How does Antilife Shell and similar abjurations work?


Rules Questions


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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

The antilife shell spell creates a 10-ft.-radius emanation, centered on you that hedges out most living creatures.

First, how does this even work? What does "hedges out" mean exactly? Can a creature with long reach, reach inside the field and attack you? Or does it prevent ALL physical contact?

Second, how can it possibly be centered on you by RAW? Emanations and similar effects are always started at a cross section on the map grid. By default that means it is never truly centered on you. If it was, you would end up covering half squares which, if that's the case, than can an enemy enter the half square or not?

I've seen similar problems with other abjurations such as antimagic field. How are they supposed to be adjudicated?


I'd treat the 10'radius emanation just like a creature with 10' reach, the point the same squares you threaten are where the field is active, I compare it to a metal object emanating heat to a 10' radius if that object is 15'on all sides it still reaches 10' beyond that all around.

I would think it wouldn't keep you from being hit by ranged or far reaching weapons but natural attacks should be blocked, seems the only sensible way to deal with it.


Ravingdork wrote:

The antilife shell spell creates a 10-ft.-radius emanation, centered on you that hedges out most living creatures.

First, how does this even work? What does "hedges out" mean exactly? Can a creature with long reach, reach inside the field and attack you? Or does it prevent ALL physical contact?

Antilife Shell keeps the listed types out, squares covered by the shell become impassible terrain to the creature.

As far as reach, I would say that it prevents the natural reach of a creature (long arms cannot enter the square), but not the reach of a weapon.
So a Frost Giant could not reach inside the Antilife Shell, but a pikeman with a very long spear could still try to stab from outside the shell.

Ravingdork wrote:

Second, how can it possibly be centered on you by RAW? Emanations and similar effects are always started at a cross section on the map grid. By default that means it is never truly centered on you. If it was, you would end up covering half squares which, if that's the case, than can an enemy enter the half square or not?

I've seen similar problems with other abjurations such as antimagic field. How are they supposed to be adjudicated?

Imagine you have a weapon with 10 ft reach. It is "centered" on you and threatens a number of squares around you. Antilife Shell affects the same set of squares, assuming you take up 1 square.

If you get bigger than 1 square, then pick the square or intersection in your middle.
This would imply the spell is less useful to very large creatures, because the creature would be larger than the spell radius.


Antilife Shell will keep a creature's position 10 ft away or more, but will do nothing to stop his reach from getting you. This is why it's not utterly broken, since otherwise a druid wildshaped with lunge could basically declare himself immune to melee while still dealing out pouncing death himself. Since by 11th level a lot of melee brutes have reach, it's helpful but limited in use.

Silver Crusade

I hate to do forum necromancy, but I feel like I need to ask a question about my understanding of this rule.

A BBEG casts this on himself before the final battle. I have a Fighter who uses a longsword and a shield (not optimized, shield's for AC, swords for damage). The Wizard casts Enlarge Person on me and I close.

Now I get stopped at 10 Feet from the caster. I'm going to use an "X" grid with my character noted ask "K" and The Big Bad Evil Guy as "B" Each X = 5 feet.

Option 1
XXKXX
XXXXX
XXBXX
XXXXX
XXXXX

Would I be able to get this close? Or would it be more like.

Option 2
XXKXX
XXXXX
XXXXX
XXBXX
XXXXX
XXXXX
XXXXX

If Option 1 is where I am, then I can still hit him with my 10' reach due to Enlarge Person

If Option 2 is where I am, I can't reach him with an enlarged longsword.

I think by the rules Option 2 is correct, am I right?


P33J wrote:

I hate to do forum necromancy, but I feel like I need to ask a question about my understanding of this rule.

A BBEG casts this on himself before the final battle. I have a Fighter who uses a longsword and a shield (not optimized, shield's for AC, swords for damage). The Wizard casts Enlarge Person on me and I close.

Now I get stopped at 10 Feet from the caster. I'm going to use an "X" grid with my character noted ask "K" and The Big Bad Evil Guy as "B" Each X = 5 feet.

Option 1
XXKXX
XXXXX
XXBXX
XXXXX
XXXXX

Would I be able to get this close? Or would it be more like.

Option 2
XXKXX
XXXXX
XXXXX
XXBXX
XXXXX
XXXXX
XXXXX

If Option 1 is where I am, then I can still hit him with my 10' reach due to Enlarge Person

If Option 2 is where I am, I can't reach him with an enlarged longsword.

I think by the rules Option 2 is correct, am I right?

No no my friend, one shouldn't hate necromancy, one should embrace it. This thread was very helpful, this was a spell I was curious about. Unfortunately nobody has answered your question after several years of searching, I hope you found your answer. Atalius out.

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