Coming Back from Banishment

[Satyrn]

That's part of my question--what are the usual methods of return?

I'd think the most likely method of return is the same method that got them there in the first place, and you know that better than me.

But I think the most standard possibilities include planar travel spells, and portals. That would be for quick travel, anyway. Most outer planes are likely accessible by long hikes to a path or ferry (just watch out for guardians like Cerberus)

If you want to go wacky, you could take inspiration from the Good Place (tv show) and include trains and hot air balloons, too.

but really, the question is yours to answer as you see fit.

 

[jgsugden]

Know the rules, but use them in the context of telling a good story.

There are a variety of spells, items, and features in D&D that can allow planar travel. Devils can use most of them just like a PC does, and the Banishment spell does nothing to prevent their use to return.

However, you always want to think about the story being told. Does it make sense for the creature to want to return? If they want to return, is it worth the effort? Is it going to matter if the PCs will have moved on by the time they could return?

In addition to the "logical conclusions" discussed above, also think about the flow of the story. Does it make the PCs less heroic if their powerful spell turns into nothing more than a one round delay? Or does the Devil rushing right back in make for a more exciting story?

 

[abs]

Since the plane it was banished from isn't it's home plane, dispel magic should work to end the spell early. Banishment targets a creature and isn't an instanteous spell, concentration of one minute. Dispel magic cast on the creature would end any spell effects on it.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Since the plane it was banished from isn't it's home plane, dispel magic should work to end the spell early. Banishment targets a creature and isn't an instanteous spell, concentration of one minute. Dispel magic cast on the creature would end any spell effects on it.

I assume this is after the effect was maximized.

 

[Sunseeker]

Provided that the banished creature has no immediate way to return then it well...goes on a lengthy quest of its own to find a way back, if it is so inclined. If the banished creature has access to immediate return methods: hit it with a different spell.

Banishment is neat and useful against creatures that require long and complex rituals to be summoned. It's not to great against powerful creatures with immediate modes of inter-planar transport.

 

[jayoungr]

And the OP's players will like this ruling, because it makes it highly unlikely the banished foe will come right back to assault them

See, I'm not sure they will--banishing the devil for being annoying potentially eliminates a whole subplot, which might lead to an unsatisfying anticlimax later.

 

[Dausuul]

Very few 5E fiends have any plane traveling ability. Even pit fiends have no built-in means of escape from the Nine Hells; they need a portal or a spellcaster to help them. Nor do devils have innate teleport the way they did in previous editions. They can't just pop over to a known portal. They have to walk (or fly) across the vastness of the Hells.

Now, devils are pretty organized and they have a lot of resources. If the powers that be in the Nine Hells are determined to get an agent off-plane, they can certainly do it. But that's a bit like saying the United States of America has the resources to put a person in space. As a nation, we do. But for any individual person, getting into space requires that you a) are an astronaut working for the U.S. government; b) are filthy rich; or c) work for Elon Musk.

Similarly, a devil who wants to get out of the Hells must a) be on a mission that's important to someone High Up; b) be rich enough to buy access to plane travel; or c) be one of the lucky few who has personal access to plane travel. Does your devil fall into one of these categories? If so, it returns. If not, not.

 

[abs]

I guess I wasn't clear with my initial response. A devil banished from a non-hell plane will only need to cast dispel magic, assuming that is available, to return from banishment. It has a minute to do it, but it wouldn't have to resort to planar gates or other methods of planar travel to return in this case. Dispel magic will undo the banishment effect, since it is a spell effect. As a DM, you could rule that the creature somehow has access to the spell while on its home plane (it might be an innate ability, or it might have a cohort with the ability). That means the fiend can return anytime before the banishment effect ends, usually one minute unless the duration got extended for some reason (extend spell via sorcerer for example). It's return is up to you.

 

[Satyrn]

See, I'm not sure they will--banishing the devil for being annoying potentially eliminates a whole subplot, which might lead to an unsatisfying anticlimax later.

Then give that devil a means to return.

It's the irrelevant devils and demons and modrons and whatever else that you can leave banished for good

 

[jgsugden]

Then give that devil a means to return.

It's the irrelevant devils and demons and modrons and whatever else that you can leave banished for good

Recall that access to dispel magic is not automatic for Demons and Devils, and if they have it they may not have a '4th level or above slot' in which to cast it to avoid having to make a role to have it work. It may just be a spell-like ability they have that is only cast at the minimum level.