Thaumaturge's Planar Cohort Role Play?

[Flights of Fantasy]

In the beginning, I didn't think much about this because I was only able to summon animals and other critters. Using the language bar to make the critters emote and do stuff didn't strike me as being any sort of issue. But now that I've reached level 5 Thaumaturge and can persistently summon Eladrin, Archons, Frost Giants, and other amazing outsiders, I'd like to ask is it okay if I role play as them?

Granted, we've always been able to summon planar beings, but all the spells had duration limits, so trying to role play with them was rather difficult. The only persistent companions we could have were all animals or other critters that can't speak common anyway. And the new summon update really changed things. Now we can have a Firre minstrel follow our characters around, perform music, and talk about all the art he's seen. My character can now have a Ghaele body guard that can literally kill evil people just by glaring at them!

Granted, just about every area has a rule against summons in town, but a lot of these new summons can actually fit in rather well. Bralani's look like elves with rainbow eyes and lore states Firres can be mistaken as half-elves until you notice the lack of eyes. Then there's places like FAI or the Eastern farmlands where people gather and are "outside" of the town limits. Unlike having a weapon drawn or covering on my character's face, I've yet to be called out by a guard for chilling with my new Firre friend. Perhaps that should now change?

[ZestyDragon]

You have to keep summons outside of towns and such. While IC due to limitations they do look close to PC's in actual fact their planar heritage would be noticeable. Wings, height, eyes, aura's they way they act and speak are all different. You might get away with it if a DM was present and you disguised them but other wise its safer to not bring them into town. Also what angel is going to let you break the law with their presence.

I use to play a dragon druid and i very much played my dragon companion, so i don't really see this as any different. Though if you start doing silly things the DMs will likely make up some new rules to govern it. So my suggestion is do research and try to represent them as best you can.

[Flights of Fantasy]

True enough for Angels, but all Eladrin are chaotic good. I don't think any of them care about the law. I can just picture my Firre companion screaming at me as I pass through Baldur's Gate.

"But I have to see the White Mask's rendition of S. H. Speare's 'Titus Andronicus' today!"

[Tsidkenu]

My opinion as a fellow player? Do so carefully without metagaming or godmoding. The last thing this server needs is someone wandering around with Djinni in tow 'giving' wishes to all & sundry (or other related planar-being behaviours).

[Steve]

Planar Cohort

A 5th-level thaumaturgist can use any of the planar ally spells to call a creature to act as his cohort. The called creature serves loyally and well as long as the thaumaturgist continues to advance a cause important to the creature.

I read the underlined part as that a Planar—whether cohort or not—is still of free mind. Thus, a full fledged NPC...and that would suggest we Players cannot speak for it.

Related to Planar Ally in general, the service performed by the Planar is based on a contract. This being negotiated, and thus...confirms the Planar to be of sentient mind...again, not speaking for this being.

Hidden: show

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).

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 one 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.

[Flights of Fantasy]

Wow, I had forgotten about Djinni being able to grant wishes. And while you brought up a lot of good points Steve, they're still assumptions as there is no rule against it. We could also assume it's okay to role play with/as our summons because the language bar gives us the ability to do so. And the abilities that are affected are not just Planar Ally but also Planar Binding.

[Planehopper]

My personal opinion is, as this is a role play server which woukd be more odd/immersion breaking:

A) all language-capable summons refusing to speak, emote, or act outside of combat

B) a player using artistic license to bring life to these summons

Yeah, those choices are a little leading, but it comes down to responsible role-play. We grant players the freedom and responsibility to RP their characters within certain bounds. I don't see why we couldn't afford that same freedom (and associated responsibility) to player-controlled summons.

[Steve]

We could also assume it's okay to role play with/as our summons because the language bar gives us the ability to do so. And the abilities that are affected are not just Planar Ally but also Planar Binding.

Sure, your points are valid. But I would point you to the Planar Ally spell description again, where it says:

You must be able to communicate with the creature called in order to bargain for its services.

Does you summoner speak any of the Elemental languages? Celestial? Infernal? etc.? Perhaps all Planars speak Common, though Common itself is a silly thing designed to make the Game more easier (cause if everyone speaks Common by default, then...what are the purposes of regional languages, actually?!?).

Anyway, letting Players RP their Summons is obviously and currently fair game, unless the HDMs make a statement/rule about it. I personally wouldn't know where to begin in RPing an nearly immortal Angel, in the first place! lol.

[metaquad4]

Even the absence of RPing anything through the summon is RPing it none-the-less, though. If you don't RP your angel summon, for example, then all the world sees is a silent angel that walks behind the PC and kills anything that enters its vicinity and is hostile. And its totally unresponsive to everything, even if people were to RP comments (jeering or complimentary) to it, or (say) threw tomatoes in it in RP. And that is what will end up being RPed.

Even if the summoner doesn't RP anything, they are (inadvertently, perhaps) RPing the angel (or creature, or whatever) as an unresponsive automaton essentially.

[Flights of Fantasy]

That's a good point, too. Silence can be more intimidating than speech.

And yeah, my character can speak Elven, Sylvan, & Celestial, so I'm fairly sure communication with Eladrin will not be a problem. In fact, lore states that Firre are known to adventure into the prime.

Firres have a deep love and appreciation of mortal art, and often embark on lengthy sojourns on the Prime Material Plane to seek out works of excellence.

[Steve]

For me, the only "creature" we should RP, besides are PCs, are Familiars. Why? Because they are the only "summons" that we Players can actually control (all others are just given Commands).

Yes, that is pretty strict, I know. However, what I'd like to see is, with effort and DM approval, a Thaum could build a unique relationship with a unique Planar, and once that is RP'd, the Player could begin to build up this semi-NPC with background, personality and real character.

It is a gray area. And official clarification could help.

[Nachti]

If a player invests into roleplaying his cohorts, summons or whatever - it will enrich the server.

Thus should be encouraged rather then restriced.

For me, the only "creature" we should RP, besides are PCs, are Familiars. Why? Because they are the only "summons" that we Players can actually control (all others are just given Commands).

RPwise you only control creatures that you have dominated. Familiars are commanded but never controlled. Same for animal companions.

Summon Abilities

And djinnis cant grant wishes. Only the nobles can and these arent ingame. Things like wishes are always dm-executive.

[Xorena]

Not being able to RP a familiar seems excessively restrictive.

[Steve]

RPwise you only control creatures that you have dominated. Familiars are commanded but never controlled. Same for animal companions.

Mechanically, we can control Familiars. This is what I meant, and, greatly differs from any other summons, and/or a Dominated being.

[Planehopper]

We can make them stay, walk or run in follow, attack, hide, bash, search, disarm, or unlock. I could be forgetting things. It seems that as we control all of these aspects of their being (mechanically) that controlling their emotes or even so much as personality and voice isn't much of a stretch.