Magic Jar/Possession and Protection from Evil

[Thanee]

I always assumed, that Protection from Evil allows you to suppress an existing Magic Jar spell effect, but after looking at the spell description, I'm not so sure anymore.

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.

So, the second highlighted part says that, if a life force (i.e. ghost) possesses a target, the spell does not expel it, it only blocks possession attempts, but does not have any effect on already established ones.

Likewise, the spell effect in place should not be affected.

Maybe the first highlighted part, which basically says, that the spell effect is suppressed, only really applies to the situation, when such a spell is cast on a target while the Protection from Evil is in effect? Only then, the spell effect is suppressed as long as the Protection from Evil is active.

Then it would have no effect at all on a Magic Jar spell effect, already possessing a target.

Same with a Dominate Person spell... if the spell is already in place, and Protection from Evil is then cast on the target, it cannot receive any new commands, but it will still be affected by the dominate effect and continue to follow any previous commands or otherwise just stand around idly.

What do you think?

Is the spell effect completely suppressed and the target can act normally, or is only the "communication line" cut off?

Bye
Thanee

 

[azmodean]

My current ruling is that if you cast prot from X on a possessed creature, it would have no effect (except perhaps it would keep the possessing entity from leaving? that could be usefull). With dominate person, any task that is already assigned will continue to be carried out, but if there is no task the character is free to act normally. So for instance if someone had the ability to cast prot from X, they could evade domination by casting it as soon as they had no tasks pending, unless the entity dominating them made them cast all of their protection spells.

 

[VoiceOfReason?]

Due to the line:

. . . but it suppresses the effect for the duration of the protection from evil effect. . .

I would be inclined to interpret pro.evil as when cast, it would nullify any effects (save that the offending spells' duration continues to count down) of compulsions/charms/posessions which are active upon the target, or become active while pro.evil is in place, for the duration of the spell. Nowhere that I've seen does it suggest that outstanding commands from dominate/charm type spells (or any other effects save the duration) would remain in place. Since it "suppresses the effect" I would have to assume that it supresses the full effect.

Magic Jar is kinda tricky though, as it removes the victim's soul from their body, leaving the caster's in its place. If the caster's control over the body is nullified, you'd probably have a mindless, comatose body on your hands until the pro.evil wore off. So long as the caster is not expelled from the protected body (which pro.evil specifically states does not happen), the jarred victim will not regain control of his body as his soul is not within the body.


Due to the line:

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

I'd think the pro.evil would affect an effect which is already in place.

 

[Thanee]

Why I mostly came to this conclusion is the "Likewise". The part about Magic Jar clearly suggests, that there is no change when the Protection from Evil is cast on an already possessed target.

If this is "like" the previous, then relating this information back to the original case (i.e. dominate), would mean, that the spell is not suppressed.

It's quite easily explained, too...

That first quote is only a second part of a sentence, and it really looks to me now like it would only apply to a spell cast on a creature already protected.

And "exercising mental control" could just mean giving new commands.

If you look at it like this, the whole makes a lot of sense, I think.

Otherwise, the effect on domination as opposed to possession is rather different. The "Likewise" doesn't really fit then, or does it?

Bye
Thanee