Binding Outsiders

Alien, unemotional, and distant, aeons communicate via envisaging — mental imagery rather than speech. They are often unyielding in their dichotomies and are not swayed by argument or emotion. A spellcaster who binds an aeon had better hope their goals align, because that is the only way an aeon will offer aid. All aeons are immune to cold, poison, and critical hits; they have resistance to electricity and fire.

Akhana SR 23

Concerned with the duality of death and life, akhanas hunt imbalances and rectify them with strange, seemingly random efficiency. They do not justify their decisions, which many summoners find intensely frustrating.

Bythos SR 27

Guardians of time and planar travel, bythos search for those who abuse time travel. They make deals with binders who share similar goals, and care nothing for motivations that don't.

Paracletus SR 7

The most common aeon to interact with mortal spellcasters, paracletus actively seek out casters with strong emotion and logical capabilities. Some become familiars, experimenting upon their bonded casters with their emotion aura.

Pleroma SR 31

Many binders consider pleromas too powerful to call and bind. Even if possible, dealing with these creatures of creation and destruction may be impossible — their logic is the least describable of all aeons.

Theletos SR 18

Guardians of freedom and fate; often aid spellcasters in pursuit of the former and implementation of the latter. Like all aeons, their views seem contradictory and they are difficult to fully control or understand.

Creatures of good with little regard for the cosmic struggle of law versus chaos, agathions take on bestial aspects reflecting their nature as negotiators for good. They bargain in good faith with good-aligned binders, but attempt to trick and coerce evil-aligned ones.

Note: Summoners who insult an agathion's bestial form or imply it is lycanthropic take a –4 penalty on all Charisma checks. Immune to electricity and petrification; resistance to cold 10 and sonic 10; +4 racial bonus on saves vs. poison. Vulnerable to unholy weapons. Magic circle: powdered silver.

Avoral SR 20

Often bound as spies and scouts; delight in the challenge when the cause is just and worthy. They hate being confined — evil-aligned binders typically use imprisonment as punishment.

Cetaceal SR 26

Protectors of good aquatic races; often called for protection of aquatic territories or as ambassadors. Unscrupulous binders deal with them on dry land, only releasing them to water once terms are agreed.

Draconal SR 31

Powerful, haughty, and removed from mortal affairs. Patient pursuers of long-term plans; many simply wait out mortal spellcasters. Binding one requires epic power and perfect timing, knowledge of the true name, or goals running in perfect concert with the agathion's.

Leonal SR 23

Coveted as bound protectors and hunters; straightforward in negotiations. They desire simple, good goals and definitive terms for release.

Silvanshee SR 13

Curious but cautious; often bound as familiars by neutral good spellcasters. Sometimes summoned in large groups to serve as spies in cities where they can meld into cat populations.

Vulpinal SR 17

Foxlike agathions who deal with binders with outspoken friendliness — bluntly stating dissatisfaction in diplomatic terms. Prefer to serve as messengers for good; if bound otherwise, they trick their way to resolution as quickly as possible.

All angels have numerous immunities and damage resistances. They are exceptionally vulnerable to unholy weapons; solars are also vulnerable to epic-strength weapons and artifacts. Any mortals wishing to deal with angels should be armed with humility and knowledge. Immune to acid, cold, and petrification; resistance to electricity 10 and fire 10.

Astral Deva SR 25

Messengers of the gods of good. The appropriate gift is knowledge of a place the deva cannot reach — a rival temple, the location of evil cultists, or some evil with a direct bearing on the Material Plane.

Cassisian

The weakest angels; formed from the souls of pious soldiers. Frequently serve good spellcasters as familiars. Simply appeased with gifts that allow them to join the fray against evil.

Monadic Deva SR 23

Watchers of the Ethereal and Elemental Planes; usually serve only in purposes relating to those planes. Stubborn in their causes — demand outrageous gifts of servitude toward their own lofty goals.

Movanic Deva SR 21

Soldier angels patrolling the Positive/Negative Energy and Material Planes, battling undead. When summoned, appeased with gifts that grant them greater power to hunt undead and sceaduinar.

Planetar SR 27

Leaders of celestial armies; seek intelligence on infernal foes. Providing data on the movement of evil forces, locations of evil weapon caches, or portals to the netherworld grants the binder a +2 Charisma bonus.

Solar SR 34

The greatest warriors of goodness; do not typically treat directly with mortals. To summon a solar, a wizard must destroy an item of great evil in the solar's name, crush a powerful evil, or offer an evil relic as part of the summoning.

