Spilled Ale Studios

SPILLED ALE STUDIOS

Sample file 1 CREDITS Research, Writing, and Graphic Design:RDD Wilkin Art:all interior art used in the Patron Primer is from DMsGuild creators packs; cover art by Refluo, licensed through shutterstock. LEGAL DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, the dragon ampersand, and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries.

This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

This product is not for resale or redistribution. The purchaser may make copies or print out this document for personal use only. ABOUT THE PATRON PRIMER The Patron Primer lists many possible patrons that exist in the Forgotten Realms setting. It also includes entities from the dread domains of Ravenloft, which Fifth Edition place in the Shadowfell and can also be patrons for warlocks in the Forgotten Realms. For the most part the patrons listed here are canonical creatures that appeared either in the current or past editions of the game, or other official sources such as novels. Some canonical entities have been fleshed out due to a lack of available details. Not all the entities included on this list are immediately obvious candidates for existing warlock archetypes, but may be suitable if the features of an existing archetype are re-skinned with the patron in mind. � DMs will findThe Patron Primer a useful source of supernatural beings for all kinds of stories. � Players of any character whose background involves one or more supernatural entities will find a lot of inspiration here. For instance, an entity from this list could be the originator of a sorcerous bloodline. Clerics, paladins, and other religious characters might worship one of the demipowers, exarchs or gods; or perhaps interact with celestials as fellow servants of their deity. Druids and rangers might revere one of the archfey or nature spirits. Alternatively, the possibility of a deal with a higher power is not a concept limited only to warlocks. While every effort has been made to make this list an exhaustive and ideal reference, there may still be other possible patrons for you still to Samplediscover buried deep in the lore of the Forgotten Realms! file 1 CONTENTS ARCHFEY 3 CELESTIALS 3 TALISID AND THE FIVE COMPANIONS 3 THE CELESTIAL HEBDOMAD 4 THE COURT OF STARS 6 DEMIPOWERS,EXARCHS, AND GODS 6 DREAD POWERS 9 DARKLORDS 9 THE NIGHTMARE COURT 13 OTHER DREAD POWERS 14 ELDER EVILS 15 STAR-LIKE ELDER EVILS 16 FIENDS 17 ARCHDEVILS 17 DEMONS 20 DEMON PRINCES 20 DEMON LORDS 22 INCUBI OR SUCCUBI 25 YUGOLOTH LORDS 26 OTHER FIENDS 27 GHOSTS AND OTHER SPIRITS 28 GREAT WYRMS 28 INEVITABLES 31 LICH-KIND 32 LICHES 32 ARCHLICHES 33 BAELNORNS 33 DEMILICHES 34 DRACOLICHES 34 ILLITHILICHES 35 NOBLE GENIES 36 PRIMAL SPIRITS 36 Sample file37 PRIMORDIALS SLAAD LORDS 38 OTHERS 39 2 ARCHFEY The archfey are ancient entities somewhere between fey and god. They are masters of the Feywild and the most important figures in the Summer and Gloaming Courts. Some believe that the archfey and their courts are synonymous with the elven and drow pantheons. Others choose to see parallels between the archfey and members of the Faerûnian pantheon. Given the tendency of the deities of the Realms to appear in different guises, both may be true. Archfey include: HYRSAM, “The Prince of Fools” and “The Savage”, is an archfey with two faces: he loves pranks and causing trouble. Depending on his whim, his games may either be simply mischievous or cruel and deadly. Some consider him to be an aspect of the deity Erevan Ilesere. OBERON, “The Green Lord”, is a wild-hearted archfey with fickle mood swings even by archfey standards. Oberon is both lover and foe of Titania, the Summer Court’s queen. He is an unrivalled warrior and hunter. Some think him an aspect of Solonor Thelandira. THE PRINCE OF FROST is a cold-hearted archfey eternally seeking to be reunited with his former betrothed, who is said to reincarnate among the elves throughout time. He is thought by some to be an aspect of Rellavar Danuvien. THE QUEEN OF AIR AND DARKNESS rules the Gloaming Court. She is a formless being that is centred on an artifact called the Night Diamond. When she is angry her voice thunders