Divine Magic • Core Spell Reference

Planar Ally

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Choose your edition before using the spell. Its level, casting procedure, targets, effects, and limits follow the rules in the selected panel.

Planar Ally at a Glance

5.5e (2024)	Level 6
5e (2014)	Level 6
Pathfinder 1e	Level 6
D&D 3.5e	Level 6
Browse	Cleric spells • Cleric class

Spell Rules

5.5e (2024)5e (2014)Pathfinder 1eD&D 3.5e

Planar Ally — 5.5e (2024)

Cleric spell level 6. Edition source.

Spell	Level 6 Conjuration (Cleric)
Casting Time	10 minutes
Range	60 feet
Components	V, S
Duration	Instantaneous

You beseech an otherworldly entity for aid. The being must be known to you: a god, a demon prince, or some other being of cosmic power. That entity sends a Celestial, an Elemental, or a Fiend loyal to it to aid you, making the creature appear in an unoccupied space within range. If you know a specific creature’s name, you can speak that name when you cast this spell to request that creature, though you might get a different creature anyway (GM’s choice). When the creature appears, it is under no compulsion to behave a particular way. You can ask it to perform a service in exchange for payment, but it isn’t obliged to do so. The requested task could range from simple (fly us across the chasm, or help us fight a battle) to complex (spy on our enemies, or protect us during our foray into the dungeon). You must be able to communicate with the creature to bargain for its services. Payment can take a variety of forms. A Celestial might require a sizable donation of gold or magic items to an allied temple, while a Fiend might demand a living sacrifice or a gift of treasure. Some creatures might exchange their service for a quest undertaken by you. A task that can be measured in minutes requires a payment worth 100 GP per minute. A task measured in hours requires 1,000 GP per hour. And a task measured in days (up to 10 days) requires 10,000 GP per day. The GM can adjust these payments based on the circumstances under which you cast the spell. If the task is aligned with the creature’s ethos, the payment might be halved or even waived. Nonhazardous tasks typically require only half the suggested payment, while especially dangerous tasks might require a greater gift. Creatures rarely accept tasks that seem suicidal. After the creature completes the task, or when the agreed-upon duration of service expires, the creature returns to its home plane after reporting back to you if possible. If you are unable to agree on a price for the creature’s service, the creature immediately returns to its home plane.

Planar Ally — 5e (2014)

Cleric spell level 6. Edition source.

Spell	6th-level conjuration
Casting Time	10 minutes
Range	60 feet
Components	V, S
Duration	Instantaneous

You beseech an otherworldly entity for aid. The being must be known to you: a god, a primordial, a demon prince, or some other being of cosmic power. That entity sends a celestial, an elemental, or a fiend loyal to it to aid you, making the creature appear in an unoccupied space within range. If you know a specific creature’s name, you can speak that name when you cast this spell to request that creature, though you might get a different creature anyway (GM’s choice). When the creature appears, it is under no compulsion to behave in any particular way. You can ask the creature to perform a service in exchange for payment, but it isn’t obliged to do so. The requested task could range from simple (fly us across the chasm, or help us fight a battle) to complex (spy on our enemies, or protect us during our foray into the dungeon). You must be able to communicate with the creature to bargain for its services. Payment can take a variety of forms. A celestial might require a sizable donation of gold or magic items to an allied temple, while a fiend might demand a living sacrifice or a gift of treasure. Some creatures might exchange their service for a quest undertaken by you. As a rule of thumb, a task that can be measured in minutes requires a payment worth 100 gp per minute. A task measured in hours requires 1,000 gp per hour. And a task measured in days (up to 10 days) requires 10,000 gp per day. The GM can adjust these payments based on the circumstances under which you cast the spell. If the task is aligned with the creature’s ethos, the payment might be halved or even waived. Nonhazardous tasks typically require only half the suggested payment, while especially dangerous tasks might require a greater gift. Creatures rarely accept tasks that seem suicidal. After the creature completes the task, or when the agreed-upon duration of service expires, the creature returns to its home plane after reporting back to you, if appropriate to the task and if possible. If you are unable to agree on a price for the creature’s service, the creature immediately returns to its home plane. A creature enlisted to join your group counts as a member of it, receiving a full share of experience points awarded.

Planar Ally — Pathfinder 1e

Cleric spell level 6. Edition source.

School	conjuration (calling) [see text for lesser planar ally ]
Level	cleric 6
Casting Time	10 minutes
Components	V, S, M (offerings worth 1,250 gp plus payment), DF
Range	close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect	one or two called outsiders, totaling no more than 12 HD, which cannot be more than 30 ft. apart when they appear
Duration	instantaneous
Saving Throw	none
Spell Resistance	no

Base Procedure

By casting this spell, you request your deity to send you an outsider (of 6 HD or less) of the deity’s choice. If you serve no particular deity, the spell is a general plea answered by a creature sharing your philosophical alignment. If you know an individual creature’s name, you may request that individual by speaking the name during the spell (though you might get a different creature anyway).

You may ask the creature to perform one task in exchange for a payment from you. Tasks might range from the simple to the complex. You must be able to communicate with the creature called in order to bargain for its services.

