One of my players in my game this weekend is playing a goblin resentment witch that follows Shelyn instead of something typical for goblins like Lamashtu.
Neither my player or I have decided what the witch resentment patron actually is.
Her personal story arc revolves around a tug-o-war between the teachings of Shelyn and the compulsions provided by her resentment patron.
Any suggestions of the kind of being that resentment patron could be to make this particular situation more interesting?
Who's that nascent demon lord who is rumored to be a secret daughter of Shelyn? She's your PCs patron, hoping to corrupt the PC away from Shelyn by providing the enticment of an unpleasant source of power, and even if the PC doesn't fall or every find out gets a perverse kick out of it.
It is a little front door, but a hag fits the lore better than a big deal god. "Your patron is likely far from the upper echelons of it's kind, such as a hag ousted from its coven, a quasi divinity, or a lower ranked demon."
My only hesitance is that I have not fully wrapped my head around how a lower level creature grants higher ranked spells, or in general how powerful one must be to become a patron.
It might be less fun to brainstorm who the patron is (which can always remain a secret) than what the patron wants the witch to do. This informs how the witch acts and could threaten to derail the game if not carefully considered. You could always build the game's plot around the patron agenda, but if the witch player bails on the game you're left in a bad spot.
RAW patrons can't compell witches to do anything, but could withhold powers of the witch doesn't play ball. I'd limit this to the unique familiar abilities and effects like Patron's Puppet that are explicitly the patron acting. The patron doesn't grant spell slots like for clerics, they just share knowledge which the witch can utilize like a wizard.
An idea from Rude Tales of Magic: tell the witch to place coins on the eyes of defeated foes or just the dead in general. Don't explain what the coins do. The player will assume it is nothing good, but it isn't overly evil enough to trigger interparty conflict. Vague and ominous is the vibe.
The witch could also be tasked to collect a bone from creatures they curse. It could be a different bone each time if the witch needs to assemble something out of it, but that might read as more eccentric than ominous. If the player specifies it is always the same bone it will start to feel creepier. Especially if the witch doesn't hang onto them as trophies but distribute them as presents.
Oh that's a good question. When the examples of patrons out there are like Baba Yaga it makes you think twice about a patron being a hag that isn't even strong enough to be in control of a coven. Unless its a very powerful coven?
I love all of the suggestions so far though. Thank you all.
i have another player playing a changeling so their conception was due to a deal with a hag. That hag has an encounter in the game set up, so either I double down on the Hag trouble use a different kind of hag or i go with another kind of thing for her.
Whisperer of Souls sounds like it would be fun. I would just not want to get the existing lore wrong in using it.
a secret daughter of Shelyn also sounds really cool.i have a copy of gods and magic so i can check if that books describes her.
Right now an encounter I have in mind is a conflict that arises when she meets actual Clerics of Shelyn. I want these specific clerics to be arrogant and narrow minded and to enrage the resentment patron of my player's character by calling her pickling barely food and not art worthy of their goddess(which she considers the art she devotes to Sheyln that and her goblin song). They will tell her to try offering her pickles to lamashtu, she might appreciate your grotesk jars of...whatever is in there.
i dont know if it will be a combat or social encounter, that's up to her and the party but i would assume Shelyn would want these two narrow minded clerics to be educated to have a more open mind about art.
My players resentment patron would want her to get back at them in some way.
Maybe the pickle art could pull double duty? The goblin not only thinks it is a fitting tribute to Sheylyn but it could actually be what the patron wants instead.
You could always use the same hag making deals with both the witch and the changeling. A solo boss is likely a higher level than the PCs and could therefore teach appropriately leveled spells through the familiar, and there's less consequences if the patron is refused or killed if this is a one shot. The hag might demand either or both PCs side with her against the party. Just be prepared for the encounter to get harder if they comply!
Lol the idea about the patron requiring the collecting of the same kind of bone is going in somehow.
Are there any suitable patron like creatures that really like collecting bones?