Fey Warlocks on Athas - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Fey Warlocks on Athas

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
kaveh500
Jul 05, 2010 6:48:46 One of my biggest fears is that the Fey Warlock pact will not be available on Athas. This will suck because the oft-underestimatd Feylock is a personal favorite of mine: An Arcane Striker who almost always targets Will.

I can see why the Fey pact would be inappropriate: A Fey pact presumes the ability to access and interact with the higher powers of the Feywild, which seems . . . unlikely on Athas, whose place in the cosmos can best be summed up as "you can't get there from here".

Y'see I'm thinking that most enemies--especially beasts--on Athas will have ridiculous Fortitudes and likely high Reflexes: That'd just be evolution at work. AC? No armor, but probably a lot of toughened natural hides out there. All of that militates in favor of Will-targeting as a large-scale strategy. Yes, I know: Lots of Psionics out there. But still, that'll only help creatures sufficiently intelligent to use Psionics and hence have a developed Will. Against your average brute or beastie? Fey Magic can have a strong influence on the weak-minded.

If there's no Fey Warlocks, then I might just go for an Illusionist Wizard*, the second-most-reliably Will-targeting character.

*Speaking of which: Has anyone noticed how *awesome* Illusionist Wizard powers are? I've had Arcane Power for months now but I only just looked at it carefully. It's like WotC decided that three-and-a-half editions worth of illusionists being the poor cousins of the wizard profession were enough and it was time to make them earth-shattering.
#2
jrwoodchuck
Jul 05, 2010 8:21:49 Fey Warlocks can be played in Dark Sun, just need a GM with half an imagination and a desire to work with the players to make it happen. Divine classes are about the only thing that won't be doable, and even then I have a player playing a Runepriest because he "really really wanted to". However as time goes by he and the other players realize that Dark Sun is different and they have come to appreciate the changes, he now is thinking about re-rolling so he can play a "legal" class.

My point is if you have a GM that is willing to work with you this is a small hurdle. However even then I don't believe there is anything in the Fey Pact that states you would specifically need to have a "strong" connection to the Feywild. Therefore you could play a Fey Pact and assume you have a weak connection to the Feywild and throw in some other Dark Sun flair where appropriate.

Sounds like a really cool class/idea. You could play him as a preserver and associate him with the Veiled Alliance.
#3
Duskweaver
Jul 05, 2010 9:18:22 Relax. Dark Sun has a Feywild. It's a series of disconnected magical pocket-dimension deserts that are slowly breaking apart and dying, but it's still there and there are still archfey equivalents, though they're apparently more like genies. So a fey pact warlock in Dark Sun is presumably something like the Sha'ir from Al-Qadim.
#4
FlashbackJon
Jul 05, 2010 22:36:44 If nothing else, the Fey Pact should be considering more interesting and compelling than in, for example, Points of Light (which is to say, more interesting and compelling than not at all).
#5
celticmutt
Jul 06, 2010 0:40:27 The Fey Pact is one of the most compelling pacts in standard PoL. Far more so than Vestige, Dark, and Infernal.
#6
big_goon
Jul 06, 2010 0:59:23 I just snicker at his post. The original poster wants to play a Feypact Warlock because he thinks that Athasian monsters have weak Will defenses - being beasts.

Guess he's never faced an Id Fiend, or Gaj - Typical beasts of the wastes.
#7
FlashbackJon
Jul 06, 2010 1:26:31
The Fey Pact is one of the most compelling pacts in standard PoL. Far more so than Vestige, Dark, and Infernal.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to start a fight - just being vaguely snarky.

The point was, with what we know of the Feywild in Athas thusfar, the Fey Pact is going to be downright amazing.
#8
Pennarin
Jul 06, 2010 9:48:55 The fey have abandoned magic for psionics. So...
#9
big_goon
Jul 06, 2010 12:23:57
The fey have abandoned magic for psionics. So...

I'm not sure they have. Belgoi look to be Fey now, and they are both psionists and defilers.

Maybe you mean the Eladrin have abandoned magic for psionics?
#10
Pennarin
Jul 06, 2010 14:20:19 Yes, and I assumed Fey pact was with Eladrin. I guess it can be with any force from within the Feywild? In another setting magic is natural, thus the plane itself might provide the power, but in this setting magic is artificial, an invention, and thus there is no natural font of arcane magic.
#11
ascottbay
Jul 06, 2010 15:01:20 I always thought Eladrin would have been likely candidates (in other settings) to use the Fey Pact, with crazy-mysterious-alien Fey courts providing power. I haven't used fey a lot in 4e, but I'm sure there are far more impressive (almost devilish) fey than Eladrin. Evil fey might empower defilers, while non-evil fey only form pacts with preservers.

