Hallow: How does it work?

[Nareau]

Hallow
Evocation [Good]
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Hallow makes a particular site, building, or structure a holy site. This has four major effects.
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Finally, the character may choose to fix a single spell effect to the hallow site. The spell effect lasts for one year and functions throughout the entire consecrated site, regardless of the normal duration and area or effect. The character may designate whether the effect applies to all creatures, creatures who share the character's faith or alignment, or creatures who adhere to another faith or alignment. At the end of the year, the chosen effect lapses, but it can be renewed or replaced simply by casting hallow again.
Spell effects that may be tied to a hallow site include aid, bane, bless, cause fear, darkness, daylight, deeper darkness, detect evil, detect magic, dimensional anchor, discern lies, dispel magic, endure elements, freedom of movement, invisibility purge, negative energy protection, protection from elements, remove fear, resist elements, silence, tongues, and zone of truth. Spell resistance might apply to these spells’ effects. (See the individual spell descriptions for details.)
An area can receive only one hallow (and its associated spell effect) at a time.
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How does this work? For example:
Pearl the Good sets up her temple. Being a cleric of a moon goddess, she decides to tie a Deeper Darkness to her temple. She decides that anyone not Good who enters shall be affected.
Does her temple become dark all year? If only not Good people are affected, can Pearl and her croonies see just fine?

If not, then what? Let's say Hex the Evil leads his party on an assault on Pearl's temple. Is he stricken by a Deeper Darkness spell (ie, a globe of darkness envelopes him)? Can Pearl see through it? If Hex must retreat, does he have to spend the next several days surrounded by this darkness (ie, does the spell duration continue past his being in the temple)?

How about if Pearl decided to tie Dispel Magic to her temple? Are the bad guys only affected by it when they first enter? If so, are they affeted by it as though it were being cast with them as the target? Or does it affect them once every round? Can they cast spells at all, or are all their spells countered (as though a bunch of Dispel Magics were being continuously cast against them)?

To recap:
1) It says that the spell effect can be tied to the location, and that the caster can decide to whom the effect applies. In the case of spells with a choice of targets (or areas of effect), how is the target determined?
2) If the effect includes an area, are the correctly aligned people totally immune to the effect?
3) Can the duration of the effect last after the subject leaves the area?
4) Oh yeah: When it says "another faith or alignment", does that mean I must specify a specific alignment (like Neutral Evil)? Or can I just specify "Evil"? Or do I have to say, "It affects anyone who's NOT Lawful Good"?

Any other thoughts you have are appreciated.

Thanks,
Spider

 

[shilsen]

How does this work? For example:
Pearl the Good sets up her temple. Being a cleric of a moon goddess, she decides to tie a Deeper Darkness to her temple. She decides that anyone not Good who enters shall be affected.
Does her temple become dark all year? If only not Good people are affected, can Pearl and her croonies see just fine?

Yes, the temple is dark all year. And Pearl and her cronies (as long as all of them are good), a visiting paladin, his CG bard pal, and any other creatures of good alignment can see through it. Though I'm not sure if she can set it to just all non-good creatures, or whether it has to be all creatures not sharing her specific alignment (see last answer).

If not, then what? Let's say Hex the Evil leads his party on an assault on Pearl's temple. Is he stricken by a Deeper Darkness spell (ie, a globe of darkness envelopes him)? Can Pearl see through it? If Hex must retreat, does he have to spend the next several days surrounded by this darkness (ie, does the spell duration continue past his being in the temple)?

See previous answer. Hex the Evil is affected when he enters the area of the temple and unaffected when he leaves, just as a character may enter and leave an area affected by a deeper darkness spell.

How about if Pearl decided to tie Dispel Magic to her temple? Are the bad guys only affected by it when they first enter? If so, are they affeted by it as though it were being cast with them as the target? Or does it affect them once every round? Can they cast spells at all, or are all their spells countered (as though a bunch of Dispel Magics were being continuously cast against them)?

Not sure about this one. I would rule that any non-good creature entering the area is affected as if by a targeted dispel magic. As long as it remains in the area, it is unaffected further, but if it leaves and returns, it is affected again. Casting spells would not be an issue.

To recap:
1) It says that the spell effect can be tied to the location, and that the caster can decide to whom the effect applies. In the case of spells with a choice of targets (or areas of effect), how is the target determined?
2) If the effect includes an area, are the correctly aligned people totally immune to the effect?
3) Can the duration of the effect last after the subject leaves the area?
4) Oh yeah: When it says "another faith or alignment", does that mean I must specify a specific alignment (like Neutral Evil)? Or can I just specify "Evil"? Or do I have to say, "It affects anyone who's NOT Lawful Good"?

Any other thoughts you have are appreciated.

Thanks,
Spider

1) The area of the spell is the hallowed area. Any applicable target entering the area is affected.
2) The effect always includes an area, i.e. the hallowed site. And yes, the aligned people are immune.
3) No. The spell effect is tied to the site.
4) I would say that you can specify three options: (a) All creatures, (b) creatures of your faith or alignment, (c) creatures of any other faith or alignment. So a NG cleric of Pelor could have the spell affect all creatures, only NG creatures, only worshippers of Pelor, all non-NG creatures, or all non-worshippers of Pelor.

Hope that helps. All IMNSHO, of course

 

[Ravellion]

I think Shilsen is mostly correct. I most definitely agree on his Dispel Magic interpretation.

 

[Pielorinho]

Poorly-worded spell, IMO. Especially the effect of spells that normally have an instantaneous duration or no target. And what about protection from elements -- how often does its effect occur?

And suppose you link daylight to Hallow, and have it only effect believers. Can only believers see anything? Are only believers visible? Can only believers see only other believers? Are nonsentient objects in the AoE shrouded in darkness?

IMC, I'll rule on this spell on a case-by-case basis, probably, with an eye toward keeping the spell balanced.

Daniel

 

[Darklone]

Silence is most ugly.

 

[Joker]

Where do you guys get that Pearly can see through the darkness? Darkness affects an area not an individual creature. When they talk about spells affecting those of your alignment or those of other alignments I think they are refering to spells which affect individual creatures such as Bane, Bless, Freedom of Movement etc etc.

 

[Darklone]

This interpretation would make the combination useless.

 

[Hypersmurf]

This interpretation would make the combination useless.

Not for devils

-Hyp.

 

[Darklone]

But most devils wouldn't need no Hallow to cast a Deeper Darkness every few days ....

Silence for the others would be more useful

 

[Joker]

It is not completely useless. You could summon monsters that have Blind-sight (if there are any). You're interpretation however is extremely powerful and is IMHO not in line with the other spells that are mentioned. I mean, making everyone of your faith have total concealment against the enemy is extremely powerful for a lousy 3000gp. YMMV of course.