Practical Demonkeeping (A Summoner's Guide to the Lower Planes)

[Gnorman]

Bloody hell. Double post.

[Sinfire Titan]

Adaru
CR: 10
HD: 13
How to get it: SM IX as an evil caster (or a Malconvoker)
Role: Overlord
Fluff: Adaru are surprisingly charming for demons, but are treacherous and scheming. You're going to have to learn to bluff a consummate bluffer to deal with them, but they can be bought with wealth and magic items.
Advantages: Supremely mobile, with burrow, climb, and swim speeds. A decently damaging poison. Its Fetid Cloud ability debuffs and makes movement difficult for non-evil creatures while giving evil creatures profane bonuses - great in a swarm of summons. But how often will you fight non-evil enemies?
Disadvantages: Not very damaging in melee, unimpressive SLAs. Can't kill a thing without using its poison.
Notable SLAs: Freedom at will and Charm Monster 3/day, but it only works on other tanar'ri, so it's rather limited.
Final Evaluation: One or two helpful abilities mixed in with a lot of mediocre ones. I'm not sold. Better things to do at this level.

Summon Monster 6 for 3 Charm Monsters against other Tanar'rii? Planar Binding bait, 'nuff said. It helps you bind other demons, and then gives you control afterward (you tell it to). The best part is that the Charm effect lasts even after the SM6 wears off.

[Tenebrous Apostate]

My personal Favorites are the shadow demon and the Arcanoloth. I use them with a findish version of Celestial Channeling (there should be a law against this spell ) for amazing resaults. The Shadow Demon is Incorporial and Immune to almost every serious  source of damage in the game. I got nothing on vile damage wich I can augment through the Cleric's buffs as well. The Arcanoloth casts as a 12lvl sorrcerer and has freaking shapechane at will!! nough said

[Gnorman]

Summon Monster 6 for 3 Charm Monsters against other Tanar'rii? Planar Binding bait, 'nuff said. It helps you bind other demons, and then gives you control afterward (you tell it to). The best part is that the Charm effect lasts even after the SM6 wears off.

It's SM IX. Somewhat less useful there. Still, not a bad tactic.

[Sinfire Titan]

Summon Monster 6 for 3 Charm Monsters against other Tanar'rii? Planar Binding bait, 'nuff said. It helps you bind other demons, and then gives you control afterward (you tell it to). The best part is that the Charm effect lasts even after the SM6 wears off.

It's SM IX. Somewhat less useful there. Still, not a bad tactic.

You can put a SM6 in a Schema (Magic of Eberron) to get it 1/day for "free". It pays for itself after 4 uses of Planar Binding.

[Gnorman]

Summon Monster 6 for 3 Charm Monsters against other Tanar'rii? Planar Binding bait, 'nuff said. It helps you bind other demons, and then gives you control afterward (you tell it to). The best part is that the Charm effect lasts even after the SM6 wears off.

It's SM IX. Somewhat less useful there. Still, not a bad tactic.

You can put a SM6 in a Schema (Magic of Eberron) to get it 1/day for "free". It pays for itself after 4 uses of Planar Binding.

Am I missing something here? I'm saying that the adaru is only summonable with Summon Monster 9, not 6. So it doesn't work like that. Reading over the rules for schema, there's no way to cram a ninth level spell in there.

The adaru can be a handy charmer, but at the level you get it, you can just Mindrape them.

[Sinfire Titan]

Summon Monster 6 for 3 Charm Monsters against other Tanar'rii? Planar Binding bait, 'nuff said. It helps you bind other demons, and then gives you control afterward (you tell it to). The best part is that the Charm effect lasts even after the SM6 wears off.

It's SM IX. Somewhat less useful there. Still, not a bad tactic.

You can put a SM6 in a Schema (Magic of Eberron) to get it 1/day for "free". It pays for itself after 4 uses of Planar Binding.

Am I missing something here? I'm saying that the adaru is only summonable with Summon Monster 9, not 6. So it doesn't work like that. Reading over the rules for schema, there's no way to cram a ninth level spell in there.

The adaru can be a handy charmer, but at the level you get it, you can just Mindrape them.

Have I ever mentioned I hate Roman Numerals?

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Summon Monster 6 for 3 Charm Monsters against other Tanar'rii? Planar Binding bait, 'nuff said. It helps you bind other demons, and then gives you control afterward (you tell it to). The best part is that the Charm effect lasts even after the SM6 wears off.

It's SM IX. Somewhat less useful there. Still, not a bad tactic.

You can put a SM6 in a Schema (Magic of Eberron) to get it 1/day for "free". It pays for itself after 4 uses of Planar Binding.

Am I missing something here? I'm saying that the adaru is only summonable with Summon Monster 9, not 6. So it doesn't work like that. Reading over the rules for schema, there's no way to cram a ninth level spell in there.

The adaru can be a handy charmer, but at the level you get it, you can just Mindrape them.

Have I ever mentioned I hate Roman Numerals?

iumopap!sdn  1snf  s!  p-/eoq?a>|  -/no?  >|u!"|1  I

[Gnorman]

Summon Monster 6 for 3 Charm Monsters against other Tanar'rii? Planar Binding bait, 'nuff said. It helps you bind other demons, and then gives you control afterward (you tell it to). The best part is that the Charm effect lasts even after the SM6 wears off.

