One does not simply walk into playing a warlock. In this post, I’ll guide you through my process for coming up with a genie warlock character.
Warlock’s are unique spellcasters, as they always cast at their maximum level but have very few spell slots. Their powers are great but only accessible in short bursts. Fortunately, they can recover their spell slots after short rest, unlike most other magic wielders.
Playing a warlock, you’ll have to work closely with your GM, who will be responsible for playing and moulding your patron, the source of your powers.
A point of inspiration
Walking through the snow
Warlock’s often find their patron while searching for knowledge or power. They may seek out a powerful being or stumble upon a pact unknowingly. I wanted my warlock to knowingly make the agreement, but be naive to the true nature of it (be it good, evil, or benign). I also wanted to refrain from a power hungry character.
On a walk one day through the snow, I considered, maybe my warlock’s quest for power was in the name of protection. Perhaps she had a bad experience being unable to defend herself, or maybe she was inspired to protect others. Through this train of thought, I arrived at her being inspired by warriors, her people’s defenders, and dreaming of one day becoming a knight herself. But she lacked the skills and support to make this dream come true.
She would have spent her earliest years of life surrounded by strong and loyal guards. Perhaps she was a noble’s daughter, a child of a wealthy merchant, or an heir to some fortune. Her first memories of these heroes were of them defending her and her family from harm. They showed strength in battle but also compassion and loyalty in peaceful times. She would be inspired by them, and yearn to one day be one of them. Protector of the weak. Defender from harm. And not dependent on others for safety.
However, her brave knights weren’t with her for long. Something forced her and her father to leave that safe haven one day, and she subsequently had to figure out how to fend for herself without the training and resources of the palace.
Finding your patron
Unlike wizards, sorcerers, or bards, a warlock comes into their magical abilities by making a pact with a powerful entity. There are 9 official options (as of when this article was written) for a warlock subclass in 5th edition. I won’t go into all the options here, but this CBR click-bait article does a quick summary of them.
You want to think about what led your character to make a pact. Some warlocks knowingly seek out their would-be patron and strike a deal with them intentionally. Others are tricked or seduced into a contract. And some may have made a pact and not even know it.
Consider which route you want to go. Did your patron happen across you? Did you find them?
Your character may have gone on a quest, following rumours and legends of some powerful force. Or their patron may have been seeking them out for an unknown reason. You may have your own story and the GM may decide your patron’s motivation is something else entirely.
I like the idea of my character, Artemis, happening across an artefact that contained a genie.
A fun thing for the GM to decide, is whether or not the player knows who their patron really is. What their motivations are; if they care about you or are merely using you. Usually your warlock won’t know all the details, and it’s more fun this way.
Warlock cliches
There are countless cliches to draw on with warlock pacts.
The Fiend pact is literally making a deal with a devil. In pop culture, you may draw on Faust, or the more recent anti-hero Spawn.
You could draw inspiration from one of Disney’s many characters who’ve made deals with unsavoury beings. Pinnochio, Hercules, and the Little Mermaid all have pact magic in their stories. And look no further than Aladdin to start considering a genie warlock patron. Though, while he is booned with the genie’s magic, Aladdin doesn’t have actual control over the powers himself.
Some warlock’s relationship with their patron is that of a master and apprentice. One could assimilate components of Darth Vader’s story, in search of of great power to save his loved ones from inevitable death.
While not all warlocks are edgy villains, like Anakin or the Witch King of Angmar, all warlocks are motivated by the prospect of more. Whether it is to reap the knowledge of the universe, gain firepower, or riches. And I have no intent wandering from that path with my character. She wants to be strong and able in a fight, but she’s small and weak. She’s not the type to go out on her own to adventure, but would surely be tempted by the proposition of power if presented to her.
Building Artemis the Genie Warlock
A warlock’s patron could be evil, but they don’t have to be. A genie is most likely interested in it’s self preservation, but could have evil, neutral, or good tendencies. I like the idea that Artemis’ patron is on the same plane of existence as her, but needs to use her to channel it’s powers. I also like the idea that the two have some sort of relationship. The genie is someone my character speak with once in a while, but they don’t have game breaking mechanics by being there in full power.
Genie kinds
There are two main things to consider while making a pact with a genie. The first is what kind of genie. A firey Efreeti? An airy Djinn? The down to earth Dao? Or Marid of the many seas? Have a look at the spells you gain access to with each elemental option, and think about what flavour you would like your character or your patron to have.
I’ve decided on the air elemental Djinni, with storm-themed spells of thunderwave, gust of wind and wind wall. Plus the spells she’d gain access to at higher levels, greater invisibility and seeming, thematically correspond with her motivation to protect others.
The second thing to consider, is your Genie Vessel. At first level, you get access to this vessel to hide in. It could be like Aladdin’s lamp, a lantern, medallion, or locket. It could be some ancient artefact or family heirloom. At higher levels, you can also bring your friends in to this space, which I look forward to greatly!
Since Artemis’ father is a musician, I thought it would be suiting for her vessel to be a wind instrument. Something small, like a pan flute or a piccolo could work. Maybe something more rustic like a horn carved from animal bone; a dragon’s horn would be pretty cool.
Her vessel, potentially, could be a smaller or simpler version of the artefact she found the genie in initially.
Developing a personality
Young Artemis
At a young age, Artemis was taken away from her lavish and protected lifestyle. Her father and her were suddenly on the road, eating stale or mouldy bread for days at a time. It was hard and dangerous, until a wandering troupe of entertainers crossed their path and kindly offered to take them in.
