D&D Lore - The Great Old Ones

Does James May count as a Great Old One?

I thought Tharisdon was a 4ed base campaign thing. And that setting I thought wasn't on Oerth.

You forgot karsus.

The intro sounds like something a bard would say

Completely irrelevant to the topic of the video, but that map superimposing the World of Greyhawk over the continents of Earth can’t be quite right, can it? Like, the Amedio Jungle is a warm tropical rain forest; should it be at the same latitude as Lake Baikal? But I guess anything is possible in fantasy.

I made a great old one warlock once that believed he was a cleric of a forgotten mulhorandi deity and was actively helping to spread awareness of his god... Except that this god had nothing to do with Egypt and everything to do with Lovecraft. A priest of Nyarlathotep was a character I wanted so badly to play, but that group fell apart due to scheduling conflicts

Wait, so are oberiths ancient demons or primordials?

A patron might not even know a warlock is drawing from their power? That's kinda neat.

im playing a warlock that worships all great old ones in a very chaotic way

I shall forever remain a Warlock of the Abyss, nothing like a pact with Shaktari, Queen of the Mariliths

Question, Just played DnD for the first time and one of the characters I want to make in the future is a warlork and the DM mention about these patrons to make a pact with. My idea of this warlock is that he was raise to be a warlock to the point is that he is just depress and is gloomy 24/7. His goal into adventuring is he want to "feel" joy and happiness. I just wondering which patrons would be best suited to his personality and goal? After watching this video, maybe the night serpent? That way maybe he is depress that the night serpent will break free in the future and will end in the world but before that happened, he want to feel joy and happiness as like a bucket list?

There really aren't enough Great Old Ones given in D&D lore, but a name which comes up in 5E that a DM could build on is "Hadar," which is mentioned in a couple of spell names and which would clearly for a GOOlock patron.

You mean Hadar as in Arms of Hadar in Hunger of Hadar?!?!

My first character was a Warlock from Anauroch whose patron was Zorc Necrophades, the main villain from Yu-Gi-Oh!. As my DM learned more about him he classified him as a Great Old One that was attracted to the darkness in mortal's hearts. So long as their is light, there will be darkness.

My character is a Great Old One Tomelock patroned by Hastur, The King in Yellow. Instead of a generic warlock tome, his pact boon is an old tattered late 19th century diary formerly belonging to one 'Mr. Robert William Chambers'.

just think, to the far realm we are the lovecraftean horrors that incite madness in those who observe us.

I'd like to share my Old Ones packed warlock backstory concept (without plotholes):

Owen Wrang was borned as a son of an ex-traveller human alchemist Gilbert Wrang and a noble elf poet Thelena Landre. As a poor potion salesman Gilbert used love potions to force Thelena to fall in love with him. But the potions losed their effectiveness in a short time. So Gilbert made a ritual calling for an Old God to make Thelena love him. The Old One recieved the call and injected small aberrations into him and her brains. This made them able to hear voices that noone else with telepathy. The Old One gived them orders also syncronised their thoughts, manipulated them to love each other.

Owen was borned with the same aberration in hes mind, but the Old One couldn't get control above him because it was his parents who made the pact. It was enough to create a puppet from him by his parent's manipulation in his early ages. Gilbert forced him to learn black magic, also made him able to do things the Old One wants. After Owen was killing one of his classmates and ran home he asked his father why he teaches him magic that is only for harm others, and why couldn't he be just as normal like everyone? His dad and mom under the Old One's control realised that their method doesn't work well so they wanted to put Owen to sleep and finish a ritual on him to reach a higher level in his development, but he realised the trap. That night he managed to escape home, but the manifestation of the Old God slaped him with a tentacle on his face deformed it by an ugly burned scar, also blinded him for half-eye. That strike nearly killed the young hal-elf. This attack wasn't for kill him but to activate the aberration in his brain by touching it with an unknown psychic power. The Old One succeed its plan, but only halfway.

Owen mostly rejects orders by his strong will, in other situations also in danger he sets the power of aberration free from control to save him. But every time he uses his magic he lost some from his authority.

After some time as he became stronger he made a direct contact with his patron to make a deal, which concludes that Owen will become stronger and will serve the Old God with its given magical power in exchange for his parent's freedom.

Dendar is female not a dude

I have a warlock who made a pact with a fallen meteor. It enjoys causing extinction level events on planets, drawing in all the life of its victims, only the last time it did it, it didn't quite get enough power to remain active. It bides its time, making bargains and offering up slivers of itself as weapons to worthy servants.

I’m playing The Ghost of Saltmarsh right now with a Changeling Great Old One Warlock of Caiphon, the Dream Whisperer and oh boy. I have it to where upon being forced into a pack with them her core personas as a Changeling basically became their own people. Especially one of them who acts as the pact persona. He’s absolutely insane. She also ended up becoming an aberrant horror (Usage from D&D Grim Hollow) since she learns forbidden information, spells, and secrets. Some of which include seeing how different timelines and universes play out, looking into different planes (especially the Far Realms), and learning information that could drive a person mad. Everyday I have to roll for what I call a “Bleeding effect” which, no not the damage type, but where there’s a 25% chance one of her core personas will bleed into her that day and she acts more like them. We’ve only had 2 sessions so far but it’s been really fun and crazy to play and I can’t wait to do more with her!

