How Do You Use: The Pact of Brotherhood

[Library Ogre]

So, in theory, Warlocks who are in conflict will get together, talk about it, and, if it can't be resolved, sign off and kill each other after acknowledging it.

How do you handle this, in practice? If you've got two armies, do the warlocks get together the day before the battle and have tea? Does it preclude surprise attacks? Which monsters does this pact extend to? Dragons? Flying Turtles? Demons?

How do you use the Pact of Brotherhood in your games?

[drewkitty ~..~]

If the two warlocks are the leader of the armies then I would see them making one last chance to talk things out. But if they are just mercenaries hired onto opposing armies then they would not be in position to dictate the armies' actions.

Does not extend to anyone who is not a warlock. And in male dominated cultures it might not extend outside The Brotherhood.

[kiralon]

Depends on the situation and distance. I have elementals be able to detect warlocks at the same distance warlocks can detect elementals (120ft). Further out from that distance and an elemental can destroy a warlock without knowing he was a warlock.
Once the elemental knows the enemy warlock is there he will keep attacking but will make sure he doesn't hurt the warlock and will bellow out to the warlock that he is commanded to kill him and he understands if he needs to fight back and so on.
After the round of discovery its a full on fight. If the warlock wants to stop and discuss things the whole fight has to stop, and as drewkitty mentions that isn't likely.


@drewkitty - Does that mean all elementals are men

[Hendrik]

So, in theory, Warlocks who are in conflict will get together, talk about it, and, if it can't be resolved, sign off and kill each other after acknowledging it.

How do you handle this, in practice? If you've got two armies, do the warlocks get together the day before the battle and have tea? Does it preclude surprise attacks? Which monsters does this pact extend to? Dragons? Flying Turtles? Demons?

How do you use the Pact of Brotherhood in your games?

I love this feature of warlocks! It makes them the most civilized magic users.

I handle this like the ideal of professional code of conduct / ethics between lawyers. It is ok to go at each other's throat (litigation), but there is no reason not to be polite about it and observe proper form. In the end, all lawyers are of the same fraternity. There is a reason why one lawyer addresses the other with "my learned friend" or "my colleague" (England and Germany, respectively).

When one warlock is alerted to the fact that there is another warlock, he will do what he can to contact his brother and exchange what courtesy and brotherhood demand. Warlocks all think themselves selected from birth. They are a force for themselves, a (social) class on their own. I would imagine that everything else in the world is secondary to them and can wait until the necessary courtesy has been observed and perhaps the conflict resolved. I think this may even lead to a warlock leaving an army.

If he commands the army, he will stop the fight.

If he does not, he will act as he can to do what he NEEDS to do. No reason not to have a tea break with his colleague. Warlocks are not unlike elementals, I muse.

[eliakon]

So, in theory, Warlocks who are in conflict will get together, talk about it, and, if it can't be resolved, sign off and kill each other after acknowledging it.

How do you handle this, in practice? If you've got two armies, do the warlocks get together the day before the battle and have tea? Does it preclude surprise attacks? Which monsters does this pact extend to? Dragons? Flying Turtles? Demons?

How do you use the Pact of Brotherhood in your games?

In my over the top/less serious games I tend to try and have it be something out of the Princess Bride or a Gilbert and Sullivan.
"Terribly sorry old chap, but I'm terribly afraid I'm going to have to kill you now, nothing personal you understand."
"That's most distressing old bean, will most certainly disrupt my date tonight. I don't suppose you could be a dear and reschedule until Thursday?"
"Hmmm, I have to burn down the city by Thursday, but I could do Wednesday at midnight."
"Oh splendid, see you then"

In the more serious games...
In a battle I was involved in a while back two air elementals attack a ship that a Warlock is on.
They sense the warlock...
...and in the middle of the battle, while throwing spells at the rest of the crew and tearing up things (and the warlock is blowing the heck out of the other ship) the Elementals and the Warlock are having a polite conversation that went something like
"I'm so sorry little brother, but we are compelled to obey The One Who Called Us Forth. And That One has ordered that we slay all on this ship, I don't suppose you could leave the ship?"
"Terribly sorry, but I can't do that. I don't suppose that you were called by another little brother?"
"No, it was a fleshling who has bound us with mortals magic"
"I thought as much. Well then, would you mind sharing the exact orders with me please?"
"Of course little brother" <much sharing of orders follows>
"I notice that he has not ordered you to stop a warlock from killing him. I don't suppose you could allow me to do that, breaking the orders?"
"No, we could go home then."
"Ahhh I see."
Warlock then proceeds to kill the Summoner and save the day.

I have had Warlock generals in some of my worlds act like the quintessential British or Asian commanders and do things like send out formal "Notice of intent to invade" and in the current game the militaries of the game world (which employ a great deal of warlocks, fusionists, elementals and what not) have written in formal rules about notification, and proper code dulleo for their elemental forces so as to allow for their use in military action with out violating their Brotherhood. Since it is a well known feature of the classes and races it is planned for ahead of time up to and including making it a prosecutable war crime to arrange for the use of elemental forces to attack other elemental forces by stealth in violation of their code (for example by ordering air elementals to carry out a bombing mission of a known earth warlock temple).