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Following along with this related question, I'm looking for ways that one can protect ones self from things that adversely affect them based on their alignment, such as taking extra damage from a Holy Avenger for being evil, or being deafened/staggered/etc. by a Dictum for being non-lawful.

The only spell that I know of is Corruption Resistance, which reduces the damage you take, but won't reduce other effects.

So in short, What ways are there to protect yourself when being targeted by spells or other harmful effects that affect you based on your alignment?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ "What ways are there to protect yourself from alignment-based effects?" and "What ways are there to be treated as a different alignment when being targeted by spells or other harmful effects that affect you based on your alignment?" are completely different questions, since you can protect yourself without being treated as a different alignment. Also, the second phrasing is overly convoluted. \$\endgroup\$
    – Nyakouai
    Feb 4, 2020 at 15:43
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Nyakouai I disagree that they are completely different questions, but I'll adjust it anyways. I really disagree that the wording is overly convoluted. I have worded it that way on purpose. \$\endgroup\$ Feb 4, 2020 at 19:15
  • \$\begingroup\$ How is this a meaningful category of effects to need protection from? It seems very "How do I defend against spells that start with G?" \$\endgroup\$
    – Mark Wells
    Feb 5, 2020 at 13:45
  • \$\begingroup\$ @MarkWells So long as blasphemy & co. are available, such alignment defense is desirable. (A successful saving throw against a blasphemy effect, for example, can still see the creature for 1 round paralyzed.) \$\endgroup\$ Feb 5, 2020 at 14:30
  • \$\begingroup\$ @MarkWells At most levels of the game levels (especially 7+), almost everything (and literally all outsiders) has some form of Smite [X], Unholy Blight, or freely added Axiomatic property on any weapon they wield, available as an (Sp), (Su), or (Ex) ability. Protection from those is incredibly beneficial. \$\endgroup\$ Feb 5, 2020 at 16:03

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I found a few methods to alter how alignment-based effects treat you by searching d20pfsrd.com, some of which might be useful to you.

Spell - Imbue with Aura

The clerical spell Imbue with Aura, from Ultimate Magic, allows you to impose your own alignment aura on another creature and have alignment-based effects treat them as that alignment, which would be a way of protecting them from the harmful effects of some alignment-based spells (presumably like those cast by the cleric in question):

You infuse another creature with your divine aura, causing the target to radiate an aura identical to your own clerical aura. The target’s actual alignment is not changed, but spells like detect evil or detect good detect only the aura, not the creature’s actual alignment. For the duration of this spell, effects influenced by the target’s alignment function according to the imposed aura, not the creature’s actual aura.

Class - Envoy of Balance

A 5th level Envoy of Balance, from PPC: Champions of Balance, has the Ethical Paradox (Su) class feature, which prevents them from triggering alignment or faith-based sensors and counts them as the most favourable alignment when they are hit by harmful effects:

At 5th level, an envoy of balance remains unaffected by effects from spells and magical abilities based on her alignment or faith. She doesn’t trigger glyphs, symbols, magical traps, or magical sensors set to activate based on a creature’s alignment or religion.

She counts as the most favorable alignment or faith for the purposes of any harmful effects these alignment– or faith-based spells or abilities may have, but doesn’t gain benefits these effects might grant those of a particular alignment or faith unless she is actually of that alignment or faith.

This prestige class does require you to be true neutral to begin with, though, and it's obviously a significant investment.

Feat - Muddled Morals

The Muddled Morals feat from PCS: Inner Sea Taverns offers a saving throw bonus against alignment-based effects, and allows you to treat your effective alignment as one step away from what it actually is when you get drunk:

Benefit(s): You gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against effects that affect you based on your alignment. In addition, choose an alignment one step away from your true alignment; when you are drunk (or worse), spells and other effects affect you as if this alignment were your alignment.

Arcane Discovery - Beyond Morality

The Beyond Morality arcane discovery from PPC: Champions of Balance allows a neutral wizard to be arbitrarily treated as a more favourable alignment when resolving alignment-based spells:

Benefit(s): As long as you are neutral, you may choose to be treated as the most favorable alignment when affected by spells whose effects vary based on alignment (such as holy word). If you are neutral in relation to evil and good, you may choose to be treated as good or evil. If you are neutral in relation to chaos and law, you may choose to be treated as lawful or chaotic. You may only choose to be treated as one alignment type along a single axis at a time (for instance, if you were within the area of both a magic circle against evil spell and an unholy blight spell, you would have to choose to be either evil, good, or neutral for the purpose of determining the spells’ effects).

I think the intended reading of this is that a neutral good wizard, for instance, could choose to be considered lawful good or chaotic good at any given time, but a true neutral wizard could present as any alignment combination. Note that, as written, this ability only applies to spells rather than any other effect which keys off your alignment - that might be deliberate or it might be an oversight in the wording.

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