Big_Goon has given me an idea for a Fey Pact character whose implement is a belgoi's bell, now.
#12
Duke5150
Jul 06, 2010 15:13:51 Archfey are crazy-insane-powerful-godlike-plotdevices. In darksun, I picture the surviving archfey as crazy-insane-verypissedoff-godlike-plotdevices that hunt arcanists with a zealot's dedication. Using psionics to get all up in ya grill and mindfry you if you even think of using magic.

I'm very excited to see how they handle athasian eladrin. From the tidbits, they sound interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if some eladrin showed up in fury of the wastewalker.

The entire idea behind feypact warlocks is mind boggling for darksun, since it's a contradiction. Maybe there is some insane archfey that still use arcane magic and are in some way, responsible for the devastation and ruin of the feywild.
#13
Pennarin
Jul 06, 2010 15:23:10 Archfey IMO would be a hard sell. Their role was unexistant in 2e, and was somewhat covered by Pyreen, who were nothing life Archfey.
#14
zylo_drizzt
Jul 06, 2010 15:28:20 who says that the fey pact has to be a mutual thing? what if it is a curse in athas because it makes you twice as hated by fey and eladrin and twice as easy to track? what if it was a forced human pact like outsmarted a power fey critter? What if it is just magic that ravenges the feywild even more than it already is? just some thoughts.
#15
big_goon
Jul 06, 2010 15:28:44
Big_Goon has given me an idea for a Fey Pact character whose implement is a belgoi's bell, now.

Daaaaaaaaamn. That's a good implement idea. Mark that as stolen!
#16
celticmutt
Jul 06, 2010 20:44:12
Yes, and I assumed Fey pact was with Eladrin. I guess it can be with any force from within the Feywild? In another setting magic is natural, thus the plane itself might provide the power, but in this setting magic is artificial, an invention, and thus there is no natural font of arcane magic.

