How would you handle a Paladin?

[Epametheus]

In addition to the hit die requirement, also keep in mind that Detect Evil can't differentiate degrees of evil. The person may just be a selfish jerk. The person may be bitterly racist. The person may accept bribes and look the other way. The person may look forward to beating his wife. The person may be a serial killer. Detect Evil can't tell the difference between those; all it can pick up is that there's something wrong with the person.

My paladin for Kingmaker handled it by just assuming the person was a jerk, and distancing herself from the person, until the subject demonstrated they were an honest threat. After all, it's a severe faux pas to declare Smite Evil on a ruler you're not actually at war with.

Until you are at war with him. And then, you Smite him.

 

[Falling Icicle]

Buy a ring of mind shielding ASAP.

 

[Dingo333]

Wait until the paladin is asleep, take any papers he has saying you are evil, coup de grace him in his sleep and plant papers that it was some famous seriel killer

 

[GreyLord]

Your brains are a free magic item: "Sure, Mr. Paladin, I'm evil, but I'm trying to reform for a life of wickedness." *Puppy Dog Eyes*

Paladins, unless played by a DM out to kill you, no matter what, do not go around stabbing everyone who shows up on their stupid radar. You'll be observed, but by the time a rogue is level 5, he should know how to evade those keeping him under observation and sneak around.

Don't be evil around a paladin and come up with a good story as to why you should not only be spared by the paladin, but given some help in your quest.

Plus, just because you are evil does not mean that the paladin has a "I can smite you" card. They have to have a legal, valid reason to actually do something about it. If you are exceedingly evil, then maybe a paladin would be hell-bent on your destruction, but that won't be for quite a few levels.

Of course, you could always serve as the distraction. Mr. Spit & Polish may be too busy paying attention to you to pay attention to what someone else is doing.

THIS. Unless a Paladin is EVIL (which by Core Rules they wouldn't be) they don't go killing every person who is evil or they'd be killing innocent bystanders 99% of the time. It is evil acts the Paladin may oppose...killing someone or something simply because of they are evil is what many call Lawful Good/Stupid.

 

[Thotas]

Just one more voice chiming in with everyone above with the sentiment that you don't actually have a problem here, if your GM knows the rules and applies them reasonably. As noted, a paladin can detect evil all he wants, but it's an active power that requires him to decide to use it, not a passive one that works like your normal senses of sight or hearing. And like the police in the real world, knowing you're a bad guy at heart, or even that you "did it", isn't enough. There's got to be proof, or a "clear and present danger" for him to draw his sword on you.

 

[Aberzanzorax]

The chart from the link to detect evil is very informative.

Detect Evil


Honestly, until you're level 26, you don't ping "strong" evil, which fiends and clerics do at level 5/5hd and undead do at 9 hd.


I'd say an evil character or npc who isn't an antipaladin or cleric need never really worry about paladin detect evil (until epic levels, at which point, you've made enough of a name for yourself that you'll be #1 on the most wanted list anyway).

Until that point, you might just be a lvl 1-4 acolyte of an evil god.

 

[Friend of the Dork]

Wrong interpretation?

Hey guys, I hear you all are saying Detect Evil doesen't "work" anymore, but I'm not sure you are right.

First of all there is both a spell AND the Paladin's ability, which works differently.

Even the spell has various "stages":

1. Round 1: Presence or absence of evil. Note it doesen't say Evil Auras.

Secondly, "Creatures with actively evil intents count as evil creatures for the purpose of this spell." AFAIK this voids the HD requirement, or even having E as alignment!

And yes, the Paladin's Detect Evil ability also says: "concentrate on a single item or individual within 60 feet and determine if it is evil, learning the strength of its aura as if having studied it for 3 rounds."

So it can be interpreted as detecting a person as evil, and learning that he doesen't have an evil aura.

In any way, it's an interesting change, but I don't think it's as clear cut as some people think.

Edit: It would also make the Paladin's "Smite evil" ability much weaker if he couldn't use detect on normal goons he is fighting, or a low-level BBEG.

Smite works "if the creature is evil", and Detect Evil "determines if it is evil" The only sane conclusion is that the definiton of "evil" is the same in both instances as these powers are obviously meant to work together. And it would be stupid if Smite Evil didn't work until the pally was high enough level to face HD 5+ enemies.

 

[Thotas]

Right, but for example, the point that it's an active, rather than passive ability: does the paladin spend 3 rounds examining everyone he meets? Does everyone he meets sit patiently for the 18 seconds of scrutiny as he does so? Detect Evil still "works", but the paladin has to work it, so it's not that easy.

As far as smite evil in conjunction with detect, there are plenty of times the paladin doesn't need to use detect evil. Vrocks, succubi, ice devils, etc. would be recognizable as target immediately, yeah, anyone can figure that out in under 3 rounds. Chromatic dragons are easy to suss out as well. A band of human enemies? If the subject is not committing a horrendous crime at the moment, the paladin should be talking to them first ... no reason he can't activate d.e. while the conversation is going on.

 

[Friend of the Dork]

Right, but for example, the point that it's an active, rather than passive ability: does the paladin spend 3 rounds examining everyone he meets? Does everyone he meets sit patiently for the 18 seconds of scrutiny as he does so? Detect Evil still "works", but the paladin has to work it, so it's not that easy.

As far as smite evil in conjunction with detect, there are plenty of times the paladin doesn't need to use detect evil. Vrocks, succubi, ice devils, etc. would be recognizable as target immediately, yeah, anyone can figure that out in under 3 rounds. Chromatic dragons are easy to suss out as well. A band of human enemies? If the subject is not committing a horrendous crime at the moment, the paladin should be talking to them first ... no reason he can't activate d.e. while the conversation is going on.

Maybe you should read up on the ability before commenting. It only takes 1 round for a Paladin.

Evil Outsiders are pretty obvious, but low level Paladin's will probably not fight these anyway.

A band of human enemies makes talking difficult I believe... but if your point was that Paladin's don't go around detect+smiting everyone then yes of course not.

I'm playing a Paladin atm and he pissed off a baron by trying to detect evil on him (obvious visual effect in that campaign) - which is probably why Pallies don't go around detecting unless they really suspect wrongdoing or need to trust the person totally (like a party member).

It's all still more confusing as "evil intent" as any NPC out do do something bad against another qualifies. I'm not sure why they added 2nd ed AD&D rules in Pathfinder, kept most of the 3.5 rule, and then removed the aura for low level characters. End result is confusion.

 

[Thotas]

Ahh...

Oops. Haven't had a a chance see one in play yet (see my status) so I was just figuring a spell-like ability ... worked like the spell. Still, a matter of degree -- quantity, not quality.

But yeah, you got the point. Active vs. passive is an important difference.