Have you ever struggled with making guilds seem worthwhile for your players? Do you want to offer them perks for infiltrating a secret society? Maybe you have a group of warlocks who all have the same patron, and you’d like to up the stakes. Well, look no further than Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.
Wizards of the Coast’s newest expansion introduce a concept called Group Patrons. These patrons provide a strong binding element: an individual or an organization that unites a party as a team in service to a greater purpose. Basically, Group Patrons are a way to help bond your players together by rewarding them and providing them with assignments and quests.
One feature you can grant to your players is the Group Assistance feature. Having a group patron gives an adventuring group a common purpose, which inspires better coordination in the form of guidance and encouragement. As a result of this unity, each member of the party can grant advantage to an ability check, an attack roll, or a saving throw of another member of the party. To grant advantage in this way, a character and the chosen target must be able to see or hear each other, and neither can be incapacitated. Once a party member grants this advantage, that individual can’t do so again until they finish a long rest.
The main benefit for players that are more reward-seeking types is something called Perks. Perks range from typical business arrangements, such as a steady wage and access to staff facilities, to extraordinary boons, such as audiences with powerful figures or exceptions from certain laws. Specific perks are presented in the description of each group patron, which will be covered in separate articles.
The best way to get your group to really start feeling like a team is to start giving them Assignments are missions that give your adventurers a springboard for adventure. This can lead to tricky or interesting situations for your players if they should refuse or fail an assignment.
There are 8 different Group Patrons listed in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, but feel free to work with your DM/players on homebrewed Group Patrons using the rules listed in the book. The 8 Group Patrons in TCoE are as follows:
Academy, Ancient Being, Aristocrat, Criminal Syndicate, Guild, Military Force, Religious Order, Sovereign.
If you like this content and would like to view more, it’s recommended to visit the Unearthed Arcana portion of the DnD website for more information. Stay tuned for coverage on the individual Group Patrons in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything!