Eladrin that are Archfey can be a Feypact patron, and there are hints that an Eladrin (or other Fey) can tap into their Fey nature to provide the Feypact magic. But a normal Eladrin is not capable of being a Patron. Fey Patrons are always Archfey, or other Epic level Fey.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 kaveh500 Jul 05, 2010 6:48:46	One of my biggest fears is that the Fey Warlock pact will not be available on Athas. This will suck because the oft-underestimatd Feylock is a personal favorite of mine: An Arcane Striker who almost always targets Will. I can see why the Fey pact would be inappropriate: A Fey pact presumes the ability to access and interact with the higher powers of the Feywild, which seems . . . unlikely on Athas, whose place in the cosmos can best be summed up as "you can't get there from here". Y'see I'm thinking that most enemies--especially beasts--on Athas will have ridiculous Fortitudes and likely high Reflexes: That'd just be evolution at work. AC? No armor, but probably a lot of toughened natural hides out there. All of that militates in favor of Will-targeting as a large-scale strategy. Yes, I know: Lots of Psionics out there. But still, that'll only help creatures sufficiently intelligent to use Psionics and hence have a developed Will. Against your average brute or beastie? Fey Magic can have a strong influence on the weak-minded. If there's no Fey Warlocks, then I might just go for an Illusionist Wizard, the second-most-reliably Will-targeting character. Speaking of which: Has anyone noticed how awesome Illusionist Wizard powers are? I've had Arcane Power for months now but I only just looked at it carefully. It's like WotC decided that three-and-a-half editions worth of illusionists being the poor cousins of the wizard profession were enough and it was time to make them earth-shattering.
#2 jrwoodchuck Jul 05, 2010 8:21:49	Fey Warlocks can be played in Dark Sun, just need a GM with half an imagination and a desire to work with the players to make it happen. Divine classes are about the only thing that won't be doable, and even then I have a player playing a Runepriest because he "really really wanted to". However as time goes by he and the other players realize that Dark Sun is different and they have come to appreciate the changes, he now is thinking about re-rolling so he can play a "legal" class. My point is if you have a GM that is willing to work with you this is a small hurdle. However even then I don't believe there is anything in the Fey Pact that states you would specifically need to have a "strong" connection to the Feywild. Therefore you could play a Fey Pact and assume you have a weak connection to the Feywild and throw in some other Dark Sun flair where appropriate. Sounds like a really cool class/idea. You could play him as a preserver and associate him with the Veiled Alliance.
#3 Duskweaver Jul 05, 2010 9:18:22	Relax. Dark Sun has a Feywild. It's a series of disconnected magical pocket-dimension deserts that are slowly breaking apart and dying, but it's still there and there are still archfey equivalents, though they're apparently more like genies. So a fey pact warlock in Dark Sun is presumably something like the Sha'ir from Al-Qadim.
#4 FlashbackJon Jul 05, 2010 22:36:44	If nothing else, the Fey Pact should be considering more interesting and compelling than in, for example, Points of Light (which is to say, more interesting and compelling than not at all).
#5 celticmutt Jul 06, 2010 0:40:27	The Fey Pact is one of the most compelling pacts in standard PoL. Far more so than Vestige, Dark, and Infernal.
#6 big_goon Jul 06, 2010 0:59:23	I just snicker at his post. The original poster wants to play a Feypact Warlock because he thinks that Athasian monsters have weak Will defenses - being beasts. Guess he's never faced an Id Fiend, or Gaj - Typical beasts of the wastes.
#7 FlashbackJon Jul 06, 2010 1:26:31	The Fey Pact is one of the most compelling pacts in standard PoL. Far more so than Vestige, Dark, and Infernal. Sorry, I wasn't trying to start a fight - just being vaguely snarky. The point was, with what we know of the Feywild in Athas thusfar, the Fey Pact is going to be downright amazing.
#8 Pennarin Jul 06, 2010 9:48:55	The fey have abandoned magic for psionics. So...
#9 big_goon Jul 06, 2010 12:23:57	The fey have abandoned magic for psionics. So... I'm not sure they have. Belgoi look to be Fey now, and they are both psionists and defilers. Maybe you mean the Eladrin have abandoned magic for psionics?
#10 Pennarin Jul 06, 2010 14:20:19	Yes, and I assumed Fey pact was with Eladrin. I guess it can be with any force from within the Feywild? In another setting magic is natural, thus the plane itself might provide the power, but in this setting magic is artificial, an invention, and thus there is no natural font of arcane magic.
#11 ascottbay Jul 06, 2010 15:01:20	I always thought Eladrin would have been likely candidates (in other settings) to use the Fey Pact, with crazy-mysterious-alien Fey courts providing power. I haven't used fey a lot in 4e, but I'm sure there are far more impressive (almost devilish) fey than Eladrin. Evil fey might empower defilers, while non-evil fey only form pacts with preservers. Big_Goon has given me an idea for a Fey Pact character whose implement is a belgoi's bell, now.
#12 Duke5150 Jul 06, 2010 15:13:51	Archfey are crazy-insane-powerful-godlike-plotdevices. In darksun, I picture the surviving archfey as crazy-insane-verypissedoff-godlike-plotdevices that hunt arcanists with a zealot's dedication. Using psionics to get all up in ya grill and mindfry you if you even think of using magic. I'm very excited to see how they handle athasian eladrin. From the tidbits, they sound interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if some eladrin showed up in fury of the wastewalker. The entire idea behind feypact warlocks is mind boggling for darksun, since it's a contradiction. Maybe there is some insane archfey that still use arcane magic and are in some way, responsible for the devastation and ruin of the feywild.
#13 Pennarin Jul 06, 2010 15:23:10	Archfey IMO would be a hard sell. Their role was unexistant in 2e, and was somewhat covered by Pyreen, who were nothing life Archfey.
#14 zylo_drizzt Jul 06, 2010 15:28:20	who says that the fey pact has to be a mutual thing? what if it is a curse in athas because it makes you twice as hated by fey and eladrin and twice as easy to track? what if it was a forced human pact like outsmarted a power fey critter? What if it is just magic that ravenges the feywild even more than it already is? just some thoughts.
#15 big_goon Jul 06, 2010 15:28:44	Big_Goon has given me an idea for a Fey Pact character whose implement is a belgoi's bell, now. Daaaaaaaaamn. That's a good implement idea. Mark that as stolen!
#16 celticmutt Jul 06, 2010 20:44:12	Yes, and I assumed Fey pact was with Eladrin. I guess it can be with any force from within the Feywild? In another setting magic is natural, thus the plane itself might provide the power, but in this setting magic is artificial, an invention, and thus there is no natural font of arcane magic. Eladrin that are Archfey can be a Feypact patron, and there are hints that an Eladrin (or other Fey) can tap into their Fey nature to provide the Feypact magic. But a normal Eladrin is not capable of being a Patron. Fey Patrons are always Archfey, or other Epic level Fey.