Clarifications to Pathfinder rules

These are clarifications to rules that we have had problems with in the past. As far as I know, all of them are canon.

See also my house rules and Paizo's FAQs.

• Protection from Evil (Good, Law, Chaos) protects from any charm or compulsion that allows direct mental control: Charm, Suggestion, Dominate, Command, and largely similar effects. It does not protect from almost every single spell in the Enchantment school. See the FAQ on Paizo's web site.
• Freedom of Movement prevents the subject from being grappled or pinned, and protects against magical effects that specifically restrict the target's ability to move: Hold, Solid Fog, Web, Black Tentacles, etc. It only negates difficult terrain penalties if the difficulty of the terrain is based on a grapple-like effect (such as dense brambles or Entangle). While it negates movement penalties under water (or in lava, etc.), it does not affect buoyancy. It does not protect against stunning, cowering from Fear, compulsions, paralysis due to Ex-based poisons, transmutations that reduce movement speed, spells that indirectly restrain movement (barriers, Forcecage, etc.), armour penalties, slippery surfaces (including Grease), caltrops, fatigue, immobility due to ability damage, etc. It does not allow you to pass through walls or other terrain features. It also does not protect against non-magical passive effects that restrain movement such as ropes or manacles (although it may make it difficult to apply manacles). It is only provides partial protection against spells such as Slow and Chaos Hammer that have multiple effects including restricting movement .
• A Ring of Forcefangs does not negate every spell with the force descriptor. It only affects targetted spells: Magic Missile, Force Punch, Force Hook Charge, Leashed Shackles, Mage Armour, Deflection, Shield, Instant Armour, Wrathful Mantle, Force Missile, etc. Effect and Area spells are unaffected.
• Full movement speed is a brisk walk. Except on good roads in good light, it's rare for anyone to move at full movement speed for more than very short distances. Full movement speed is not appropriate for uneven ground, areas with any sort of obstructions, or for exploring potentially hostile enclosed environments like buildings or dungeons. No, you do not cover the 150 feet to the end of the dimly lit corridor in the tomb in 30 seconds unless you're running or you've already checked it for traps, cleared it of all debris, and travelled it many times. And just because loose gravel doesn't count as difficult terrain doesn't mean that you can sprint on it.
• You need to be able to target a creature in order to Selective Channelling on them. Simply being able to target the square isn't sufficient. See the FAQ on Paizo's web site.
• Rays and bombs that require attack rolls and do hit point damage count as weapons. Effects that apply flat bonuses to damage (such as Prayer and Weapon Specialization can be applied to such rays and bombs. On a natural 20, such rays and bombs threaten critical hits for double damage. Effects like Improved Critical can be used to extend the critical threat range. However, this does not apply to ray or bomb effects other than hit point damage. See these two FAQs on Paizo's web site.
• When an intelligent race or species has a listed alignment, it's what's considered normal for that race or species; it's not necessarily universal. With some exceptions, there will always be a significant part of any population with alignments one step away from the norm and smaller percentages two steps away (though three or more steps is rare). So don't be surprised if you encounter a Chaotic Neutral Drow or a Lawful Good Pixie. The percentage of a population with a non-canonical alignment depends on the species; Dragons are unusually homogeneous, while Humans are notorious for having alignments all over the map. Some exceptions: most undead are always Evil, elementals are always Neutral on at least one axis, and Angels, Azata, Devils, Demons, and other outsiders with intrinsic alignments only change alignment under extremely unusual circumstances; when one does switch, its form gradually changes into an outsider of its new alignment. If you manage to persuade that Pit Fiend to embrace Lawful Goodness, it'll probably be something resembling a Star Archon within a year.
• You cannot ready a full-round action. This includes charging, unless you have the Rhino Charge feat.
• Effects that grant an armour bonus from something other than armour (such as Mage Armour or Bracers of Armour) never stack with actual armour. This includes enhancement bonuses to armour. If you are wearing a +2 padded armour and cast Mage Armour on yourself, your armour bonus is 4; you gain no benefits from the padded armour while the spell is active, but you still have its 5% arcane spell failure chance and +8 maximum dexterity bonus.
• Alarm is a magical trap. As a first-level spell, an Alarm can be detected with a DC 26 perception check and can be disabled with a DC 26 Disable Device check by a character with the Trapfinding ability.