from the diamond, and at other times it whispers seductively in her courtiers’ ears. Some believe her to be an aspect of Lolth. Others note her similarities to Auril. TITANIA, “The Summer Queen”, is the head of the Summer Court and thought to be the strongest of all archfey. She has power over nature in all its forms. Some consider her to be an aspect of Corellon Larethian itself. THE WILD HUNT are a group of archfey that ride out into the forests of the Feywild and material plane. They hunt the most exciting and dangerous prey they can find, including people. A person run to ground by the hunt may be slain or whisked off to the Feywild, depending on the whims of the hunters in the moment. CELESTIALS Celestials are the extraplanar beings who inhabit the Upper Planes: Mount Celestia, Bytopia, Elysium, The Beastlands, Arborea, and Ysgard. TALISID AND THE FIVE COMPANIONS The celestials of Elysium are the guardinals. The highest among them are the Celestial Lion and its Five Companions. Membership of this group fluctuates. Talisid is the current Celestial Lion, and has held its Sampleposition far longer than any of its predecessors. The current file Companions include: BHARRAI, “The Great Bear”, is the matriarch of the ursinals. She cares for all ursinals as though they were her children. She teaches 3 harmony with nature in all things, even the arcane magic which she herself practices. KHARASH, “The Stalker”, is paragon of the lupinals. He is a close companion to Talisid, sharing the Celestial Lion’s love of the untamed wilderness and of the hunt. Kharash is sly, and favours solitude. MANATH, “The Horned Duke”, is first of the cervidals. He is the most recent addition to the companions and is known for wit, charm, and whimsy. SATHIA, “The Sky Duchess”, is the first among the avorals. When she isn’t soaring in the skies of Elysium, she spends her time making wondrous works of art and acting as a patron for mortal creatives. TALISID, “The Celestial Lion”, is a wise and powerful leonal that spends much of its time wandering the four layers of Elysium, particularly the topmost layer Amoria. Talisid is proud of all that he and the Companions accomplish but doesn’t let that pride get in the way. He loves Elysium and the creatures within it, thinking of himself as their humble servant. VHARA, “The Duchess of the Fields”, is duchess of the equinals. She is physically powerful and aloof in aspect, but is profoundly generous and emotional in spirit. THE CELESTIAL HEBDOMAD The celestials that dwell in The Seven Heavens of Mount Celestia are known as archons. The Celestial Hebdomad are seven blessed martyrs who sacrificed themselves and became the ruling council of their kind. They are in many ways a mirror to the Archdukes of the Nine Hells. The current Celestial Hebdomad include: BARACHIEL, “The Messenger”, rules the 1st plateau: Lunia. It does so from the Citadel of Stars. Barachiel is herald of the angels when messages must be delivered to other planes. It is also commands the Celestial legion that acts as the first line of defence against invasion. DOMIEL, “The Mercy-Bringer”, rules the 2nd plateau: Mercuria. Domiel guards the golden tombs and mausoleums of the honoured fallen. It dwells in Aurilon, the Golden Spire. ERATHAOL, “the Seer”, rules the 3rd plateau: Venya. It forecasts planar events before they occur and watches over children destined for greatness. Erathaol lives in Xiranthador, an undersea fortress which also contains an incredible library. PISTIS SOPHIA, “The Ascetic”, rules the 4th plateau: Solania. It represents serenity and sincerity, speaking only truth without obfuscation, and feeling nothing but harmony and bliss. It encourages the principles of asceticism in mortals. Pistis Sophia has no permanent dwelling, instead touring the cathedrals and monasteries of Solania. RAZIEL, “The Crusader”, rules the 5th plateau: Mertion. Raziel is judicious and divinely wrathful, and is a favourite of many paladins. It Samplelives in Empyrea, the City of Tempered Souls, but has no stronghold.file Instead, Raziel spends its time in the city’s hospitals providing guidance to clerics and patients. SEALTIEL, “The Defender”, rules the 6th plateau: Jovar. It commands 4 the largest army of Celestia and is sworn to defend the Mountain, Sample file 5 rushing to the aid of all other martyrs (particularly Barachiel) in the event of incursion. It is also Sealtiel’s sacred duty to prevent impure beings from reaching the 7th and final plateau. Sealtiel’s fortress is Pax Exaltea, a massive structure that dominates the 6th terrace of the ziggurat city Yetsira. ZAPHKIEL, “The Watcher”, is the first among the seven martyrs and embodies the perfect good. It presides over the 7th and topmost plateau: Chronias. Only the most exalted beings can survive Zaphkiel’s mere presence. Zaphkiel is rarely seen, met only by other members of the Hebdomad and some of the gods. Its goals are inscrutable. THE COURT OF STARS The Olympian Glades of Arborea are the home of arborian elves, cousins material plane elves and feywild eladrin. They are fortunate enough to live close to the Seldarine. The arborian elves are ruled by the members of the Court of Stars, angelic beings that are equal parts celestial and fey. The Court of Stars itself is a demiplane that drifts among Arborea’s three layers. The Court of Stars includes: FAERINAAL, “The Consort”, is the constant companion and adviser of Morwel. He is also responsible for the defence of the Court of Stars. Should any arborian elf be captured by the forces of evil, Faerinaal himself leads the effort to liberate them. GWYNHARWYF, “The Whirling Fury”, is the loyal champion of Queen Morwel. Gwynharwyf is a warrior of unparalleled ferocity and is considered a patron of good-aligned barbarians. MORWEL, “Queen of Stars”, is first among the arborian elves, though even she is subservient to Corellon Larethian and the Seldarine. She governs the eladrin while the gods concern themselves with larger matters. DEMIPOWERS,EXARCHS, AND GODS Any divine being may occasionally find it useful to enter into a bargain with a different kind of servant: one who can perform secretive acts outside of the influence of their clergy. This is particularly true for those divine powers with smaller followings such as demipowers, exarchs, and even once greater deities whose power has since waned. Divine powers include: AURIL, “The Goddess of Winter”, is an elven deity with dominion over winter. She is fickle, vain, and cruel. BHAAL, “The Lord of Murder”, is a god of violent and ritual deaths. He is a favoured deity of assassins and murderers everywhere. FENMAREL MESTARINE, “The Lone Wolf”, is an elven deity who embraces solitude and watches over outcasts. He was a lover of Lolth before she turned against Corellon Larethian, previously siding with her Samplethough he has since realigned with his creator’. He believes file Corellon Larethian still distrusts him and avoids contact with other members of the Seldarine. GARAGOS, “The Lord of War”, is an exarch of Tempus whose portfolio 6 is that of destruction and plunder. He was once a more powerful deity, but has been weakened through conflict with Tempus. The only reason his continued existence is tolerated by the other war deity is that Tempus does not want to absorb Garagos’ portfolio. GHAUNADAUR, “That Which Lurks”, is an ancient deity said to predate even Ao. He is a patron of oozes, slimes, and abominations of all kinds. GILGEAM, “The Father of Victory”, is the demideity God-King of Unther. He has been slain on several occasions, but reincarnates time and again. HOAR, “The Doombringer”, is an exarch of Bane with dominion over retribution. He is a bitter deity, and is obsessed with his enemies: the Mulhorani pantheon led by Anhur. HORUS-RE, “The Lord of the Sun”, is leader of the Mulhorandi pantheon. The pharaohs of that nation are descended directly from him and are his physical incarnation upon Toril. HRUGGEK is the chief deity of bugbears, their god of violence and combat. LURUE, “The Unicorn Queen”, is an archfey who is also worshipped as a lesser goddess. Lurue has dominion over intelligent and talking beasts and is also considered a patron of good adventurers and explorers. MAGLUBIYET, “The High Chieftain”, is the chief deity of both goblins and hobgoblins. He has more in common with the latter: a god of war and leadership, he is a great