Creatures of law and good; seek order, justice, and the protection of the weak. They believe in transformation from within, through systematic change or personal epiphany. All archons are immune to electricity and petrification; all have DR 10/evil. Magic circle: powdered silver.

Hound SR 15

Disciplined soldiers and vigilant sentinels. Best sacrifices: magical shields imbued with holy power, ensorcelled rings or boots granting swift movement, or powerful weaponry.

Lantern

The least of the archons; friendly, ambitious only to see good advanced. Appeased with a week's worth of charity or a sincere offering worth 100 gp to a good cause in the name of Heaven.

Shield SR 21

Solid, stoic, and defensive. Highly skeptical of binders, but if they can work in defense of the common good, they commonly ask the binder to care for and protect a shrine or temple as payment.

Star SR 30

Brilliant, wise, constantly strategizing. Often chafe under mortal bindings — negotiations may devolve into the star archon blasting the binder for shortsightedness. Demand outrageous gifts even when the cause is just.

Trumpet SR 25

Mighty warriors and messengers; leaders of Heaven's strike forces. Rather than material gifts, they ask for sacrifices of service and time. A binder who offers an exchange of services — and keeps their word — gains a +2 Charisma bonus. Those who renege take a –2 Charisma penalty with good extraplanar creatures until they set matters right.

Those who follow freedom, individuality, and goodness find azatas the best extraplanar allies. Whimsical but determined; they recognize that bringing good to the multiverse is best done by example, not enforcement. Except for lillends, azatas have DR overcome by cold iron and evil weapons. All are immune to electricity and petrification; lillends are additionally immune to all poisons. Magic circle: cold iron.

Bralani SR 17

Fierce and wild; constantly seek to prove themselves in battle or contests of wits. A wizard who suggests a new game of strength, wits, or dexterity receives a +2 Charisma bonus when negotiating.

Brijidine SR 28

Lovers of fire, poetry, and spicy food; can be wooed with rare fireproof scrolls of poetry or a gourmet spicy dish. Binders should be aware that brijidine have expensive, exotic, and particular tastes.

Ghaele SR 25

Strong hunters, courtly and knightly; pursue great foes. Offering evidence of the binder's mighty hunts (CR at least 3 higher than the binder), or summoning them where they can pursue dragons or fiends, provides a Charisma bonus.

Lillend

The most artistic of the azatas; love stories, histories, poems, and songs. Offerings include original songs, performances, or other art forms — they also adore magical instruments.

Lyrakien

Musicians among the azata; persuaded to service with gifts of wondrous musical instruments and rare bits of music, especially fey music.

All daemons share one common goal: bringing death, destruction, and pain to mortals. They eat souls, and stop at nothing to sate their hunger. The greater lords of daemons — the deacons and the Four Horsemen — are almost never summoned. Immune to acid, death effects, disease, and poison. Vulnerable to good and/or silver weapons. Resistance to cold 10, electricity 10, and fire 10.

Astradaemon SR 27

Powerful but dim hunters of souls; only bribed into service by a feast of souls and the promise to spread death.

Cacodaemon

Savage and hungry; most cannot suppress their natures long enough to make deals. At best the binder can trick one toward actions that serve her purposes.

Ceustodaemon

The most commonly summoned daemons; relatively easy to deal with, and often called to serve as guardian daemons. None know if this is deliberate on the part of more powerful daemons.

Derghodaemon SR 23

Less intelligent than cacodaemons and twice as vicious. Do not deal with any creature; relentlessly attempt to escape using brute force. Only summon these if desperate for a savage killer.

Hydrodaemon SR 19

More pliable than most fiendish kin; swim the River Styx on their home plane. On the Material Plane, often called as guardians in swamps. Take treasure and the promise of souls as payment.

Leukodaemon SR 20

Deacons of the Horseman of Pestilence; make any deal a binder wants as long as it somehow results in the spreading of disease and devastation.

Meladaemon SR 22

Deacons of the Horseman of Famine; rarely summoned, and typically only agree to actions aligned with their own agenda or their lord's.

Olethrodaemon SR 31

Mammoth daemons; often make deals with mortals wishing to evoke devastation on rival lands, sometimes asking only half the normal offering for the privilege.

Piscodaemon SR 21

Lovers of misery — especially of the strong and powerful. Eagerly make deals with mortals who wish to use them as soldiers against good, especially paladin-led armies.

Purrodaemon SR 29

Servants of the Horseman of War; may be the easiest deacon daemons to summon. Their master often gives them leave to spread war on the Material Plane, but service to any binder tends to be brief and violent.

