#she is a pact of the chain warlock

[allnighter8]

two characters that will be appearing in the pathfinder 2e campaign im preparing: yulnia (aasimar) and gratiana (tiefling). i wish i could draw, but since i cant, i had to resort to using openart. hopefully one day i can comission an actual artist for this!!

[hopedflight]

fel's familiar, esme, is most frequently found to look like a persian cat. big, fluffy, and utterly spoiled.

fel will cry if esme gets hurt and desummons. And if it was an enemy, will proceed to utterly destroy whoever did it.

she often carries her around camp in her arms, and is very protective of her.

esme can be very ... cat like in the mischevious sort of way. fel thinks she can do no wrong, but esme actively will try to hunt boo for sport.

fel talks to esme, a lot. full conversations, despite the fact the cat does not seem to return any of this communication.

trances with her curled next to her, purring. it is the only way she can get any rest.

[brokenhardies]

*gasp* okay okay holy shit

but but but after episode 3, maria and delissandro have a big argument that happens before colin chooses to leave delissandro and reveals his secret to him

after the argument, colin finds maria, a few blocks away, at a local tavern, getting shitfaced in a corner. due to her getting completely drunk, reminding him of his awful father, colin abandons maria at the bar.

maria is even more heartbroken... but winds up meeting someone who understands her pain. the sugar-plum fairy

[franavu]

While the Archheart's plan seems completely in character for a chaotic god who just wants out of their current situation (kudos to Abubakar), it's also an absolutely terrible idea. Let's say the absolutely best case scenario is going to happen. In that best case:

Imogen and/or Fearne can control Predathos enough that they're not completely erased (this would be the least important part in the grand scheme of things.)

When Predathos is syphoned from the moon it only takes the energy and doesn't cause the moon to crack/explode/implode, causing it to rain chunks of moon down on Exandria.

All the gods actually leave. This is not a certainty as per Taliesin the Wildmother has invested so much of herself in the world that she likely can't leave. I would imagine that that means that the Lawbearer is sticking around as well. Not to mention what would happen to the Chained Oblivion, it's not the same as the other gods, and as far as I know it only showed up sometime during the schism. (Is it even prey for Predathos? Is it of the same species? Would there be a Chained Oblivion Predathos Kaiju battle, with Exandria as the battleground? Who knows?)

On the way out the lower and higher planes get locked down so there is no extraplanar invasion. (The biggest worry would be demons/devils but I can imagine planetars etc. can make a problem of themselves if they see a good cause)

On the way out Predathos doesn't decide to snack on lesser divine beings/things (Uk'otoa, parts of the Luxon, etc) leaving its mutating properties behind. (see the Savalir wood)

The bloody bridge gets dissolved and doesn't tear Exandria's magic apart.

Now, in the absolute best case scenario, none of the above is going to be a problem. Regardless, what is going to be a problem:

Divine magic is going to be weakened at the least. The number of divine healers is going to tank, and while there are lesser beings that can grant divine magic, and it is possible, but difficult, to wield it without any (see Calamity). That's going to take a while to sort out, and in the meantime there's going to be a lot less healing.

A lot of things that got out during the Solstice are still out, like the Phoenix thing that is similar to Uk'otoa (which is probably out again as well) and they are a lot more difficult to seal without divine aid.

There is also still a significant invasion force of Ruidians that are going to be a problem, not to mention the Ruby Vanguard

With the gods gone, a lot of semi-divine powers, whether good or bad, are going to be empowered through new followers and/or warlock pacts, without anyone to keep them in line (again, see Artagan or Uk'otoa)

Vasselheim, the oldest city in the world, is going to have massive issues of at least morale, and is likely not going to be in a state to do anything outside of its own borders.

Other political entities are also going to be looking inwards, consolidating their own resources, and shedding their pereferies. I'd say that, for example, the Dwendalian Empire is likely going to shrink. Countries that are less effected by the loss of the gods, may very well go to war. Places that have been protected by the gods are going to lose that protection, Niirdal-Poc and the other cities which were protected by the Wildmother are probaly going to be run over by the Iron Authority.

Outside of actual war, demagogues, warlords, cult leaders, etc. are going to spring up in the chaos, with various degrees of violence.

And finally there is the biggest problem, wizards. Since long before the Calamity the holy grail of magic was ascension to godhood, and now the thrones are empty. A whole bunch of wizards are going to try for them, and in the best case scenario they fail and only take a chunk of empty countryside with them. In the worst case they succeed, seeing that wizards who's ambition is godhood absolutely should not have it. And now there is no divine gate or other deities to curtail them. So there'll soon be a new, worse pantheon.

So the Archheart is right, there will be a new balance, but as that usually goes, the new balance is going to be built on a pile of corpses, and is likely going to be worse than the previous one.

But hey,

[spacebarbarianweird]

Hi! Could you do HCs for Astarion with a Archfey Warlock!Tav. Since fey are well known for trickery and Astarion is known for trickery at times as well. Thank you :)

Archfeys are god-like Feys seen as deities by their worshippers. They are difficult to kill and often unpredictable. A warlock can form a pact with a Fey patron. The magic bestowed upon fey pact warlocks can be enchanting while retaining the savage lethality common to the Feywild. Warlocks who focused all their attention on dealing with fey spirits might have become one of the feytouched, half-mad spellcasters who slipped between the Feywild and the Prime Material Plane as they wished.

