nogoodscallywag
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The PCs are fighting a Marilith Demon, which has an aura of Unholy Aura:
Unholy Aura
School abjuration [evil]; Level cleric/oracle 8; Domain evil 8; Bloodline abyssal 8
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (a tiny reliquary worth 500 gp)
EFFECT
Range 20 ft.
Targets one creature/level in a 20-ft.-radius burst centered on you
Duration 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw see text; Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
DESCRIPTION
A malevolent darkness surrounds the subjects, protecting them from attacks, granting them resistance to spells cast by good creatures, and weakening good creatures when they strike the subjects. This abjuration has four effects:
Each warded creature gains a +4 deflection bonus to AC and a +4 resistance bonus on saves. Unlike the effect of protection from good, this benefit applies against all attacks, not just against attacks by good creatures.
A warded creature gains spell resistance 25 against good spells and spells cast by good creatures.
The abjuration protects the subjects from possession and mental influence, just as protection from good does.
If a good creature succeeds on a melee attack against a warded creature, the offending attacker takes 1d6 points of Strength damage (Fortitude negates).
It seems to me the aura is actually only on the Marilith, although that could certainly be incorrect. If it is not, then per the wording of the spell, the section 1 seems to imply every creature, even enemies of the Marilith, will get that portion of the bonus granted. That wouldn't make sense at all.
| Pauper Princess |
It seems as though you are asking if only allies or if all creatures within the area of effect will get the bonuses? RAW, it seems as though that is the case.
I will point out as a comparison that a cleric's channel energy affects all creatures (harm or heal, whichever is selected, unless they have selective channeling to filter a number of creatures out. Also, Bless specifically says allies get the benefits.
I lean toward it meaning that all creatures get these bonuses since it's an aura and it's constant, i.e. no manipulating it, it can't be shut off, only anti-magic field would suppress it, etc.
But there is this question. Is RAI that it should only give the bonuses to allies? It doesn't state allies as other spells and spell-like abilities do.
nogoodscallywag
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The Marilith says it's "aura" is constant.
Looking up the spell Unholy Aura, the spell says it's a burst (a one-time event for those in radius).
However, if the listing says the aura is constant, does that mean the radius burst is always in effect, or that the effects of the spell are always in effect?
| Are |
Unholy aura is also targeted. Even as an aura, I'd say the marilith would get to choose who gains the benefits.
Edit: Especially since it's actually a "constant" spell-like ability. Since those can be reactivated as swift actions, and since unholy aura is dismissable, it's no problem for the marilith to simply change the targets as it pleases. This would normally mean that when an encounter begins, the aura targets only the marilith (or the marilith plus allies, if it has any).
Also, due to "unless otherwise stated, a creature can only use a constant spell-like ability on itself", you might even rule that the benefits can only apply to the marilith itself.
(In 3.5, the marilith had the unholy aura as a normal at-will SLA. PF changed a number of such SLAs that the creature would always want to have active to be constant (which was good), but it seems that they didn't specify how that would work if the now-constant SLA had multiple targets).
nogoodscallywag
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Ah, I think it appears the bolded language you point is our answer:
Spell-Like Abilities (Sp)
Spell-like abilities are magical and work just like spells (though they are not spells and so have no verbal, somatic, focus, or material components). They go away in an antimagic field and are subject to spell resistance if the spell the ability is based on would be subject to spell resistance.
A spell-like ability usually has a limit on how often it can be used. A constant spell-like ability or one that can be used at will has no use limit; unless otherwise stated, a creature can only use a constant spell-like ability on itself. Reactivating a constant spell-like ability is a swift action. Using all other spell-like abilities is a standard action unless noted otherwise, and doing so provokes attacks of opportunity. It is possible to make a concentration check to use a spell-like ability defensively and avoid provoking an attack of opportunity, just as when casting a spell. A spell-like ability can be disrupted just as a spell can be. Spell-like abilities cannot be used to counterspell, nor can they be counterspelled.
For creatures with spell-like abilities, a designated caster level defines how difficult it is to dispel their spell-like effects and to define any level-dependent variables (such as range and duration) the abilities might have. The creature’s caster level never affects which spell-like abilities the creature has; sometimes the given caster level is lower than the level a spellcasting character would need to cast the spell of the same name. If no caster level is specified, the caster level is equal to the creature’s Hit Dice. The saving throw (if any) against a spell-like ability is 10 + the level of the spell the ability resembles or duplicates + the creature’s Charisma modifier.
Some spell-like abilities duplicate spells that work differently when cast by characters of different classes. A monster’s spell-like abilities are presumed to be the sorcerer/wizard versions. If the spell in question is not a sorcerer/wizard spell, then default to cleric, druid, bard, paladin, and ranger, in that order.
Format: At will—burning hands (DC 13); Location: Spell-Like Abilities.
The entire thing messed us up due to the ability being in the "aura" section...