Hellooooooooo everyone it’s Drowsy and I have not post nearly as much as I wanted to on here (or anywhere TBH) and I wanted to start off today by reinstating a favorite of mine– what’s that? You have no clue what I’m talking about. Oh, how sorry I am, let me backup, because today is–

Every(ish) Wednesday I like to try and do a thingy thing– a worldbuilding thingy thing. And I haven’t been doing that, which is so very sad. Which is also why I’m bringing it back!

Now for today I’m gonna be talking about something who is, I’d say, very past the cultural zeitgeist now (by a couple months) which is Dungeon Meshi, why? Because I only recently finished the series and it pertains to today’s topic– DUNGEONS.

Why Dungeons? Well 1.) because I feel like they can still serve a purpose in modern D&D/other TTRPGs, 2.) they don’t get enough love (in my opinion), and 3.) I plan to use Dungeons (or rather one honkin’ huge one) in my own project. Sound good? Awesome.

First what is a Dungeon? Merriam-Webster describes them as “a dark usually underground prison or vault.” Which I like but we can do better.

For simplicity sake we are going to describe a dungeon as “an obscured, usually maze-like, structure which gives host to a particular adventure or set of adventures.” Vague, but pointedly vague.

Now the thing about my style of game, whether or not it’s D&D, is it’s always always roleplay based, I’ve never been a big “Dungeon-Crawler” GM, but I used to be a big “Dungeon-Crawler” player, which comes with I think just the crowds I was playing with when I was first introduced to the game and the community (y'know, way back when). But there isn’t anything wrong with playing dungeon crawls, I just like my game a bit more grounded in reality. That was until I discovered a world, or rather series that tackles that dungeon crawling in such a unique and interesting way, I am of course referring to–

Originally posted by himawaari

Delicious in Dungeons otherwise known by it’s far more popular name, Dungeon Meshi. This series has a real nostalgic vibe for me, like an old school game but played by a serious GM and party who want to push the boundaries of their game. That is of course thanks to the creator Ryoko Kui and her deep love of all things fantasy.

Well what makes it so fresh and new in the staple of an already heavy and preexisting genre of fantasy, well for starters, and the most obvious, is the cooking element. Each monster has its own unique worldbuilding, flavor, and unique ways to be vital to a single episode of the series. There is also the subtle worldbuilding and lore of the dungeon itself which defines the dungeon and gives it its own personality. There is also the use of fantasy staples (Halfling rogue, Human fighter, Elf who’s good at magic, big strong Dwarf) and turning those tropes on their head (Halfling who’s in his 40s, Human leader who isn’t charismatic, Elf who isn’t always good at magic, Dwarf who likes cooking). All of this combines to make a setting which feels uniquely its own.

Now, of course Dungeon Meshi is just one fine example of this worldbuilding but there are many more, each with their own unique styles, lore, creatures, treasures, etc. But how can we make *YOUR* dungeons more interesting?

The Flavor: well for any good Dungeon it should take on a sort of character of its own, you can make your dungeons unique by giving them their own character traits.

Think of unique descriptors or traits that would flavor your dungeon to have a specific pizzazz. For one of my settings “Carved from Ruin” dungeon delving is a key role in the story, so to distinguish them they each have their own flavors: one of them is buried deep in the dessert, washed away under a mountain of sand and acts more like a pyramid lost beneath the sands. Another one could be a necromancer’s laboratory with a keen sense for undeath. Yet another could be trapped between dimensions and splits between the different realms of existence between layers.

Either way you go about it, each dungeon should feel uniquely its own. Think of different places, reasons, and types of dungeons that would be built.

The Monsters: now I don’t suggest spending time developing what each and every monster tastes like (unless you’re into that kind of thing) but give the dungeon unique monsters, not just your run of the mill goblins, ghouls, and other g-starting-words. Make them feel varied and like a orchestra of different beings.

