D&D (2024) Warlock Patron at 3rd Level Makes Sense

[Parmandur]

But the god is not the same thing as the domain. If, for example, I were an Athena worshipper the Goddess of War, the Goddess of the City, and the Goddess of Crafts would be different domains all while being the same deity.

And this Warlock gives the option to keep the Level 1 Pact seperate or connected to the Level 3 choice, as a flavor and RP decision.

 

[TwoSix]

I think there are easily leveraged narratives for both "bonding a patron giving you access to magic" AND for "learning rudimentary magic allows you to bond a patron".

Which one makes more "sense" is an exercise for the reader.

 

[Minigiant]

This is how I see it.

Priests like clerics, druids, paladins, and possible other priests like shamans, oracles, and invokers Channel magic from their god, pantheon, nature, oaths, or other primal or divine being, object, or statement which has power to affect the Weave/Aether/Fade/Winds/Wild/Channel/Mana/Well.

These power are literally power channeled into your PC's soul and mind. At level 1 and 2, your soul is too weak to handle a full channel and you get mostly vanilla power.

Same with warlocks. A warlock's pact is a bastardization of a priest's channel. It is done by a powerful being who links you directly to the Weave/Aether/Fade/Winds/Wild/Channel/Mana/Well. Like a priest, your body cannot handle a full pact at level 1 and 2.

Look at Warhammer lore of what happens when a demon or old god blesses you too much before you can handle it.

That should inspire a new monster. The warlock who begs for too much power and becomes a mindless eldritch blasting mutated horror.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Sure beats paying to not play the game you paid for.

AKA, Playing a Fighter

 

[tetrasodium]

Look at Warhammer lore of what happens when a demon or old god blesses you too much before you can handle it.

I'm only passingly familiar with warhammer lore. Do they explode or go insane?

 

[Minigiant]

I'm only passingly familiar with warhammer lore. Do they explode or go insane?

They turn into Chaos Spawn, mindless mutated monsters.

 

[Vael]

It has been my experience that only the rare player has created their 1st level PC without some idea of what subclass they intend to become. And so it's quite possible to play the Warlock of the Fiendish Pact for 2 levels before gaining the benefits of that actual subclass. So, tbh, while I get it, my main class of choice is Sorcerer, I think the uniformity of subclass progression is an overall benefit that also grants some flexibility in fun reveals ... OH, the fiend that I thought I was making the pact with is actually a Great Old One? That's cool.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

It makes sense only to that very specific narrative, which was possible the old way too, plus allowed for other backstories.

But hey, if we're going to guarantee most people just skip what has been turned into the tutorial levels, this is a way.

They’ve always been tutorial levels. They explained that back in 2014.

 

[Vaalingrade]

They’ve always been tutorial levels. They explained that back in 2014.

Then they should be properly labeled and in a free supplement, not the thing we pay for.

 

[OB1]

I love the flexibility in the new design. Whether your PC is purposefully tracking a path to the power of a specific patron, you've made a provisional pact with the patron but must first prove yourself worthy or you've unwittingly begun down the path, at 3rd level, your specific Patron has accepted you into their circle, and provides you with new, unique abilities.