Knowing opponent's alignment quickly.

[Shin Okada]

Many creatures (and characters) have Smite "Alignment" abilities. But if they use such abilities against inappropriate target, it is wasted. Are there any way to know opponent's alignment quickly?

Detect Chaos/Good/Evil/Low needs 3 rounds of study to know if particular creature has that alignment. So basically it is useless within combat.

Casting Chaos Hammer/Holy Smite/Order's Wrath/Unholy Blight may work. But I am not sure if the caster can distinguish　creatures with opposite alignment from creatures with neutral alignment.

 

[Jack Simth]

Many creatures (and characters) have Smite "Alignment" abilities. But if they use such abilities against inappropriate target, it is wasted. Are there any way to know opponent's alignment quickly?

Detect Chaos/Good/Evil/Low needs 3 rounds of study to know if particular creature has that alignment. So basically it is useless within combat.

Casting Chaos Hammer/Holy Smite/Order's Wrath/Unholy Blight may work. But I am not sure if the caster can distinguish　creatures with opposite alignment from creatures with neutral alignment.

Well....

If you can get one of the Detect spells Quickened, and there's only one creature in the area, you'll get the info you want to know (is this creature evil) on the first round (first round gives you presence/absence of that alignment - so if there's only one creature in the area, and the alignment you're after is there, you're good). Sculpt Spell (or Mastery of Shaping) can be used if there's multiple creatures and you want to know about one specific creature.

 

[Shin Okada]

That way, a caster can only check one opponent per turn right?

What I really want to do is, say, picking up a character or characters of certain alignment (say, chaotic) within a party of adventurers.

 

[Jack Simth]

That way, a caster can only check one opponent per turn right?

What I really want to do is, say, picking up a character or characters of certain alignment (say, chaotic) within a party of adventurers.

Oh. In that case, you need to research a new spell. The difference between Detect Magic (0th) and Arcane Sight (3rd) is three spell levels. This suggests that the difference between Detect Evil and "Evil Sight" should be three spell levels as well. As Detect Evil is a 1st level spell, Evil Sight should, in theory, be a 4th level spell.

However, that requires DM collusion. By default? You're kinda up a creek unless you can hide out and concentrate for a bit without interruption.

 

[Corsair]

Have a Stalker of Kharash in your party. He can smell your stench of naughtiness.

 

[Shin Okada]

Our play group don't use BoED. And Stalker of Kharash can only smell evil right? Usually, PCs with Smite Evil can have opportunity to use Smite Evil without wasting it every day. Because in usual campaign PCs tend to meet something obviously evil quite often. So, finding evil creature is not a big problem from the beginning. And villains often find some obviously good PCs, say, good clerics or paladins, by seeing their holy symbol.

Finding out chaotic/lawful creature is much difficult.

Anyway, if there is no quick detecting spells and such is not in RAW, do you guys think if casting Chaos Hammer/Holy Smite/Order's Wrath/Unholy Blight will worK? Does the caster know if each opponent is in opposite alignment or neutral?

 

[frankthedm]

Anyway, if there is no quick detecting spells and such is not in RAW, do you guys think if casting Chaos Hammer/Holy Smite/Order's Wrath/Unholy Blight will worK? Does the caster know if each opponent is in opposite alignment or neutral?

Here is the extent of what the rulesets gives the caster of a spell.

Succeeding on a Saving Throw
A creature that successfully saves against a spell that has no obvious physical effects feels a hostile force or a tingle, but cannot deduce the exact nature of the attack. Likewise, if a creature’s saving throw succeeds against a targeted spell you sense that the spell has failed. You do not sense when creatures succeed on saves against effect and area spells.

Other than that the caster uses their own senses to determine the effects on an individual victim.

 

[Shin Okada]

Thanks.

So basically, the caster should try to see how severely each opponents are damaged.

 

[taliesin15]

I'm wondering whether some kind of Skill check might not help? Say, Sense Motive maybe combined with an appropriate Knowledge check?