Planar Binding

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• Level: 5
• School: Abjuration
• Class: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Warlock, Wizard
• Casting Time: 1 hour
• Range: 60 feet
• Components: V, S, M (a jewel worth 1,000+ GP, which the spell consumes)
• Duration: 24 hours

You attempt to bind a Celestial, an Elemental, a Fey, or a Fiend to your service. The creature must be within range for the entire casting of the spell. (Typically, the creature is first summoned into the center of the inverted version of the Magic Circle spell to trap it while this spell is cast.) At the completion of the casting, the target must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or be bound to serve you for the duration. If the creature was summoned or created by another spell, that spell's duration is extended to match the duration of this spell.

A bound creature must follow your commands to the best of its ability. You might command the creature to accompany you on an adventure, to guard a location, or to deliver a message. If the creature is Hostile, it strives to twist your commands to achieve its own objectives. If the creature carries out your commands completely before the spell ends, it travels to you to report this fact if you are on the same plane of existence. If you are on a different plane, it returns to the place where you bound it and remains there until the spell ends.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. The duration increases with a spell slot of level 6 (10 days), 7 (30 days), 8 (180 days), and 9 (366 days).

Tactical Usage

Forced Servitude Control. Planar Binding provides compelling extraplanar beings to serve through magical compulsion rather than negotiation, offering reliable access to powerful allies without payment concerns or service refusal risks.

Extended Duration Advantage. The scaling duration from 24 hours to over a year with higher-level slots makes this spell excellent for long-term projects, permanent installations, or extended campaigns requiring sustained extraplanar assistance.

Pre-Summoning Strategy. The requirement for targets to remain in range during the hour-long casting typically necessitates prior summoning and containment, creating multi-spell tactical combinations for successful binding operations.

Spell Combinations

Containment Necessity. Magic Circle (inverted) serves as the standard containment method during casting, preventing escape while the binding ritual progresses through its lengthy casting time.

Summoning Integration. Conjure Celestial, Conjure Elemental, or similar spells provide appropriate targets for binding, while Banishment can remove problematic beings if binding attempts fail.

Communication Preparation. Tongues ensures effective command delivery to bound creatures, while Comprehend Languages helps understand their responses and potential resistance methods.

Material Component Details

Significant Component Cost. The jewel worth 1,000+ gold pieces represents substantial investment but eliminates ongoing payment requirements that voluntary service arrangements typically demand.

Component Consumption. Unlike renewable material components, the consumed jewel makes each casting expensive, requiring careful consideration of binding targets and expected service duration.

Quality Considerations. Higher-value jewels might provide subtle advantages in binding success or creature cooperation, though the spell mechanics don't explicitly require enhanced components.

Creator Notes

Power Balance Tool. Planar Binding offers significant campaign advantages but requires substantial resource investment and multi-spell preparation, maintaining challenge balance through complexity rather than cost alone.

Hostile Creature Dynamics. Bound hostile creatures actively seek command interpretation that serves their goals, creating interesting roleplay opportunities and requiring careful command phrasing from players.

Long-Term Campaign Impact. Extended duration bindings can dramatically affect campaign dynamics, requiring Creator consideration of how permanent extraplanar servants influence story progression and challenge design.

Environmental Interactions

Planar Functionality. The spell works across planes once cast, though initial binding requires both caster and target to be on the same plane during the casting process.

Physical Manifestation. Bound creatures exist physically in whatever plane they're commanded to serve, subject to environmental conditions and local laws rather than existing as purely magical effects.

Duration Independence. Once bound, creatures remain compelled regardless of antimagic effects, plane shifts, or other magical interference that might affect ongoing spells or magical creatures.

Common Rulings & Clarifications

Command Interpretation. Bound creatures follow commands to the best of their ability, but hostile beings actively seek interpretation that advances their own goals while technically fulfilling orders.

Reporting Requirements. Creatures that complete assigned tasks travel to report completion if on the same plane, or return to their binding location if the caster is elsewhere.

Binding Scope. The spell affects celestials, elementals, fey, and fiends exclusively, preventing binding of other creature types regardless of their extraplanar origin or magical nature.

Duration Extension. Summoned creatures have their original summoning duration extended to match the binding duration, preventing early dismissal that would end the binding prematurely.

Alternative Applications

Permanent Installations. Year-long bindings enable creation of extraplanar guardians for important locations, ongoing construction projects, or long-term magical research requiring sustained supernatural assistance.

Information Extraction. Binding knowledgeable extraplanar beings provides access to cosmic lore, planar secrets, or ancient knowledge through compelled cooperation rather than voluntary sharing.

Specialized Services. Different creature types offer unique capabilities - celestials for healing and protection, elementals for environmental control, fey for illusion and enchantment, fiends for dark magic and intimidation.

Related Spells

Voluntary Alternatives. Planar Ally offers similar extraplanar assistance through negotiation rather than compulsion, with different cost structures and relationship dynamics.

Containment Magic. Magic Circle, Banishment, and Dismissal provide tools for managing extraplanar beings before, during, and after binding attempts.

Summoning Spells. Various conjuration effects provide appropriate targets for binding, while Gate offers alternative methods for accessing specific extraplanar beings.

Scaling Analysis

Exceptional Duration Scaling. The spell scales dramatically with higher-level slots, from 24 hours at 5th level to over a year at 9th level, providing exponentially increasing value with slot investment.

Campaign Integration. Higher-level applications enable permanent campaign changes through year-long extraplanar servants that can fundamentally alter party capabilities and story dynamics.

Economic Efficiency. While initial component costs are high, long-duration bindings provide exceptional value compared to repeated hiring or summoning of extraplanar assistance.

Narrative Flavor

Magical Compulsion Manifestation. The binding creates visible signs of supernatural control - glowing sigils, ethereal chains, or other magical markers that indicate the creature's compelled status.

Resistance Expression. Hostile bound creatures should demonstrate their resentment through body language, reluctant compliance, and creative command interpretation that technically fulfills orders while expressing displeasure.

Duration Conclusion. When binding expires, creatures often express relief, anger, or other emotions appropriate to their treatment during service, potentially affecting future relationships with the caster.