Summoned creatures identifying friend or foe

[Darklone]

I'd have preferred the wording "a creature friendly to you" to "a creature hostile to the target".

Edit: Hypersmurf: Concerning using Bane as enemy-finder with that magical aura: I wouldn't allow it. Anyone within range of the Bane spell emanates that aura, but only the enemies feel some effect of the spell. It's like casting an alignment dependant boost on someone, if his alignment differs, the spells works on him ... to no effect. But it still is there and might be dispelled.

 

[Li Shenron]

Thinking twice again about the Bless/Bane doubts... Well, I can understand if you see the spells like a help from your God, in which case you could rule that the spell would be able to discern friends and foes with no error.

I still prefer to let the caster choose, and for arcane spellcasters it makes more sense than letting the spell choose itself.

But in the darkness the thing is complicated. If a Cleric can't see anything, but knows he is surrounded by enemies, and casts Bane to de-moralize them?

I don't think the rules help at all, we better count on DM's fair chance to adjudicate properly case by case. I would like to keep letting the caster have the most freedom I can grant: if he doesn't trust the new ally, I'd let him cast Bless but not affect it, if he instead wants to affect it I would let him even if the new ally is truly a disguised foe; at the same time, when casting Bane I would let him affect even the foes which are still hidden to him (I mean for example hidden behind a tree, not disguised as allies), more or less letting him choose to affect everyone except his allies...