#RPGaDAY – August 1, 2025 (PATRON)

 

#RPGaDAY – August 1, 2025 (PATRON)

PATRON – Old Man Winter (aka Sankt Nikolai)

 

            Hearty residents of the north often pay homage to Sankt Nikolai, the Old Man of Winter.  During the dark bitter cold times of the Winter Solstice, Old Man Winter offers warmth, protection, and bounty to the good folks of the north, especially innocent children, and their care givers. It is said that he knows when someone has been naughty or nice, bringing gifts and presents to good virtuous people and punishments to other morally questionable individuals.

 

Warlocks who bind themselves to Old Man Winter pledge to protect the good and punish the evil doers of the Northlands. They often gain resistances to nonmagical cold, the ability to see into someone’s heart, and the expertise to safely travel through difficult snow and ice terrain.

 

They gain access to a special Eldritch Invocation:

*The Pact of the Sack – Gain access to an extra-dimensional space, held within a bag, sack, or other storage item. The enchanted item functions as a magical item of holding for the warlock only.  Additionally, one time per level per long rest, the warlock can reach into the item and pull forth a wanted or needed gift to give to good children and worthy individuals listed on Santa’s NICE list.  This power works only once per year on an individual.

 

Old Man Winter Pact Spells – Beacon of Hope, Detect Evil/Good, Invisibility, Jump, Misty Step, Pass without Trace, Silence, and Sleep.

 

Level 3:  *Knowledge of the List

 As a bonus action, upon concentrating on a person, the warlock knows where they fall on the naughty (evil) or nice (good) list. Confirming where someone is on Santa’s list first, before using the Pact of the Sack gift power increases the inherent value of the gift selected.

             

   *Sankt’s Endurance

The warlock gains +1 to their constitution.  If they choose to do an ability score increase at level 4, they cannot put a further 2 points into constitution, but can choose to put one point into any 2 attributes, including constitution.

                 *Santa Sight

 Gain the ability to see in normal non-magical darkness as if it were daylight out to 30 feet.

 

Level 6: *Gift of the Heart

After one minute of concentration of a worthy person, the warlock understands what their heart desires and can utilize the Pact of the Sack gift power to best fulfill that longing or wish.  If the desire is non-material, the power subtly helps bring about their desire, setting it in process if possible.  This gift cannot kill anyone, make anyone fall in or out of love, or raise the dead.

            *Protection of the North

The warlock becomes immune to nonmagical cold conditions and the ability to safely traverse difficult snow and ice terrain as if it were normal. 

 

Level 10: *Blessings of the Alfar

At this level, the warlocks’ normal life span increases to that of an elf and they gain the following elvish traits:

*Their Santa Sight range increases to 60 feet and they can also see in magical darkness as if it was low light out to 30 feet.

*Gain advantage on saving throws to avoid or end all charm and sleep conditions.

*Gain proficiency in Insight, Perception, and Survival skills. If the warlock already has proficiency in these skills, they gain expertise instead.

*They gain the ability to cast Invisibility, Misty Step, and Silence spells once per short rest without using a spell slot.  

 

 

Level 14: *Favor of the Long Night

At this level, the warlock can choose to function normally without any sleep for a number of days equal to their constitution attribute bonus. Furthermore, if they can spend at least 4 hours of continuous non-strenuous quiet activity, they can gain the benefits of a short rest. They can do this once every 12 hours.  This could include things like riding in a wagon or ship, keeping watch while others sleep, slowly strolling around a small peaceful village, or even riding a gentle slow-moving horse. Conversation, light reading, eating, and drinking are allowed in moderation, although alcohol consumption can be counter productive to this resting period.

When they do next sleep, they require at least 8 continuous hours of deep slumber per day previously spent going without.  For example, if they went 3 full days without sleep, they would need to be able to sleep for a full 24 hours to recover.  Failure to meet this requirement keeps them from gaining any benefits of a short or long rest and any difficult or complex tasks, whether mental or physical are completed with disadvantage.

             *Time’s Blessing

With Time’s Blessing, the warlock can temporarily keep the grains of sand from falling in an hourglass for others around them.  One time per long rest, they can cast a Time Stop spell without using a spell slot. They are limited in how many times they can do this per level, based on their charisma attribute bonus. This number is set when they gain a new level, even if they gain additional charisma before they gain a new level. However, if at any time they lose charisma, their number of uses drops until it is restored.

 

The Old Man Winter Patron comes from an idea I have for a holiday themed one-shot adventure I have been thinking about for a couple of years, entitled “Operation Santa’s Bag.”  During this adventure, various pre-gen heroes set out to rescue a kidnapped Santa Clause and recover his stolen bag of presents before the nightmare of Christmas being ruined comes to pass.  

Some of the playable characters include Ruddi RN Reindeer, a Oath of the Christmas Spirit Paladin; Blitzen, a Way of the Drunken Master Monk; The Mean-One Monster and his fey dog familiar Max; The Thief on a Shelf, Pepper Minstix, a female Winter Elf  Rogue; Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, a Path of the Blizzard Barbarian; and of course, Frosty the Snowman, a frozen water elemental Warlock, with Santa Claus, the Old Man of Winter for a Patron.

This is very much still just a slow work in progress interesting idea.