More info

There are many Arcwfeys to choose from (I recommend reading about them, they are insanely cool). I chose Nintra Siotta for the following headcanon - a chaotic evil entity. 

Astarion x Archfey Warlock! Tav

You never wanted to be a warlock.

But Feys don't ask, they take.

When you were thirteen, you almost died.

You were comatose for a year and when you woke you had a Fey pact.

You don't remember who made the pact with you. The archfey erased your memories.

You don't know the conditions. The rules.

The price.

Your powers are of a dark and wild nature.

You try not to use them but the Archfey dominates you and make you spell cast against your will.

Adding more and more to the pile of debt you already have.

You search for answers but you know you won't like them.

You are a puppet in the hands of someone evil and chaotic.

The tadpole gives you freedom. It blocks your connection with the Archfey. And you feel free from her never-sleeping eyes.

You know the fear Astarion has - to return to the master. To the master you don't know but whom you owe.

You promise Astarion to deal with Cazador because you hate when people are held against their will.

When you tell him your whole story, he also gives you a promise. He is a magistrate, after all.

He can look at the contract.

The problem is that you don't remember having it.

You don't want to make pacts with the devils and you fear the Emperor and whatever awaits you.

And you decide to contact your patron, to see who it is.

The misty hands drag you to another plane.

Here she is, the Princess of the Shadow Glass, powerful and hateful.

She hands you a list of every spell you've ever used.

With all the debts.

"You are mine, little warlock, and you will do as I say. I saved your pathetic life when you were a child and gave you powers of the Fey. Now, you pay me back by serving me and fighting for me. Your life, your sanity, it all belongs to me."

Finally you have a copy of the contract. The Fey glamour wanes, and you remember that you were forced to sign it to survive.

A scared little child who didn't know the price.

And you are going to get into into more debt.

"Help me defeat the Elder Brain."

Niitra agrees.

She gives you more powers. More dark spells. Agonizing blasts, domination, masks. All yours.

You are pushed back into the Prime and wake up in the streets of Baldur's Gate only to rush into the battle.

You win. You save everyone from their peril. The Emperor is destroyed so is the Brain.

Astarion runs away from the sun in pain and suffering, and when you find him, you promise to save him as well.

But you have your own chains. The Archfey calls upon you and makes you do cruel things.

Killing for her, striking fear.

Astarion reads your contract and doesn't find any loopholes. You will have to serve the Archfey till your days end.

You are doomed to lose your sanity, to be Feytouched.

Astarion promises he will be with you no matter what.

"Do you want more, my little warlock? Do you want to save him? I can make him mortal again, I can let him walk in the sun."

And you agree.

You wake up in some abandoned place without Astarion by your side.

You've spent seven years in Feywild. Another evil trick.

You don't know where to go and what to do. To search for Astarion? But where is he? Did the Archfey keep her promise?

Is he mortal? Can he walk in the sun?

Your sanity is slipping away.

You are Feytouched. A mad warlock.

Even if you meet Astarion, you won't recognize him.

And should Niitra order you, you will kill him on her demand.

The Prime, Feywild, interdimensional places - you go wherever she orders.

You try to grasp your sanity but it slips through your fingers.

How long has it been? A year? A decade? A millennium?

You don't know anymore.

Until one day you're awakened in chains.

A familiar man stands in front of you.

Silver curls, a tender look.

But he has the body warmth of a mortal and his eyes are the color of emeralds.

"Hello, my sweet, it's been a while," Astarion says. "Two centuries, to be precise."

The Archfey kept her promise and made him mortal. But you paid for it with two hundred years of slavery.

"I woke up mortal back then without you by my side. That bitch of yours told me I should go away because you are hers."

Astarion never gave up. He searched for you. Some even thought you were his archnemesis, as he was obsessed with finding you.

Unfortunately, you can't just walk away from the Feys. Nyitra has many enemies, including Titania.

Astarion made a deal with her. Now he is her warlock - and he used his newly found powers to kill the Princess of the Shadow Glass.

To save you. To return your sanity.

"Don't you worry, my sweet, I've made a very fair contract."

You return to the world with him. Free from your chains with him, a mortal elf by your side.

--

Tag list

@tugoslovenka @marcynomercy @wintersire @vixstarria @not-so-lost-after-all @ashiro20 @theearthsfinalconfession @herstxrgirl @starlight-ipomoea @micropoe10 @astarion-imagine-archive @veillsar @elora-the-slutty-songstress @fayeriess @lumienyx @tallymonster @caitlincat-95 @tragedybunny @valeprati @lynnlovesthestars @marina-and-the-memes @waking-electric @ayselluna @connorsui @asterordinary @darkarchangel96

[malaismere]

downfall subclass notes

Asha is a 20th Long Death monk - touch of death to get temp HP from archmage

S.I.L.A.H.A. is a 18th level Clockwork Soul sorcerer, 2nd level Ghost in the Machine warlock - Clockwork Cavalcade - mentions remote access, from the very early modern magic subclass; could also just have the spell, but this fits

Trist is a 14th level unknown Paladin, 6th level Light Cleric - improved warding flare - 70 points lay on hands

The Emissary is an unknown barbarian - ???

