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Is necromancy evil or only as harmless as talking to your dead grandmother?
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<blockquote data-quote="Dex" data-source="post: 5195564" data-attributes="member: 90563"><p>Awaken Undead (Savage Species), is blurry at best on this issue. But I digress.</p><p></p><p>I expect this question can only be answered by determining whether Magic (like The Force) can sense or is aware of intentions, and whether it stands apart from, or in conjunction with, the deities and alignments.</p><p></p><p>Take, for example, the Forgotten Realms setting (3/3.5). The Weave (default magic) is personified in the deity of magic, Mystra, who is good. There is also the Shadow Weave, personified by Shar (who is evil). If a neutral character raised some zombies, there is a temptation for them to use the Shadow Weave (it's slightly better at Illusion, Necromancy and Enchantment). Once they can use the Shadow Weave (with the Shadow Weave Magic feat), there is then the further temptation to specialise in Ill, Necro and Ench spells (because they can no longer use The Weave, and suffer minor penalties for casting outside the Shadow Weave's specialty). The spells of those schools are designed for nefarious purposes, so a neutral character is more likely to use deception, control and fear more and more frequently, sliding into the Evil alignment <em>even if casting those spells doesn't directly cause alignment shift</em>.</p><p></p><p>On the other hand, if you play Exalted, there are no alignments and if I raise an army of the dead, it's <em><strong>because I'm the Hand of the Unconquered Sun, and he says you get to die by zombie</strong> </em>and in no way reflects my ability to uphold truth, justice, and be nice to children and small animals.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dex, post: 5195564, member: 90563"] Awaken Undead (Savage Species), is blurry at best on this issue. But I digress. I expect this question can only be answered by determining whether Magic (like The Force) can sense or is aware of intentions, and whether it stands apart from, or in conjunction with, the deities and alignments. Take, for example, the Forgotten Realms setting (3/3.5). The Weave (default magic) is personified in the deity of magic, Mystra, who is good. There is also the Shadow Weave, personified by Shar (who is evil). If a neutral character raised some zombies, there is a temptation for them to use the Shadow Weave (it's slightly better at Illusion, Necromancy and Enchantment). Once they can use the Shadow Weave (with the Shadow Weave Magic feat), there is then the further temptation to specialise in Ill, Necro and Ench spells (because they can no longer use The Weave, and suffer minor penalties for casting outside the Shadow Weave's specialty). The spells of those schools are designed for nefarious purposes, so a neutral character is more likely to use deception, control and fear more and more frequently, sliding into the Evil alignment [I]even if casting those spells doesn't directly cause alignment shift[/I]. On the other hand, if you play Exalted, there are no alignments and if I raise an army of the dead, it's [I][B]because I'm the Hand of the Unconquered Sun, and he says you get to die by zombie[/B] [/I]and in no way reflects my ability to uphold truth, justice, and be nice to children and small animals. [/QUOTE]
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Is necromancy evil or only as harmless as talking to your dead grandmother?
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