Dante wrote:
The spell description's wording of "the affected creatures will not enter the spell's radius" is vague. Does "affected creatures" mean all Undead, Shades, Spirits, or Infernals? Or does it mean just those creatures affected by the initial casting? I interpret it as the former but can see a point being made for the later based on the spell's wording. Even aside from comparisons with D&D Turning, I feel that the spirit of the rule is that it can keep the unnatural creatures away even if they had not been in the initial 10' radius around the caster.
This is an important distinction. And seeing Rebuke is most likely a variation of 3.5 Turning then comparing it for the sake of Free Strikes is critical. Even just comparing it for the spirit of the rule.
Turning is an instant effect that only works on creatures up to a certain hit dice, and then only on a variable number of hit dice in total. It spreads out from a point centered on the caster, and effects creatures until the maximum number of hit dice have been accounted for or all creature in range have been effected. Any undead creature unaffected by it can walk up the caster unhindered and attack them.
As the rules are written Rebuke works similarly (just with a smaller range, and on more than just Undead), it does not create a bubble of protect like Ward against the Unnatural, which states "Once erected, the Ward acts as a barrier that will prevent
any beings of the specified type from passing through or harming, in any way, anything on the other side of the ward, unless they are able to Push Through (see below)."
You could not walk through the halls of Ventaka with a single Turning attempt, and you can't do it with a single casting of Rebuke either.
Keeping that mind, I too believe that Rebuke should be considered Self ('10) to avoid any Free Strikes. Mainly because it doesn't effect creatures outside of it's initial casting.
