Iron Flask loophole

[Fundin Strongarm]

I'm a DM and I've given my players an Iron Flask with a Vrock Demon inside. After an Identify spell they've decided they'll:
Summon it and control it for 1 hour.
After 58 minutes have it sit there and have it start making saves to get put back in the Iron Flask.
Once back inside, they'll just let it out again to control for 1 hour.

Is there anything that I can do to discourage this kind of thing? It seems kinda cheap. Am I stuck with this thing until some encounter can kill it off?

Thanks for any help.

 

[James McMurray]

Do they have a waterclock handy to mark the time? Keeping track of 58 minutes exactly is pretty much impossible without some sort of timing device available.

Have an enemy see them summoning scary demons from a flask and sunder it so they can't summon more.

 

[Baron Opal]

When the user speaks the command word, he can force any creature from another plane into the container... Loosing the stopper frees the captured creature.

The command word can be given only once per day.

If the individual freeing the captured creature speaks the command word, the creature can be forced to serve for 1 hour... Any attempt to force the same creature into the flask a second time provides it a +2 bonus on its saving throw and makes it hostile.

You can only use the command word once per day, and it's the only way to stuff the critter back into the flask. You get one shot. Given that they have a full flask their options are:

A) Release the critter using the command word. It obeys for an hour, then leaves vowing eternal hatred.

B) Release the critter without the command word. They bribe it, it serves or not, and it leaves vowing eternal disgruntlement. They can use the command word to try to stuff it back into the flask if they want. If they do, then it vows eternal hatred.

IMC, if they can communicate with it, they could bargain for an hours service in return for freedom and a bribe. That way they have the command word at their disposal if they want to try and reclaim it or if they are in an outsider-rich environment.

 

[James Jacobs]

The key you're looking for is the second paragraph: "The command word can be given only once per day." To force the vrock to do your bidding, you have to release it by using the command word. Since forcing it into the iron flask requires the command word, you can't actually force it back in before the time is up, so it'll stick around and be your minion for an hour, at which point it goes away.

D'oh! Scooped by one minute!

 

[Crothian]

Have the Vrock gain a resistance to the Iron Flask. Also with all the fighting and winning the Vrock does have it gain levels. Then it will pretend to be under their control at some point and wait till they are in a bad position and then it attacks them.

 

[Musrum]

I see nothing in the text of Iron Flask that suggests the Vrock has to make multiple saves.

 

[smootrk]

Knowing that a Vrock can communicate telepathically, have the Vrock make suggestions to any nearby creatures that the characters may be encountering to liberate the Flask from the characters. The Vrock need not fulfill the promises (being a shifty bastard demon), but the creatures it makes the suggestions to need not know this. For quick liberation, have pick-pockety types encounter the party.

A more subjective way to beat the effect: Would Dimensional Anchor keep the Vrock from entering the extra-dimensional space? If so, any spellcaster might watch the characters for the chance to spoil the vrock from re-entering the flask at just the right moment. A newly freed Vrock would probably quickly turn against the party.

 

[Fundin Strongarm]

Thanks for everyone's help. It looks like I overlooked that the command word can only be spoken once per day.

Now, next time we play, I'll just have to deal with their Identify spell not informing them of this. Meh - I'll just tell them. I imagine, since the Flask is worth lots, they'll just sell it.

 

[XO]

Only ONE Save but...

...were I you, I would consider seriously reworking the save value...

Will DC 19 appears really broken, and making it DC 22 or more should be make much more sense.

Pricing an item is not everything. Finding ways to make it "work", price and power wise, seems better...