Are Commoners now immune to Detect Evil?

[Stalker0]

One change in Pathfinder I just noticed was the following. For the Detect spells, in the 2nd round you can now see the auras surrounding people and what strength they are based on a table.

However, for normal creatures with 5 HD of lower, their aura has no strength (not even faint). Does that mean you can't sense evil in most of the mundane population? Did Joe the Dark Farmer become the BBEG greatest frontline weapon?

 

[billd91]

I don't think any under-5-HD creature is going to be a BBEG's greatest frontline weapon whether they can be detected by detect evil or not. They'll be useful spies, like they should be.
But let's face it, in a D&D universe, how much evil can a creature generate with fewer than 5 HD? Not all that much compared to evil things that are a lot more powerful.

 

[Herremann the Wise]

Actually the more I think about this, the more I like it. Although perhaps equally as interesting is the other side of the spectrum: a paladin or cleric of 11th level or greater having an overwhelming aura (as well as outsider's of 11HD or greater). This seems to say to me something of where the extremities of power lie in the Golarion world.

I'll have to think about this further but interesting observation.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[pawsplay]

It is kind of weird that a paladin can not know with certainty whether a gang of half-orc raiders is smitable.

It sort of looks to me that as a move action, the paladin could determine whether any one creature was evil.

 

[Thazar]

I actually like this change a lot. Now we don’t have to worry about the paladin detecting evil on every barmaid and beggar as they walk around town or into a bar. Detect Evil is basically a paladins god telling him/her that the subject is not only smite worthy but deserving of being arrested, killed, destroyed, converted or whatever. Now I only need to worry about the evil cleric (or someone who has an aura such as from casting “evil” spells) or higher level NPC’s.

This brings two benefits to play. In lower level games the party will have to deal with the whole good/evil decision making process as part of RP. While in higher level play I do not need to worry about the “mini evil” in a bar or town that is not level appropriate. This lets the party focus in on the necromancer sitting in the dark corner outside of the fire light. And maybe the barkeep that used to be a sergeant in the last border war where he was in command of a group that killed an entire village of unarmed people.

It allows the paladin to be effective and fulfill his role without ruining the RP at lower levels OR distracting the focus of the adventure at higher levels. If a Paladin’s god is saying you are EVIL then a paladin should have to deal with it in some form or another.

 

[Alzrius]

Add me to the list of people who think that this change is a good thing. I find it easy and convenient to say that only supernatural/magical creatures, magic items, and people with a high degree of personal strength generate a detectable aura.

EDIT: Woot! 6,666 posts! How's my evil aura lookin' to ya now?!

 

[Micco]

That is what it means and think it makes a ton of sense. I go a step further in my game and say that evil/good alignment alone are not detectable. Alignment is only detectable if you have ever pulled aspected power (spells from an evil deity, paladin's smites, arcane spells that are evil or good, etc) or if you have committed a lot of evil or good acts. Pure judgement call on the GMs part, and definitely not RAW, but I like it a lot.

That means that a Paladin's Smite Evil only works on aspected creatures, not just people with bad intents and desires.

 

[Elbeghast]

[OOPS wrong thread. Please delete]

 

[pawsplay]

I think I dislike it. You run into a gang of cannibalistic orcs, and only their cleric pings as Evil?

 

[Thazar]

I think I dislike it. You run into a gang of cannibalistic orcs, and only their cleric pings as Evil?

So what is wrong with some orcs that eat other orcs? On a serious note, there are other more powerful spells that will reveal alignment or evil. Making a first level spell a be all end of for defining evil is too much in my opinion.