general and tyrannical in his command of the goblin pantheon. MALAR, “The Beastlord”, is a god of the hunt, evil lycanthropes, savagery, and blood lust. He is concerned solely with violence and the spread of lycanthropy, and utterly contemptuous of civilisation. MOANDER, “The Darkbringer”, is an ancient deity of rot, corruption, and decay. Cruel in the extreme, Moander delights in torment and destruction. Falsely believed to be dead at the hands of Finder Wyvernspur, he lives on in a valley called Darkwatch within Deepingdale. MILIL, “The One Who Watches While Music is Alive”, is an exarch of Oghma who watches over artists, musicians, poets, and other creatives. He is extremely egotistical, and easily bored. MERRSHAULK, “The Master of the Pit”, was the supreme deity of the Yuan-Ti before he entered a deep slumber. During which time the usurper Sseth appeared and converted most of Merrshaulk’s clergy. Unbeknownst to the Yuan-Ti Merrshaulk’s torpor is not voluntary: he has fallen into magical captivity at the hands of Zehir, the Yuan-ti’s name for the treacherous Mulhorandi god Set. In spite of this, Merrshaulk is capable of entering the minds of followers. He projects Samplenightmares intended to convey his distress. file NOBANION, “The King of Beasts”, is an exarch of Silvanus. See his entry under Primal Spirits for further detail. RAXIVORT, “The Night Flutter”, was Graz’zt’s treasurer until he stole 7 from his master and fled to the material plane. Among the items he stole was the infinity spindle, a crystal shard that transformed Raxivort into a demideity. He is the creator of the Xvarts, and has powers over bats and rats. SELVETARM, “The Spider that Waits”, is the drow demigod of warriors, wars, battle skill, and destruction. His faith is practically forgotten other than in Eryndlyn, where his church is treated as a militant branch of Lolth’s. Selvetarm hates Lolth with a burning passion, serving the Spider Queen only because he is magically bound by her. SHEVARESH, “The Black Archer”, is an elven deity of revenge and hatred. He is an unforgiving and uncompromising enemy of Lolth and the drow, and teaches that revenge must be complete and unmoderated. SHIALLIA, “The Dancer in the Glades”, is an exarch of Mielikki. She is the patron of birth in the natural world. She protects forest creatures when they’re pregnant and nurtures seedlings. SIAMORPHE, “The Divine Right”, is a demipower representing nobles’ right to rule and the essence of nobility, which they hold is to rule well and wisely. Each Siamorphe was once a mortal noble. The current Siamorphe is a woman, but their identity isn’t constant: a Siamorphe serves in the role until a worthy mortal nobles passes away, at which time they appoint the deceased’s soul as their successor and finally pass on to their own afterlife. THARD HARR, “Lord of the Jungle Deeps”, is a dwarven god of the jungle and patron of the wild dwarves. He teaches his followers to live in harmony with the jungle and protect it from outsiders intending harm. THARIZDUN, “The Chained God”, tried to seize a shard of pure evil during the Dawn War. In so doing he was corrupted by the obyriths trapped within and instantly driven insane. The obyriths demanded Tharizdun plant the seed of evil, an action which spawned the Abyss. The other deities put aside their differences to defeat Tharizdun and trap him in Voidharrow, an alternate dimension that resembles the prime universe if it had been completely subsumed by the Abyss. Voidharrow is an ideal prison for Tharizdun as he is in control there creating the illusion of freedom and victory. Yet in brief moments of lucidity Tharizdun becomes aware of his imprisonment, and at such times he plots to escape. Such is his psychic strength that he has been able to communicate with creatures beyond Voidharrow. The cults of Tharizdun seek his release, either because they desire to see the world purged or because they are vastly mistaken about Tharizdun’s nature after falling for his lies. THE ELDER ELEMENTAL EYE is a guise of Tharizdun (see above). He developed the persona to convince the evil Princes of Elemental Evil that he was their creator. Thus he gained the allegiance of the evil