Magic Circle against Evil: When used as a trap, does it protect the trapped creature?

[someonenoone111]

Magic circle against evil can be used 2 ways
1. An AoE protection from evil
2. A trap to hold an outsider called by planar binding.

When you use the 2nd way, does the trapped outsider get the protection from evil benefits?

You could say these are two ways to use the spell, so the two are mutually exclusive. The confusion is here because of this: when used as a trap, it specifically states that a creature too large for the circle is not trapped, and the spell becomes a protection from evil just for the trapped creature.

so the possibilities are:
1. The protection only happens only when the creature is too large

or

2. The trapped creature is both trapped and protected, but because the trap failed, only the protection remains.

or

3. Something else I didn't see or think of yet.

[Murdock Mudeater]

So, first, this is a good spell that only affects non-good outsiders when used as a trap.

Granting protection from evil to an evil outsider trapped inside really doesn't do much, unless the summoner is evil themselves or the evil outsider is prone to suicide....

I'm not sure on the intentions, but I read it as granting the summoned creature protection from evil if the summoner is too foolish to make the magic circle the right size...

[wraithstrike]

Protection from evil will not protect the creature from non-evil creatures so the circle version won't either. So what if the caster trapping the evil creature is also evil?
From my reading of the spell it only protect the creature if it is not being used to trap him. So if the creature is too large to fit in the circle then it effects per the normal use of the spell. If he can fit inside the circle and it is focused inward then it just traps him, but does not grant him any protection.

[UnArcaneElection]

The protective aspect of Protection from Evil applied to Evil Outsiders COULD be useful if you are running some kind of Witness Protection Program for Evil Outsiders . . . .

[someonenoone111]

This came up during my attempt to use mind-affecting spells on creatures called by planar binding.

If they are protected, then there's nothing I can do to make them susceptible to mind affecting spells.

If they are not, then i can use them as a reliable supply of dominate-able creatures.

[Bob Bob Bob]

The immunity to mental control and possession only works against people of the alignment that the spell protects against. So a protection from evil spell (magic circle against evil to trap evil creatures) only protects against charm/dominate from evil casters.

[Dafydd]

Unless you make the protection 2 way (a really dumb move on the part of most people who summon evil things) the outsider gains no protection.
Unless of course you make the circle too small, also a dumb move, but hey, Darwinism.

[someonenoone111]

Alright, so general consensus here is "no, the called creature is not protected".

Ok, that's in my favor :)