How to Summon A Specific Ghost?

[Palanan]

Are there any ways to summon the ghost of a specific individual?

I’m open to any options from official Wizards or Pathfinder sources. Looking for any ritual, spell, artifact, anything that would allow you to call up an individual ghost, especially when there are no remains involved.

[InvisibleBison]

Gate can get it done. When not manifested, a ghost is on the Ethereal Plane. Since becoming a ghost doesn't change the creature's habitat, it's not native to the Ethereal Plane, so it gains the extraplanar subtype while there.

[Feantar]

If you don't mean summon in the RAW sense, you could use planar binding with Ghostwalk's ghost variant (it's an outsider). Otherwise, travel to another plane (either inner or outer - avoid the transitive) and use Gate's calling version; since the ghost is definitely extraplanar for those planes.

If you do mean summon in the RAW sense... I have no idea. I don't think you can.

[sleepyphoenixx]

The Wu Jen exclusive Spirit Binding line does that.
All incorporeal undead are considered spirits for the purposes of the spell so ghosts qualify and it's like Planar Binding otherwise which allows you to call a specific creature if you know its name.

[Bohandas]

If it doesn't have to be a ghost in the specific mechanical sense than Planar Binding will do

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Feantar
If you don't mean summon in the RAW sense….

I’m using summon to mean “call up” or “oblige to appear,” in the very general sense of drawing a ghost to you from wherever it’s been.


Originally Posted by sleepyphoenixx
The Wu Jen exclusive Spirit Binding line does that.
All incorporeal undead are considered spirits for the purposes of the spell so ghosts qualify….

I can see how Spirit Binding works like Planar Binding, but I don’t see any qualifiers about incorporeal undead. Do you have a citation for that?

[Zanos]

In the CArc errata.


Spirit Creatures
For the purposes of the commune with greater spirit, commune with lesser spirit, greater spirit binding, lesser spirit binding, spirit binding, spirit needle, and spirit self spells, a “spirit” or “spirit creature” includes any of the following creatures: all incorporeal undead, all fey, all elementals, creatures in astral form or with astral bodies (but not a creature physically present on the Astral Plane), all creatures of the spirit subtype (see Oriental Adventures), spirit folk and telthors (see Unapproachable East), and spirit creatures created by spells such as dream sight or wood wose (see Complete Divine).

If you need to turn someone into a ghost I believe Ghostwalk's persuade to manifest spell works, but I think that requires remains.

[Bohandas]

I can see how Spirit Binding works like Planar Binding, but I don’t see any qualifiers about incorporeal undead. Do you have a citation for that?

Complete Arcane actually doesn't define a "spirit" bur Complete Divine does on page 17

*All incorporeal undead
*All fey
*All elementals
*Creatures in astral form or with astral bodies (but not a creature physically present on the Astral Plane)
*All creatures of the spirit subtype
*Spirit folk and telthorr
*Spirit creatures created by spells such as dream sight or wood wose.

However it does go on to say that this definition is specifically for the purpose of the Spirit Shaman class, which could explain the oddity of it not including outsiders

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Zanos
In the CArc errata.

Very helpful, thanks.


Originally Posted by Bohandas
Complete Arcane actually doesn't define a "spirit" bur Complete Divine does on page 17...

Thanks. That sidebar on p. 17 is almost word for word the errata text which Zanos posted above. Since Complete Divine was published first, presumably it was copy-pasted into the errata for Complete Arcane. In practical terms the lists are identical.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Very helpful, thanks.



Thanks. That sidebar on p. 17 is almost word for word the errata text which Zanos posted above. Since Complete Divine was published first, presumably it was copy-pasted into the errata for Complete Arcane. In practical terms the lists are identical.

The same wording also appears in Oriental Adventures, where Spirit Binding first appeared.

[Crake]

Gate can get it done. When not manifested, a ghost is on the Ethereal Plane. Since becoming a ghost doesn't change the creature's habitat, it's not native to the Ethereal Plane, so it gains the extraplanar subtype while there.

2 points. Firstly, extraplanar is relative. If it worked the way you seem to think it does, then the only creatures that could ever be summoned via gate are those that aren't on their native plane. Realistically though, what it actually means is you can summon any creature not native to your current plane. And yes, this does mean that, theoretically, you could go to another plane and use gate to summon humans.

Secondly though, in the standard cosmology, there are 3 "transitive planes", the astral, the ethereal, and the plane of shadow, upon which no creatures have the extraplanar subtype, so no, ghosts are not extraplanar while on the ethereal.

[InvisibleBison]

2 points. Firstly, extraplanar is relative. If it worked the way you seem to think it does, then the only creatures that could ever be summoned via gate are those that aren't on their native plane. Realistically though, what it actually means is you can summon any creature not native to your current plane. And yes, this does mean that, theoretically, you could go to another plane and use gate to summon humans.

Secondly though, in the standard cosmology, there are 3 "transitive planes", the astral, the ethereal, and the plane of shadow, upon which no creatures have the extraplanar subtype, so no, ghosts are not extraplanar while on the ethereal.

I'll freely admit that I misunderstood how gate works. But I don't see anything in the description of the Transitive Planes that says no one is extraplanar there. Where are you getting that from?

[Crake]

I'll freely admit that I misunderstood how gate works. But I don't see anything in the description of the Transitive Planes that says no one is extraplanar there. Where are you getting that from?

Under the extraplanar subtype description in the monster manual.

[Bohandas]

I never noticed that before.

That also answers my longstanding question of why the transitive planes should be grouped together (as contrary to their official explanation only the astral seems to facilitate interplanar travel, as the ethereal no longer connects to the inner planes and the ethereal curtains are just conduits through the astral. But nothing being considered extraplanar is a serious magical alteration that makes dismissal, banishment, and possibly summon monster not work


2 points. Firstly, extraplanar is relative. If it worked the way you seem to think it does, then the only creatures that could ever be summoned via gate are those that aren't on their native plane. Realistically though, what it actually means is you can summon any creature not native to your current plane. And yes, this does mean that, theoretically, you could go to another plane and use gate to summon humans.

Secondly though, in the standard cosmology, there are 3 "transitive planes", the astral, the ethereal, and the plane of shadow, upon which no creatures have the extraplanar subtype, so no, ghosts are not extraplanar while on the ethereal.

That said, I think the spell must mean creatures that would be extraplanar in the place where the spell is being cast. Otherwise it would only be able to call creatures that are off of their home planes, which doesn't seem to be the intent.

[Crake]

That said, I think the spell must mean creatures that would be extraplanar in the place where the spell is being cast. Otherwise it would only be able to call creatures that are off of their home planes, which doesn't seem to be the intent.

Yeah, that's exactly what I was trying to say as well. It also technically makes the standard punpun method of going to the astral plane to gate in an efreeti and sarruhk not work, since, y'know, nothing is extraplanar on the astral.