4E's Arcane Power introduced Vestige Binders as an alternate pact for warlocks. So I play a Vestige-Binder in Living Realms, and someone asked me about how far you can go in expanding the list of vestiges. The starter vestiges in 4E are King Elidyr, Zutwa, and Mount Vaelis.

First off: where did the Vestiges come from? The 3E Tome of Magic. This article specifically adapts some of them for the Realms.


In general, you can't just introduce your own powers, but you certainly can 're-skin' the old ones.

For reference purposes here is a list from 3E.

Amon :: Darkvision, fire breath, ram attack    

Aym    :: Dwarven step, halo of fire, improved sunder, medium armour proficiency, resistance to fire, ruinous attack

Leraje  :: Hide bonus, low-light vision, precise shot, ricochet, weapon proficiency

Naberius :: Disguise self, faster ability healing, Naberius's skills, persuasive words, silver tongue    

Ronove :: Cold iron and magic attacks, far hand, feather fall, Ronove's fists, sprint

Dahlver-Nar  :: Mad soul, maddening moan, natural armour, shield self    

Haagenti  :: Confusing touch, immunity to transformation, shield proficiency, weapon proficiency    

Malphas :: Bird's eye viewing, invisibility, poiosn use, sudden strike    

Savnok  :: Call armour, heavy armour proficiency, move ally, Savnok's armour    

Andromalius  :: Jester's mirth, locate item, see the unseen, sense trickery, sneak attack    
 
Focalor  :: Aura of sadness, Focalor's breath, lightning strike, water breathing  

Karsus  :: Heavy magic, Karsus's senses, Karsus's touch, Karsus's will  

Paimon  :: Dance of death, Paimon's blades, Paimon's dexterity, Paimon's skills, uncanny dodge, whirlwind attack

Agares  ::   Earth and air mastery, earthshaking step, elemental companion, fear immunity, true speech  

Andras  ::  Weapon proficiency, mount, saddle sure, smite good or evil, sow discord, sure blows  

Buer  ::  Buer's knowledge, Buer's purity, delay diseases and poisons, fast healing, healing gift, track    

Eurynome  ::    Animal friend, damage reduction, Eurynome's maul, poison blood, water dancing

Tenebrous  :: Deeper darkness, see in darkness, touch of the void, turn/rebuke undead, vessel of emptiness

Acererak  :: Detect undead, hide from undead, lich's enerby immunities, paralyzing touch, speak with dead, undead healing  

Balam  ::     Balam's cunning, icy glare, prescience, weapon finesse  

Dantalion    ::    Awe of Dantalion, Dantalion knows, read thoughts, thought travel

Geryon  :: Acidic gaze, all-around vision, see in darkness, swift flight

Otiax  ::    Air blast, combat reflexes, concealing mist, open portal, unlock    

Chupoclops  :: Aura of despair, ethereal watcher, ghost touch, poison bite, pounce, soulsense  

Haures  ::  Inaccessible mind, incorporeal movement, major image, phantasmal killer  

Ipos     :: Cold iron claws, flash of insight, Ipos' influence, planar attenuation, rend  

Shax  :: Freedom of movement, immunity to electricity, storm strike, swim speed

Zagan  :: Aversion, improved grapple, scent, constrict, snake bane  

Eligor  :: Chromatic strike, Eligor's skill in the saddle, Eligor's strength, Eligor's resistance, heavy armour proficiency  

Marchosias    :: Death attack, fiery retribution, smoke form, silent and sure

Ashardalon  :: Ashardlon's greed, Ashardlon's presence, Ashardlon's vigour, fiend's heart

Halphax  :: Damage reduction, Halphax's knowledge, imprison, iron wall, secure shelter    

Orthos  :: Blindsight, displacement, whirlwind breath, whispering wind

So to explain, the 3e Binder was a "configure-able" class that could literally change it's abilities every time it played, and even re-configure during a game (through the act of "binding" a spirit.

A low level binder might begin by binding Amon (for a fire breath attack and rams horns) when it was time to fight.. then, later on summon and bind Naberius (for disguise, bluffing, and diplomacy).

The most interesting part of the Binder was also it's greatest weakness, because the binding part generally required some roleplaying (each of the vestige's is essentially an NPC). A weak/unskilled DM would flounder in the face of this kind of improvisation.

Imagine being told "Ok, hmm Looks like this altar needs to be destroyed. I am about to bind the vestige of the ancient dwarven queen Aym..  ok, so you play Aym. Go!"

DM: "whuh.. Aym? who is?"

Player: "Oh mighty Aym.. I call upon your greed and ruinous fury.."

DM:" What's ..wait. What are we doing?"

So pretty much that still is the case in 4E. However, players should learn to be a bit proactive and insert the RP where they can. There's no harm in doing it all yourself either:

Player: "I want to bind the vestige of Aym.."

DM: "Ok. You.. uhh.. do that".

Player: (channeling Aym) "I switch to speaking dwarven!.. Loyal subjects.. it's time we seized the gold that is so rightfully mine. I mean.. ours (twitch). "

So to bring this around to 4e and LFR.

1. There's only a limited number of vestiges in 4E so far.

2. You can't really alter or change stuff in LFR because it's a shared campaign.

However, roleplaying is always allowed.

And that turns out to be the answer.

There are other warlock powers available, that aren't specifically called out as "Vestige" powers. But they are serviceable. The example I am going to use is Dreadful Word.

Dreadful Word is a Star Pact power that inflicts psychic damage and a penalty to will defense.

"Dreadful Word: You whisper one word of an unthinkable cosmic secret to your foe. His mind reels in terror."

Definitely a Star Pact power. But warlocks aren't forced to choose only from their own pact, it's just that they don't get little bonus abilities if they have the matching pact. So let's take Dreaful Word, and instead let's call it "Aym's Curse". Aym (as a vestige) was said to have an especially ruinous and spiteful personality.. so instead of Dreadful Word, it becomes Aym's Curse.

Another example might be the daily ability "Flames of Phlegethos"

"Flames of Phlegethos: Rivulets of clinging liquid fire appear and cascade over your target. Anything that is flammable ignites at once and burns long after the streams of magic fire fade away."

Well, to match this with Amon's power (fiery breath and ram's horns) a player could simply describe ram's horns appearing as he channels the fury of Amon.. and breathes fire.

So these become vestige powers at that point, even if they aren't really.