Do creatures called via Gate count as Summoned or Conjured?

[Arravis]

Do creatures called via Gate count as Summoned or Conjured? Does a Magic Circle of Protection help against these guys?

 

[Christian]

I would say 'yes'. But I'll start with the 'no' side:

The Conjuration school description lists 'Calling' and 'Summoning' as separate schools. But the spell description for the various Protection from [Alignment] and Magic Circle Against [Alignment] spells only talk about 'summoned or conjured' creatures. Gate is a Conjuration (Calling) spell-since the other spells don't refer to 'called' creatures, gated outsiders should be unaffected.

Now, on the 'yes' side:

The spells say 'summoned or conjured'. This would naturally be read as referring to the whole school. So any called, created, or summoned creature would be affected by the spells. (Why they specify 'summoned' specifically when 'conjured' would include 'summoned' as a subschool is inexplicable.) The clincher to me is that the Calling section in the PH (pg. 157) lists the various Planar Binding spells as examples where the magic circle spells are useful. And those spells are, in fact, listed as Conjuration (Calling) spells in their descriptions. (Before anyone with an old PH jumps me-Planar Binding was erroneously listed as Conjuration (Summoning) in the first printing, but it has been changed to Calling in the errata and in the second printing of the PH.) So clearly, the magic circle spells (and by extension, the protection from spells, which are supposed to work the same way) work on called as well as on summoned creatures.

Summary: per the PH pg. 157, the magic circle spells work on creatures called by the planar binding spells, and by extension should work on gated creatures (all of these spells are of the same type).

 

[Arravis]

So the answer is yes, it will work? I tend to agree myself... but I want as close to "official" as I can get on this .

 

[Grazzt]

The spells say 'summoned or conjured'. This would naturally be read as referring to the whole school.

That's how I read it and how I would implement it. The various protection/magic circle spells offer protection against all creatures called/summoned/conjured by spells of the Conjuration school including gate.

 

[hong]

The spells say 'summoned or conjured'. This would naturally be read as referring to the whole school. So any called, created, or summoned creature would be affected by the spells. (Why they specify 'summoned' specifically when 'conjured' would include 'summoned' as a subschool is inexplicable.)

It's a holdover from previous editions. From the 2E prot. evil spell description: "Animals or monsters summoned or conjured by spells or similar magic are likewise hedged from the character".

 

[Arravis]

So, if an area is Unhallowed, no one can use a Gate to summon a creature within this area? Unhallowed and Magic circles seem to protect against such creatures, regardless of alignment, correct?

 

[Alejandro]

Gated creatured are Called.

Protection spells and Magic Circles will not protect you from being touched by Called creatures.

 

[Christian]

Gated creatured are Called.

Protection spells and Magic Circles will not protect you from being touched by Called creatures.

Then why does the Calling section in the Conjuration school section of the PH discuss using the Magic Circle spells to contain creatures called by the various Planar Binding spells? (The same feature of the MC spells that prevents the conjured creatures from touching someone inside them is what prevents conjured creatures which are called within them from getting out.) Is that whole example a mistake? And why does the spell description say 'summoned or conjured' creatures are affected if only summoned creatures are? (There aren't any conjuration spells that conjure creatures other than those of the calling and summoning subschools-I looked.)

Sorry if that comes across as snide, but I feel like you ignored my long post above ...

 

[Christian]

So, if an area is Unhallowed, no one can use a Gate to summon a creature within this area? Unhallowed and Magic circles seem to protect against such creatures, regardless of alignment, correct?

No, and probably not. Unhallow creates a Magic Circle Against Good effect, yes-but this doesn't prevent creatures from being called (or summoned) into it-they just can't cross the barrier in the direction it is oriented. So, a good creature gated in would not be able to exit the unhallowed area, if the MCAG associated with it is oriented as a prison. (Again, see the examples in the PH of using a Magic Circle spell to imprison a creature called by Planar Binding. The MC spell doesn't prevent you from calling a creature into it-it just prevents the creature from getting out [other than extradimensionally] once it's in.)

And while it's not clear from the spell descriptions, the barrier function of the spells seem to be an extension of the 'untouchable' aspect of the Protection from [Alignment] spells, which only apply to outsiders of the chosen alignment. (Actually, as written, the Protection from Good spell's effect applied to any non-good outsider ... It should work the same way for any of these spells, so pick your explanation as desired there.) That's definitely an interpretation, though, not a clear rule ...

 

[Arravis]

I'm amazed this issue hasn't been brought up before... hmm.. so the answer is that there is no clear answer? Ugh .