I for one don’t subscribe to the idea of “evil races” in any TTRPG, there are evil people who do evil things, but not every one of a group is evil. Goblins might rob you because they need money for their desolate villages to trade with their Dwarven neighbors, and skeletons might be able to reconnect to their souls from when they were alive. However, some animals or creatures may act on instinct, such as slimes may detect you as a food source and they need more nutrients than rat dung and bones. A pack of roaming basilisks may have set up nests in the depths of a dungeon for protection.

Each monster/animal/creature should have purpose, and purpose more than just “I’m evil!” Good storytelling comes when stories cross and blend into one or many different stories.

And finally, we have play with the status quo. The norm of the dungeon should not be the norm of the surface world, things get weird down here. I almost use Dungeons as the Wild Wests of my settings, where nearly everything is legal and laws go out the window.

Perhaps the nearby dungeon serves as the home of the town’s Black Market, or rather its been taken over by turncoat Adventurers who have become more like poachers. Either way these Dungeons don’t work well with the “status quo” of the above world.

Aaaaand yeah! I hope all those were helpful, and let me know if this is something you’re interested in seeing in the future! I worked hard on this one and maybe later I’ll talk about my own project. Any ways I hope to see you all again very very soon. And with that… *yawn* I’m… uh… Zzzz… Zzz… Drowsy… Zzzz…

Zzzz… zzz… *yawn* Oh I’m sorry I didn’t see you come in, what was it that I wanted to talk to you about? Oh yeah, it’s–

And you know what that means folks, it’s time to work on another segment of TTRPG space which can give you and your party an instant upgrade through worldbuilding. Today we’re going to talk about something very near and dear to my heart, and one of the *BEST* stylistic choices D&D specifically gives their players (and GMs) to create lore, tension, drive, and the easiest way to foster a roleplaying dynamic for new players, we are of course going to be talking about Warlock Patrons.

Originally posted by pervoyuer

Originally posted by danjj40

Originally posted by thealphapigeon

Okay- okay- that’s enough, don’t make me shoo you all away with the broom again… You guys wouldn’t believe how hard it is to get those guys out of here, like Cthulhu, much like myself, is always asleep, but he’s larger than a small country, how do you even get a eldritch deity to go back to sleep, huh?

Now obviously if you’ve ever played D&D you’ve most likely played a warlock, I say this because I mean- look at them, actually look at them. Yeah, they’re pretty sexy, and of all the spellcaster classes, it is one of the easiest to start out as. Plus, who doesn’t like playing an edgelord from time to time (yes I’m talking to you, young me when you first started playing D&D).

Now one of my favorite mechanics about warlocks is the potential for “soft worldbuilding.” Soft worldbuilding in the potential characters who fluctuate around your PC. Of course the biggest option, and who we’re talking about today, the Patron, but this can include other warlocks, cultists, otherworldly servants, rival zealots, gods from the same pantheon, etc. etc.

The Patron is unique to the Warlock in that they are, unlike the God of a Cleric, the main influence in your character’s choices. Of course there can be devout clerics, where the relationship is more based around the will of a God, and only acts as a figurehead of their chosen deity. But a Cleric at the end of the day can leave their order should they choose to do so. A Warlock is bound by blood and arcana itself to enact their Patron’s will until the Patron sees fit to grant them their autonomy, or else everything is ripped away from them.

The Patron’s range in DnD 5e is becoming increasingly vast territory including (but not limited to): Archfey, Celestial creatures, Eldritch abominations, Fiends, Genies/Djinn, Eldritch abominations but now underwater, some kind of Shadowfell creature, the Undead, or even… the Undead… again?

You can play something as simple as the Devil–from the bible–to something as unique as… Strahd von Zarovich (are you happy now CoS fans? I finally mentioned him in a post).

Originally posted by calebisdrawing

But genuinely, no matter what subclass you go with your Patron you as a player, or even as GM with a Warlock PC, have unlocked a chance to Worldbuild and create not only drive for the PC but even your entire party.