Thanadaemon SR 24

Deacons of the Horseman of Death; hardly ever summoned, and when they are, the event portends a near-apocalyptic end of mortal life.

The great weakness of all demons is a holy or other good weapon — such weapons overcome every demon's natural resistances, and are one of the few things all demons fear equally. They abide by no contract other than power; displaying power is key to keeping them under control. Immune to electricity and poison. Magic circle: powdered cold iron.

Babau SR 17

Any sacrifice must involve an intelligent creature that the demon is allowed to rend and utterly destroy.

Balor SR 31

Do not come when summoned; actively resist calls. Only a bound CR 15 lawful or good outsider, or a helpless 15th-level paladin/cleric dims their rage. Even thus placated, they will seek revenge unless faced with demonstrably greater power.

Dretch

Slave labor of the infinite Abyss. The best sacrifice is the promise that it can spend at least a third of its time in servitude resting.

Glabrezu SR 24

Treacherous demons peddling in secrets that destroy. To bring one as an interested negotiator, the caster must know secrets that can destroy influential families, bring down nations, or otherwise befoul the bedrock of society.

Hezrou SR 22

Expensive poisons and powerful potions worth at least 500 gp can pique the interest of these toadlike demons.

Marilith SR 28

Either powerful magic weapons (+2 or greater) or the promise of commanding armies of cults can lure a marilith. Any offer less earns the caster a –6 penalty on the Charisma check.

Kalavakus SR 21

These horned demons almost always barter for slaves in return for their services.

Nabasu SR 19

Love nothing more than devouring or enslaving humanoids so they can grow fatter and stronger.

Nalfeshnee SR 25

Love knowledge, especially within their specialties of manipulation and greed. Bargain knowledge for knowledge, but never give more than they gain.

Omox SR 23

Slimy demons who enjoy the destruction of beautiful things. For services, they often take "gifts" involving the destruction of something beautiful — in particular an attractive young man or woman as sacrifice.

Quasit

Seeks only the assurance that it can return to the Abyss when its task is complete.

Shadow Demon SR 17

Asks merely for the shell of a beautiful person to wear for the duration of its servitude. Does not care whether that shell is pure or impure.

Shemhazian SR 27

Serve mortal spellcasters for only one price — when service is done, they get to kill and devour the binder. Sometimes demand the lives of family and friends as well. Attempts to control them are very rare.

Succubus SR 18

Primarily enjoy destroying innocence and love; offering a child, virgin, or beloved family member of the caster suffices to gain interest.

Vrock SR 20

Love to despoil things of great beauty. Artwork worth at least 250 gp or a living, intelligent creature to destroy are equally desirable. As their dance of ruin is more powerful in groups, they are often conjured and bribed in groups.

Vrolikai SR 30

Transformed nabasus; hate being summoned, believing they are meant for greater things. Typically ask for twice the normal amount in gifts. Demands are often outrageous or impossible — can eventually be reasoned with only when the binder demonstrates power over them.

Devils regard both holy items and silver as deadly; keep them at least 60 feet from the summoning circle unless using them as a threat. The powdered silver used to create the magic circle is a warning and trap — summoned devils recognize it as part of the procedure. A holy weapon is an affront to more powerful or subtle devils.

All devils are immune to fire and poison. Resistance to acid 10 and cold 10. Magic circle: powdered silver.

Accuser Devil

Popular as spies and infiltrators; often forgo haggling on gifts, as the information they gain is worth more than any treasure the binder can offer.

Barbed Devil SR 22

Extraordinarily jealous of their time; may grudgingly accept rare treasures worth more than 2,000 gp (+2 Charisma bonus) — but only for tasks under 24 hours. Longer service earns a –2 Charisma penalty.

Bearded Devil SR 16

Best attracted by offering a restrained victim for its bloody use — to be painfully murdered.

Belier Devil SR 28

Massive masterminds rarely summoned to the Material Plane; when called, they typically try to finagle their way out as quickly as possible.

Bone Devil SR 20

Adore secrets and infernal lore; those who provide hellish tomes or evidence of influential mortal vices gain a +2 Charisma bonus.

Erinyes SR 19

Spirits of corrupted angels; bitter and raging against the heavens. To entice one, offer a significant holy item for it to despoil, or the cleric of a good-aligned god to ravish and ruin.

Handmaiden Devil SR 25

Deals are extremely hard bargains. They typically ask for the unthinkable — such as the lives of innocent children, the younger the better.

