Good party needs to "extract" information

[Norfleet]

Well, while physically torturing someone might be out for a good party, there are plenty of good psychological tortures, such as constantly badgering him over and over about it. Or you can use one of many fascinating Chinese tortures, none of which are physically painful, like the water torture, or the nipple torture.

 

[Dirigible]

nipple torture... [not]physically painful

I find these two concepts difficult to reconcile. Owie.

Poor schmuck? This is a villain who wanted the party dead. None of the spells I listed are [Evil], none of them cause pain.

Game mechanically, no. They are however all curses, which are generally felt to be on the not nice side of things. Maybe the don't cause pain, maybe they do; that's up to the GM to decide. I expect they don't, but Doom's 'feeling of horrible dread' can't be pleasent, nor the mental clouding of Mind Fog. Enervation and Bestow Curse are obviously pretty unpleasent, but you've accounted for them.

...and gets the party the information they need to continue doing good and saving lives.

What was it the ends justified again? Oh, that's right, the means.

No, you're right; it's not evil, but it's a little too close for my liking.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Game mechanically, no. They are however all curses,

The only curse in the bunch is, in fact, Bestow Curse.

which are generally felt to be on the not nice side of things. Maybe the don't cause pain, maybe they do; that's up to the GM to decide.

Okay, if the DM decides to add flavor text not found in the core rules, so that the spells I mentioned cause horrible pain and suffering, then I suppose you have a point.

I expect they don't, but Doom's 'feeling of horrible dread' can't be pleasent, nor the mental clouding of Mind Fog. Enervation and Bestow Curse are obviously pretty unpleasent, but you've accounted for them.

I'm not sure where you're getting your "obviously pretty unpleasant" from. No more unpleasant than any strength/ability-draining spell. Is Ray of Enfeeblement evil as well? It certainly can't feel good to have your strength drained away...

It seems to me that you're adding in a lot of flavor text and description that's not actually present in any of the spell descriptions. The exception is the "feeling of horrible dread" which is caused by Doom, and I can't imagine that's any more evil than using the Intimidate skill to describe what you're going to do to a prisoner's kneecaps if he doesn't comply. Unless the Intimidate skill is evil as well?

What was it the ends justified again? Oh, that's right, the means.

No, you're right; it's not evil, but it's a little too close for my liking.

But that's just it. I don't see any need to justify actions that are already not evil in any way.

I suspect if you and I were gaming together, we'd have some heated arguments over these points.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Well, while physically torturing someone might be out for a good party, there are plenty of good psychological tortures, such as constantly badgering him over and over about it.

Cast Message without him noticing.

Lock him in a (brilliantly-lit) room with one tiny window - once cast, Message doesn't need Line of Effect, just a path (not necessarily straight) to the target.

Let him think he's completely alone.

Then whisper in his ear from outside the room for 10 minutes/level. Sometimes intelligible, sometimes not. Just loud enough that he can't be certain if the voices are real or not.

Repeat.

Or if you're a high enough level, knock him out, cast Telepathic Bond (unconscious subjects are automatically considered willing creatures), wake him up, and do exactly the same as above... but whispering in his head instead of in his ear.

-Hyp.

 

[Steverooo]

While the rest of the party interrogates the prisoner, a few of you go stand guard, and search the bodies... After the set-up, roll over one of the bodies...

"This one's still alive!"

PCs hurry over and drag the dead man off, sitting him up against a tree. Interrogate him, loudly, for a few minutes. Then backhand him. Finally, get very angry, pull out the heavy crossbow, load it, and demand answers. Getting none, put a bolt through the (dead) man's heart.

Pick up the body and carry it over to the prisoner. Dump it on him. Search the body and take his gear (weapons already taken before dumping, of course). Repeat the beginning of the above scenario. Interrogate the prisoner, loudly for a few minutes... then backhand him. Finally, get very angry and load the crossbow... Works best with a Half-Orc Barbarian Bad-cop, and perhaps the Cleric as Good-cop.

 

[Zenon]

While the rest of the party interrogates the prisoner, a few of you go stand guard, and search the bodies... After the set-up, roll over one of the bodies...

"This one's still alive!"

PCs hurry over and drag the dead man off, sitting him up against a tree. Interrogate him, loudly, for a few minutes. Then backhand him. Finally, get very angry, pull out the heavy crossbow, load it, and demand answers. Getting none, put a bolt through the (dead) man's heart.

Pick up the body and carry it over to the prisoner. Dump it on him. Search the body and take his gear (weapons already taken before dumping, of course). Repeat the beginning of the above scenario. Interrogate the prisoner, loudly for a few minutes... then backhand him. Finally, get very angry and load the crossbow... Works best with a Half-Orc Barbarian Bad-cop, and perhaps the Cleric as Good-cop.

Someone's been watching "The Untouchables" movie again!

 

[jmucchiello]

Well, while physically torturing someone might be out for a good party, there are plenty of good psychological tortures, such as constantly badgering him over and over about it. Or you can use one of many fascinating Chinese tortures, none of which are physically painful, like the water torture, or the nipple torture.

I've never understood this: why is physical torture "evil" but psychological torture isn't? Esp. in a world where you can heal someone of all physical damage with a few spells? I would think psychologial torture would be even longer lasting than physical torture (short of a Heal spell).

 

[just__al]

I think we are going with a good cop/ bad cop with my wizard and the paladin.

Just me threatening him with baleful polymorphing and the paladin trying to talk me out of it and then doing the "if you talk I can keep him from turning you into a newt.

Any other ideas...

 

[Moxie]

For the ultimate in non-physical torture, just two words:

Gnomish bagpipes


And the truth shall set you free.

 

[Quasqueton]

Here is how I interrogated prisoners as a LG cleric (Law and Good domains) on two seperate occasions:

In both instances, the prisoners were known to be evil in intent and deed. They were captured by force, not because they surrendered.

With no ranks in bluff or intimidate, my cleric told the prisoners straight up -- their actions and souls were worthy of a death sentence. We were no where near civilization, so as a cleric of Law and Good, it was my duty to exact the punishment for their recent deeds. The only thing they could do at this point to be spared death, was to tell us what we want to know. If they didn't talk, I'd execute them immediately.

I was not bluffing, nor particularly trying to intimidate them. I was telling them exactly what I was going to do -- and I *was* going to do it. The DM only needed to roll/decide for them to determine that I was serious and honest in my claim. I would indeed kill or release them depending on their cooperation.

In one case, the prisoner talked. In the other case, the prisoner refused.

The first was released in the wilderness (no weapons or armor or other equipment) to live or die by his skill and the will of the gods. The second was justly executed.

This would work even better if you have more than one prisoner at a time. The second gets to see the first executed, just as you said. The second will probably talk.

Quasqueton