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PATRON BENEFITS
            The patronage of an immortal being is a relationship
             built on favors, not on employment or service. Your
             group does favors for your patron, and you can ask fa­
             vors in return. These favors are  the benefits you gain for
             having an immortal being as your group's patron, and
            they might include any of the following boons:
             Contacts. Your group is almost certainly not the only
              one sponsored by your patron. Plans that span the
              world and the course of millennia require many
              agents to complete. If necessary, your patron can put
              you in contact with their other agents, who might
              be in a position to help you through status, influ­
              ence, or magic.
            Information. The most precious reward most immor­
              tals can give is a tidbit of their ages-spanning knowl­
              edge. Immortal beings often know secrets hidden
              from most mortals-including glimpses of possible
              futures. They don't usually share secrets freely, but
              they might reward your group for the completion of a
              mission with a hint, a puzzle, or a morsel of informa­
              tion that sets you off in pursuit of more.
            Magic. Immortal beings often have access to vast stores
              of magic, including their own spells and secret caches
              of magic items. They are mindful of the value of this
              magic, and grant spells and items as rewards appro­
              priate to the favor and the power of the adventurers.

            BUILD YOUR GROUP
            No common thread unites adventurers with an immor­
            tal patron, except perhaps uncommon openness to the
            mysterious and unknown. You haven't been chosen be­
            cause of your capabilities; they might have been chosen
            to fulfill the words of a prophecy, because they were
            born at auspicious times and places, or because they
            happened to be in a particular place at a certain time.
            Individual characters in your group might have different
            relationships with your patron, though; consider some
            or all of these roles for your characters:
            Agent. The Agent doesn't receive direct communica­
              tions from an immortal patron, but puts faith in the
              dreams and inspiration of others, following such
              omens with an eager heart. This character is under no
              illusions of having a special role to play in the immor­
              tal's grand plans, but is ready to make sure those with
              such roles play them. This is often a character with no
              magical ability or sometimes from a scholarly back­
              ground, such as a sage or hermit-perhaps someone   Visionary. At least one character in the party should
              familiar with lore about the immortal but not directly   have a particular connection to your immortal pa­
              inspired by it. Agents typically have proficiency in   tron. The Visionary might hear the patron's voice in
              skills such as Arcana, History, and Religion.     dreams, see waking visions that convey the immor­
            Innocent. Some characters have no intention of be­  tal's will, or interpret signs in accordance with proph­
              coming adventurers and desire no connection to the   ecy. Different backgrounds might suggest different
              machinations of the immortals, but they get caught   stories for a Visionary: An acolyte might have had a
              up in schemes and prophecies anyway. The Innocent   revelatory experience that paved the way for the im­
              might have been identified as a key part of a prophecy,   mortal's communications. A hermit might have been
              or made what seemed like an innocent bargain with   plagued by disturbing dreams from youth. A sage
              a harmless old hermit, or found an artifact with mys­  might have made a lifetime study of the Draconic
              terious powers. The folk hero background is ideal for   Prophecy. These characters are often clerics, druids,
              the Innocent, combining humble origins with a sense   warlocks, or wizards, and typically proficient in skills
              of destiny. Any class or proficiencies are suited for   such as Arcana and Religion.
              this role.

                                                                               CHAPTER  1  I  CHARACTER  CREATION
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