Protection From Good / Evil / Law / Chaos - Confusion, multiple spells?

[Steve88pf]

Hey,

I am a bit confused about the "Protection From Good / Evil / Law / Chaos" spell(s?). Is it one spell where you pick which one you cast when you cast it or something? Reading the "Inner Power Sorcerer guide" and the "A Quick Guide to Pathfinder Sorcerer Spell Selection" guide they rate it quite highly and talk about it using the word "spell" and not "spells".

In the rule book its also listed together as a spell but then in the detailed spell list they are all listed separately.

I also found this topic but it doesn't seem to give a definitive answer.

As a new player, in fact haven't even played yet, it is very confusing to me and would love it if someone could give a definitive answer as to how this spell or spells works.

Thanks in advance,
Steve

[Terokai]

it is one spell but it has multiple Modifyiers i suppose we will call them. They all function the same except they affect different alignments. Thats all really. so you could say prohibit some one from casting protection from good but not protection from chaos as an example.

[Robert A Matthews]

Each spell has a separate spell description so I would say they are all different spells that have to be learned separately. I think I recall a PFS scenario where a Sorcerer actually has Protection from Good as a spell known. That seems to me to indicate that each spell is a separate spell and not different versions of the same spell. A spell with different versions would be like Resist Energy or Polypurpose Panacea where there is one spell description, but you make a choice as you are casting the spell to determine which effect manifests.

[anthonydido]

They are all separate spells. They lump them together like that because they all operate the same with the only difference being what they protect from.

You don't memorize "protection from good/evil/chaos/law" and pick one when cast. You memorize protection from evil, protection from good, protection from chaos or protection from law.

[Steve88pf]

Thanks for the answers guys.