Protection from evil

Protection from evil was an abjuration spell that created an aura around the target that shielded against mental and physical attacks by evil creatures. The reverse of this spell, protection from good, had identical effects on good creatures.

Effects
The caster had to successfully touch the target to confer this protection. The spell manifested in an aura around the body of the recipient that extended out 1 ft (30 cm). The benefits were threefold and applied to attacks and effects generated by evil creatures. First, the aura acted like additional physical armor to prevent attacks from succeeding, and also magical protection to help resist the effects of spells, items, breath weapons, etc. Second, the aura held at bay any attempts at mental control: charms, compulsions, possession, magic jar attacks, and domination of will. And third, the aura prevented the intrusion of nongood summoned and extraplanar creatures, which would recoil if they tried to touch the recipient in any way.

This spell did not prevent attempts at possession or mental domination, so if protection from evil wore off while the effect that was mentally assaulting the recipient was still ongoing, it would then have the normal chance to succeed. The spell also ended if the target engaged in melee with or tried to force the aura onto a nongood creature. Spell resistance could overcome the protection and allow a touch attack to succeed.

Components
In addition to verbal and somatic components, the caster had to draw a 3 ft (91 cm) circle around the recipient using powdered silver for the newest version of the spell, or holy water (on the ground) or burning incense (in the air) for the older version. If the spell was cast in reverse for protection from good, the circle was drawn with either unholy water or smoldering dung, or blood.

History
The arcane version of the protection from evil spell was an invention of Netherese arcanist M'dhal from the year 2745 NY (−1114 DR), then called M'dahl's dispel evil.