Ayden is a 9+ Peace cleric, 6+ unknown paladin, 2+ Stars? druid, 1-3 unknown barbarian - Rary's telepathic bond (peace or FCG's empathy domain) - channel divinity Balm of Peace for the hospital scene - aura of protection - guiding bolt (also a cleric spell, but Stars druids get some for free)

Emhira is Raven Queen warlock - dearest could be just a flavored pact of the chain familiar, but it fits the UA Raven Queen warlock to a T and also, technically she doesn't use an action to see which is unique to the Sentinel Raven

[deconstructthesoup]

I've seen some good ones floating around, so here's my take on a Fantasy High Swap Class AU:

Adaine: She's a College of Creation bard, something that stemmed from needing something to keep herself sane growing up in the Abernant home. She channeled her studies of the cosmos and magic into songs, and she actually managed to pass herself off as a Conjuration wizard... until she got found out and sent to Aguefort. Luckily, it's the perfect place for her to hone her craft, and she winds up becoming an incredibly well-known songwriter---more on the indie folk side of things than punk rock, but still. (And she does also become the Elven Oracle, if only by accident.)

Kristen: She starts out as a Zealot barbarian under the Church of Helio, but it doesn't take long for her faith to waver, and she eventually falls into the unpredictability and beautiful chaos of the Path of Wild Magic---and eventually multiclasses into an Oath of the Ancients paladin, inspired by claiming Cassandra as a deity. She's got a lot of righteous fury and craziness at her disposal, and she's never gonna back down from a fight.

Fig: While still keeping her rebellious attitude, she decided to still accept the girly side of herself when her horns grew in and be more pastel-punk (kinda like K Tanaka), and she embraced her devil side by becoming a Trickster Domain cleric---specifically, a cleric of Asmodeus. She's still a lover of disguises, a shameless flirt, and has a shaky relationship with the truth, but it's cranked up to eleven due to her serving a deity of all that. She does eventually multiclass into being an Alchemist artificer, which is... just as chaotic as you might expect.

Riz: He's still a detective at heart, of course, but he winds up using his smarts and sneakery to become a School of Illusion wizard. This actually makes him perfectly suited to being the guy who's always trying to figure out the truth, even if his disguise habit is almost as bad as Fig's sometimes, and he takes on his secret-agent style way earlier than in canon. He's not strictly lawful---he's a big fan of finding out loopholes---but he's definitely the team's designated "smart guy."

Gorgug: His subclass was the hardest to figure out, but I decided he would be good as a Cavalier fighter---his martial prowess is still focused on helping and supporting his friends, regardless of whether it's through rage or skill. Eventually, though, he gets inspired by Adaine's creative ways of using magic and multiclasses into a College of Valor bard. And yes, he uses these skills in part to become a band member of hers. Fig is also part of the band.

Fabian: And last but not least, our Fabian got inspired by both Cathilda and a much more sober Hallariel to become a Swashbuckler rogue. His story is kind of an inverse of canon, with him learning from his mother and mother figure more than his father---partly due to the fact that Bill died before canon in this---and gaining a lot more pride from that (and yeah, that includes him introducing himself as "Fabian Seacaster, son of Hallariel Seacaster, the greatest swordfighter who's ever lived!"). But after his Bad Day, he realizes that there's worth in appreciating what his father has to offer, and he becomes a Fiend warlock of Old Bill---Pact of the Chain, of course, so the Hangman can be his familiar.

So, uh... yeah!

[simbrilliance]

TTRPG Save File Townies: Folklore Amirahn. Tiefling | Warlock | Lawful Neutral | Long Hair | Tattoos & Freckles | Has a Familiar.

Meet Folklore! Folklore is a tiefling celestial warlock, pact of the chain. Her familiar with a white raven called Myth. Her aspiration is Spellcraft & Sorcery, and her traits are Ambitious, Art Lover, & a modded trait called Sugarbaby. She wants to spend as much of her time as possible embracing the beautiful and the magical, and is truly hoping to find a very wealthy patron who's willing to fund her art (as well as her expensive lifestyle).

For @morrigan-sims Random CAS Challenge: D&D Edition

[punderdome]

Infernal Jurisprudence: Chapter 1

Summary: It had been centuries since a specific soul captured Raphael’s attention so completely. The devil coveted her body and soul and sought to ensnare her in a contract at any cost. It wouldn’t be long before her desperation set in, and a cat would capture a Little Mouse within his claws. And that, love, was that.

Notes: This is a relatively short prequel to the Fine Print, where Raphael schemes to ensnare Tav. Should be readable without reading the Fine Print first. Note that this fic is going to contain a ton of BG3 spoilers - so you know, don’t read it if you don’t want to be spoiled. Or do. I don’t control you.

[AO3]

Chapter 1: The Mouse

Raphael had closed thousands upon thousands of contracts for boons in exchange for mortal souls.  Mortals were so often fragile and desperate, and it was such a delectable combination that always leads to a favorable negotiation.  He savored the smell of nervous sweat and the motions of trembling.  Other times, the mortals viewed the deal for their soul like a joke.  Raphael would sit across from them in his human guise, with a smile that even reached his eyes as he watched the signatures dance upon the scrolls.

