Arravis said:
Is the FAQ considered "official"?
Yes, and no. It's official, but it's not
Core. This is an important distinction.*
The important "levels of officialness" go as follows:
1. Core - the PHB, DMG, MM, including errata to same
2. Expansions to Core - Complete Series, MM 2 & 3, Campaign setting, etc., including errata to same
3. Everything else
The FAQ falls into category 3. If it directly contradicts #1 or #2, it's wrong (or, really, it's a house rule).
So, basically, if there was an FAQ entry that said "Because all elves start off with darkvision ..." it would be in contradiction of the Core rules, and would be wrong.
If it said, "In the Forgotten Realms, it's not required to have a divine patron in order to cast divine spells," it would be in contradiction of the Expansion rules, and would be wrong.
The question re: Mind Blank and Divinations is a Core issue. So, if the FAQ uses as the basis for its ruling an incorrect reading of a Core rule, it's wrong.
The question for us, then, is "Has the FAQ misinterpreted the Mind Blank spell?"
* - From the 3.5 PHB Errata:
When you find a disagreement between two D&D® rules sources, unless an official errata file says otherwise, the primary source is correct. One example of a primary/secondary source is text taking precedence over a table entry. An individual spell description takes precedence when the short description in the beginning of the spells chapter disagrees.
Another example of primary vs. secondary sources involves book and topic precedence. The Player's Handbook, for example, gives all the rules for playing the game, for playing PC races, and for using base class descriptions. If you find something on one of those topics from the DUNGEON MASTER's Guide or the Monster Manual that disagrees with the Player's Handbook, you should assume the Player's Handbook is the primary source. The DUNGEON MASTER's Guide is the primary source for topics such as magic item descriptions, special material construction rules, and so on. The Monster Manual is the primary source for monster descriptions, templates, and supernatural, extraordinary, and spell-like abilities.