Memories of her father before the troupe were grey and dull, she barely remembered him at all. But from the night they stumbled upon this patchwork band, he was a new man. Suddenly boisterous and cheerful, his flute never far from his lips and neither a flagon of wine. This was his happy place: music, laughter, and showmanship. He taught her to sing, to dance, and play the horn. To juggle and perform. She learned how to set up a stage in the middle of the woods and stitch together beautiful costumes using leftover threads and garments worn to rags.
But, as the world is a hard place, he also taught her less savoury things. He showed her how to identify unsuspecting folks for pickpocketting and swindling. He taught her to steal, cheat, and lie. Her father had a knack for winning little games through trickery.
Her role in the troupe
Being quite small, she would often fall into a role of gathering supplies, food, and wine for the troupe through thieving means. Most of the time she would just steal something small off a cart or a stall, but sometimes she was would swindle merchants for bigger prizes, or play up a distraction so someone else from her troupe could. She never liked this way of living, but her father insisted it was the only way to survive.
He would chastise her when she talked of their palace days. “The wealthy don’t understand what we commoners must do just to make ends meet!” He’d shout whenever she brought up their old life. “You should consider yourself lucky to gain the perspective of the common man. Plus, you have food on your plate most every night, and a warm place to sleep. It’s much safer here than on the road alone.” He never entertained the prospect of leaving the troupe, they were family now.
They still had to rely on guards at night and some towns were not particularly friendly to these colourful wandering artists. The troupe had their music, but they had very little gold and even less luxuries in their camp. Artemis dreamt of a fading memory, the lavish comforts of her palace life. Despite the skills she developed on the road, she continued to feel helpless, very much the same as when she was a small child within the palace walls. And she did not like that.
Choosing a background
Artemis would learn a lot from her father and his fellow show people. She may have inherited the gifts of a Charlatan background, that her father possessed. This would provide her with proficiency in deception and sleight of hand, both being quite handy traits for a little thief. It would also lend well to her hiding her true identity.
An Entertainer background would also make sense. She travelled with a troupe of them for about a decade, after all. This would earn her proficiency in acrobatics and performance, and would jibe well with her affinity with music.
I could also give her the Criminal background, the pickpocketting scoundrel she is. This would grant her proficiency in deception and stealth as well as proficiency in thieves’ tools. Which would work well for a more shadowy charisma-based character, while a Charlatan or Entertainer background fit better for the chauvinistic warlock.
Mechanically, I think any of these backgrounds are complementary. Warlocks gain proficiency in any 2 skills of: Arcana, Deception, History, Intimidation, Investigation, Nature, and Religion.
Another option, would be to give her a background that reflects what she got up to in between leaving the entertainers and starting the campaign. Probably an Investigator, Anthropologist, or Grinner.
What are her motivations? Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws
The most important thing for Artemis is to find her way back to her old, comfortable life, as someone accomplished and strong. Not as the weak baby everyone would remember her as. More than anything else, Artemis wishes she was menacing and powerful, feared but respected, and loved like those shining knights she remembers. She is drawn to the warm memories of a loving community, rich tall halls, and delicious baked foods.
Any information or assistance to get her closer to that dream surely tempts her to sacrifice anything. Anything, except for her father. Even though she hates him for taking her away, she also loves him for always being there for her. He taught her almost everything she knows, and protected and provided for her when she couldn’t do so for herself.
Making an appearance
When I first started thinking about this character, I was planning to play in a Wildemount campaign. We weren’t sure if it would start on the Menagerie Coast or the Xhorasian wastelands. I thought about a character who could play in either location, and instantly pictured Artemis as a pink tiefling with green hair (see image at the start of this article). I started to build her character, her father was an exuberant entertainer. He couldn’t bear the dreary weight of Rosohna, so one day took his daughter and left his son and wife. But then we pivoted to start the game in the northern reaches of Wildemount, and suddenly the idea that a tiefling entertainer didn’t make as much sense. In fact, a tiefling noble from Xhorhas didn’t make too much sense either… So I reconsidered her origin.
Someone of nobility in Eastern Wynandir would most likely be Drow. But if she was drow, she’d have a very difficult time travelling around the Dwendalian Empire. This seemed like a potential annoyance for the adventuring group. But what if she was half drow?
There could be many reasons her father was unhappy in Rosohna, maybe the lack of sunlight got to him. Maybe he seduced Artemis’ mother elsewhere and she brought him back to Xhorhas and into her culture, but he never fit in. Whichever way, one day he left. He didn’t want to leave his wife alone, but he didn’t want to leave his children either. So he took one of them with him. Maybe him and his wife agreed this was best, or it’s possible she wasn’t privy to his plan. Artemis wouldn’t know the details because she was too young at the time and he refused to talk about “before” with her.
If Artemis takes after her father more than her mother, it would be easier to disguise her Drow heritage. His rich ebony skin and greying hair matches her darker complexion and the silver-blue mop. She likes to dye her hair crazy colours to distract from the possibility she may have some Drow blood in her. Her ears are pointed, but not as long and elegant as a full-elf. She’s small for either elf or human, and typically likes to stay out of the spotlight.
Pacts further explored
As a warlock, you’ll want to think about what kind of relationship your character has with their patron. Is it a fearful one? comfortable? Does the patron communicate often or is it a rare occurrence?
How important does this patron consider your character to be? Are they the entity’s only servant, or are there others that you know of?
In what ways do you communicate? Perhaps they can whisper thoughts into people’s head, or they visit in dreams. A genie warlock patron may visit a character’s magical vessel.
Do they give commands often? and does your character relish in serving or does it grate you?
There is a plethora of lore and adventure to develop while playing a warlock, and your character’s story is in the safe hands of your Game Master. Have fun, be open to the unknown, and let your imagination run wild.