order to facilitate the PCs moving from adventure, gaining equipment, etc. I really like this idea, so I want to create a patron for them.

I'm thinking of having a 'faceless' patron, probably one of the archmages of Greyhawk, like Rary or Mordenkein. The way it would work is that this patron would sponsor the PCs on their adventures, but would only communicate to the PCs via an intermediary. Once the PCs reach a higher level, will they discover their 'real' patron.

In any case, any ideas or comments would be greatly appreciated, specifically on how to introduce the patron in the campaign, whether or not to role-play the PCs joining the patron or starting the campaign under the assumption that the PCs already work for the patron, and the specifics of the patron.

 

[Sigurd]

I would delay thinking about the character of the main patron. Have the chars deal with a gifted flunky first. If your patron is going to be a mage have the party be useful to a high ranking expert in the service of the Mage. This reduces the expectations on the players at low levels and allows you to think about what sort of patron they'd fit with.

At some point their patron can vouch for them to the real patron & your player chars will feel like there is more of a world fabric involved.

Ask yourself if, at their current level, they'd really come to the attention of ...... If the answer is no think of an intermediate patron who wants something from them. Spell components, security, legal witnesses, delivery runs, missing persons etc... -- all these things are ways a lower level party can be useful. The truly powerful have people who do these things or more ofen they choose them from a body of the tested or recommended. As often as not the truly powerful only use the untested as cannon fodder -- hardly a good relationship for the players to have with their patron.


Sigurd

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I have to agree. Their patron should be some minor functionary of a more powerful person, acting without the patron's knowledge. That functionary doesn't want to do all the dirty work (you can have some fun here, with the NPC being somewhat fussy) and so sub-contracts out to the players.

Eventually, when it's appropriate, the major NPC figures out his functionary hasn't been doing all the work -- maybe he hears of the PCs on his own and connects the dots -- and at that point, you have a natural transition between patrons.

And, at the lower levels, since the functionary doesn't want to be found out, he'll automatically keep his patron vague, giving you time to figure out what sort of NPC you want to hook them up with later on.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

The key will be creating a patron that the PCs don't treat like dirt. Sometimes it's tough to balance lending assistance when needed without seeming to take away from the party.

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

Here is a specific suggestion

Their "first patron' (who is actually an assistant to an archmage, who is the true patron.)

Ashtala, Human Male, Bard 7/Loremaster 1
Blind

Inside his office he can handle himself well enough that some people don't notice that that he is blind, however he is not able to go adventuring.

His blindness is actually a high level curse, which even the archmage hasn't been able to cure yet.

He is very handy if the players need someone to vouch for them, or bail them out of jail, or introduce them to an "important personage", but when fighting monsters in the catacombs the players are on their own.

 

[Slife]

I'm planning to use an agoraphobic gnome myself. Good excuse not to go on adventures, but it is still possible for him to help PCs out.

 

[Herobizkit]

My suggestion is to make the patron a "mayor" type.

If the player characters in his employ do well, he somehow gets all the credit. If the PC's end up doing poorly, it all falls back on them and the "mayor" disavows any involvement with the PC's... and could even send his own agents to deal with them.

At some point, the PCs will realize that they have been this guy's stooges all along; as a result, they will probably want to deal with him on a personal level.

If this goes well, you will have created a "patron" and a "main villain" all at once.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I'm a fan of organizations as patrons. That way, the PCs can begin as contract workers, slowly get noticed by higher ups, maybe even join the organization and work their way up, introducing politics if they want, or just remain contract workers. It also means that they will feel less forced into the situation. Oftentimes, players will feel that the NPC is using them or feel threatened by an individual, but when its a group, they, in my experience, feel more at ease working for it.

It also gives a good explaination as to why the patron has the wealth to hire, outfit, and aid them. An organization will have the capital that a single individual might not have, or be more likely to have than a single individual. Eventually, they can also work their way up to equals of the ones they're working for, instead of always being underlings themselves. When they can give orders to those below them, they'll feel some satisfaction, something that is difficult to do with a single NPC patron.