Does Planar Binding work in 5e?

[Kaelik]

I'm not a native speaker, so I may assume more rigidity then is actually there. Can you show me one other instance in the english language where the word within is used as you describe - something that just starts within a certain time frame - without using the words "begins, starts" (or other synonyms) as verbs?

You are trying to impose extra meaning onto a word that the rules don't provide. You are arguing that "you must cast" means "begin and middle and end the casting of" in the line "provided that you cast the spell that calls the creature within 1 round of casting the magic circle."

But the rules actually don't say that only beginning and middle and ending the entire time is "casting" the spell.

In fact, the rules are very clear in a few places that you are considered to be "casting" a spell even if you are just "somewhere in the middle of it."

"A spell that takes 1 minute to cast comes into effect just before your turn 1 minute later (and for each of those 10 rounds, you are casting a spell as a full-round action). These actions must be consecutive and uninterrupted, or the spell automatically fails."

So your attempt to impose the idea of a beginning/middle/end framework that all occurs in one round as a requirement of the word "casting" not only doesn't have any rules support, but is in some places contradicted by the rules.

-> Targetting: Similar question - are there any other instances where spells have a target but imply they don't adhere to the targeting rules?
Because the spell can still do what it says it does - you just need to jump through a few hoops to actually do the targeting.

1) Lots of spells target things that violate the normal target rules, but they say that, just like planar binding, not imply.

2) No, the spell can't do that. You don't have line of effect to creatures on another plane so either it can lure a creature from another plane or it can't. If it can, then it is explicitly saying that it doesn't follow the line of effect rules for Targetting, if it can't, then it can't do the thing the text says it does no matter how many hoops you jump through.*

*Arguing that "Transdimensional Spell" a Metamagic feat from a campaign setting source book for Faerun published years later is required to use Planar Binding so TECHNICALLY you can target stuff on the Ethereal sometimes is a non starter.

[Emerald]

I'm not a native speaker, so I may assume more rigidity then is actually there. Can you show me one other instance in the english language where the word within is used as you describe - something that just starts within a certain time frame - without using the words "begins, starts" (or other synonyms) as verbs?

Ah, a question of obscure and nitpicky grammar! My time to shine!

"Within" is definitely more flexible than you're assuming here. For a discrete event (or, if talking space/distance instead of time, a discrete point) "within X" does mean that something starts and ends in the given bounds, but for an ongoing task or an object/area of larger size/distance only a part of it need be in the bounds.

"You must take your lunch break within the next half hour" can mean "your lunch break must start and finish within the next half hour" but more commonly means "you must start your lunch break at some point within the next half hour, but it can extend beyond that." This is different than, say, "You must clock out for your lunch break within the next half hour," as clocking out is a singular event (and "being clocked out" a discrete state) that either happens or not rather than an ongoing task. Similarly, "That soccer field is within a 5-minute walk of the cafe" can mean "every part of the soccer field is reachable with 5 minutes of walking" but more commonly means "there is at least some portion of the soccer field reachable with 5 minutes of walking."

When distinguishing between the two senses is necessary, one generally says something is entirely, wholly, or completely within to denote the stricter sense, and the same goes for other positional terms like "enclosed" or "bounded." For instance, if a country is surrounded by hostile nations, there are hostile nations on all sides (but there may also be allied or neutral nations there as well), but if it is completely surrounded then every single adjacent nation is a hostile one (and there are no gaps like a neutral nation or an ocean border). And, relevant to this discussion, if you e.g. claim something is "within the rules" that implies it may include some wiggle room like technicalities or interpretation, but if you claim something is "completely within the rules" that implies a letter-and-spirit sort of thing with no room for debate.

Finally, "within" shows up in the planar binding description itself, and is another example of this: "to lure a creature from another plane to a specifically prepared trap, which must lie within the spell’s range" doesn't mean the binding diagram has to be entirely within the spell's range, as it could be half within range and half out of range and it would be legal according to the range rules to call the creature at the extreme of the spell's range, thus plonking the called creature precisely into the center of trap.

</pedantry>

Yes, but casting it from the 1st to the 100th round means that you didn't cast it "within" one round

In fact, the rules are very clear in a few places that you are considered to be "casting" a spell even if you are just "somewhere in the middle of it."

"A spell that takes 1 minute to cast comes into effect just before your turn 1 minute later (and for each of those 10 rounds, you are casting a spell as a full-round action). These actions must be consecutive and uninterrupted, or the spell automatically fails."

Indeed. Further, the "Cast a Spell" action only comes in Standard Action and Full-Round Action flavors, with no such action for casting a spell with a longer casting time; rather, spells with casting times longer than 1 round are described thusly:

A spell that takes 1 minute to cast comes into effect just before your turn 1 minute later (and for each of those 10 rounds, you are casting a spell as a full-round action, just as noted above for 1-round casting times). These actions must be consecutive and uninterrupted, or the spell automatically fails.

Emphasis mine. So when casting planar binding, you are literally taking the "Cast planar binding" action entirely within 1 round, and then proceeding to take the identical action again entirely within the 2nd through 100th rounds.

[Aharon]

@all:
Makes sense, I'm convinced.
Thank you!

[OgreBattle]

There any officially published adventure paths that interact with binding rules, or do they handwave when a big bad is summoning demons?

[Kaelik]

There any officially published adventure paths that interact with binding rules, or do they handwave when a big bad is summoning demons?

I believe City of the Spider Queen has a called creature attack at one point by the BBEG, but it might be Planar Ally, not Planar Binding.

[TheGreatEvilKing]

Back to 5e, gate pulls the critter to you and is instantaneous, but gives no control over the critter in 5e.

That said I'm sure Crawford has issued 5 different contradictory twitter rulings on this crap.

[Usamimi]

I had another party member conjure the creature and order them to fail their save.