D&D 5E Why is animate dead considered inherently evil?

[Tolerable Tyrant]

I'm having a troublesome time understanding why the animate dead spell is considered evil. When I read the manual it states that the spall imbues the targeted corpse with a foul mimicry of life, implying that the soul is not a sentient being who is trapped in a decaying corpse. Rather, the spell does exactly what its title suggests, it only animates the corps. Now of course one could use the spell to create zombies that would hunt and kill humans, but by that same coin, they could create a labor force that needs no form of sustenance (other than for the spell to be recast of course). There have also been those who have said "the spell is associated with the negative realm which is evil", however when you ask someone why the negative realm is bad that will say "because it is used for necromancy", I'm sure you can see the fallacy in this argument.

However, I must take into account that I have only looked into the DnD magic system since yesterday so there are likely large gaps in my knowledge. PS(Apon further reflection I've decided that the animate dead spell doesn't fall into the school of necromancy, as life is not truly given to the corps, instead I believe this would most likely fall into the school of transmutation.) PPS(I apologize for my sloppy writing, I've decided I'm feeling too lazy to correct it.)

 

[Vaalingrade]

Thing is, my answer isn't sarcastic except the dig on FR.

Ghosts are non-evil because there's too many stories about Good or at least non-evil ghosts to pull off the 'spawn of satan's lawyer' crap. Meanwhile, they really REALLY want should-be-mindless undead to be Eeeeeevil so much that they just pack in as much loaded language as possible and then make them straight up sapient just to get the desired effect.

It's bad writing, plain and simple. Inconsistent. Undeath isn't inherently evil. The powers that animate them, which I guess isn't negative energy anymore (?) isn't inherently evil. The author just desires it to be so so bad they break their own rules to do it.

It's like when the writer wants everyone to love a character and so writes a story where everyone loves them and the universe breaks its back proving they're right, creating a Mary Sue. The result is from just plain bad writing and other explanations are really just an independent creative writing exercise.

 

[Fifinjir]

You and me both, Crimson Longinus. Unfortunately, lol, I've had that happen. A lot.

Oh hey we were talking about Animate Dead, weren't we? Ghosts and Baelnorns. We know they can be good. The question is, how? If the force that animates even lowly zombies makes them evil, and let's be honest, most undead are, what makes these guys outliers?

A ghost is basically just the same dude after misplacing their body. They barely even count as dead.

I don’t know a lot about Baelnorns, but I assume the means of creating one are very carefully planned out with multiple safety checks. Whereas making a zombie involves haphazardly slapping the power of Even More Death onto a corpse and assuming that because the hypothetical you is so moral and intelligent everything will work out.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Oh you know, not only do you get increased power, but you no longer have the constraints of messy biology. Think of how much time you save on spell research when you don't have to sleep, eat, or go to the bathroom!

Now one would argue a Wizard would be better off becoming a vampire, but maybe it's because they dumped Charisma?

Oh and eventually you can all but completely free yourself of physicality and explore the outer planes as a Demilich. If Acererak thinks it's cool, why don't you?

There used to be other good undead, like the Archlich, but the WotC era has only given us two to work with. Like, if they want undead to be animated by pure evil (insert Time Bandits scene here), fine, that's great. I mean, they have to give adventurer's something they can kill without feeling bad about it, and that can't be monsters anymore- Drow have feelings!

So undead- it doesn't matter what you do to them, they're already dead!

But then you have outliers. So I'm curious as to why and how. I mean, beyond Vaalingrade's answer (it's perfectly legitimate, but I'm trying here!).

That is exactly why they're doing it. Many, many previous ok to kill creatures have been taken off the table unless pages of nuance are added to make them ok. So they are leaning into the "evil nature" of creatures for which they can.

 

[Lanefan]

Oh hey we were talking about Animate Dead, weren't we? Ghosts and Baelnorns. We know they can be good. The question is, how? If the force that animates even lowly zombies makes them evil, and let's be honest, most undead are, what makes these guys outliers?

You answered your own question. The force that animates lowly zombies isn't necessarily the same force that animates ghosts and (whatever a baelnorn is). Ghosts for sure are way beyond what a simple Animate Dead spell can create.

Liches, for example, are self-created - different animating force; and though IMC you have to be evil to become one in the first place the resulting Lich doesn't necessarily have to stay evil forever (though many do). Their method of creation makes them outliers.

Ghosts could be the same, though I've never put much if any thought into how they are made. That said, I don't think I'd ever let one become as decent/trustworthy/friendly as Nearly-Headless Nick.

 

[Lanefan]

Undeath isn't inherently evil.

There's the problem, if true. Undeath (in most or nearly all cultures) is inherently evil to some degree, as is the act of messing with corpses beyond funerary preparations and-or what the corpse's previous owner requested. So even if the system had some undead in fact be mindless automatons a la 1e skeletons, the act of creating them as undead at all is still icky.

So if there's bad writing involved, it's rearing its head through trying to deny the above.

 

[Vaalingrade]

If it was a question of messing with corpses, then again, all the tomb raiding, corpse looting and flesh golem creation would be evil, but the game doesn't wax itself furiously trying to paint those as evil.

It's only by dint of the writers again breaking their own rules many times over that they get to corpse bot being evil.

 

[Cadence]

<snip> Thought better of it.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I mean, there's messing with corpses, and there's messing with corpses.

Be Good: Skin the body and use the parts to make a robot instead of using the whole thing.

 

[James Gasik]

Hey Doc Frankenstein thought he was doing good...until his monster started killing people.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Hey Doc Frankenstein thought he was doing good...until his monster started killing people.

The point of the book was that his cruel and indifferent treatment toward his creation is what led to tragedy, not that murder was in Adam's nature.