I find it interesting when someone tries to explain the unexplainable. The far realm is so alien we literally cannot imagine how weird it is.

Tharizdun has a pretty crazy and awesome backstory - it's been done in other videos, but here it is in a nutshell.

Obyrith demons enter the D&D multiverse and bring with them a relic called the Shard of Ultimate Evil (or something to that effect) and Tharizdun touches it, and quickly goes totally insane, but holding on to his sanity just long enough to cast the Shard into the Elemental Chaos rather than the Astral Plane, thus creating The Abyss. Still, it's enough to literally make every god and primordial stop fighting each other and team up to stop Tharizdun from destroying the D&D multiverse. He's now trapped in a prison somewhere in the Deep Ethereal Plane, which is locked with three hundred gems, each an artifact in its own right. But the prison is more mental than physical - Tharizdun is only trapped in this prison because he thinks he won, and if he ever realizes - or perhaps ONCE he realizes - that he's in a prison, he'll bust out effortlessly and finish what he set out to do.

I'm currently doing a campaign as a Fallen Aasimar Warlock who's following The Great Old Ones. Specifically the Night Serpent. I'd love to know more on it as I don't have any books.

Oh i thought the great old was was Tharizdun. So dnd has its own pocket eldritch universe.

Dendar is female.

skaven moons! uh oh

Not considering previous editions is right, Limbo is supposed to be pure chaos and madness inducing.

Ironically, retconning the mind flayers, aboleths, and eye tyrants as from the far realm makes them LESS interesting!

Great old ones warlock spell casting modifier should be intelligence not charisma because the power comes from the knowledge of the unknown and forgotten.

The stars were in the Abolethic sovereignty trilogy. Also Dendarr was in the second to last book of the Avatar’s series and the chaos hound was in the last book of the same series. Khezef is addicted to eating clerics, so that’s a fun warlock patron

A patron who doesn't even know a warlock is leeching power off them sounds like said warlock winning the patron lottery. They get all the power of being a warlock without their patron demanding them to do stuff or being under their thumb.

idea that crossed my mind after watching this video: a magic item called the "Helm of Comprehension"
It allows the wearer to comprehend anything, even if such knowledge would drive one insane otherwise
(but if removed after experiencing something that would cause insanity/madness, then the former wearer will go insane)

I started to play d&d whit my friends and I didn't know wich old one yo pick so I decided to go whit Azathoth and write a little bit of lore of it. My character saw azathot in a dream, in the dream he killed a child and was covered in scars wich are eldritch texts, when he woke up, he didn't saw the scars or blood but that night a group devoted to keep Azathot asleep found him.some years after that Nyarlathotep disguised as a high priest of the church made him and his teacher perform a ritual, the teacher kill herself before killing my character and teleport him away letting him know that Nyarlathotep wants to wake up Azathot.
It's not lovecraft Canon but I like it

Do all great old ones have to be cold and cruel ? I mean is it impossible for a benevolent great old one to exist?

My warlocks great old one is Azathoth and his goal is to become powerful enough to get his attention and wake him up so that reality ends and my warlock can get some fucking peace

My campaign utilizes these gods a great deal. In my campaign the world of Man and Mer is the homeworld of the Old Ones, and after an ancient war mankind, using stone obelisks and the magics of the Old Ones themselves, sent the Old Ones into the far realms and trapped them there. After this, "the Age of Madness" the world continued to utilize the magics of the Old Ones until a being arrived upon the world and uplifted a select few people to Godhood. He abolished the use of the old magics and founded an empire before leaving. Over time each of the Gods passed on their new magic (the magic used by wizards and sorcerers) and then also left to travel the cosmos. Now the obelisks are buried and hidden, and only a few people have access to The Old Ones magic. So essentially in my campaign the Old Ones magic is man and mers original source of magic. All other magic is alien to the world.

Flying spaghetti monster

Is the PH an Old One? Is that why is must remain silent?

Was the PH sacrificed to an Old One?

Im playing in a dnd club, and my character is a goofy doctor who accidentaly stumbled into a pact with a great old one.

Warlocks getting Power from The Great Old Ones makes no sense.
Yes they would be kinda powerful but they would become mad.

That description of the far realm Just screams R'lyeh and Lovecraft

I love the great old ones good job jorphie

Im about to make a chtulu warlock ok bye

Why do you have a bunch of pictures from hp lovecraft and wow like c'thun, cthulu and the king in yellow?

I once ran a game using The Great Old Ones. I used the Gwar song, The Horror of Yig to help drive my players nuts (kinda). Some of the characters even survived the game (sorta) But hey, we all had fun for 3 games.

I just wish the pact did more trippy stuff, or more interesting passive perks. There’s so much crazier stuff they could have done than what they did, and it’s slightly disappointing. So I guess more active passive abilities, or ones that are more unique/impactful. Like telepathy is cool, but it’s not super impactful.

I don’t find the warlock fun. They are pretty muck. Eldritch blast with agonizing hex

I just can’t see this as a pc acceptable pace. Seems like a villain pact along with fiends

My warlock’s own GOO patron is Zargon the Returner. There’s a surprising amount of lore in the 3.5e book Elder Evils - e.g. Zargon was made from the blood of Asmodeus when he was cast from the heavens into Baator. Then it ruled over the hells until Asmodeus recovered from his fall and kicked it out.

Makes for a pretty fun devil-hating warlock!