[3.5] Protection from Evil

[Xaragos]

I know this is a bread and butter spell, but I would like to hear thoughts on the following:

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Second, the barrier blocks any attempt to possess the warded creature (by a magic jar attack, for example) or to exercise mental control over the creature (including enchantment (charm) effects and enchantment (compulsion) effects that grant the caster ongoing control over the subject, such as dominate person). The protection does not prevent such effects from targeting the protected creature, but it suppresses the effect for the duration of the protection from evil effect. If the protection from evil effect ends before the effect granting mental control does, the would-be controller would then be able to mentally command the controlled creature. Likewise, the barrier keeps out a possessing life force but does not expel one if it is in place before the spell is cast. This second effect works regardless of alignment.

My question is, what does that protect you from? Magic Jar, Charm, Dominate Person, etc...but what is the etc? Does it apply to Sleep which is both an enchantment and a compulsion spell forcing a character to listen to your command to take a snooze? What about the spells that compel you to go after an item or something similar?

[ArcturusV]

Yes. If it's Possession or Mental Control, it stops it. Sleep would be effected by Protection from _____. It would also apply to Geas/Quest.

[tiercel]

As useful as protection from evil is, I'm pretty sure it's not Immunity from Enchantments at level 1.

Personally I'd draw the line of "exercise mental control" with a question like "does this effect give the caster the ability to choose the actions of the victim?"

It's a contentious point, and if you believe the oft-reviled Sage on this point (re: 3.5 FAQ), then protection from evil is a lot closer to level 1 mind blank than it (arguably) sanely has any right to be.

[ArcturusV]

Well there are enchantments that aren't "Mind Effecting". I seem to recall one mentioned before was a spell which severs the connection between a divine caster and their power source... which would be a great way around it.

Course the reason why I think it is the way it is... no one likes having their character "Taken away from them". Which is what enchantments tend to do. "You're subject of a Cause Fear, you can't do anything but run away" "You are effected by Dominate, I tell you everything you do.", etc. So they wanted to make immunity to those "no fun" options easier to come by.

[Crake]

Yeah, you need to look at the *continuous* control bit. Anything where the actions are determined upon casting the spell, or are determined by the spell itself, like say confusion or sleep, would not be affected. However dominate spells are a definite yes, a possessing entity such as a ghost or an evil outsider with the possession ability from fiendish codex I. These are the sort of things that protection from evil protects against.

[Killer Angel]

Leaving aside direct possession (which is obvious) the spell blocks attempts to exercise mental control over the creature, including enchantment (charm) effects and enchantment (compulsion) effects that grant the caster ongoing control over the subject, such as dominate person.

Does sleep grant such a control? I don't think so.
Every time you have an enchantment effect, answer that question, and you'll be fine.