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The idea of a patron may be the exciting, defining factor in choosing to play the warlock class inDungeons & Dragons. Patron-warlock dynamics differ from deity-cleric dynamics in that they lend their power to a warlock, rather than using them as conduits for their divinity, and, due to this, have a more personal relationship.
Because many warlocks ask for involved patrons, the pressure of defining how those patrons behave will invariably fall on the shoulders of the Dungeon Master. The archfey in particular may seem to be more complicated to understand due to the nature of fey. Luckily, you have us to help you navigate this beguiling being.
What Is An Archfey?
In Dungeons & Dragons, “fey” refers to creatures of the Feywild, or, colloquially, Faeries. Fey are ofteninscrutable in their motivations.This is traditionally because their moral codes tend not to align with those onMaterial Plane, making their intentions hard to discern, even among other fey.Typically, fey have a weakness to cold iron, delight in bargains,and mayadhere to arcane rules that prevent them from lying.
While lesser fey may be known as creatures like rusalka, blink dogs,annis hags, redcaps, verdant princes, and korreds, archfey are a bit more complex. An archfey is a fey beingwho has become so powerful that they’ve surpassed their former classification, leading them to becomegod-likeamong the inhabitants of the Feywild.They may also give themselves a title or claim land.Here are some examples of archfey and their titles:
Iggwilv
The Witch Queen
While some archfey may have origins, such as a rusalka who had become so magical and dangerous that the fey around her pond started paying her tithe, others may benature spiritsof mountains, rivers, paths, or trees that have ascended due to age or magical interference.
Some archfey may even be eladrin sorcerers or wizardswho have transcended mortality.Hagshave also known to cross the boundary from fey to archfey, andmay be supported by a coven.
Most archfey control regions of the Feywild and will clash bitterly with one another over serious matters and vague slights. Typically, fey will group around them into ‘courts.’ The two most prominent courts are that of the Seelie and Unseelie: the former being more focused on art and beauty, and the latter being more focused on power and conquest. Both are just as cruel as the other.
Archfey Bargains
Living as an immortal would undoubtedly affect the archfey, and as such,many amuse themselves with making deals with mortals.Some mortals may crave power and reach out to the archfey themselves, begging to make such a deal to achieve it.
Archfey articulate their bargains duplicitously, oftenleaving out crucial details to the conditions of the pact or wording their deals as riddlesto confuse whoever is striking the accord. As such, many adventurers have found themselves giving much more than they get when entering pacts.
For instance, an adventurer who seeks to heal his child’s sickness may promise to give one hour of every night of his life to an archfey in exchange for a magical remedy, only to find out she’s been using that missing hour to have him unconsciously burn the forests of the archfey to the south of her, leaving him open for her enemy to exact revenge on him in her stead.
Such is also the nature of warlock pacts. Often, they may take a warlock as part of a tithe owed to them, as entertainment, or becausethey may covet more influencein the plane on which the warlock lives.
However,unlike fiends, archfey tend to focus less on grand schemes of conqueringand more onwhat the individual warlock can provide in terms of leverage,whether it’spolitical sabotagein the Feywild or theretrieval of a magical itemthat could free them from their plane.
Where fiends may get to demand souls,archfey have to be more creative with their pacts, frequently demanding unconventional things in exchange for your warlock’s power. Here are some examples you can use to understand how they bargain:
1d4 teeth from the skulls of every third kill
The name of an influential rival fey
Your first kiss
The color of your eyes
1d4 nights in the Feywild at the start of every full moon
Your last breath
Your firstborn child
To fire an arrow of iron directly into the heart of a stag
The sword of your ally
A treasured memory
Many archfey believe themselves to be so above mortal concerns that they may endow power-seeking adventurers with their magic as a way to amuse themselves. For fey, the mortal may also be just another thing to have. After all, what is a mortal lifespan to that of an archfey? To them, it may be like comparing the life of a butterfly to a human: hardly a comparison at all.
Due to the multiple ways archfey can come into existence, the personalities of archfey arehighly varied.The personality of your warlock’s patron may be highly influential when it comes to the development of a bargain, so be sure to make sure the line of communication between the player and Dungeon Master is open while developing the pact.
The Benefit Of An Archfey Patron
Not only does the archfey provide your party’s warlock withcharming effectsto keep enemies at bay andcontrolled, but also gives your warlock the ability tocounteract charming effects by enemies in turn.
The expanded spell list is good, and thesupport that the warlock can supplywill be invaluable in campaigns wherepolitical intrigueorlarge-scale battlesloom large.
Otherwise, the roleplay value in the archfey patron is vast. Not only may the entire party become swept up in courtly politics, butplaying a patron who may demand anythingfrom petty thievery to moving a stone off of a path, to slaying a dragon in their honor could lend itself tobringing the party to plot points they may otherwise miss.The archfey’s whims may also inspire engaging interaction with the fey,bringing a new plane into the campaignshould the party exhaust the one they’re on.
Whether your patron is beautiful and vicious or horrifying and clever, the archfey is no doubt a powerful patron to contend with and may grow to become a boon to the party, or the next great threat.
