I'm trying to figure out a way to use Planar Binding. Unlike older versions, the 5e PB doesn't summon a creature. It only binds one that is already there. The problem is that it has a 1 hour casting time. That means that even if you conjure an elemental and begin casting planar binding on it immediately, the elemental will still disappear 1 round before you can finish the planar binding spell, since conjured elementals only remain for 1 hour. One could gate a creature into a magic circle, I guess, but that requires a 9th level spell. I was hoping there was actually a way to use planar binding, a 5th level spell, without having to wait an additional 8 levels.
Simple: You are an 11+ level caster. You have an 11+ level caster buddy. Your buddy casts Conjure Elemental (or Conjure Celestial or Fey, if you're feeling lucky!) at the same time you start casting Planar Binding. That is, if your DM is lenient and doesn't say that the Conjure spell ends 3 seconds before Planar Binding...
This is a problem easily solved by the DM if that's a player's wish. They either allow the above (which may prove to be very powerful, indeed! 2 spell slots of the party for a chance at a new party member!), or they grant you an extra-planar creature of some sort. Maybe willing. Maybe unwilling, but trapped in a magic circle. Maybe unconscious. Who knows!
I kinda miss 2e and 3e where you could summon Demon Princes and force them to do your bidding. Now that was a hoot! 
I had the same concern. It does seem kind of limiting that the spell only seems to work with magic circle + gate, making it fairly useless until level 17.
I suppose you could bind any extraplanar creature that you happened to find "naturally" while adventuring if you could subdue it long enough to trap it in a magic circle.
I imagine the intent of the spell is to allow the casting time to extend the duration of a conjure spell to match the casting time + duration of the planar binding, given that it already extends the duration of the conjure to match the duration of a planar binding. Assuming that you start casting the planar binding immediately after the conjure spell, I would say.
2Chlorobutanal wrote:
Basically, yes.
Couldn't a sorcerer simply Extend the Conjure X?
Yeah, but sorcerers don't get any conjure spells by default. They'd have to multiclass or something.
As the spell mentions, you can use Magic Circle.
Cast inverted, and from a higher level spell slot, it will prevent a creature summoned into it from leaving it via interplanar travel for a number of hours. Long enough to cast the Planar Binding spell.
The normal procedure would be to cast the magic circle, cast the summoning spell into it, then cast planar binding on the trapped being I would guess.
Captain_Kobold wrote:
Planar Binding spell does specify that any Conjure spell used is extended automatically to 1 hour.
The real flaw in this spell is the lack of Conjure spells/options. Burning 1100gp for the chance (it gets a save, two saves if it can teleport or plane shift) of getting 24hr service of a CR 5 Elemental is a bit much at these levels (debatable), but I'd just like there to be more options from a 'fun' perspective.
That's a good assumption about the extension during casting time, but I don't see it written in the spell description anywhere.
It says that a conjure spell's duration is extended to match the (24 hour or greater) duration of the planar binding spell, but, as it's technically an effect of the spell, that wouldn't seem to happen until the spell is finished casting without some sort of special rule stating otherwise. I assume there is some allowance for keeping a conjured creature for over an hour so that planar binding may actually be useful, but I don't see it rigorously described in the spell's text.
2Chlorobutanal wrote:
Can anyone think of a reason why the following won't work?
Cast Glyph of Warding using a level 5 slot and set the ward so that it casts the spell the Planar Binding upon the following trigger, "When a creatures touches this rune, trigger the spell.."
Cast an inverted magic circle around the gyph
Cast Conjure Elemental
Order it to touch the glyph
Our group pretty much decided that the 1 hour casting time and the 1 hour duration, were made for each other. It seems the intent of the spell is to bind conjured creatures and I imagine that when the game says a 1 hour casting time, it would be fair to assume that it doesn't mean exactly 60 minutes and 0 minutes and 0 seconds. it might be roughly 55 minutes. I mean, there are no alarm clocks right? and wouldn't it be odd if every extended spell casting was exactly the same length. If it was in our world we could define SI Units of time: A second is defined as 1/3600th of the duration of a Conjure Elemental Spell. or a second is defined as 1/6th the amount of time it takes a human to walk 30ft. Where a foot is defined as 1/5th the smallest distance possible between two people standing side by side, or 1/5th the distance one can reach with a sword. It's a role-playing game. I think the use of the term 1 hour here is simply so that we don't have to make the conjure spell duration "concentration up to 1 hour + 1 round" or the casting time of Planar Blinding "599 rounds".
If you're casting an hour long spell, it's safe to say that you aren't operating in combat round timing at this stage. Does your DM roll for initiative and cycle through everyones initiatives for 600 rounds, asking what everyone is doing on the turm. and for 600 rounds you say "I continue casting Planar Binding", except on the final round the elemental disappears. No. You summon it, it lasts up to an hour, which is fortunate since Planar Binding takes an hour to cast. Done.
Glimjack wrote:
I think "run across a demon while adventuring, trick him into the circle, planar bind him" is the intent. It makes a more interesting story, adds risk (since the demon might have buddies that show up), and avoids a lot of the planar binding excesses of previous editions. I approve.
Mechatarrasque wrote: