You beseech an otherworldly entity for aid. The being must be known to you: a god, a primordial, a demon prince, or some other being of cosmic power. That entity sends a celestial, an elemental, or a fiend loyal to it to aid you, making the creature appear in an unoccupied space within range. If you know a specific creature's name, you can speak that name when you cast this spell to request that creature, though you might get a different creature anyway (GM's choice).
When the creature appears, it is under no compulsion to behave in any particular way. You can ask the creature to perform a service in exchange for payment, but it isn't obliged to do so. The requested task could range from simple (fly us across the chasm, or help us fight a battle) to complex (spy on our enemies, or protect us during our foray into the dungeon). You must be able to communicate with the creature to bargain for its services.
Payment can take a variety of forms. A celestial might require a sizable donation of gold or magic items to an allied temple, while a fiend might demand a living sacrifice or a gift of treasure. Some creatures might exchange their service for a quest undertaken by you.
As a rule of thumb, a task that can be measured in minutes requires a payment worth 100 gp per minute. A task measured in hours requires 1,000 gp per hour. And a task measured in days (up to 10 days) requires 10,000 gp per day. The GM can adjust these payments based on the circumstances under which you cast the spell. If the task is aligned with the creature's ethos, the payment might be halved or even waived. Nonhazardous tasks typically require only half the suggested payment, while especially dangerous tasks might require a greater gift. Creatures rarely accept tasks that seem suicidal.
After the creature completes the task, or when the agreed-upon duration of service expires, the creature returns to its home plane after reporting back to you, if appropriate to the task and if possible. If you are unable to agree on a price for the creature's service, the creature immediately returns to its home plane.
A creature enlisted to join your group counts as a member of it, receiving a full share of experience points awarded.
Is there not a spell called something along the lines of lesser planar ally
Searched it up. From what I found, it seems that spell is only for 3.5.
Is there any defined CR limit for the entity that appears?
There doesn't appear to be a defined limit to the CR. It's up to the DM to determine what shows up, and then how to run the social encounter for negotiating payment.
That being said, I wouldn't be letting players summon up any ol' Solar, Pit Fiend, Elder Evil, etc.
Perhaps begin with lower-tier emissaries by default, and provide more powerful entities as trust is built up with the "otherwordly entity" that the spell contacts.
With the DM having control over the entity, and that entity behaving normally (not compelled to obey the caster) a player summoning something that powerful can be just as dangerous for the party as whatever situation they are trying to get out of by calling the planar creature. Sucks to call in reinforcements and having them turn on you because the opportunity seemed worth it to the planar entity.
Assuming the Dm is fine with it, could a dragon be considered a viable option for a planar ally, if its the chosen/favored beast of tne deity in question?
Summon tiamat - the dragon god way too op lol 😂
What happens to the equipment of the summoned planar ally if it is killed prior to completing its task? Is there an official rule on this?
I would assume it returns with the creature.
This is what I really like about this spell. There’s a built-in investment for the relationship between the caster and their patron.
The ability to request a specific creature adds an opportunity for a little occult research, tracking down the name that a powerful Celestial or Fiend might actually answer to.
That is completely reasonable, depending on the deity you are appealing to.
RAW the spell does specify “Celestial,” “Elemental,” or “Fiend,” but the dragons who dwell in the courts of gods like Baphomet and Tiamat on the Outer Planes, are Celestial or Fiend.
When Wizards of the Coast made this spell, they though enough to include demon princes, archfiends, archfey, primordials, etc.Warlocks already have such a little number of upper level spells to chose from. There is no reason why NOT this spell should be included for Warlocks.
Would be an interesting Arcanum.
This seems like a pretty costly spell under most circumstances. Granted, if you summon a planar ally from your own deity, the ally may serve you for free, but only if the DM wants to do that. It's great for role-playing, but its definitely a spell to discuss with your DM beforehand so everyone has the same expectations.
Does anyone know why fey are omitted from the list of potential allies?
They are? I would assume they were just dragons in a different place.
I would assume it was because, at the time, there weren't many fey that were worth burning a 6th level spell slot to summon. The strongest fey creature in the Basic Rules/MM was the Covenant Variant Green Hag, at CR 5, but they wouldn't even be able to cast those coven spells without the other coven members.... Also Hags are loyal to nobody, so there aren't any Archfey who could send a hag.
Now that there is a CR10 fey Eladrin statblock (4 actually) I'd probably let my players contact an archfey... A few archfey are basically gods in their own right anyway.
It seems fit for them. Maybe add a restriction for what creatures you can summon. The creature you call in must be an emissary of your warlock patron. That way, a Fiend warlock can't summon a celestial and vice versa.
The one spell I am genuinely upset there's not an Optional Known Spells inclusion for Warlocks. Literally the best spell for a Warlock, especially while performing Patron tasks.
Can you combine this with a glyph of warding?