It's SM IX. Somewhat less useful there. Still, not a bad tactic.

You can put a SM6 in a Schema (Magic of Eberron) to get it 1/day for "free". It pays for itself after 4 uses of Planar Binding.

Am I missing something here? I'm saying that the adaru is only summonable with Summon Monster 9, not 6. So it doesn't work like that. Reading over the rules for schema, there's no way to cram a ninth level spell in there.

The adaru can be a handy charmer, but at the level you get it, you can just Mindrape them.

Have I ever mentioned I hate Roman Numerals?

?u?op?p?sdn ?sn? s? p??oq??? ?no? ?u??? ?

LOUD. NOISES.

[Laertes]

I just joined this forum for the explicit purpose of telling you that this guide is insanely awesome. Thank you so much for putting in all this work and producing such a cool handbook! I have always loved summoning and this guide is most comprehensive. When do you think you will finish the section 'The Art Of The Bind'?

[Gnorman]

I just joined this forum for the explicit purpose of telling you that this guide is insanely awesome. Thank you so much for putting in all this work and producing such a cool handbook! I have always loved summoning and this guide is most comprehensive. When do you think you will finish the section 'The Art Of The Bind'?

Soon! Current plan is to finish up the Aspects / Demon Lords sections, then the few PHB spells I have left to include in the Strategizing section. Then we'll be on to the binding sections. I plan on putting it a good bit of work on the guide within the next few days.

And thanks for the kind words.

[snakeman830]

Greater Planar Binding only goes up to 18HD.  Pit Fiends are still callable, but Balors you have to get via Gate.

I've found a lot of fun to be had with the Mother Cyst (Libris Mortis) feat and any calling effect.  If you can cast 7th levels spells, you can potentially keep those outsiders around indefinitely and incapable of disobeying you (using Necrotic Tumor).  Also works in conjunction with Gate.  Call up a Titan and enslave it first, then use it's Gate ability to call in other high HD creatures.

[PhaedrusXY]

Greater Planar Binding only goes up to 18HD.  Pit Fiends are still callable, but Balors you have to get via Gate.

Don't Malconvokers get the ability to increase that HD cap? I think a lot of this was written around the assumption of playing one.

I've found a lot of fun to be had with the Mother Cyst (Libris Mortis) feat and any calling effect.  If you can cast 7th levels spells, you can potentially keep those outsiders around indefinitely and incapable of disobeying you (using Necrotic Tumor).  Also works in conjunction with Gate.  Call up a Titan and enslave it first, then use it's Gate ability to call in other high HD creatures.

Oh yeah. I love Mother Cyst. There is nothing quite like it for the would-be puppet master.

[Tenebrous Apostate]

Got to chech the mother Kyst again. the trick sounds ghoulish    Did you know that through gate you can summon (and control if their lvl does not exceed Twice your caster level) epic monsters like abominations? If you're like 18 lvl and cast consumpitive field and then kill some rats or what have you you can potentialy call (and control) a creature of 54 HD! namely a Dream Larvae, Infernal and Hecatoncheires

[snakeman830]

Greater Planar Binding only goes up to 18HD.  Pit Fiends are still callable, but Balors you have to get via Gate.

Don't Malconvokers get the ability to increase that HD cap? I think a lot of this was written around the assumption of playing one.

Just saw that they do at 8th.

[PhaedrusXY]

Got to chech the mother Kyst again. the trick sounds ghoulish    Did you know that through gate you can summon (and control if their lvl does not exceed Twice your caster level) epic monsters like abominations? If you're like 18 lvl and cast consumpitive field and then kill some rats or what have you you can potentialy call (and control) a creature of 54 HD! namely a Dream Larvae, Infernal and Hecatoncheires

Yeah, it kind of makes the epic spell Lord of Nightmares a bit of a joke, doesn't it?

Although... now that I think about it, abominations are actually divine rank 0, and so you couldn't actually control them via Gate. So that could make for an unpleasant surprise for their would-be summoners.

There are lots of other terribly nasty epic monsters that you could control, though.

[Tenebrous Apostate]

I never said that you summon them straight from the epic handbook. Put entropic template on them and BAAM their creatures from another dimenshion. Ready to be your bitches Via Gate

[PhaedrusXY]

I never said that you summon them straight from the epic handbook. Put entropic template on them and BAAM their creatures from another dimenshion. Ready to be your bitches Via Gate

You're missing the whole point. They are deities. You can't control them with Gate.

[Sinfire Titan]

AFB right now, but there's an additional feat in FC1 that allows you to summon Demons. I forget the name, but it was also reprinted in Elder Evils (sort of). The feat gave you a benefit based on the Demon Prince you worked for, and one of the benefits was a free Summon Tanar'rii who's CR was equal to 1/2 your Character Level. The summon worked 1/day and lasted for at least 1 hour, IIRC.

[Tenebrous Apostate]

I cannot agree on that. 0 divine rank means no divine rank whatsoever. And they still age and the living ones need to eat breath and sleep. Im quoting from the Epic Handbook that I happen to have right in front of me. If you got some other sourcebook that says otherwise tell me wich.