Protection from Evil -missiles from conjured

[AxeMental]

Would conjured creatures be able to use missile attacks (bows, spears etc.) against a person protected by this spell (or ability as in the case of the paladin)? The DMG explanation is a bit confusing to me "this excludes (keeps out) monsters using natural (body) weapon attacks which require touching the protected character". I always took this to refer to hand held weapons (but now that I read it again, it seems to cover missile weapons). We've never included missiles, but then again, when have we ever played correctly. This is kind of critical to know in an upcoming battle I'm DMing next weekend (in this case one of the PCs is a paladin).

Thanks

[Guy Fullerton]

"this excludes (keeps out) monsters using natural (body) weapon attacks which require touching the protected character".

I take this to mean things like claws, bites, punches, kicks, tail smashes, and other uses of the monster's actual body to directly contact the protected character.

So a rutterkin couldn't use its clubbed fists to bash a protected character, but _could_ use a polearm to attack a protected character, and certainly could use a missile weapon to attack as well.

Similarly, a bone devil could use his bone hook attack (because that's a weapon, not part of the bone devil's body) against the protected character. If the protected character gets caught by the hook, the bone devil's tail attack wouldn't work, because that _is_ a part of the bone devil's body.

[AxeMental]

OK that makes since, and I suppose the way we've handled it (summoned armed opponents so rarely come up I can't remember exactly). So, would the -2 for "evil" attackers apply to hand held weapons or just body (claws, bites etc.) do you think? For instance, a ghoul with a sword vs. a ghoul using its hands.

[Guy Fullerton]

A ghoul using its hands/claws: The attack totally fails.

A ghoul using a sword: It can attack, but suffers a -2 penalty, thanks to the spell.

[AxeMental]

A ghoul using its hands/claws: The attack totally fails.

A ghoul using a sword: It can attack, but suffers a -2 penalty, thanks to the spell.

I think the total fail works only for summoned (not evil). But will have to relook tonight.

[Guy Fullerton]

Oh I figured you chose ghouls in that example for a reason: Ghouls are explicitly susceptible to protection from evil.

[ScottyG]

Protection from evil circles the caster in a 1' radius. If you have a weapon longer that that you could attack the protected.
Protection from evil, 10' radius, the kind the paladin has, would require a much longer melee weapon.

[genghisdon]

Yes, conjured monsters can attack the character with missile weapons. There is an effect on AC & saves, still, is all.

[Matthew]

I do not really like the idea of evil creatures being able to poke pole-arms into a circle of protection, so I usually go with it "hedging out" [i.e. preventing from attacking] evil creatures.

[AxeMental]

especially if the weapon belongs to the summoned or evil creature (vs. something picked up). I remember a psychic at one of the hotels I used to visit in Santa Fe NM, used to want to hold an object regularly carried by the person to get the energy from them. So I was able to bring other peoples stuff to her, as if it had some sort of energy clinging to it.
So if its negative energy, or summoned what your saying would make sense (also missiles I suppose).

[Kellri]

Which raises the question... do you regularly have creatures or NPCs employing Protection from Good?

[Matthew]

From time to time. Good aligned player characters are not that common in our games, lawful neutral and neutral seem more popular overall.

[AxeMental]

From time to time. Good aligned player characters are not that common in our games, lawful neutral and neutral seem more popular overall.

I may be wrong here, but I was under the impression protection from good/evil only worked on "supernatural" sorts (not your typical orc, or evil human fighter, but rather a werewolf or anti-paladin or paladin (if reversed).

[Matthew]

I may be wrong here, but I was under the impression protection from good/evil only worked on "supernatural" sorts (not your typical orc, or evil human fighter, but rather a werewolf or anti-paladin or paladin (if reversed).

The primary effect (hedging out), yes, but it also imposes attack penalties on standard evil creatures.

[AxeMental]

We've never included simple alignment, rather it had to be "supernatural" (ie. the evil thief trying to stick a dagger in your back, the charging goblin doesn't count).