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Message: <blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 6271804" data-attributes="member: 2067">There's a conceptual thing going on here.  [MENTION=58197]Dausuul[/MENTION]'s comparison isn't a bad one, but I don't think it goes quite far enough.On the one side, life and death are just energies like fire to be manipulated. On the other side, life and death mean something. Life is to be encouraged, protected, enhanced, defended. Death is dark, scary, unpleasant, tragic. Life good, death evil. Those who support life are good, those who support death are bad.D&D actually has this second view as something of the default -- it has ever since OD&D where Clerics of Chaos were a thing and they got Finger of Death instead of Raise Dead and they could rebuke undead instead of turning them. Not that Wizards were really partial to this debate when they got the ability to make undead. Which might actually be something of a solution:The most powerful abilities regarding life and death are for the Good and Evil Clerics, respectively. They are only bestowed by Good and Evil gods, respectively. Wizards (and clerics adhering to more neutral gods) don't need to worry about who gives them their spells, so they can take some abilities that clerics only get by worshiping evil gods, and use them anyway, without real moral risk (since they're not asking permission to make a zombie, they're just like BOOM, ZOMBIES, DEAL WITH IT CLERICS OF GOODNESS). So necromancer-wizards aren't quite as powerful at handing out death and decay as evil clerics. But they share a few spells and effects in common, and this makes good clerics freaked out. Because if the necromancer-wizards want to become powerful lords of death, their next step is naturally to worship one of those evil gods, and become an evil cleric, and marry their dalliances of soul-manipulation with true wickedness....I'm fond of that idea, as I turn it over in my head. Gives Good wizards the capacity to make Zombies if they frickin' want, lets the Good cleric freak out about that a little bit, and preserves the Evil Evilness of working with death and decay. It just doesn't make it so binary. Raise a zombie to help you carry your spellbooks, sure. Just be careful -- if you find yourself wondering what it would take to raise a zombie army, you might find yourself the target of some not-so-nice evangialists who ring your doorbell and ask, "Do you have a moment for our lord and savior Nerull?"</blockquote>

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