Of Earthquakes and Planar Summoning

[Flights of Fantasy]

I remember when I first started playing on a server night a decade ago. I remember how I used to have my character freak out every time there was an earth quake. I eventually found out these earthquakes were caused by spell casters summoning planar entities into the area. I soon learned to ignore these earthquakes and accepted them as just a part of every day PC spells.

Then yesterday I found myself in a reverse situation as another player reacted to my Greater Planar Binding spell's earthquake the way I used to. It then dawned on me that, because this was a different server, the rules might be a little different this time around. So I would like to know whether or not these earthquakes that accompany spells (save the actual earthquake spell) are just for visual flair or am I actually causing a shift of the plates in Faerun every time I summon my planar cohort to the prime?

In the event my party is walking across shaky ground on a DM quest, it would be good to know ahead of time whether or not summoning my Eladrin pals could potentially shatter the ground beneath our feet and send us plummeting down to our deaths.

[Tsidkenu]

My personal opinion? Unless a cleric/druid casts Earthquake or a DM tells me there is an earthquake, I ignore all ground-shaking spell FX because its excessive otherwise.

[Nachti]

Summons shouldnt shake the ground. If so, report it and I see whats wrong.

[Tsidkenu]

When the spell is cast (Planar Binding especially) they have a 'ground shaking' VFX which is visible in the entire area. As far as I'm concerned, only Earthquake, Bombardment, Meteor Swarm, Hellball & Greater Ruin should have that VFX.

[LISA100595]

Epic Gate should keep the VFX I would think?

[aaron22]

i guess i am of the mind if its in the game, my character can see/feel it. if someone casts a binding spell i determine if my character would know what that is and then determine how my character will react. some may have seen it so often that they do not react.

[Flights of Fantasy]

Gate does it as well, though an actual gate to another plane does appear in the process.

[HauteCarl]

I remember when I first started playing on a server night a decade ago. I remember how I used to have my character freak out every time there was an earth quake. I eventually found out these earthquakes were caused by spell casters summoning planar entities into the area. I soon learned to ignore these earthquakes and accepted them as just a part of every day PC spells.

Then yesterday I found myself in a reverse situation as another player reacted to my Greater Planar Binding spell's earthquake the way I used to. It then dawned on me that, because this was a different server, the rules might be a little different this time around. So I would like to know whether or not these earthquakes that accompany spells (save the actual earthquake spell) are just for visual flair or am I actually causing a shift of the plates in Faerun every time I summon my planar cohort to the prime?

In the event my party is walking across shaky ground on a DM quest, it would be good to know ahead of time whether or not summoning my Eladrin pals could potentially shatter the ground beneath our feet and send us plummeting down to our deaths.

I think that is was my character that was talking to yours. "By the gods" I am a new player to the server, I only encounter this effect when hostile monsters cast spells like earthquake so seemed to me like there was something significant happening such as an attack on the FAI.

[Glowfire]

It would indeed be nice if the 'earthquake' effect was removed from the Planar Binding spells.