A Patron is essentially just someone your PC owes a debt to, this could be due to signing a bargain you didn’t understand, them saving your life, them granting you powers, or heck maybe you just ended up being born with a contract attached to you at birth. However it happened, you now owe your life to a being far more powerful than you or anyone around you.

For GMs this gives you a new element to work into your story.

Don’t have a BBEG? Problem solved!

You don’t know who’s puppeting the King of the neighboring nation? Problem solved!

You can’t sleep at night even though you’re a Half-Elf and you probably don’t even need to sleep, so instead you try to work on your spellcraft and instead a traveller in all black clothes arrives in your small apothecary on the outskirts of town, so you wonder “huh… I guess business of any kind is still good business,” and thus you help him out, giving him the potions he’s looking for, until you notice that what you thought was dried mud caked onto his boots isn’t blood…

Uh…. what was my point? Oh yeah… Uhm… The Patron can serve as a narrative antagonist, a fun side character, or even as someone who just moves the plot along.

With this in mind, how can we elevate this already well beloved feature into something that helps worldbuilding for not only the GM but the player as well?

I’m glad you asked, because you have to break it down into a couple of simple starting blocks: 1.) who is your Patron, 2.) why are they your Patron, and 3.) what contract keeps you from leaving their grasp (i.e. what is their end goal with your PC)?

Defining who your Patron is is important.

Without knowing who your patron is you’re kinda lost in the dark, I know plenty of players who say “you decide who my patron is GM,” and to them I chuckle, bend down to their eye level, and cheerfully say: “NO YOU SILLY HEAD, YOU DECIDE.” Patron decision should be made by both the Player and the GM, with more of the weight leaning onto the Player, because ultimately, you should be deciding how you want your character to grow and revolve around the presence of the Patron.

Say you choose Fiend, a perfectly acceptable choice, but you the Player say “I don’t care who it is, as long as I get my magic.” That instantly tells my brain as a GM there are no real “repercussions” of you being a Warlock, you might as well by a Sorcerer who just gained powers through heritage (nothing against them as a class, but bloodline Sorcerers are the definition of Nepotism).

Your character, at some point in their backstory, became a warlock, you sought it out, sort of like how Pointy Hat defines a Lich, it is not just someone who one day became a Lich, you actively sought out your powers, whether you wanted it or not.

The first step in becoming an “active” warlock (and as a whole, an active player) is choosing that Patron with specificity.

Maybe your Patron is a long dead relative who became an Archfiend through trickery and backstabbing their way through the Nine Hells, now, as they have built up enough power they seek to return to the land of the living.

Maybe your Patron started out as your imaginary friend who you’ve known since childhood, everyday you and your friend would play dark games around your small town… everyone knew to be wary of you and your supposed friend. As a result of the rumors your well-off family sent you away to learn wizardry in the Kingdom’s capital. But there you seemed to flunk out even further. It wasn’t until your childhood friend found you in the real world with promises of unimaginable power.

Either way, your Patron should be someone in your character’s life, and has now convinced you to become their warlock.

Choosing the why.

In those two prior examples I examined why it’s important to choose your Patron, now comes the “why.” In both my examples I touched on this a little.

The first example takes the control out of the character’s hands, this is what is called a “passive” character, where the story seems to choose the character, rather than the character choosing to become a Warlock. Now this can still be a fun character design, since the Warlock can be actively avoiding their Patron/warlock duties but the party and the GM will eventually have to deal with the fallout of not being an active warlock.

In the second example the character is “active” due to the want of the PC to become more powerful in their arcane studies. Say they were the “golden child” prior to meeting their imaginary friend, they’ve always been gifted in the ways of magic and have impressed the town elders. By actively signing a contract with their imaginary friend they are wanting to become a warlock and seek out more opportunity for growth.

Either of these options are fine, so long as you give the character something that they are active about. Characters who don’t have goals can end up being boring, 1-Dimensional, and shallow.

What would you sell your soul for?

A question asked throughout the ages. What is your soul worth? In the creation of your Patron your PC has accepted that there is someone, of a higher power, that they now serve. It could be for all eternity, it could just be until they finish a quest. Whichever route you choose your character should be active in their need to complete said goals, whether they want to or not.