The devil would feed on their sins as they fell deeper into his traps.  Greed was a standard flavor of sin, occurring so often that the souls that bore it felt more like a commodity.  Some souls were envious and left a void in their wake, leaving one hungrier after the meal.  Lust was heady and sweet with an underlying bitterness and shame.  Wrath was the spice of pepper that led to deep burning consequences like blood and gallows.  Pride was Raphael’s favorite sin to sup.  Pride was complex and often unique with underlying flavors of other dishes that were unique to each mortal.

So many mortal souls.  So simple.  So easy.

Raphael sought Faerun for desperate souls.  A powerful soul would command a higher price point.  Along the Chionthar, he found the type of souls that he favored.  There was an entire collection of desperate fools needing a savior.

He was a savior.  That was for certain.

Raphael grinned as he surveyed his prey.  A sorceress with scales.  A dominating Gith.  A discarded wizard.  A cleric absent memory.  A masquerading vampling.  A warlock pacted to one of Zariel’s assets.  A burning Tiefling.

He watched them silently, delighted by the haul that he could soon collect.  They were all desperate and infected.  Beyond existing as mere currency for his Infernal machinations, all of the band of infected had power.  Power enough to collect a Crown that Raphael had been coveting for millennia.

Raphael was a patient devil.  He would show himself when the time was right and true fear had taken root within their addled minds.  

He happily watched through the scrying mirror as the Gith argued with the sorceress of the need to find a creche.  The poorly-concealed Sharran cleric held the only power keeping them from their Illithid fates.  The runed dodecahedron hummed and glowed and kept their souls intact while tucked tightly within her supplies.

It was oh, so convenient that he, the great Raphael, held the very weapon that could free the captive Githyanki inside the Astral Prism.  So very convenient, indeed.

His wrists with Infernal chains were bound

Mother Gith’s son, equipped to destroy the Illithid

Trapped within an Astral Prism now found

That Vlaakith once she herself hid.

Raphael could sense the rising anxiety amongst the band of adventurers, as the Druid grove proved to be a hindrance rather than a help.  The sorceress was poisoned by an overeager apprentice healer, but all managed to survive the encounter.  He could taste the rising desperation as the options started to disappear.

It was time to make his entrance from stage right.

Little mice and rats and squirrels (and one unruly frog) had few places to run on a nearby broken bridge.  Raphael straightened his doublet and snapped, appearing before his adventurers in a flurry of embers with the scent of cherries following him.

The sorceress eyed him curiously.  She was pale with patches of silvery white dragon scales adorning her upper forehead and cheekbones.  Brunette curls were pinned back behind her head and trailing down her back.  Her green eyes gleamed at him, and her pleasant mouth twisted into a light smile.

“Hello, pleased to make your acquaintance,” she said calmly, offering her hand in greeting.  Raphael found the deviation from his script displeasing.

The cambion cleared his throat.  “Pleased to make your acquaintance,” he lifted her hand and kissed the back of it gently, trying to regain control of the scene.

He gave her a gentle smile before beginning his lines.  “My, my, what manner of place is this?” Raphael offered smoothly.

The sorceress laughed.  “Somewhere in Faerun between Baldur’s Gate and Elturel,” she offered easily.  Raphael’s eyes narrowed.  This was his scene.

“Is it a path to redemption, or a road to damnation?” Raphael gave a grand gesture of uncertainty in their path forward.  “Hard to say, for your journey is just beginning.”  Raphael gave his characteristic grin.

The sorceress smirked at him.  “The mindflayer tadpoles would suggest a path to redemption,” she laughed sarcastically.  Raphael bristled at the way she was mocking him.

He absolutely should flay her.  He should take her back to the House of Hope, strip her down and-

Raphael pushed down his feelings, though he was aware how beautiful the silver-scaled sorceress was.  “What would suit the occasion?  The words to a lullaby perhaps?  The mouse smiled brightly: it outfoxed the cat!  Then down came the claw-” he was rudely interrupted by a sorceress.

“And that, love, was that,” she finished easily.

“They do know how to write them in Cormyr don’t they?” Raphael waited for her agreement.

“I prefer the lullabies from the dales,” the sorceress responded.  “They have a wider variety of animals in their verse.  More chickens and cattle and pigs.”

He absolutely could not let this beautiful sorceress continue to disrupt his scene.

Raphael dramatically bowed.  “I am Raphael, very much at your service, my dear.”

“Tav,” she responded quickly.  He raised an eyebrow.  ‘Tav’ was so undignified, it had to be shortened for a much more appropriate name.  

“This quaint little scene is decidedly much too middle-of-nowhere for my tastes.  Come.” Raphael invited with a snap of embers.

His adventurers had arrived at the House of Hope, a grand feast awaiting them.  The Warlock and the burning Tiefling responded with panic.  The Sharran and the Gith were thoroughly confused.  The vampling and wizard stood concerned.

The sorceress, Tav, was unimpressed.  She went to the feast table and immediately started to load a plate.  Raphael’s eyes narrowed.  What was she doing?

He cleared his throat.  “There, middle-of-somewhere,” he recited.  Tav was buttering a piece of bread before putting it onto her plate with other fruits and vegetables from Toril.  The sorceress seemed entirely uninterested in the conversation as she sat down at the table and started to eat.