Horned Devil SR 27

Elite of Hell's armies; value strength and daunting power. Offering an intimidating weapon enchanted to +2 or better gains the +2 Charisma bonus.

Ice Devil SR 24

Schemers and planners of Hell; laboring in personal machinations. Extraordinarily difficult to summon. Casters willing to offer an exchange of services — typically the short end of the deal — may earn a Charisma bonus. Those who renege learn what it means to displease Hell.

Immolation Devil SR 30

Often ask for lands on the Material Plane as gifts. If granted, they use those places to launch attacks on neighbors — further expanding Hell's territory.

Imp

Prefer small and bloody sacrifices that show the binder's desire to do evil — a heart torn from a living dove grants a +2 Charisma modifier.

Lemure

Prefer reminders of their former lives; the best offering is food or pornography.

Pit Fiend SR 31

The greatest non-noble devils; rarely tempted to answer a summons. Only the greatest of promises may work — a noble offering the enslavement of an entire empire, a priest offering the destruction of holy relics, or an antipaladin pledging the delivery of a noteworthy angel for the pit fiend's pleasure.

True elementals are simple creatures who regard life as an eternal struggle to best themselves and each other. Each type is uniquely suited to its plane — arrogant about its powers at home, frightened when surrounded by a hostile element. Most do not bargain; they respect only strength. Genies are the more human-like denizens of the elemental planes, considering themselves superior to true elementals. Summon elementals for brute work; summon genies for magical power or ancient wisdom.

Elementals are immune to bleed, paralysis, poison, sleep, and stunning; not subject to critical hits, precision damage, or flanking.

Air Elemental

Inscribe the magic circle with diamond powder and release the elemental only once it has acquiesced. Costs an additional 2,000 gp but adds +4 to the Charisma check.

Belker

Dull-witted; enjoy expensive incense and exotic green woods that create heavy smoke.

Crysmal

Unlike other elementals, crysmals bargain — but only if offered a substantial amount of crystal, which they use for reproduction.

Djinni

Tomes of knowledge or powerful wondrous items tempt djinn and grant a +2 bonus on the Charisma check.

Earth Elemental

Prepare the summoning chamber with swirling wind- and air-based spells to prevent the elemental from touching the floor. Maintaining this for 5 rounds demonstrates superiority and grants a +4 bonus on the Charisma check.

Efreeti

Warlike; value weapons (+2 or better) and scrolls of 4th-level or higher spells (+2 Charisma bonus). Also appreciate attractive humanoid slaves (+1 Charisma bonus per 10 slaves offered).

Fire Elemental

Enclose the chamber with stone; remove flammable materials; prepare fire protections. Large blocks of ice sap the elemental's power and cow it, granting a +4 bonus on the Charisma check.

Ice Elemental

Use actual fire, fire spells, cold protections, and possibly fire creatures to keep it at bay. An ice elemental often yields as soon as serious melting occurs.

Invisible Stalker

Bound like air elementals. Unlike most elementals, they bargain for their services — one reason they are frequently summoned by mortal spellcasters.

Janni

The weakest genies; proud and prone to insult. Gifts of rich fabrics, gems, or jewelry worth 1,000 gp or more give the conjurer a +2 bonus on the Charisma check.

Lightning Elemental

Similar to air elementals, though binders should reinforce bindings and themselves with protections against electrical damage.

Marid

Capricious and unpredictable; love performance and art. Artwork worth 1,000 gp or a DC 30 Perform piece piques their interest long enough to grant a +2 Charisma bonus.

Magma Elemental

Composite earth and fire creatures; a mix of binding strategies from both elemental types often keeps these savage things in check.

Mihstu SR 19

Bound like air elementals. Unlike most elementals, mihstu typically bargain with the binder — many wish to haunt the dark places of the Material Plane.

Mud Elemental

All fear becoming too watery or too dry. Using air spells and petrification spells as punishments for noncompliance usually makes these more willing to negotiate.

Sandman

Subtle and craftier than other elementals; nearly always bargain with their binder, but are arrogant and headstrong. Even after their task is done, they voluntarily remain on the Material Plane to wreak havoc.

Shaitan

The most dense and brash of the genies; love games of chance and physical skill. Offering services in exchange for a throw of dice or a wrestling match — and following through — earns a +2 bonus on the Charisma check.

Thoqqua

Dangerous to summon and bind; typically rage against their confines. Mephit intermediaries can calm them, as those creatures seem to understand thoqqua.

