Extraplanar and Native- a few questions

[Belkarseviltwin]

So the rules state that a creature has the Extraplanar subtype when not on its home plane and the Native subtype if it is an Outsider on its home plane. How does this work when the caster and target of a spell are on different planes?

This came from thinking about Titans gating in other Titans:

Say Joe the Titan is in a fight on the Prime Material Plane and needs help. He decides to gate in his friend Bob the Titan to help out. However, Bob is currently relaxing on his home plane of Arborea and therefore has the Native subtype. Sensibly this can't stop him being a target for the spell, otherwise it would make the spell borderline useless! But RAW it seems to- unless the subtype is determined by the location of the caster. This would make sense, but I can't find anything saying it.

And then there's the converse- now Joe is in Arborea and wants to gate in Bob, who is adventuring on the Prime Material Plane and therefore has the Extraplanar subtype. Can he, or will the fact that Bob will lose the Extraplanar subtype on arrival stop him?

Relatedly, the spell Banishment says that it "enables you to force extraplanar creatures out of your home plane." Does this mean that it does not work if you are not on your home plane (even if the target also isn't)? For example, could a Solar on the Prime Material plane use it on a demon?

[Red Fel]

So the rules state that a creature has the Extraplanar subtype when not on its home plane and the Native subtype if it is an Outsider on its home plane. How does this work when the caster and target of a spell are on different planes?

Hold on. You got the first part right - any creature not on its home plane gets the (Extraplanar) subtype. But the (Native) subtype doesn't mean you're an Outsider on your home plane. It means (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#nativeSubtype):
A subtype applied only to outsiders. These creatures have mortal ancestors or a strong connection to the Material Plane and can be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected just as other living creatures can be. Creatures with this subtype are native to the Material Plane (hence the subtype’s name). Unlike true outsiders, native outsiders need to eat and sleep.

Important distinction. A Solar, for example, isn't an Outsider (Good, Native) when in its home plane; it's just an Outsider (Good). And unlike the (Extraplanar) subtype, which mostly just means you can be banished, the (Native) subtype has serious mechanical effects - you need to eat and sleep, and can be resurrected. The presence of one does not preclude the other - a Native Outsider in Limbo is an Outsider (Native, Extraplanar), for example.


Say Joe the Titan is in a fight on the Prime Material Plane and needs help. He decides to gate in his friend Bob the Titan to help out. However, Bob is currently relaxing on his home plane of Arborea and therefore has the Native subtype. Sensibly this can't stop him being a target for the spell, otherwise it would make the spell borderline useless! But RAW it seems to- unless the subtype is determined by the location of the caster. This would make sense, but I can't find anything saying it.

Logic dictates that, when the spell refers to calling "an extraplanar creature," it would have to be based on the caster's present plane. A creature on its home plane isn't extraplanar; if it were based on the target's plane, targets on their home plane would be immune to the spell.

Again, note that a Titan on Arborea is not a Native Outsider. He's just an Outsider who presently lacks the (Extraplanar) subtype.


Relatedly, the spell Banishment says that it "enables you to force extraplanar creatures out of your home plane." Does this mean that it does not work if you are not on your home plane (even if the target also isn't)? For example, could a Solar on the Prime Material plane use it on a demon?

Hmm. By RAW, this is ambiguous. On the one hand, it says you force an extraplanar creature out of your home plane. If you're (Extraplanar) as well, that won't work. On the other hand, the spell is described as a more powerful version of Dismissal, which simply says that it "forces an extraplanar creature back to its proper plane" with no regard to the caster's home. So I couldn't say.