Raphael addressed the discarded wizard.  “The House of Hope, where the tired come to rest, and the famished come to feast - lavishly,” he glared at the adventurer blatantly ignoring him.  She was cutting a piece of Durinbold cheese from a wheel on the table.

Raphael motioned to the table where the sorceress sat, indulging her appetites.  “Go on.  Partake. Enjoy your supper,” he invited with a broad grin.  “After all, it might just be your last.”

The devil grinned, waiting to see what most of the adventurers would do.  Most of the adventurers stood still, except for Tav,  who seemed to be feasting without concern, unlike the shock and fear from her companions.

The sorceress placed her fork on her plate with a light tink.  “You may as well show them what you truly are,” she challenged, lightly dabbing at her beautiful mouth with the napkin she had grabbed from her lap.

Raphael tried not to sneer at the gluttonous creature before him.  “Well, far be it from me to disappoint.”  He shed his human guise, appearing before the adventurers in his cambion form.  The sorceress Tav only smirked at him as he shook off the lingering flames from the transformation.

Raphael stared at Tav where she sat at his table.  “What’s better than a devil you don’t know?”  He chuckled lightly to himself, “a devil you do.”  The sorceress sat unmoved by his speech.

There was growing concern within the adventuring group.  “Shit, a cambion,” the fiery Tiefling spit angrily.  All of them were filled with unease.  All but one.  The sorceress.

Their visages were set in fear quite alight,

Contracts should not be too hard to press.

All of them destined to a horrible plight.

All afraid except for one sorceress.

Tav.

She cocked her head and watched him continue his speech.  “Am I a friend?  Potentially.  An adversary?  Conceivably.  But a savior?  That’s for certain,” he delivered with a smug grin, just as he rehearsed.  She continued to watch him silently with a slight smile on her face, no longer interrupting his performance with her off script lines.

“What makes you think we need saving?” the wizard challenged.  Raphael raised his hands and motioned easily towards their heads.

“You’re in deep over your tadpooled heads,” Raphael challenged, once again looking at where the sorceress sat.  She had taken up eating her meal again, observing the conversation but not contributing to it.

“One skull, two tenants and-” Raphael started, motioning to the wizard.

“You are the only solution to our problem,” the sorceress, Tav, blurted out in perfect Infernal.  “Obviously.”

Raphael had to swallow down his surprise that a human with draconic heritage spoke the language of the Hells.  Tav took a swallow from a goblet of wine, looking down at her plate again, as if she was debating whether to pick up her fork and continue eating.

Her companions all turned towards her after she finished her quip in the Devil’s tongue.  Raphael cracked a smile, gathering crucial information that none of them had realized of her linguistic prowess.

“You realize I could fix it all like that?” Raphael snapped and a lick of flame sputtered from his claws.

“Of course you could,” Tav answered.  She placed her napkin on her plate and stood, brushing out her robes.  “Though I doubt you would do it for free.”

She gazed above him at his portrait - one of Raphael’s finest, showing his command over Hellfire and the horizons of Avernus.

Tav walked in front of her companions and stood before him.  His jaw clenched at her continued acts of defiance.

“Go ahead, exhaust every possibility until none are left.”  He had practiced the last section several times and was frustrated at her continued insistence on going off script.  “I will be waiting,” he growled menacingly.

He snapped and returned the sorceress’s companions to Prime Material.

Tav smiled at him.  “Thank you for your hospitality, Raphael,” she continued in Infernal.  He snapped again and sent that foul creature back to whence she had come.

He took a deep breath.  Tav lingered in his mind.  She was quite beautiful, especially for a mortal.  She had known what he was as soon as they met while her companions remained unaware.

Who was she?

Raphael sighed in frustration.  He would need to learn more about this Little Mouse.

[waxflowerwoes]

Pearlescentmoon as a changeling warlock for @shepscapades 's hermitcraft character design event! (closeup and design philosophy below the cut)

okay i love love loved this pose. it lent to such great movement and positioning of the clothes (specifically the sleeves oh my gosh the sleeves were so fun to do). but anyways this design is originally based pearl's normal skin with the infusion of red for double life (i wanted to make her look a little more deadly + i love coloring red) and the fanon moth antennae. honestly i could have thought out the color palette a bit more but it's a little too late for that now isn't it lol. this was a good warmup for the rest of the design challenge :) i mostly made her a changeling so i could give her the moth antennae, but i also think it works with the trickster elements of a lot of pearl's personas. her warlock patron would probably a watcher inspired great old one. i think pact of the chain would be cool bc then she could have tilly as her familiar (i know wolves/dogs aren't on the normal list of familiars but it's d&d i can do what i want :D) i'll probably be doing pearl for the rest of the prompts, but who knows maybe scar or mumbo will make an appearance! those three seem to be the only hermits i draw lol. (okay i lied i have drawn grian twice. perhaps i should expand my horizons but why do that when i have a perfectly lovely comfort zone.)