Water Elemental

Remove water sources from the room; prepare a bonfire. A ring of fire around the magic circle exposes the elemental to its hated enemy the instant it appears. This is an opposed Will check — +1 bonus per large fire in the room; success grants a +4 bonus on the Charisma check.

Originally created by axiomites to fight chaotic proteans, inevitables now wage an indirect war by tracking down and rectifying egregious violations of law. Incorruptible in their missions, bound inevitables often simply wait out the binder. They refuse to deal with binders who wish to use them against their designated purpose.

Arbiter SR 13

Scouts and spies of the inevitables; typically bound as familiars to lawful spellcasters, especially those who fight the taint of protean chaos.

Kolyarut SR 23

Enforcers of bargains; can be bound to enforce a deal. The binder must beware — if she fails to keep a bargain with a kolyarut, she quickly becomes its target. Kolyaruts never bargain with known agreement-breakers.

Lhaksharut SR 31

Concerned with keeping the various planes separate; make deals with spellcasters working toward those goals. Always willing to destroy links between planes, and sometimes agree to serve as protectors of gateways. Never work against the separation of the planes.

Marut SR 26

Hunt those who artificially extend their lives through powerful magic. Bargain with binders who call them for the express purpose of hunting such a creature. All other bindings are stubbornly ignored, even under duress.

Zelekhut SR 20

Often answer the call of binders who wish to use them to search out and even execute those who seek to evade justice.

Slithering creatures of pure chaos; claim mastery of the multiverse before the first gods created the planes from primeval chaos. They seek to tear down the multiverse and restore it to its original chaotic form — and bound proteans seek to achieve this goal even while bargaining with binders. Immune to acid; resistance to electricity 10 and sonic 10. Immune to polymorph effects; resistant to critical hits and sneak attack. Protected by continuous freedom of movement. True names do not bind proteans.

Imentesh SR 21

Heralds of chaos; often heed the call of binders. In conversation they are talkative, seemingly helpful, and polite — but always plotting escape in order to unleash as much chaos as possible.

Keketar SR 28

The most zealous proteans; see it as a sacred duty to return all existence to chaos. Extremely arrogant; often seek to manipulate those foolish enough to bind them toward their own entropic purposes.

Naunet SR 18

Bestial proteans; hard to control. Those who bind these dangerous bundles of rage are lucky if they can wield their destructive power for their own purposes — at least for a short while.

Voidworm

To most other proteans, these tiny creatures aren't true proteans at all — just pale reflections of protean powers in the twisting currents of Limbo. Mortal spellcasters sometimes call them as familiars.

Only the most insane or desperate spellcasters dare to call a qlippoth. Their unpredictable nature, horrific appearance, and hatred for all mortal life make them among the most dangerous outsiders to summon. Once rulers of the Abyss before demons overthrew them, qlippoth may bargain with mortals but don't feel bound to follow such agreements — often blatantly disregarding orders. Immune to cold, mind-affecting effects, and poison. Resistance to acid 10, electricity 10, and fire 10. All but the least have an aura of fear and madness. True names do not bind qlippoth.

Augnagar

Stupid and ravenous cannibalistic qlippoth; rarely bargain, but can be threatened into what passes for qlippoth service.

Chernobue SR 23

Concerned only with spreading their vile poison. Do not bargain with binders.

Cythnigot

The most common qlippoth found on the Material Plane; sometimes called by chaotic evil spellcasters to act as familiars — latching onto a Tiny animal familiar the spellcaster already has.

Iathavos SR 31

The powerful and singular iathavos never answers the call of a binder, even an epic one.

Nyogoth

Hungry abyssal bottom feeders; heed calls of spellcasters typically to find new things to eat in far-off places. Hard to reason with; respond only when offered new and interesting things to eat.

Shoggti

Among the most common qlippoth on the Material Plane; masters of mind manipulation, always hunting for living slaves for their inexplicable plans. Quickly heeds a binder's call, hoping to eventually turn her into its newest thrall.

Thulgant SR 25 (vs. lawful)

Too arrogant and self-important to answer the call of a spellcaster wishing to bind them.

The Great Beyond is called great for a reason — there are countless outsiders a potential binder can call. In theory, any outsider can be called and pressed into service, though the proper strategy depends on the abilities, desires, and goals of the particular outsider.

Native outsiders present a special challenge: a native outsider cannot be called and bound from the Material Plane. To call any outsider, it must be on a different plane from the binder. Native outsiders — or any outsider currently manifesting on the Material Plane — can only be called and bound by spellcasters on a different plane.