Planar Ally

[5eNeedsDarksun]

My character has managed to acquire some Prayer Beads, so I now have access to Planar Ally. This brings up a couple of questions. First, what CR would be appropriate for such a spell? Conjure Fey seems like an appropriate comparison, which limits to CR6. Planar Ally has a material cost of 1000gp for the same duration, so perhaps CR7 or 8?

Second, what sorts of creatures would be appropriate? I'm a LN Grave Cleric who worships Anubis.

[sithlordnergal]

Sooo, its gonna fully depend on the DM. I've cast it twice so far, once I got a Nightwalker who only wanted to be able to kill every living thing in a fort we were attacking, we said go at it and have fun. The second time was a Draconian Dreadnought, and we had to give up a Rare magic item to get it to help us in a single fight.

[No brains]

Remember that you don't necessarily need to beseech your own god for an ally. An associated god could also reasonably send aid if you asking for help in a task that would benefit them too.

More than considering CR, think about what you need done and what you're willing to pay for it. You could get a quadrone that can give covering fire for a couple of rounds at a modest fee, or you could get a glabrezu who will solo an entire fight in exchange for a follower's soul.

One time I asked a god of a nearby temple for an angel to help defend it, but my real god might have sent a genie instead. The price to help defend was a relevant magic item I wanted to keep, but ultimately decided was worth the price.

[5eNeedsDarksun]

Remember that you don't necessarily need to beseech your own god for an ally. An associated god could also reasonably send aid if you asking for help in a task that would benefit them too.

More than considering CR, think about what you need done and what you're willing to pay for it. You could get a quadrone that can give covering fire for a couple of rounds at a modest fee, or you could get a glabrezu who will solo an entire fight in exchange for a follower's soul.

One time I asked a god of a nearby temple for an angel to help defend it, but my real god might have sent a genie instead. The price to help defend was a relevant magic item I wanted to keep, but ultimately decided was worth the price.

Mmm, that makes it pretty open ended. My original impression was that there were 3 deliberate choices: Fiends: Evil, Celestials: Good, and Elementals: Neutral. Though perhaps as a Neutral Character, particularly a Grave Cleric, the task at hand might allow for some leeway in what you get. Also, the sharing of XP and somewhat open-ended nature of the deal means perhaps (as you say) CR is flexible too.

All this isn't honestly what I was hoping to hear as our current DM is neither me nor our other experienced DM. I don't really want to put more on the new guy's plate as he's already struggling with balance issues. A simple formula would be easier, so I'll probably try not to ask for too much.

[Angelalex242]

It depends on the user. Planar Ally will generally summon the creature most likely to agree with your goals and motives. If a Paladin uses them, he can generally expect celestials showing up. Clerics will get servants of whatever god they serve. And so on.

The creature's price depends on how your deity (Cleric) or Oaths (Paladin) think you've been doing. A devout cleric who's been doing the will of his deity isn't likely to have to give up anything more important than cash, and even then, the summoned being doesn't need it, so it can be donated to a temple that the summon directs you to donate. Celestials summoned for Paladins generally want him to donate either money to a worthy cause, or his sword to a worthy cause.

On the other hand, if the PC has just been using his powers as a tool, then the summoned creatures might ask for magic items. The summon in this case is 'overcharging' because you don't actually deserve any help and he's hoping to go home without helping you.

[JackPhoenix]

Like Divine Intervention, sky's the limit. What you'll get (and how much you'll pay) depends on who you contact and what you ask for.

In a recent one-shot, my tiefling divine soul has got his mom (some kind of greater succubus) to show up. It was appropriately embarassing. Also, the party wizard has asked if he's looking for a stepdad.

[5eNeedsDarksun]

Like Divine Intervention, sky's the limit. What you'll get (and how much you'll pay) depends on who you contact and what you ask for.

In a recent one-shot, my tiefling divine soul has got his mom (some kind of greater succubus) to show up. It was appropriately embarassing. Also, the party wizard has asked if he's looking for a stepdad.

That's awesome. I want to be a player at your table.

[Envyus]

Don’t forget about the three step combo of, Reverse Magic Circle, Planer Ally, then Planer Binding to take control of the creature in the circle.

[sithlordnergal]

Mmm, that makes it pretty open ended. My original impression was that there were 3 deliberate choices: Fiends: Evil, Celestials: Good, and Elementals: Neutral. Though perhaps as a Neutral Character, particularly a Grave Cleric, the task at hand might allow for some leeway in what you get. Also, the sharing of XP and somewhat open-ended nature of the deal means perhaps (as you say) CR is flexible too.

All this isn't honestly what I was hoping to hear as our current DM is neither me nor our other experienced DM. I don't really want to put more on the new guy's plate as he's already struggling with balance issues. A simple formula would be easier, so I'll probably try not to ask for too much.

Yeah, Planar Ally is extremely open ended. Its more dependent on the DM then Conjure Animals or Conjure Fey is.

[No brains]

Mmm, that makes it pretty open ended. My original impression was that there were 3 deliberate choices: Fiends: Evil, Celestials: Good, and Elementals: Neutral. Though perhaps as a Neutral Character, particularly a Grave Cleric, the task at hand might allow for some leeway in what you get. Also, the sharing of XP and somewhat open-ended nature of the deal means perhaps (as you say) CR is flexible too.

All this isn't honestly what I was hoping to hear as our current DM is neither me nor our other experienced DM. I don't really want to put more on the new guy's plate as he's already struggling with balance issues. A simple formula would be easier, so I'll probably try not to ask for too much.

If you feel okay saying this OOC to your DM, (though say at your own peril as a player) that technically there are no wrong answers for Planar Ally. Whether it's 'gods helps those who help themselves' or 'smiting-time station', the DM has immense leeway to make a call that can make the planned encounter a new type of fun. Encourage them to have fun with whatever NPC could plausibly be sent to provide the service your character is asking for.

Though if you want something cheap and easy: use monsters of around CR 5 to 10. I wish I had more knowledge of Anubis' allies, but any celestial (the few that there are) would be appropriate as well as some devils, particularly ones that have punitive/ organizational lore to them. Picking good elementals is harder, but earth-related elementals could work for the 'underworld' theme. I hope that makes things a little simpler.