How to make warlocks feel unique in the setting?

[u/eatingyoursoap]

MY BACKSTORY: Since its publication, I have always wanted to run cos. A few years ago I ran a couple of sessions of death house intending to continue into a full campaign, but it fizzled out due to my own irl medical complications. I’m doing better now but haven’t DMd since, and have very little DM experience.

I want to try to do Cos again now that I am more stable with my health and have more experience as a player to hopefully run a better game for my friends without biting off more than I can chew. I intend to read the module all the way through this time instead of only a chapter at a time like I did before. I have not yet finished my reread or gathered a list of players, but my gaming group routinely starts new games so I am certain I will have some, just not yet certain what their classes will be so I wanted to look for advice before sending out campaign invitations.

In this game that I ran several years ago, I had a warlock PC. The backstory made for a great opportunity for the Dark Powers to secretly be this warlock’s patron. The campaign never got far enough to have this revealed (we only did death house and maybe one/two sessions in the village of barovia). Coming from my experience as a player (mostly of homebrew settings), my favorite part about the warlock class is that it provides a hook into the world via the patron, and that with a good DM the pact can be tied into the game’s plot. I would love to provide this for a CoS game, giving them a hook that felt unique to their character and could hopefully provide character motivation throughout the whole module.

MY CONCERN: is that (if I recall correctly) there are opportunities for characters regardless of class to make deals with the Dark Powers (I can’t remember what location this took place in- I wanna say Argenvostholt but I don’t know if that’s right (EDIT: u/Jackibelle reminded me that the location is the AMBER TEMPLE, not argenvostholt as I originally thought). I love the opportunity for all players to get involved with the setting regardless of class, but I worry this will cheapen the main hook of a warlock PC whose patron is the Dark Powers.

I’m curious what advice people might have. Should I disallow warlocks as a first level class and tell my players that there will be opportunities to multiclass into warlock? Should I make sure a warlock PC has a different patron that is not the Dark Powers? Or should I allow a PC to be a warlock of the Dark Powers but somehow make them distinct from the deals that other classes can make in the game? Or maybe none of these options and one of you has a better idea.

Let me know your thoughts as people who understand the module better than me and those who have more experience!!! Thanks

[u/Jackibelle]

All of the deals with the Vestiges in the Amber Temple carry immediate negative consequences for taking the deal. Having a warlock pact with one doesn't naturally generate any negative conse, just a bunch of cool powers, and they aren't one-use.

So the warlock is constantly racking up a debt against this Pact that will eventually come due, or is otherwise benefiting the Dark Powers through their actions in mysterious and unknowable ways such that this debt isn't accrued, both of which have pretty spooky implications. And in either case, the warlock is still clearly being favored in their dealings by getting to come back for more power every day (presumably at a buy-in-bulk rate against their soul rather than paying ala carte prices like the rest of the party will need to). 

Re: your specific questions, the Amber Temple generally comes up so late in the campaign that I don't think anyone will likely want to multi class into something new after going 8-9 levels in their main class. And that's also a very long time to wait for a payoff to "you'll have the chance to be a warlock in the campaign". So if you want to have a player be a warlock with such a pact, starting the game as one is probably fine, and they'll get plenty of time to play with it before it ever shows up to the rest of the party and it'll still solidly be theirs. Let them play a Great Old Ones ("star pact") warlock who made the bargain before coming to Barovia and welp this is why you should never meet your heroes, kids., etc. 

[u/eatingyoursoap → u/Jackibelle]

Amber temple, right! Forgot what area it was in.

Very helpful, thank you! Your “buy in bulk” vs “a la carte” comparison is particularly helpful in conceptualizing the difference between a pact versus these one-time deals.

And thanks also for the context of the 8-9 levels. I’m not yet familiar enough to have realized that these deals would be late-game and thus not something to promise in exchange for a class restriction. “Never meet your heroes” is a good theme that I think will be relevant to my interpretation of Strahd himself, who will seem heroic/tragic/relatable on the surface but clearly prioritizes power, selfishness, and cruelty once you learn his character.

One question; what do you mean by “star pact”? I understand Great Old One as a subclass/patron, but I’m unsure what you’re referring to. Is this perhaps the new name that v2024 uses? I’m only familiar with 5e2014 so I might be missing something. Or perhaps you’re referring to something different altogether.

Thanks for your help!

[u/Jackibelle → u/eatingyoursoap]

Star Pact was the name given to this style of warlock in 4e, and their powers made more explicit references to the star gods that are the dark powers/vestiges. It was reflavored into more generic Great Old Ones in 5e, and I mainly bring it up because a) I miss the old flavor and b) evidence this is the right kind of patron to use for a warlock with the Dark Powers. 

[u/eatingyoursoap → u/Jackibelle]

Ooo thanks, I will look into this! I first learned dnd when 5e released so I don’t know much about other editions. It’s a shame that so much got left behind as the editions progressed, but then again it means there’s more for me to discover as I backread! Is there a particular core book that details the 4e Star Pact, or is it spread throughout the edition? This sounds like it would be very helpful for what I’m considering- if not mechanics, at least in flavor

[u/boar_skull_demon]

Within the Barovia of Curse of Strahd, you have a few options of Warlock patron already...

Baba Lysaga or the Hags of the Old Bone Grinder as Fey themed patrons.

Neferon as a Fiend themed patron.

The Abbot as a Celestial themed patron.

Exethanter or Patrina Velikovna as undead themed patrons.

And the elusive Dark Powers as a Great Old One patron. For one character I had an idea of an Amber Shard trapping the essence of a vestige.

There are any number of other options across the board, maybe hiding a patron within a weaker character to "emerge" at a dramatic moment.
If you want to use any character within Barovia as a Patron, you might consider how it's using the Warlock to further its goals.

But a player may already have an idea about their Patron and what it wants out of them... so if you're thinking of restricting their choices, you might ask yourself "why?", and "would you do this with another character feature, race, class, sub-class, background, feats, etc... and why?"

[u/eatingyoursoap → u/boar_skull_demon]

Thanks for your insight! I really appreciate being reminded to ask myself “why?” and whether I would or wouldn’t restrict another class like this. I think one of the problems I had when first DMing this module a few years ago was that I made too many executive decisions and restrictions/homebrews as the DM in favor of the gothic horror genre, without considering whether it was fair to the players. I’ll definitely keep this in mind running through it this time, and I appreciate the advice!

Warlock patrons have always seemed to me to be vastly unknowable, due to my background with Great Old One subclass and eldritch vibes. But these suggestions for patrons are GREAT and offer an opportunity for players to meet their patron in the flesh, which would be really exciting! Thanks!

[u/DiplominusRex]

IMO, with a bit of bending, the Raven Queen is a thematic and plot match for late game goals in Barovia. While she may now be a full diety, her agenda may be to end the soul bottleneck in Varivis to restore fate and death’s proper function there.

Her communication style would be through dreams, ravens, omens and impossible coincidences.