archomentals and their followers. THE GHOST KING, Cadderly Bonadace, wanders the void between the Samplerealms of the living and the dead. He voluntarily took on thefile mantle for eternity after defeating its former owner, a dracolich monstrosity Hephaestus. He made this sacrifice in order that Hephaestus could not 8 reclaim the full extent of his former powers. THE RAVEN QUEEN is master of the Shadar-Kai and ruler of the Shadowfell. In the past she was an elven queen who concocted an ambitious plan to elevate herself to godhood so she could reunite the pantheon fractured by conflict between Corellon Larethian and Lolth. She absorbed power from her loyal subjects, who would become the Shadar-Kai. While she did become a goddess the Raven Queen’s plan went awry and she became a mad and broken entity. Her original personality is buried under a patchwork cloak of stolen memories. ULUTIU, “The Lord in the Ice”, is a demipower of the giant pantheon whose portfolio includes animals and the cold. Ulutiu voluntarily exiled himself below the Cold Ocean after Annam All-Father discovered Ulutiu’s affair with Annam’s wife Othea. The Great Glacier and Endless Ice Sea formed around him. During the Spellplague Auril found his sleeping body and began siphoning his power. UTHGAR, “The Battle Father”, is the god of the Uthgardt tribes. He values physical strength and battle prowess. He appears in many aspects, each of which is a different totemic animal. Uthgardt tribes typically revere and seek to emulate one totemic spirit over all others. VAPRAK, “The Father of Ogres”, is the patriarchal god of ogres. He is also the patron of trolls and some frost giants. He values strength and greed. DREAD POWERS The entities in this category are the various powers that have influence in the Domains of Dread. Dread powers include: DARKLORDS Villains whose stories are filled with darkness and woe may draw the attention of the Dark Powers. When this happens the villain is forcibly drawn into the Domains of Dread where they become a Darklord of a

Sample file 9 new Domain which might seem like a playground but is really their punishment and prison. Residents of the Dread Domains who are wicked enough may also earn a Domain of their own. Though they cannot physically leave their Domains, Darklords may still make good patrons! Perhaps they possess enough power to reach out and touch the minds of creatures beyond the Mists. They might do so in the hope that an agent on the outside can find a way to release them, or they might simply wish to draw the warlock into their Domain. Darklords include: ADAM, an intelligent human-like flesh golem. Adam was created by Doctor Victor Mordenheim. Though Mordenheim was obsessed with creating life, Adam brought only death: he killed the doctor’s adopted daughter and left Mordenheim’s wife comatose. Adam wants nothing more than to be accepted but never shall be. The Dark Powers made Adam the darklord of Lamordia, but they also took Mordenheim too. Adam and his creator are eternally linked, sharing their immortality and their angst. ANHKTEPOT, the pharaoh and Darklord of a Domain called Har’Akir. He coveted the means to live forever and spat curses at the gods themselves for not granting him his desire. Ra’s punishment was to curse Anhktepot in turn. The curse perverted his wish for life after death, causing him to bring undeath to living creatures he touched. Those the pharaoh killed rose as mummies under his control, and he soon turned what had been meant as a punishment into a tool for tightening his tyrannical grip on the kingdom. When he was finally deposed by vengeful priests Anhktepot himself discovered the true horror of his curse: he himself couldn’t die, he remained fully conscious while his body was mummified and entombed. His tomb was then absorbed into the mists along with a nearby village. AZALIN REX, the wizard-king of Darkon. Azalin’s defining traits are his thirst for forbidden knowledge, his desire for control, and his fits of violent anger. He personally executed his own son for the crime of freeing political prisoners and then became obsessed with death. More precisely, he sought the knowledge to overcome death and ensure