[nekoneeko]

i’m fucking obsessed with this little thing. the way he just lurks behind fabian and rizz, nestled in the shadows?? peak. and also that he mechanically doesn’t do anything because “baby likes to sit in the van with the AC on!!” is such a stupid detail that just rocked me. i love this season

(sidenote tho emily said “yet” to him not doing anything? is fig maybe going pact of the chain if she levels to 3rd lvl warlock? baby battle familiar canon?? i think it’s probably just a joke, but i will dream)

[felixora]

sooo I finally redesigned my dnd/bg3 OC Arnafein

(and this totally is not connected to me being annoyed at 20+ reddit comments under one of my artworks saying "omg your tav looks so much like mine" anywaaay)

All posts with him will be tagged #arnafein

An overview (because I'm not sure if I'll come around translating my twitter thread about Arno and his family from Ukrainian to English):

Rogue (Soulknife)

Comes from drow house Rilynghym, son of the Matron Nathiira. Main members of this family possess strong psychic abilities.

Spent most of his life with family on the road/as part of the criminal underworld, but in the last decade he and his family have been living in Neverwinter among high class.

Back when he was still a small child, but his family was already cast out from Ust Natha, he and his older sister Maliara were kidnapped on the surface world by slavers, and only by becoming a warlock to time entity Nathiira managed to save them. (Arno has scars from shackles as reminder of that)

After that Arno and Maliara have living under caring yet strict, and sometimes overwhelming watch of their mother, who wanted them to have a better life than she. With Nathiira's abilities to predict the future from her warlock pact, she often looked into her children's future, to stray them away from possible danger - yet her children knew nothing of this. (see "helicopter parent" for better idea) ("helicopter parent but make it drow")

On the one hand, Nathiira was protecting her son from dangerous things and activities of their family and guiding him to a normal carefree life. On the other hand, she severely suppressed any attempts he made to help the family, questioned his skills and ability to be useful in their outings, and (when they had already become part of high society in Neverwinter) literally pushed him to attend social events of aristocrats to secure the family's status (Arno hated them because of the excessive attention from upper-class representatives, but he could not go against his mother's word).

(mommy issues? yes-)

Before the events of BG3, Nathiira sent some spies to investigate strange activity in Baldur's Gate, yet none of them returned. Then Arno volunteered to discreetly check out their whereabouts. Ensuing argument with his mother (who prior to this once again foresaw her son's future and saw the possible abduction on nautiloid) led to Nathiira ordering to put Arno in a prison cell and chain him up for the night for him to "cool off".

As this reminded Arno of his childhood, he finally decided to go against his mothers will, and escaped both the cell and away from his home, determined to find out on his own what happened in Baldur's Gate and prove once and for all that his mother can rely on him and treat as an equal.

And yet, he did get captured by the cultists, and the following acquiring of the illithid tadpole messed pretty badly with his psychic abilities, leading to partial amnesia.

And that's where he is at the beginning of bg3.

[anonymous-dentist]

qsmp characters as dnd classes: a non-comprehensive list

1. Forever- Oath of Devotion Paladin

He will protect everyone With His Life, and have you SEEN him with the eggs??? Devotion paladins are also like mandated by their gods to be bitchless, so rip to him ig

2. Roier- College of Glamour Bard/Oath of Vengeance Paladin multiclass

He is maybe the single most charismatic motherfucker on that server. The paladin oath came into play after Spreen and Quackity's betrayals, though he's been taking more levels in bard again recently.

3. Etoiles- Way of the Kensei Monk

He is the Dark Warrior, a true weapons master and a literal badass, enough said

4. Quackity- College of Whispers Bard

Literally all Whispers bards do is spread gossip and sulk. They're also shunned by the rest of society even if all they want to do is play a lute in a dark corner. Soooo

5. Jaiden- College of Creation Bard

Not all bards are about music! These guys are more about art, and she and Bobby can bond over painting furniture to life and causing them existential crises by accident

6. Cellbit- Inquisitive Rogue/Clockwork Soul Sorcerer multiclass, former Assassin Rogue

Inquisitive rogues are basically detectives, enough said there. But Clockwork Soul sorcerers are basically beholden to the "order" of the universe, forced to keep the universe marching in a straight line with no deviance. He does not realize he's multiclassed, but he is, thanks Cucurucho...

7. Slimecicle- Celestial & Fiend Warlock, Pact of the Chain (rip Flippa...)/Circle of Spores Druid multiclass

He's a warlock with a pact with both 'Little J' and 'Satan', which switches between Celestial (holy, basically), and Fiend (unholy, basically) depending on which Rubius is around to listen. And Spores druids are all about slimes and molds and mushrooms. His wildshape allows him to turn into Gegg for an additional 1d6 "ooze" damage to every melee attack he makes

[nightmarist]

I reorganized my thoughts about Raphael, Gortash, Mephistopheles, etc, I'm still so fascinated by their relatioship and the implications in canon (as well as the omissions)

Starting with Vlaakith, the history of the Githyanki change edition to edition and they are not my most researched, but to my understanding, Vlaakith originally tried and failed to make a pact with Dispater who is ruler of the Second Hell, Dis. Instead, she had Mother Gith go in her stead, where Tiamat captured Gith and imprisoned her. If I recall, once source says she is imprisoned in Dis, but again my knowledge of this particular history is muddy. It's mention is important, however.

Vlaakith sends Voss to best Orpheus where Orpheus too became imprisoned. So both Mother Gith and Orpheus are infernally chained.

