Apologies if this information is mentioned somewhere I've dug around as much as I can regarding it but haven't been able to find anything addressing what I'm curious about. What I wanted to know was what happens to the bound outsider/elemental if they fail the task set out for them during the Planar Binding. Let's say for example a wizard successfully binds an outsider with all the proper wording to assure that they will protect their siblings life as a body guard of sorts for a week as their service. The outsider is obligated to do so to the best of their ability, but what happens if something manages to kill the person they've been charged to protect? Say something immediately one-shots the person leaving the outsider unable to have even acted in time, their task is suddenly failed, they couldn't keep the wizards sibling alive. Does this break the agreement of service and return the outsider to their plane or does it leave the stuck there until the time of the agreement has passed still? Or is there some other outcome of failure? Or does this not count as failure as it is a broad service and they are simply obligated to do everything that they can to protect the persons life, in which case do they still have to wait for the allotted time period to pass before they can report and go home or does the persons death release the time frame?
I can't see anything definitive, so as far as I can tell it's up to the GM. I think it's one of 2 things.
1. The contract would be completed. Planar Binding says: "Once the requested service is completed, the creature need only to inform you to be instantly sent back whence it came." So the creature would need to inform you.
2. If you've already paid for 1 week of service and they die on the first day, they might be obliged to serve you for the remaining 6 days. The task would have to be similar or you'd have to haggle again.
I can't see anything definitive, so as far as I can tell it's up to the GM. I think it's one of 2 things.
1. The contract would be completed. Planar Binding says: "Once the requested service is completed, the creature need only to inform you to be instantly sent back whence it came." So the creature would need to inform you.
2. If you've already paid for 1 week of service and they die on the first day, they might be obliged to serve you for the remaining 6 days. The task would have to be similar or you'd have to haggle again.
Thank you for the help! I'll weigh out what seems to make sense between the two.
There is also a possibility that the outsider becomes trapped in the Material Plane permanently. Normally the magic of the binding sends the outsider back when it fullfills the contract, but if the outsider fails or breaks the contract they need to find another way to return to his plane.
In one of the Adventure Paths there is an outsider that was tasked to make a specificic person laugh. That person died before the outsider was able to do so, and the outsider needs to find another way home.
There is also a possibility that the outsider becomes trapped in the Material Plane permanently. Normally the magic of the binding sends the outsider back when it fullfills the contract, but if the outsider fails or breaks the contract they need to find another way to return to his plane.
In one of the Adventure Paths there is an outsider that was tasked to make a specificic person laugh. That person died before the outsider was able to do so, and the outsider needs to find another way home.
Thank you, that is a very interesting task and very helpful! That's exactly the kind of thing that I was looking for.
If your contract did not included a specifically defined penalty for failure, than it wasn't much of a contract. At the very least, the contract should state that the outsider must return whatever gift you offered them for their services (assuming it had a monetary value) if they fail at their task.
In my current Way of the Wicked campaign, my guy prefers to bind Demons. But due to their chaotic nature, simply signing a contract/making a pact is not guarantee that they will actually carry out their part. As such the penalties I dictate are usually much larger and permanent in nature - and involve things owed to my Deity (Asmodeus). If the demon wants to piss off the King of Hell, that's on them. Due to the higher stakes of the failure clause, I offer the demon a much nicer reward/gift, than what is outlined in the Binding Outsiders section of the rules (most have liked the "15 minute killing spree" bonus I have offered them in the nearby town we are terrorizing)