Summary

  • Consider the powerful Sword of Kas as a warlock patron for high-level challenges.
  • Rakshasa patrons offer deceptive roleplaying opportunities for expert players.
  • Opt for evil patrons like Tiamat for enhanced roleplay challenges.

Selecting a warlock patron is an essential part of any warlock build in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. But, if you've played a warlock before, or feel like any of the classic options for patrons don't suit your high-level character or expert playstyle, you might feel like you're running out of options.

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Luckily, we've created this list of warlock patrons that are perfect for seasoned, veteran Dungeons & Dragons players. We've selected this list of patrons based on their roleplay potential and challenges that they can offer players and DMs alike. Here are the best warlock patrons for expert Dungeons & Dragons players.

10 The Sword Of Kas

Sword of Kas by Conceptopolis, Ekaterina Burmak

Home Plane

Material Plane

Alignment

Chaotic Evil

The Sword of Kas is a sentient weapon that can be found in the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide. This weapon, which is a remnant of Kas, a servant of Vecna, has a devastatingly powerful stat block and can even impart damage onto its wielder, even when attuned.

This makes the Sword of Kas an excellent sentient weapon to serve as a warlock patron, as it requires a high degree of difficulty to wield. The only caveat here is that you probably would only want to use this patron at higher levels, not if you're starting at level one.

9 A Rakshasa

Rakshasa Conspirators by Andrea Piparo

Home Plane

The Nine Hells

Alignment

Lawful Evil

Rakshasas are devilish creatures that are mischievous and cunning. They love to deal in cleverly calculated plans and are often considered highly intelligent, not to mention powerful.

What makes a Rakshasa such a great warlock patron is that you can never truly trust what they're telling you. This creates a ton of opportunities for players and DMs alike to have a lot of fun with roleplaying the warlock-patron relationship. Plus, because Rakshasas are such powerful spell casters, high-level players might think twice before challenging them.

8 Tiamat

Tiamat by Chris Rallis

Home Plane

The Nine Hells

Alignment

Lawful/Chaotic Evil

Tiamat was a lesser deity, an enormous five-headed dragon. Consumed by hatred and greed, TIamat's motivations were often the destruction of good-aligned dragons and parts of the material plane itself.

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Though she has, canonically, died, there's no reason why her spirit can't live on in the form of a warlock patron. Or, if your Dungeon Master has set a campaign during a period in Faerunian history in which Tiamat is alive, she can serve as an excellent patron. You can also consider using her rival, Bahamut, the deity of all good metallic dragons.

7 A Vampire

Vampires by Carlo Arellano

Home Plane

Any

Alignment

Lawful Evil

Vampires make for fantastic warlock patrons, especially for high-level characters. If you want a real challenge, talk to your DM about having your patron be a Vampire Umbral Lord, a creature that boasts one of the most powerful stat blocks in Dungeons & Dragons.

You can also use a classic vampire like Strahd von Zarovich, who might prove to be a fantastic challenge for DMs to roleplay. Whichever direction you go in, vampires are great thanks to their highly charismatic nature, devious plots, and necrotic magics.

6 A Night Hag

A Hag's Bargain by Linda Lithen

Home Plane

The Feywild, Other Lower Planes

Alignment

Neutral Evil

Extremely powerful and devious, Night Hags are among some of the most powerful fey creatures imaginable. They only serve their own interests thanks to their neutral alignment. Though most of the time, Night Hags work alone, you could also talk to your DM about having your patron be a coven of hags that forces you to do their bidding.

Like many of the other patrons on this list, the best warlock patrons are often evil or neutrally aligned, especially for expert-level players. This is because deriving your powers from a maligned creature means you'll often be nerfing yourself, providing a stronger roleplay challenge at your table. While not the most optimized, a night hag helps in this endeavor.

5 Zariel

Sword of Zariel via Wizards of the Coast

Home Plane

Avernus

Alignment

Lawful Evil

Zariel is a classic figure from the history of Dungeons & Dragons, an archdevil who fell from grace to become a warmongering, much-feared creature. However, in some ways, there are two versions of Zariel you can use to serve as your warlock patron.

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First, you could use the classically understood version of Zariel, a battle-obsessed, combat-driven devil with an impressive suite of powers and wings. Or, you can use pre-fall Zariel and ask your DM to roleplay Zariel's previous solar form, taking on the powers of a celestial. Either way, you'll be in for a really fun roleplay challenge.

4 A Beholder

Beholder by Eric Belisle

Home Plane

Material Plane, The Underdark

Alignment

Lawful Evil

If your player-character happened to stumble into the Underdark as part of their backstory, it's possible they made a deal with a powerful Beholder, who has promised them knowledge and power in exchange for advancing a devious scheme of theirs. Beholders often plan in centuries, making them fascinating creatures to roleplay and interact with.

Additionally, because Beholders are so powerful in their own right, they'll prove difficult to disagree with as a player. This can place your PC in a lot of tough situations, where they might have to choose between what they want and what's best for their party, and what their patron wants. Plus, a journey into the Underdark to visit your patron can prove interesting for a high-level player.

3 A Kraken

Kraken by Richard Luong

Home Plane

Elemental Plane of Water, Material Plane

Alignment

Chaotic Evil

Krakens are great for warlocks who have selected the fathomless subclass. These titanic creatures don't necessarily plan or scheme in the way that other patrons on this list might, but their primordial wisdom should still be feared, as should their strength.

Krakens also make for fantastic backstory development as a warlock. How did your warlock come to meet a kraken in the first place? And when they did, how did they survive? Answering these questions with your DM can help create a really unique backstory for your character, one that your table is sure to find memorable.

2 Baphoment

Minotaur of Baphoment by Brian Valenzuela

Home Plane

The Abyss

Alignment

Chaotic Evil

Baphomet is an iconic demon lord from the annals of history in Dungeons & Dragons. This demon rules over beasts in the Endless Maze, taking on the form of a large minotaur-like being. Baphomet will prove to be a useful patron for any chaotically aligned warlock PC.

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What makes Baphomet one of the more interesting choices for a warlock patron is that he has many other followers and worshippers across the realms. This can make for interesting roleplay interactions between your warlock and cultists and other worshippers of the demon. You can also multiclass your warlock with nature and beast-based classes like druid or ranger for some interesting roleplay opportunities and optimization.

1 The Wand Of Orcus

Wand of Orcus by Conceptopolis

Home Plane

Material Plane

Alignment

Chaotic Evil

Last but not least, the Wand of Orcus is another sentient magical item that can also be used as a warlock patron in the right circumstances. While using Orcus himself as a patron is always an option, sometimes, having his wand is enough, especially because having this item in your possession might mean you need to sleep with one eye open.

The Wand usually appears to those that Orcus believes can serve him, meaning that, if your warlock has it in their possession, there's probably a good reason. This presents a great opportunity for your DM and for your warlock as well, testing whether or not it feels worth it to wield this wand, knowing that it probably serves a more nefarious purpose.

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Dungeons and Dragons

9.0/10 Franchise Dungeons & Dragons Original Release Date 1974 Publisher Wizards of the Coast Designer E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson Player Count 2+ Expand Collapse