To my understanding, there's no real and true timeline for the Gith and Mindflayers coming into existence in the canonical DnD world, they have Always been enemeis since the dawn of time, essentially.

That said, I wonder how early Raphael made the Orphic Hammer. We dont Really know how old he is. At the very least hes 1500~2000 years old if we go by the fact he witness the actual Fall of Netheril.

The note About Creation of Orphic Hammer says: 

[A detailed history of the Orphic Hammer, describing the infernal workforce Raphael harnessed to locate and mine the rare materials used in its creation, and its intented purpose.] The Hammer is not a weapon, it is an insurance policy. Its function is specific, but its utility is boundless. No chains forged by infernal hand can withstand its power, for its core is a metalifferous compound combining the purest of essence of all Nine hells. If I should ever need to liberate the prisoners held in the Iron City of Dis, to shatter the vaults of Nargus, or even to free the child of Gith, my hammer will be equal to the task.

It's important to note the Hammer can break any infernal chain, despite we're given it to free just Orpheus. The fact it's called the Orphic Hammer, obviously titled after Orpheus, I think seems like a purposeful manipulation. Raphael having exactly what we need at exactly the right time is intended to be suspicious as our dialogue options point out, but I also think he's only making us believe he had it made Only for Orpheus and perhaps distract us from its further potential.

If not Orpheus, then Gith. If not Gith, then perhaps an imprisoned loved one, or even Hope as we discover.

For example, for a future campaign I've been homebrewing the House of Hope, Raphael, Haarlep, Dammon, the tieflings etc in Descent Into Avernus, and afterwards have my players use their same characters to play Chains of Asmodeus as a sequel, wherein I’m adding Raphael with the crown, and the Orphic Hammer becomes an important item to potentially free their kidnapped loved ones. I'm still working out the details, but the Hammer's existence is really interesting and has a lot of potential use beyond what Raphael wants us to believe.

That said, for BG3 in particular, I believe Gith being set free would be too big of a change to make to DnD canon in just a little video game, so Orpheus was a safe route to give the game flavor without changing source material. Even with Lae'zel and/or Orpheus endings we don't actually see the downfall of Vlaakith nor the conquering of the Githzerai, they are only an implied future which is a good move to keep the freedom of the game without meddling with established DnD.

All that said, I still wonder when Raphael had it made. 

At some point, whether he knew it would be Gortash or not that would lead to the Crown in his hands, he had "a warlock" (Korrilla I assume) buy Gortash as a child to serve as his personal servant, severely abuse him, make him live in the dungeons tortured by Nubaldin, and thus likely how Gortash learned to speak and talk the way he does - his outfit even looks like it has the same aesthetic as the House of Hope with gilded devil heads, and reminiscent of Raphael's belt.

And from there through association with Raphael, directly or indirectly, a "misplaced" note or an overheard whisper could have allowed Gortash to learn about the Crown of Karsus enough to try and take it for himself. It's Power but it's also Power that Raphael wants very badly. What better than to steal the one thing your warden wants that would happen to give you power over even him?

Mephistopheles had the "Accelerated Grand Design" plans in his vault that just so happened to be next to the Crown of Karsus, where Gortash just so happened to see.

The Accelerated Grand Design (AGD) was written by a "mad alhoon" according to Gortash, which is a type of Illithid Lich.

I wonder if Raphael had any particular curation involved with Mephisto's vault, especially as his son - the Canian Archives probably wouldn't bat an eye at the Son of their Archdevil who has a penchant for theatrics and an eye for art and presentation going around ordering certain things be put in certain places.

So, Gortash escapes. As far as I'm aware, we don't know how exactly he slipped away from Nubaldin. I assume he possibly entered the Chamber of Egress and fled through one of the Mirrors. Afterwards, Gortash re-establishes the cult of Bane then he happens upon the Bhaal cult led by Durge. They exchange letters and plan to heist the Crown together, which the AGD letter was so conveniently placed next to the crown that Gortash takes both of them.

They hire Helsik to break into the vault. Helsik has that crystal ball connected to Raphael. When we gaze into it, it's as if Raphael knows we're watching and looks directly at us. This is a very interesting detail in the entanglement of Gortash and the Crown. She could very well have reported everything to Raphael and/or be contracted by him to report on Gortash.

After the heist, Gortash and Durge are given dreams of being Bhaal and Bane's Chosen and need to find Myrkul's Chosen.

Upon finding Ketheric, they learn Moonrise Towers has a mindflayer colony inside of it, which is where the Emperor was tadpoled. Gortash realizes he can put the AGD into motion there.

Gortash just so happened to have a dream about Gith being in the way of his plans, and that dream was enough to push him to research the Gith to find out about the Astral Prism.

That dream led Gortash to send the Emperor on its quest to the Nautiloid to find the Artifact, which was then learned about by Viconia and the Sharrans who were researching the Absolute cult.Thus, Shadowheart was also sent to the Nautiloid where she obtained the artefact with the Emperor and thus Orpheus in it.

Orpheus of course being key to the ruination of the Absolute via Raphael producing the Orphic Hammer to free him, which would allow him to acquire of the Crown of Karsus after likely gently guiding Gortash unknowingly into using the Crown to create a Netherbrain as per the Accelerated Grand Design being next to the Crown in the Vault.