This gives the PC: agency, side quests from the main plotline, and some sort of antagonist. Note: the Antagonist doesn’t necessarily have to be the Patron, the term Antagonist simply implies someone who creates an obstacle for your PC and/or your party.

This gives the GM: a long term villain/aid for the party, a deus ex machina, fun side plots, as well as chances to flesh out parts of the world/campaign you may not have already thought out.

The contract should include what your Warlock’s set “timeline” is (whether for a couple years to all of eternity), what is being given up as collateral (i.e. a soul, loved ones, your actual physical form, your mind, etc.), and what they’re giving in return (usually just magic, but it doesn’t always have to be).

Here are two examples of some contracts drafter up for our previous two “Pact of the Fiend” Warlocks:

Scenario #1:

When you found your mother’s chest of things buried deep in the cellar of your ancestral home you hoped it may explain her rather strange disappearance. Yet when all you found was the strange amulet the doubts began creeping back into your mind. Your mind filled with your father’s half drunken voice as you began to listen to his outlandish theories. “The daughter of a devil,” your mind began to mimic, you hated that he may be right, and in defeat began to turn back to the ancient wooden steps… but not before the smell of brimstone began to fill the air…

From out of the corner of your eye do you see bright red flames erupting from the floorboards, and before you stands what seems like any ordinary many… and yet… perhaps 300 years out of date?

He greets you in a strange tongue, you try to yell for your father to come rescue you, but everything feels eerily quiet. The man assures you that no one else can hear you, except for him. He introduces himself as Rhemann Morsk, your great-great-great-great-great grandfather, and the founder of your family’s great lineage. He reveals he was once a petty thief before stealing the throne of a powerful lord, yet even that was not enough for him, and soon Rhemann started studying the occult, and was even able to traverse time and space to the Nine Hells… although with disastrous consequences. Seeing as he was now trapped in the Hells, he sought to use every source of cunning that he used in the mortal world to his advantage. He made his way up the food chain to become an Archfiend, and a powerful one at that.

Now he has been reawakened to the mortal plane, and he plans to use you as his conduit. You beg for him to leave and to use someone else, but he assures you– only you can be his surrogate for you have his amulet, and whoever so wears it shall be his surrogate on earth. But he comforts you, serve him for all eternity and he will grant you immeasurable power… and perhaps… he will even show you where your long lost mother resides.

Scenario #2:

You’ve been sitting in your “Conjurations 101” class for what seems like hours. All that fills your mind is that you have to go to your next class, and the next one, and the next one, and the next one. This all feels so… beneath you. At least back in Whiteoak you were considered one of the most powerful spellcasters of your generation. Those rotten Swiftglow twins wouldn’t dare mess with you by the time you and Zan were done with them.

Zan, now that’s not a name you haven’t thought of in a long time. You wondered late into the midnight hours every night of whether Zan was real. But you guessed it hardly mattered any more. You were an adult now, doing real things. Even if they were so incredibly boring.

Days passed by, classes continued, and one day you decided to just skip Conjuration, besides you already knew what they were talking about, something about Hadar’s arms? You would investigate the forbidden section of the library whilst your classmates took a nice nap during class. Yet, whilst you walked the narrow corridors of the ancient college you saw something you hadn’t seen in nearly 10 years… a familiar young boy, dressed in black, with deep amber eyes. It had to be Zan.

“Hello friend… it has been quite some time…” he seemed to say with a far deeper voice than you remembered.

You chuckles and tried to laugh him off. Yet when you turned the corner there he was again. Zan tries to tell you how hard it was to see you slog the last decade alone, why not invite him into your life again? Why not let him in?

You could have all the power you ever dreamed… and so… so… so much more. All you have to do was to let Zan in.

And just like that, that’s Warlock Patrons! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it. Until… *yawn* until… Zzzz… next… time… ZZzzz… Zzz…