the longevity of his reign, and perhaps even bring his lost son back to life. Azalin Rex’s research led him to lichdom. Later, the Mists of Barovia claimed Azalin Rex during an ambush by rebels. He briefly became an ally of Strahd von Zarovich when the two conspired to escape to the material plane. The attempt ultimately failed but drew the attention of the Dark Powers who gave Azalin Rex his own prison. BARON URIK VON KHARKOV is the product of a Red Wizard’s experiment, a panther polymorphed into a man and trained to be a deadly warrior. Urik’s creator schemed to have Urik become the lover of a rival. When the lovers were alone, the wizard who created Urik dispelled the polymorph so that Urik would maul his rival to death. Afterwards Urik fled Thay and stumbled into the Mists. He reappeared Samplearriving in Darkon. At some point during his time there hefile became a vampire, and committed many atrocities as a member of Azalin Rex’s undead secret police. When Urik’s vampiric progenitor was destroyed he 10 fled Darkon. The horrors he had wrought inspired the Dark Powers to give him his own Domain, Valachan. DOCTOR DACLAUD HEINFROTH is a cerebral vampire, a variant undead that drinks cerebral fluid rather than blood. He was born in the Dread Domain of Gundarak where he served Duke Gundar. However, he betrayed his master and allowed him to be slain by adventurers in order to take over Gundarak himself. He proved incapable of governing, interested only in his own twisted experiments. Eventually the Dark Powers turned his asylum and its surroundings into a tiny Domain of his own named Dominia. He spends his time experimenting on patients and creating more of his own kind. DOMINIC D'HONAIRE is originally from a Dread Domain called Mordent. He found he had a great talent for conceiving ideas and convincing other people that the ideas were their own. Dominic span ever more complex webs of lies and delighted in the chaos he caused. Eventually he convinced his father to believe it was in his family’s best interests to leave Mordent and brave the unknown Mists. The family were lost to the Mists, and Dominic earned his prison: the Dread Domain of Dementlieu. GABRIELLE ADERRE, the sorceress who rules over Invidia. She refused to help her mother escape a werewolf, using the situation as leverage to learn the truth of her parentage. When Gabrielle didn’t like what she heard she abandoned her mother to be eaten. The Mists took her and brought her to Invidia, where she slew the current Darklord and took his place. HARKON LUKAS, the wolfwere Darklord of Kartakass. He grew up in Cormyr, where he grew furious with the lack of long-term vision of his people. Harkon let out his frustrations by embarking on a murderous rampage, killing all his clan. He then decided to live among humans, travelling as a minstrel. Harkon didn’t give up killing, leaving a trail of victims in his wake. One evening he was taken by the Mists and found himself in Barovia. He hunted there for a while before encountering and being driven out by Strahd Von Zarovich. He emerged from the Mists a second time, this time into a Domain of his own. HAZIK was a vengeful Red Wizard coveted the lover of his rival. The Mists claimed him after he tortured his rival and then killed both she and her lover. He emerged in the Nightmare Lands, where he became a victim of the mental tortures of Hypnos. Despite his nightmarish existence Hazik continued to scheme his escape and revenge on all those he considered enemies. His single-mindedness eventually allowed him to escape the Nightmare Lands. He next emerged in Hazlan his new Domain. LORD SODO, the Darklord of Zherisia, is a doppelganger who was taken by the Mists after he killed and impersonated the leaders of his tribe. He loves the feeling he experiences when his victims are about to die and full of terror. Ever since his imprisonment, he has been frustrated by the unique trait of his Dread Domain: everyone he kills comes back to life. SampleLORD WILFRED GODEFROY of Mordet came by his Darklord statusfile by happenstance. Certainly he was very evil: he killed his wife and daughter simply because he was angry not to have a son. He made their deaths 11