As far as I'm aware (I haven't found notes or dialogue about it), Gortash didn't have an actual Plan for the Crown prior to the prophetic dreams about the Dead Three, which makes me think he wanted it for a) power in general, and b) to piss off Raphael.

There's quite a lot in the middle I don't think Raphael himself made happen, but I'm sure he was giddy with excitement to see everything was leading to the Crown being taken to the Material Plane and thus closer to his claws, and all he has to do is find a way to corner the happenstance adventurers who are holding the Astral Prism a way to defeat the Brain: Orpheus. From the Orphic Hammer he personally commissioned.

I assume the dream was sent by the Emperor. he had broken free before but was still under the Elder brain's control at this time.

I don't think Raphael is one to send prophetic dreams, I feel like his choice of theatrics is much more obvious and his choice of chess-play is much more subtle. The main concern for him is the crown is now in play on the mortal plane outside of Mephistopheles' reach, so Raphael more or less just has to wait for mortals to recreate the Fall of Netheril to snatch it up for himself.

The AGD being so conveniently placed, Gortash being bought and abused, the Hammer being the only thing that can free Orpheus in the case of an extreme Mindflayer threat: it all feels very carefully orchestrated with just enough happenstance to let it seem natural and accidental, distracting from its purposeful cultivation.

Mephistopheles doesn't seem to bother doing anything about the Crown. He did send Haarlep to Raphael as a distraction, probably know his son well enough to know what kind of temptations to give him. Haarlep is specifically sworn to secrecy to Raphael in their own words, but Raphael also "denies [them] nothing" (...) "except what he keeps in his vault."

I think it is very important to note the Letter from Haarlep in the end game states:

And I'm making a fortune selling evenings in his form now there is no contract binding me to secrecy. 

They were sworn to secrecy by an actual contract, which is very interesting to me. We were never told any of Raphael's actual secrets except that Haarlep thinks he's bad in bed. That might not be a "secret" enough to trigger the contract, but it could depend on the contract. When we harm Mizora, Wyll is immediately sentenced. But when we break into the House of Hope, if we didn't grab the contract it takes Raphael triggering the contract terms manually for us to be punished. But it's still important to note Haarlep was, in fact, bound to secrecy and couldn't just spill all of Raph's personal information to any and every patron that came to their services.

There's potential that they technically told us the existence of the vault and gave us a key, that seems like a potential breach but maybe it's in the wording, or maybe the breach of secrecy needs to be triggered personally by Raphael.

The adventurers getting the contract/Hammer woudl either kill Raphael, freeing Haarlep, or get them killed where Haarlep can play innocent. High risk, high reward for them.

It is noted that Mephistopheles gets fixated on particular things for a time, obsessively, and that his being Lord of Contradictions is in part due to having a cool and collected facade while hiding a vitriollic, vengeful, and heated personality underneath. Raphael has a similar facade, he always comes to us with this cool and calculated exterior but he gets very quick to annoyance and anger if we poke and prod at him.

Mephistopheles wants to be Supreme Ruler of the Hells, which I wonder if that attitude was passed to Raphael. It doesn't seem like Every devil wants to rule the Hells, but I don't have as much knowledge on lore of the rest of the Hells to say otherwise. Without that information, though, it makes it feel like a continued cycle: Mephistophles is obsessed with power and wants to rule the Hells. Raphael is obsessed with power and wants to rule the Hells. Gortash becomes obsessed with Power and wants to rule Faerun

In a more practical sense I think the Gortash-Raphael connection feels like it was added in late game hence why neither seem to have voice lines about it whereas Nubaldin is the only one who does have voice lines connecting the two, but even so the fact they Don't have voiced lines about each other I think adds to the relationship, be it perhaps Gortash is trying to separate himself away from the Hells and refuses to acknowledge Raphael either out of pride, spite, or something else, perhaps avoiding that Raphael is the major influence to who he is, meanwhile Raphael not mentioning Gortash could be a way of either signalling the whelp is that far beneath him and/or that he doesn't want to give away his connections and therefore plot to us.

Now, the Crown is very powerful, of course, and the vault being broken into could very well piss Mephistopheles right the fuck off. The fact Meph isn't actually in the game besides when Raphael pleas to him could also be a practical writing choice to avoid dev complications, but even if that were the case it makes me feel like Neverwinter Nights has an ounce of canon in this timeline.

In Neverwinter Nights you had multiple endings regarding Mephistopheles, one of the endings you could choose to banish him forever from stepping foot on Toril and therefore Faerun, which would therefore prevent him from taking back the crown personally. Likewise, I could also see it being that he just wants to see how it plays out, biding his time for a millennia or so, waiting, like I assume Raphael is also, for a second Fall of Netheril event. Maybe he allowed Raphael to play dolls with Gortash and the Adventurers for future plans with the Crown.

[lo-batteryy]

I just make dnd characters for fun sometimes that I’ll never use because I enjoy DMing. She’s a pact of the star chain warlock :)

___ I’m starting a Ko-Fi 💚 https://ko-fi.com/lobattery

[pooka-in-a-hat]

Caspian! (They/He/She) My dnd character. A pact of the chain Great Old One Warlock.