Still adapting from my transition from 3.5 to Pathfinder, I noticed a difference in the wording of Protection from Evil.
In 3.5, it protected against nongood summoned creatures
In PF, it protects only against evil summoned creatures
The question becomes:
- Is there a way to block elementals and other neutral summons?
- Is this voluntary or something that was forgotten?
I think it was intentionally left out because PoE is still a totally kick-ass spell.
Personally, I'd had dropped the total immunity to compulsions as well (only offering a second save effect).
Since it was specifically changed, rather than just copy/paste'd, you can safely assume it was intentional.
Note also that the prevention of mental control are also only versus spells/effects by evil creatures, unlike in 3.5.
Blocking neutral summoned creatures (except constructs, elementals, outsiders, and undead) would require antilife shell. Blocking all neutral summoned creatures would require antimagic field. There are probably other ways too, but those were the ones that sprung immediately to mind.
What makes a man turn neutral? Lust for gold? Power? Or is he just born with a heart full of neutrality?
What makes a man turn neutral? Lust for gold? Power? Or is he just born with a heart full of neutrality?
It depends. Some try to be a perfect balance between extremes, Some try to rise above normal morality. I'd say most just don't care enough for either extreme. They'd prefer a good neighbor over an evil one, but they don't have the motivation to go out and be a do-gooder.
Still adapting from my transition from 3.5 to Pathfinder, I noticed a difference in the wording of Protection from Evil.
In 3.5, it protected against nongood summoned creatures
In PF, it protects only against evil summoned creaturesThe question becomes:
- Is there a way to block elementals and other neutral summons?
- Is this voluntary or something that was forgotten?
Not by using Protection from Chaos/Law/Evil/Good.
This was a change in the rules from 3.5 to PF. The spell was judged a bit too powerful, so it was nerfed to only apply to specific alignments.
You can use antimagic field to block summons. Globes of invulnerability work, I believe. Resilient Sphere works. . . There are a few other tricks I'm sure. . .
It's my belief that this was the intent of the spell in 3.5, but the wording was ambiguous.
Why would Protection from Evil hedge out Neutral creatures?
This also makes the Druid's Summon spell better than a Cleric/Sorcerer/Wizard, since they do not apply a template to their summoned creatures.
A Wizard could always just be Neutral and summon Fiendish/Celestial versions at her whim. We have a TN Cleric in our Rise of the Runelords campaign that summoned a Hound Archon, and the next round 3 Babaus.
It was fun watching the demons try to get through/around the Magic Circle Against Evil the Archon was emitting.