What's a "unique being" for purposes of Gate?

[Piratecat]

A problem has come up in my game where the PCs want to gate in a specific powerful fiend. With one reading of the rules, he gets no save, SR or choice; with another reading of the rules, he can choose whether or not to come on through. For ease of reference, here's the relevant bit from the SRD:

Calling Creatures

The second effect of the gate spell is to call an extraplanar creature to your aid (a calling effect). By naming a particular being or kind of being as you cast the spell, you cause the gate to open in the immediate vicinity of the desired creature and pull the subject through, willing or unwilling. Deities and unique beings are under no compulsion to come through the gate, although they may choose to do so of their own accord. This use of the spell creates a gate that remains open just long enough to transport the called creatures. This use of the spell has an XP cost (see below).

If you choose to call a kind of creature instead of a known individual you may call either a single creature (of any HD) or several creatures. You can call and control several creatures as long as their HD total does not exceed your caster level. In the case of a single creature, you can control it if its HD do not exceed twice your caster level. A single creature with more HD than twice your caster level can’t be controlled. Deities and unique beings cannot be controlled in any event. An uncontrolled being acts as it pleases, making the calling of such creatures rather dangerous. An uncontrolled being may return to its home plane at any time.

I want to be unambiguously clear about this. If a PC tries to call forth any pit fiend, the pit fiend gets no choice. If they want to call forth Helbringoth, Vassal to Asmodeus, does he have a choice? The second sentence of the first paragraph above makes it seem like he doesn't. . . but the third sentence seems to contradict this.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Corlon]

Well, at first when I see "unique being" things like the tarrasque come to mind...but there aren't that many of those. You're right about those sentences seeming to be contradictory...

I'd rule that you can call any random pit fiend, but if you wanted to call Gardroth the Evil, he wouldn't have to.

But but based directly off the rules...I just don't know

 

[coyote6]

My suspicion would be that "unique being" was meant to cover arch-devils, demon princes, and the like. But that's just a guess.

OTOH, it would be kind of gimpy for Geezeroth the Mighty (an advanced 50 HD pit fiend sorcerer 20/ranger 20) to get gated into a trap just because it says "pit fiend" in his write-up, I might ignore that guess.

In any case, the evil GM notes the definition of extraplanar: "A subtype applied to any creature when it is on a plane other than its native plane." So, when the person invoking the gate isn't on, say, the Prime Material Plane, any particular being or kind of being from the Prime is "extraplanar", and thus subject to whatever the rule is.

Of course, knowing the 'cat, he's probably asking 'cause someone's planning on gating Agar into his wedding.

 

[Kalanyr]

I imagine that I'd say anything advancded beyond the standard, or with templates is unique. (With some exceptions like celestial animals or such). Anything that is a being (Demogorgon vs a Balor named Rath) rather than a creature too I suppose.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

If the PCs want to summon a by-the-book Pit Fiend, I'd allow it. If they want to summon a specific advanced Pit Fiend, for which "Pit Fiend" is only the beginning, as it were, then it has a choice.

To borrow an example from Sepulchrave's game, I'd allow Mostin to Gate in a vanilla Pit Fiend. But Titivilius, Duke of Hell, would get a choice.

 

[dcollins]

My thinking is the same as coyote: "unique being" meaning not just that they have a name, but that there's only one of that type of being in existence, and hence prohibiting arch-devils and demons and whatnot even if they aren't technically deities in the current ruleset.

I suppose this is a spell that has always relied on a lot of DM adjudication about what's good for the campaign. As a little bit of history, in AD&D 1st Ed. it was mandatory that the caster of a gate give the name of the target. But, it was entirely up to DM fiat whether the creature (deity, archdevil, demon lord, etc.) or a servant was sent through.

 

[Deset Gled]

I don't think I would allow Gate to force a specific, named creature to come through the Gate. This is not based on the rules description of the spell, but the fact that doing so means that Gate could effectively be used as a no-save intant kill spell by simply traveling to another nasty plane (say, fire), and calling whoever you want there to do nothing but sit around and take damage until they die.

 

[Sithobi1]

In that case, you wouldn't really call it instant, now would you?
The DM should just say that wouldn't work because they might be able to cast plane shift or find someone on the plane that can send them back to wherever they were before.

 

[somekindofjerk]

If they want to call forth Helbringoth, Vassal to Asmodeus, does he have a choice?

If you're going for the strictest interpretation, not unless Helbringoth was a uniquely spawned (or fleshcrafted, or what have you) fiend, or (in your campaign) happened to be the Tarrasque. An alternative interpretation (or in case you just want Helbringoth to have a choice), if he were an advanced or classed pit fiend then by all means count that as "unique"

 

[The Amazing Dingo]

Gotta agree with what several others here have already said. When I see "unique being" in that circumstance, I'd consider any extraplanar that has advanced hit dice, a template, or class levels (Fighter, Wizard, etc.) as being 'unique'. I use this only for the purposes of defining "unique" per some specific and defined rule. Within that domain, I would definately include any higher ranking devils or demons since they are going to be bigger and badder in terms of abilities.

Now, if they went out of their way to somehow gain either some knowledge (perhaps the creatures True Name or some part of his body (perhaps something that has since regrown, though the old part has continued to remain)) to somehow force him through in a short ritual, then that should be rewarded...

...or perhaps the PCs are instead brought to him rather then vice versa. That might be a nice twist on it all.