So, this has just come up in the game of Hell's Vengeance I'm running. One of the PCs is a mesmerist and I'm getting close to putting them up against the first character in a while who might actually have a chance of beating their Bluff checks.
The NPC's tactics in particular call out their use of Protection from Evil. And this is where I come to a stumbling block. I've read the FAQ on Protection from Evil (it blocks spells like charm, dominate, suggestion, etc) and the spell itself calls out immunity to such effects.
However, the mesmerist's first bold stare was psychic inception, and I could do with some advice on how the two would interact.
The latter interpretation is correct: protection from evil only works on charm and compulsion effects where the caster is able to exercise control over the target, such as command, charm person, and dominate person; it doesn't work on sleep or confusion. (Sleep is a border case for this issue, but the designers feel that "this spell overrides your brain's sleep centers" is different enough than "this spell overrides your resistance to commands from others.")
The hypnotic stare and its penalty can affect creatures that are mindless or immune to mind-affecting effects (such as an undead or vermin). The mesmerist can also partially affect such a creature with his mind-affecting spells and abilities if it’s under the effect of his hypnotic stare; it gains a +2 bonus on its saving throw (if any), and if affected, it still has a 50% chance each round of ignoring the effect. Ignoring the effect doesn’t end the effect, but does allow the creature to act normally for that round.
My reading from this would be that things like Charm Person or Suggestion would only have a 50% chance of working each round. Would this be a correct reading?
As you noted, protection from evil doesn't provide immunity to mind-affecting effects. Psychic inception doesn't interact with it at all.
As you noted, protection from evil doesn't provide immunity to mind-affecting effects. Psychic inception doesn't interact with it at all.
But the spell description itself explictly states the target is immune to any new attempts to possess or exercise mental control over the target.
Since they're immune to charm and compulsion effects (which are, by definition, mind-affecting), and psychic inception allows the mesmerist to affect immune targets with their mind-affecting spells and abilities (albeit with a 50% chance of it actually working each round and having to stare at them the whole time), it does actually have at least some corralation.
Otherwise, this basically says that a 1st level spell with a duration in minutes per level can basically shut down an entire class.
Psychic inception allows a mesmerist's spells and abilities to (sometimes) overcome a specific barrier, namely immunity to mind-affecting effects. Protection from evil does not provide immunity to mind-affecting effects; it provides a more specific immunity to attempts to possess or exercise mental control over the target.
Otherwise, this basically says that a 1st level spell with a duration in minutes per level can basically shut down an entire class.
Subject to the limitations in the FAQ, pretty much. Low level spells often work as counters to entire classes of higher-level abilities.
Mesmerists are specialists, and sometimes specialists run into situations where their expertise is of limited use. So long as the mesmerist has he opportunity to shine elsewhere, I wouldn't worry about it. Besides, there are quite a few mesmerist spells that aren't blocked by protection from evil. And they also get dispel magic, in a pinch.