4 Comments

  1. Ethan

    If you play d&d you are probably familiar with the spell planar binding?
    It is a spell that allows you to summon elementals, and other outsiders, and demons.
    But they do not just do what you want.
    Instead you have to bribe, threaten, and monipulate them into doing your will.

  2. Sorry to take so long; for some reason I’m not notified of comments on my articles, and I only just found this.

    I have been playing Dungeons & Dragons since 1980, but I still play the version of the game that was in print then, and that specific spell name is not there.. There were summoning spells that worked much as you suggest, by which the summoner called the creature to his presence but had to bargain for favors. (There were also ways to coerce such creatures; none of my players ever experimented with them.)

    What was missing was a game mechanic for consequences. That’s what Sorcerer brings to the table: if you deal with demons, you might lose your soul, or you might not, but you’re taking a serious risk.

    But you’re right: a creative Dungeon Master could no doubt do much on the fly that Sorcerer does specifically.

    –M. J. Young

  3. Ethan

    Agreed,
    Personally though, I actually prefer roll-playing to mechanics for things like this, but, both work for different types of players and DMs.

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