Planar Binding and you . . . no, really, YOU!!

[Calimehter]

So, there are a fair few guides out there about how to planar bind . . . pretty much anything that you have the power to call up. Setting up the diagram/dimension anchor/binding spell per the PHB and then going to town with buffs/debuffs makes it pretty hard for a thoroughly prepared caster to miss the various checks that the spell calls for.

So, lets assume that your PC has annoyed an extraplanar being (or one who can get to another plane to cast the spells) that can fire off planar binding, and said being has the Knowledge (either personal experience or skill checks) to know who you are.

How do you stop said being from Planar Binding you?

[Alleran]

"Target: One elemental or outsider with 6 HD or less"

That. If you're not an elemental or outsider, you can't be the target of planar binding spells.

Granted, this does mean that an aasimar or tiefling spellcaster is up the proverbial creek if they annoy the wrong people.

[Slipperychicken]

You get a Will save to resist, so take that one Diamond Mind maneuver* and pump your Concentration check through the roof? Regular planar binding is a 6th level spell (and lesser is 5th), you only need to worry about DCs ranging from ~17-21 ish.

* (lets you replace Will save with Concentration check, natural 1 isn't auto-fail)

You can also Iron Heart Surge the summoning circle's magic.

[Calimehter]

Heh. I spent a fair amount of time reading the binding guides, and the various text-heavy spell descriptions in the PHB . . . and somehow I just glossed right over the target limitations. Oops. :smallsigh:


Still, PCs are sometimes outsiders. NPC outsiders might be interested in defending themselves too (see Sigil, citizens thereof).

What methods would they use?

I like IHS and the Diamond Mind/concentration bit.

Diplomancing the caster of the binding spell is a possibility, is it not?

Is it possible for a being trapped in a circle to use an SLA or spell to summon help? The Dimensional Anchor effect prevents the binding target from using its own travel abilities, but it does not prevent summons of other help. My reading of the Magic Circle spell/diagram indicates that the summons would have to happen within the circle where the binding target already is (meaning nothing too terribly big) and that none of the summoned creature's attacks or abilities can cross the diagram either. There's still some benefits from doing this, though:

1) Access to SLAs you might not otherwise have. Even if its for nothing more than getting extra dispels and/or protection from debuffs

2) If a binding target was able to summon a creature whose alignment was *not* covered by the Magic Circle (i.e. a good creature inside a Magic Circle of good) that creature would ignore the restrictions of the magical trap.

Am I reading those right?

[Particle_Man]

Contingency spell - if one is bound, it summons something really nasty outside of the binding circle?

[Calimehter]

I'm not sure that would work. A summons cast by the binding target can't go outside the circle, and I don't think that the fact that the spell was triggered by a contingency instead of just cast outright lets you get around the circle diagram's restrictions. If you had some way to have the contingency go off before the binding "sucked you in", it might work, but then you would have to have a contingent spell that was able to summon across planar boundaries (since it was triggered before you went into the circle) as well as knowing the location of the binding caster before the spell pulled you across. It might be possible, but I'm not sure.

Though the Planar Binding spell doesn't specifically say so, one would presume that a target that was being prevented from dimensional travelling *before* the binding was cast would not be able to be called into the circle diagram by the binding spell in the first place. Maybe a contingency where Dimensional Anchor is cast if one is the target of a Planar Binding spell (or any baleful travel effect) would work?

[Crake]

Just wear a toggleable vest of dimensional anchor. Whenever you need to teleport, deactivate the vest, then once you're done, re-activate it. Assuming you're immune to divinations, the only way someone could time a planar binding correctly would be to have someone near you when you teleport, cast sending to inform the enemy that you're not anchored, and then they cast planar binding. Not entirely fool-proof, but that's a rather small window. There is of course, the other option of being more than 18 HD, meaning not even greater planar binding can bind you, although you still have to worry about gate at that point.

Still if you're more than 18 HD, you can probably have access to wish, meaning you can just wish your way out of the binding, since that isn't a teleportation effect, and thus not stopped by dimensional anchor.

[SimonMoon6]

"Target: One elemental or outsider with 6 HD or less"

That. If you're not an elemental or outsider, you can't be the target of planar binding spells.

Granted, this does mean that an aasimar or tiefling spellcaster is up the proverbial creek if they annoy the wrong people.

Eh, they just make sure to have more than 6 HD. Anybody with less than that isn't a worthwhile character anyway. :)

[Necroticplague]

This whole thread reminds me of an interesting campaign I was in. By coincidence, we all ended up as outsiders. It ended being a very convenient source of plot hooks (and way to keep up with WBL, a good chunk came as payment). Heck, once our power and fame grew, we even got summoned by name via gate sometimes. I ended up with the brunt of it because my characters title was the same as the name of a type of devil, so I got the occasional mix-up.

[Deophaun]

Fortunately, Planar Binding requires LoE, so this will never come up for anyone, ever.*

*Navy color for partial sarcasm due to rules dysfunction.