Infernal Calling
2014 Rules
- Level & School
- 5th-level conjuration
- Casting Time
- 1 minute
- Range
- 90 feet
- Components
- V, S, M (a ruby worth at least 999 gp)
- Duration
- Concentration, 1 hour
- Classes
- Warlock, Wizard
- Source
- Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Uttering a dark incantation, you summon a devil from the Nine Hells. You choose the devil's type, which must be one of challenge rating 6 or lower, such as a barbed devil or a bearded devil. The devil appears in an unoccupied space that you can see within range. The devil disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends.
The devil is unfriendly toward you and your companions. Roll initiative for the devil, which has its own turns. It is under the Dungeon Master's control and acts according to its nature on each of its turns, which might result in its attacking you if it thinks it can prevail, or trying to tempt you to undertake an evil act in exchange for limited service. The DM has the creature's statistics.
On each of your turns, you can try to issue a verbal command to the devil (no action required by you). It obeys the command if the likely outcome is in accordance with its desires, especially if the result would draw you toward evil. Otherwise, you must make a Charisma (Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion) check contested by its Wisdom (Insight) check. You make the check with advantage if you say the devil's true name. If your check fails, the devil becomes immune to your verbal commands for the duration of the spell, though it can still carry out your commands if it chooses. If your check succeeds, the devil carries out your command—such as "attack my enemies," "explore the room ahead," or "bear this message to the queen"—until it completes the activity, at which point it returns to you to report having done so.
If your concentration ends before the spell reaches its full duration, the devil doesn't disappear if it has become immune to your verbal commands. Instead, it acts in whatever manner it chooses for 3d6 minutes, and then it disappears.
If you possess an individual devil's talisman, you can summon that devil if it is of the appropriate challenge rating plus 1, and it obeys all your commands, with no Charisma checks required.
Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the challenge rating increases by 1 for each slot level above 5th.
Infernal Calling 5.5e 2024 vs. 5e 2014 edition differences
Infernal Calling is currently only available in the 2014 edition.
Infernal Calling popularity
How popular is Infernal Calling? It is one of the rarest spells in the game, and it is almost never chosen when available. This spell is virtually unheard of in most campaigns, but you can change that.
- Bottom 25% picked level 5 Warlock spell
- Bottom 10% picked level 5 Wizard spell
- Bottom 10% of all 5e spells
- Bottom 10% of all level 5 spells
Read about how this popularity data is calculated.
Spells similar to Infernal Calling
Summon Fiend 6th-level conjuration
It also calls a fiendish ally to fight for you for an hour, and it lands in the same warlock-and-wizard niche.
Players prefer Summon Fiend over Infernal Calling
Conjure Elemental 5th-level conjuration
Like this spell, it spends a high-level slot to bring a powerful creature to your side with concentration and a long duration.
Players prefer Conjure Elemental over Infernal Calling
Summon Aberration 4th-level conjuration
This has the same one-hour summoned-minion feel, even if the creature type is different.
Players prefer Summon Aberration over Infernal Calling
Planar Binding 5th-level abjuration
It shares the theme of dealing with an extraplanar creature and trying to keep it under your terms over a long span.
Players prefer Planar Binding over Infernal Calling
Summon Greater Demon 4th-level conjuration
Both bring a dangerous outsider onto the battlefield that you have to manage rather than fully control.
Players prefer Infernal Calling over Summon Greater Demon