Using "Correspond" as "Contact Other Plane/Commune"?

[Analytica]

The psionic power "Correspond" is like a stronger "Sending" that can be done against anything intelligent you've been in contact with. Is this actually (RAI more than RAW here I guess) possible to use to commune with divine entities? I.e. can I correspond up Dagon in the Abyss to ask about esoteric topics?

I guess the limitation is, must have communicated with it already, so you are limited to beings you have encountered. Though that still allows for talking to Solars or the like.

Any thoughts?

[InvisibleBison]

In theory this could work, but there's no guarantee that the divine entity you contact would be willing to answer your questions.

[Fizban]

Indeed, there is nothing stopping you from Sending at deities aside from the question of whether that's a good idea and entirely up to the DM what they do about it. There's a campaign journal on the boards where they used it to contact St. Cuthbert asking for help against an apocalypse and received zero answer, until an army of those Lawful Neutral not-angels showed up an occupied the last city or somesuch.

[Gemini476]

I imagine that most dieties are probably going to be too busy to respond to individual Corresponds, yeah. Then again, if you've already had physical or mental contact with Dagon then I guess maybe he'll consider you notable enough to respond?

One important thing to note, though: Correspond is [Mind-Affecting], and all deities are immune to that. Solars aren't, but some other outsiders are - you'll need to check the specifics.
Dagon isn't immune to mind-affecting stuff, but he does have a 1/day Gate and honestly I would recommend against trying to get his attention... lest you get his attention.

[noob]

Dagon isn't immune to mind-affecting stuff, but he does have a 1/day Gate and honestly I would recommend against trying to get his attention... lest you get his attention.

Else you fight a gate chaining army of solars?

[Tzardok]

Else you fight a gate chaining army of solars?

The bigger problem is that the demon prince gates you in.

[icefractal]

Contact Other Plane is a weird spell.

Used to contact a deity, it's only a little weird. Presuming you contact a deity appropriate to the questions, having a high chance to know anything is plausible, although the reverse can be strange (Tiamat has a 2% chance to not know what a dragon is?) Then there's the fact that they always "resent such contact" even if you're, say, asking Pelor about how to destroy an army of undead. That could maybe be explained if we assume COP contacts them in an interrupting/forced way that they're against on principle, but it's still a little odd that they always resent it enough to be unhelpful, but never enough to send a smiting your way.

But the other use is much weirder. You're contacting unspecified powerful entities on the elemental, positive/negative or astral planes. Entities that have a decent chance to know anything, but also a fair chance to not know fairly basic things. And who the hell are these entities? Some settings have elemental rulers, but who's answering these on the other planes?

It seems like a spell that would make sense in a setting where the other planes are all mysterious places that PCs don't (can't?) go to or know much about. But by the time you can cast this spell, your Cleric buddy can cast Plane Shift and take you to visit those places in person.

[noob]

The bigger problem is that the demon prince gates you in.

That is not allowed by the rules: when you gate a specific person they choose if they come or not: you are probably confusing gate with wish and it is a lesser problem to have someone invite you to come than to have to oppose a solar army.
Chain gating solars is rule legal and Dagon can get as many solars as he want to use wish to catch you: one of the clauses of wish allows to bring forcefully anyone (the Transport travelers clause: despite the fact you get a save there is literally thousands of solars so either you willingly fail a save or roll saves until you get a critical failure).
Dagon is not a demon lord: he is an elder ancient and that is far more scary and an opponent chain gating solars is far bigger problem than an opponent using gate to call you (to which you can just say no due to the rules about gating a specific individual).

[InvisibleBison]

That is not allowed by the rules: when you gate a specific person they choose if they come or not: you are probably confusing gate with wish and it is a lesser problem to have someone invite you to come than to have to oppose a solar army.

No, the immunity to compulsion only applies to "deities and unique beings". If you use gate to summon a specific individual they're still compelled to come through.

[Tzardok]

Dagon is not a demon lord: he is an elder ancient and that is far more scary and an opponent chain gating solars is far bigger problem than an opponent using gate to call you (to which you can just say no due to the rules about gating a specific individual).

Of course Dagon is a demon lord. Propably the oldest living one around and of a subgroup of demon that's older than the current dominant one, but still a demon lord. He's called that in every 3.x source that mentions him. You're propably contaminated by 4e lore.

[Analytica]

This is all relevant feedback, and agreeing on the challenges - unless you are on good terms with them somehow already they will mess you up. I had not considered the Mind-Affecting immunity.

Is there any way I could take this emulation further though? Looking to see if there is a way to Planar Bind using psionics somehow. Remote Viewing lets me scry someone on another plane and manifest a single power from the scrying vantage point. Is there a power (leaving StP erudite aside for this exercise) I can use through that which would let me transport a target to my location? I suppose if the creature has the ability to travel by itself (say Dagon or the Solars with Gate), if I can somehow Dominate them through Remote Viewing, I could have them Gate to me?

[noob]

No, the immunity to compulsion only applies to "deities and unique beings". If you use gate to summon a specific individual they're still compelled to come through.

My dm interpreted unique being as "any specific individual that have a stat block that is not in a manual is unique"
But he dms a finite setting (therefore there is not everything present in infinite amounts and so no issue of 'nothing is ever unique' there is with settings like the forgotten realms)

[Ramza00]

The psionic power "Correspond" is like a stronger "Sending" that can be done against anything intelligent you've been in contact with. Is this actually (RAI more than RAW here I guess) possible to use to commune with divine entities? I.e. can I correspond up Dagon in the Abyss to ask about esoteric topics?

I guess the limitation is, must have communicated with it already, so you are limited to beings you have encountered. Though that still allows for talking to Solars or the like.

Any thoughts?

As a DM, I would rule it similar to how many spells and powers have a Int 26 or higher causes bad effects. The divine is like this.


https://64.media.tumblr.com/8b14333515952c29bcd4a7440fbb5bba/tumblr_n5zkypb1of1rvm5qqo1_1280.jpg
https://64.media.tumblr.com/01e06c47d898e30d0581fdbf54cb311b/tumblr_n5zkypb1of1rvm5qqo2_1280.jpg
https://64.media.tumblr.com/073ca8b8efe6a22b9669f63d604d707d/tumblr_n5zkypb1of1rvm5qqo3_1280.jpg


You should be getting 2001 a space odyssey vibes, the nature of such vastness, the sublime and all its terror is beyond humans thought and perception to process. One must make a map, a simulacra to make it comprehensible. That is what those other spells and powers are for.

[Gemini476]

The bigger problem is that the demon prince gates you in.

My personal worry was more that you try to call up Dagon to ask him some questions and he decides to show up in person. Or in Astral Projected person, as the case may be.

...Also, on a closer reread I guess he's immune to mind-affecting spells and abilities so the point is moot anyhow.