Summoned Creatures and Protection from Evil

[Jeremy]

If an evil spellcaster summons an earth elemental, will Protection from Evil still protect me from it even though the earth elemental itself is technically neutral?

Why?

 

[Darklone]

Summoned creatures have the alignment of the summoner. Strange but written somewhere. Probably Summon Monster I description.

 

[Bonedagger]

The Protection from Evil say that it protect against all alingments exept good.

The other 3 Protection versions say that they only affect creatures of the alignment they protect from.

The 3 other Protection spells seem to have gotten the discount description. I would say that you will be protected from the neutral Elemental with a Protection f. Evil.

It also seems most fair IMO.

 

[kreynolds]

Maybe this will help. Maybe not. From the FAQ:

Protection from evil grants AC and saving throw bonuses against assaults from evil creatures, blocks mental control, and prevents bodily contact by conjured or summoned creatures - except good elementals and outsiders.

 

[Velenne]

I play a summoner and I've actually read the spells. Here's what they say :

Summon Monster 1, third paragraph:

When you use a summoning spell to summon an air, chaotic, earth, evil, fire, good, lawful, or water creature, it is a spell of that type. For example, Summon Monster I is a lawful and evil spell when cast summon a dire rat.

But that's not really the issue at hand. Read PfE and it says:

Good elementals and outsiders are immune to this effect

Protection from Good says:

As Protection from Evil...and good summoned or conjured creatures cannot touch the subject.

I would say this implies that evil ones can, but only evil creatures.

The problem is that if it protects from neutral creatures, than all of the Protection from - spells will too (a big problem for poor druids who can only summon neutral creatures). Conversely, if it doesnt, then none of them will.

Either way, it's not based on the caster, it's based on the summoned creature.

It should also be noted that if the summoned creature has SR, the caster of the Protection from - has to beat it to gain the special protection noted above.

It should also be noted that these spells only protect against natural weapon attacks (specifically, bodily contact). So if the summoned creature picks up a weapon, or has a ranged attack, it can still attack with those.

 

[Jeremy]

Hence the question.

We've got "I think"'s and "it implies"'s but we haven't got any thing nailed down.

Further opinions? Reasonings? Affirmations/Denials?

 

[kreynolds]

Further opinions? Reasonings? Affirmations/Denials?

If you summon an Earth Elemental, the spell does not have an evil alignment. There's your answer.

By the way, I don't believe that any of the protection spells protect you from creatures of neutral alignment.

 

[Jeremy]

Here's what the D&D FAQ says...

Protection from evil grants AC and saving throw bonuses against assaults from evil creatures, blocks mental control, and prevents bodily contact by conjured or summoned creatures---except good elementals and outsiders.

And thus is my problem, Skip says it protects against bodily contact of summoned creatures except good elementals and outsiders. Are neutral elementals good? But the spell is called protection from evil. Neutral elementals aren't evil either. Even if the spellcaster was.

 

[kreynolds]

Here's what the D&D FAQ says...

I know what it says, mostly because I already posted it up there.

Skip says it protects against bodily contact of summoned creatures except good elementals and outsiders. Are neutral elementals good?

No. They're neutral, but they're not evil either, so the spell doesn't affect them.

But the spell is called protection from evil. Neutral elementals aren't evil either.

Exactly.

Even if the spellcaster was.

Yup.

 

[0-hr]

Protection from Evil will keep out neutral elementals.
Protection from Good will not.

Why? Lousy editors I guess.