airwalkrr
Adventurer
I'm sure this has come up before, but it is not a question I've seen recently. The spell protection from evil suppresses any compulsion effects that put grant continuous control. It also allows a save, meaning hostile creatures would likely try to resist it (including, imho, dominated creatures who are being compelled to not want to receive the spell). It seems crystal clear that this means a creature already under the effect of a protection from evil is effectively immune to the effects of such control spells like dominate person as long as the protection spell is in effect. However, casting protection after the fact would require a touch attack and allow the creature a saving throw.
Now I think the way to adjudicate this is perfectly clear. But the landscape changes when we move to a similar, but nevertheless quite different spell: magic circle against evil. Now magic circle grants its effect to both the creature it is targetted on and all others within 10 feet of that creature (depending on how you interpret 10 foot radius of course; some say it is 10 feet from the creature, others say 10 feet from a single point in the creature's space, but this is tangential to the point I wish to discuss so please ignore it for this thread). Now this spell, like protection, allows a saving throw. The issue at contention, I believe, is whether this includes all creatures within the area of effect, or simply the creature the spell is targetted on.
Historically, groups I have gamed with have used this spell as a catch-all to make fighting vampires and enchanters a cinch. "The fighter got dominated? No problem, just cast magic circle on the rogue and he will tumble up next to the fighter and suppress the effect until the fight is over and we can dispel it." Honestly, I never gave the issue that much thought until the other night when running a high-level battle during which a powerful cleric bad guy (with the tyranny domain) managed to dominate a solar that had been called via a gate spell by first using a quickened greater dispel magic (which is possible with the Improved Spell Capacity feat) on its protective aura and then casting dominate monster. The gambit worked; the cleric succeeded on the dispel check against the aura, overcame the solar's SR, and the solar failed its Will save. The whole process had about a 30% chance of success given the save DC and the cleric's level check modifiers, so it wasn't a fluke or anything. Suddenly, the battle was turned against the PCs.
Now, I didn't realize it at the time, but one of the PCs had an active magic circle up, and on his character. On his turn, his first reaction was to move adjacent to the solar. Smiling smugly, he said "that takes care of that." As soon as that happened, I realized how little that made sense. As I said, historically, I am used to seeing magic circle work this way, but suddenly, in this context, it no longer made sense that a 3rd level spell could so easily prevent a 9th level spell from working. So I did what I normally do in situations where the rules no longer make sense: I looked them up.
After some thoughtful consideration and reading both the magic circle and protection descriptions, I decided the solar deserved a save. As a powerless thrall to the cleric, it would certainly attempt to do so if at all possible. My reasoning this thus: area effects that describe a saving throw being allowed typically allow all creatures within that area to save. Now this is an unusual circumstance since magic circle is unique in being harmless and at the same time having a continuous emanation from a single targetted creature, but I see no reason why the targetted creature is the only one who should receive a save. I've looked through the PH to find a similar spell and I am at a loss to find one for means of comparison.
I am wondering how other groups rule this issue, how often it has come up before, and whether or not anyone knows if there is a concrete answer to this question. I don't think I've seen it in the FAQ.
Now I think the way to adjudicate this is perfectly clear. But the landscape changes when we move to a similar, but nevertheless quite different spell: magic circle against evil. Now magic circle grants its effect to both the creature it is targetted on and all others within 10 feet of that creature (depending on how you interpret 10 foot radius of course; some say it is 10 feet from the creature, others say 10 feet from a single point in the creature's space, but this is tangential to the point I wish to discuss so please ignore it for this thread). Now this spell, like protection, allows a saving throw. The issue at contention, I believe, is whether this includes all creatures within the area of effect, or simply the creature the spell is targetted on.
Historically, groups I have gamed with have used this spell as a catch-all to make fighting vampires and enchanters a cinch. "The fighter got dominated? No problem, just cast magic circle on the rogue and he will tumble up next to the fighter and suppress the effect until the fight is over and we can dispel it." Honestly, I never gave the issue that much thought until the other night when running a high-level battle during which a powerful cleric bad guy (with the tyranny domain) managed to dominate a solar that had been called via a gate spell by first using a quickened greater dispel magic (which is possible with the Improved Spell Capacity feat) on its protective aura and then casting dominate monster. The gambit worked; the cleric succeeded on the dispel check against the aura, overcame the solar's SR, and the solar failed its Will save. The whole process had about a 30% chance of success given the save DC and the cleric's level check modifiers, so it wasn't a fluke or anything. Suddenly, the battle was turned against the PCs.
Now, I didn't realize it at the time, but one of the PCs had an active magic circle up, and on his character. On his turn, his first reaction was to move adjacent to the solar. Smiling smugly, he said "that takes care of that." As soon as that happened, I realized how little that made sense. As I said, historically, I am used to seeing magic circle work this way, but suddenly, in this context, it no longer made sense that a 3rd level spell could so easily prevent a 9th level spell from working. So I did what I normally do in situations where the rules no longer make sense: I looked them up.
After some thoughtful consideration and reading both the magic circle and protection descriptions, I decided the solar deserved a save. As a powerless thrall to the cleric, it would certainly attempt to do so if at all possible. My reasoning this thus: area effects that describe a saving throw being allowed typically allow all creatures within that area to save. Now this is an unusual circumstance since magic circle is unique in being harmless and at the same time having a continuous emanation from a single targetted creature, but I see no reason why the targetted creature is the only one who should receive a save. I've looked through the PH to find a similar spell and I am at a loss to find one for means of comparison.
I am wondering how other groups rule this issue, how often it has come up before, and whether or not anyone knows if there is a concrete answer to this question. I don't think I've seen it in the FAQ.
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