The creature called requires a payment for its services. This payment can take a variety of forms, from donating gold or magic items to an allied temple, to a gift given directly to the creature, to some other action on your part that matches the creature’s alignment and goals. Regardless, this payment must be made before the creature agrees to perform any services. The bargaining takes at least 1 round, so any actions by the creature begin in the round after it arrives.

A task taking up to 1 minute per caster level requires a payment of 100 gp per HD of the creature called. For a task taking up to 1 hour per caster level, the creature requires a payment of 500 gp per HD. A long-term task, one requiring up to 1 day per caster level, requires a payment of 1,000 gp per HD.

A nonhazardous task requires only half the indicated payment, while an especially hazardous task might require a greater gift. Few if any creatures will accept a task that seems suicidal (remember, a called creature actually dies when it is killed, unlike a summoned creature). However, if the task is strongly aligned with the creature’s ethos, it may halve or even waive the payment.

At the end of its task, or when the duration bargained for expires, the creature returns to its home plane (after reporting back to you, if appropriate and possible).

Note: When you use a calling spell that calls an air, chaotic, earth, evil, fire, good, lawful, or water creature, it is a spell of that type.

Changes and Additional Effects

Changes for this spell: you may call a single creature of 12 HD or less, or two creatures of the same kind whose HD total no more than 12. The creatures agree to help you and request your return payment together.

Planar Ally — D&D 3.5e

Cleric spell level 6. Edition source.

School	Conjuration (Calling) [see text for lesser planar ally ]
Level	Clr 6
Components	V, S, DF, XP
Casting Time	10 minutes
Range	Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect	One or two called elementals or outsiders, totaling no more than 12 HD, which cannot be more than 30 ft. apart when they appear
Duration	Instantaneous
Saving Throw	None
Spell Resistance	No

Base Procedure

By casting this spell, you request your deity to send you an elemental or outsider (of 6 HD or less) of the deity’s choice. If you serve no particular deity, the spell is a general plea answered by a creature sharing your philosophical alignment. If you know an individual creature’s name, you may request that individual by speaking the name during the spell (though you might get a different creature anyway).

A task taking up to 1 minute per caster level requires a payment of 100 gp per HD of the creature called. For a task taking up to 1 hour per caster level, the creature requires a payment of 500 gp per HD. A long-term task, one requiring up to one day per caster level, requires a payment of 1,000 gp per HD.

At the end of its task, or when the duration bargained for expires, the creature returns to its home plane (after reporting back to you, if appropriate and possible).

Note: When you use a calling spell that calls an air, chaotic, earth, evil, fire, good, lawful, or water creature, it is a spell of that type.

XP Cost: 100 XP.

Changes and Additional Effects

Changes for this spell: you may call a single creature of 12 HD or less, or two creatures of the same kind whose Hit Dice total no more than 12. The creatures agree to help you and request your return payment together.

XP Cost: 250 XP.

Why This Spell Is Dangerous in the World

Planar Ally is dangerous because it makes the politics of the planes visible in mortal life. A baron who sees a priest call a winged judge to testify in court may never again believe law belongs only to kings. A cult that hires a fiend to murder a rival has not merely committed a crime; it has opened a line of debt. A city that repeatedly calls elemental servants to repair walls, flood mines, or burn plague districts may discover that the elements remember service and insult.

The spell also exposes the caster’s religion to scrutiny. When a divine ally answers, witnesses learn something about the caster’s patron. When nothing answers, they learn something else. If the wrong creature arrives, the problem may be theological, political, or cosmic.

In a late medieval campaign, this spell belongs in temples, royal courts, crusading orders, plague hospitals, forbidden chapels, siege camps, and high-stakes diplomacy. It is not common village magic. It is the kind of spell that changes who has authority in a room.

Historical and Mythic Context

The idea behind Planar Ally belongs to an old family of stories about mortals petitioning powers beyond ordinary human reach. Ancient oracles, household spirits, daimones, genii, jinn, angels, demons, and divine messengers all preserve variations of the same dramatic pattern: a mortal asks, a greater or stranger power answers, and the answer comes with obligation.

In Greek religion, a daimon could be understood as a supernatural power or spirit associated with divine action, fate, or intervention. The later idea of a benevolent guiding spirit also appears in the Agathos Daimon, a protective good spirit. Roman religion preserved related ideas in the genius, including guardian powers of people, places, households, and institutions.

The spell also echoes the logic of oracles, where divine communication is requested through recognised ritual channels. The petitioner does not own the god’s answer. The petitioner approaches a sacred system and must live with what comes back.

Jinn traditions offer another useful parallel for campaign play. A jinni is not simply a monster, but a powerful unseen being with will, form, and moral agency. That distinction matters for this spell: the called creature is not a spell effect pretending to be alive. It is an actual participant in the world.

For fantasy gaming, Planar Ally works best when treated as sacred diplomacy rather than divine shopping. The caster is not buying a stat block. The caster is inviting a supernatural person, servant, officer, witness, or power into mortal affairs.

Rules Sources and Licensing

This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 and/or 5.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC. The original documents are available at D&D Beyond and are licensed under CC BY 4.0. Presentation and formatting have been changed.

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