Nasty trick with Planar Binding spells!

[Cheiromancer]

Note that epic pseudonaturals also have the same hit dice as their mundane counterparts. One might decide, for its own inscrutable reasons, to answer a wizard's call. In case you *really* want to make your players sweat.

 

[pawsplay]

Nice find. I had thought that fiendish and celestial did this as well, but I was mistaken.

Don't feel bad. So did the creator of the Abyssal Basilisk.

 

[pawsplay]

I suppose however that's it's entirely up to the DM if a simple planar binding spell is able to reach outside of the normal multiverse and wrench something to your specifications from some alien, antithetical reality.

Presumably, unless your Far Realms is tied to the Astral Plane, the spell would fail.

 

[lukelightning]

Presumably, unless your Far Realms is tied to the Astral Plane, the spell would fail.

I don't see why; the planar binding spells have no reference to the astral plane.

 

[frankthedm]

And pseudonatural isn't that powerful of a template; after all the alienest PrC can summon them no problem.

Actually, that PRC loses a lot. IIRC Alienists can ONLY Summon Monster {spell] pseudonatural critters and lose all other options from the summon monster lists. Thus Nifft's unplayable assertion.

They are marginally better than fiendish and celestial things. Remember that their true strike abililty is a standard action to use, so that means there is a whole round in which the creature is not attacking...

No, the True Strike happens when it is is used. At the worst, it might be argue-able the true strike attack a pseudonatural critter gets is a standard action, but that would make the Destruction domain's smite a standard action as well.

True Strike (Su): Once per day, a pseudonatural creature can gain a +20 insight bonus on a single attack roll. In addition, the creature suffers no miss chance against a target that has concealment or total concealment when making this attack.

Their SR is darn good. 10+HD will be noticable. And as it happens, thier resists are keyed to two energies that see some nasty No SR spells.

In all seriousness, the foundation of the pseudonatural concept is breaking the rules of reality and often screwing over the summoner. If you like the character, avoid the Far Realm stuff. It is unhealty for you and your home plane.

 

[lukelightning]

It is unhealthy for you and your home plane.

That's what INT 24, WIS 8 arcanists do!

 

[Hypersmurf]

At the worst, it might be argue-able the true strike attack a pseudonatural critter gets is a standard action, but that would make the Destruction domain's smite a standard action as well.

And the Paladin's.

-Hyp.

 

[Shemeska]

I don't see why; the planar binding spells have no reference to the astral plane.

Historically you've needed some planar connectivity between where you are and what you're summoning. So historically where the Astral touches between the prime and Outer planes, you'll have astral conduits serving to funnel creatures to the summoner, and where the ethereal touches between the prime and inner planes you'll have something similar, but you won't be summoning elementals onto the outer planes or true outsiders onto the elemental planes because of that lack of (direct) planar connectivity.

For rules simplicity but not much thematic reason at all, 3.x nerfs the ethereal in its role as the prime/inner conduit and just has the astral pretty much touching everywhere (even where it makes little thematic sense). But presumably if you use the 3.x planar arrangement, those binding and summoning spells will require astral connectivity between where you are and what you're seeking to call to you in order to work. I don't know if the spell description itself really goes into that much explanation however of the fluffy nuts and bolts of the process.

 

[Sejs]

I'd be more concerned about what a pseudonatural creature would ask for in return for service.

For starters, never anything even remotely monetary, and rarely anything tangible. Faces, as noted already, would be a great start. Or names. Or hopes. Or love. They want it. They want to take it away from you and keep it all to themselves beyond the deep shores where you will never ever see it again.

Note that epic pseudonaturals also have the same hit dice as their mundane counterparts. One might decide, for its own inscrutable reasons, to answer a wizard's call. In case you *really* want to make your players sweat.

*nod* Run it as that's what you get when you fumble the opposed charisma check or the spellcraft check to make the binding circle. Whistle up a pseudonatural horror from beyond time and space and screw up the summoning? You get the epic pseudonatural version ... and it's not bound.

 

[frankthedm]

Whistle up a pseudonatural horror from beyond time and space and screw up the summoning? You get the epic pseudonatural version ... and it's not bound.

Great Idea!