Evil Clerics - Can they cast Cure Spells?

[Voadam]

There are no evil (or good) clerics in basic D&D.

My mistake, I believe chaotic clerics were limited to the reversed ones in Basic and Lawful ones could not cast the reverses. There were no good or evil in Basic.

 

[Staffan]

My mistake, I believe chaotic clerics were limited to the reversed ones in Basic and Lawful ones could not cast the reverses. There were no good or evil in Basic.

I think it was slightly more fuzzy than that: Chaotic clerics could cast standard spells, and Lawful ones reversed, but there was some vague admonition that they usually didn't because doing so might anger their patrons. On the other hand, they could decide to do so on the fly.

Magic-users, on the other hand, was not limited that way by alignment, but on the other hand had to memorize the appropriate version.

 

[Hypersmurf]

neither positive nor negative energy are aligned. They are not good or evil.

Cure and inflict spells use positive and negative energy, but they are also not aligned.

It's worth noting that Defenders of the Faith states that channeling negative energy is an evil act, and channeling positive energy is a good act... and the cure/inflict spells open with "You channel positive/negative energy..."

So, while an evil Cleric can cast Cure Light Wounds, since it does not have the [Good] descriptor, it is arguably a good act.

And a multiclassed Paladin/Cleric who casts Inflict Light Wounds is arguably committing an evil act by channeling negative energy, and risking his paladinhood...

-Hyp.

 

[Nightfall]

Yep but it's not going to happen that often unless you have a sadistic paladin/cleric. And those don't come in good guys usually. Machostics, sure.

But I believe when they say CHANNEL, they mean use that energy when turning/destroying undead and rebuking/commanding undead. But that's just me.

 

[Hypersmurf]

But I believe when they say CHANNEL, they mean use that energy when turning/destroying undead and rebuking/commanding undead.

Yeah, and if they'd used any other word in the CLW description ("You utilise positive energy"; "You draw upon positive energy"; "You employ positive energy"; "You cure people with positive energy"), I'd have no hesitation in agreeing that that's the obvious intention.

But "Channeling positive energy is a good act", followed by "You channel positive energy"... well, it's pretty weasel-proof

-Hyp.

 

[Nightfall]

In which case I take Defenders of the Faith and give it to Triumph to do his business on it. Which is as it should be for such a crappy book.

 

[Hypersmurf]

In which case I take Defenders of the Faith and give it to Triumph to do his business on it.

Well, yeah, that's always the other option.

It's about the way I feel about the expanded Share Spells rules in Tome and Blood.

-Hyp.

 

[Nightfall]

It's how I feel about ALL the class books except a little bit with Masters of the Wild. Now the Complete books at least have a theme and therefore I feel will be better focused.

 

[Scion]

Much like book of exalted deeds and poison? Really, every splat book is going to have something that is wrong according to core, hopefully it will be easy enough to pick them out as typos. Possibly gross, enormous, and all encompasing typos, but typos none-the-less

 

[Gary Turner]

I've an undead lich that wants to torment his captives. Can he cast Cure Minor Wounds out of evil delight?