Need advice on alignment Issues with cleric character

[Razzel]

undefinedI have a NG Cleric/fighter in my campaign that morphed from the original 2 edition rules to third and now 3.5. now my question is when using summon Monster the spell alignment is what the creature are. most of the creatures are not NG. at what point do you start counting the alignment against him most creatures as of late have been CG, NE, LE. or is it no effect because he's using the creature to help protect the party.


Unfortunatly there are no clear guidelines on this issue discused in the DMG or Players handbook.

any suggestions will be taken into concideration.

Razzel

 

[shoplifter]

Typically, I allow my players to summon within one alignment step. I also entertain them coming up with 'personalized' summons for creatures that aren't in the list that are comparable to the ones there.

 

[Geoff Watson]

As a NG divine spelcaster, your character cannot cast Evil spells. A spell that summons an evil creature is an Evil spell, so you cannot do that. You can use the spell to summon a non-evil creature.

Also, what alignment is your character's religion/diety? If it is LG, you can't cast Chaotic or Evil spells, if CG you can't cast Lawful or Evil spell, and if it is NG you merely can't cast Evil spells.

Many DMs will allow you to swap around celestial/fiendish templates and the like, so that clerics have a reasonable variety of summonable creatures, but that's up to him.

Geoff.

 

[Sejs]

At what point do you start counting the alignment against him?

At the point where he is regularly and consistantly summoning evil creatures.

Other than that, not at all.

Neutral creatures? Fine.
Lawful Good creatures? Fine.
Chaotic Good creatures? Fine.
The rare, occasional, once-in-a-blue-moon evil creature? Fine...ish.
Evil creatures more often than not? Not fine.


Amusingly, I don't have a problem with a good divine caster using Calling spells to get evil outsiders, as long as they're using them for good ends. This is mainly due to a comment one of my players made to the caster in question:

Ranger: *turns to the mystic theurge as the party is doing prep before assaulting the BBEG's lair, and after the MT has announced what his plans are* "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you something. You're a pretty stand-up guy in your own way. I've seen you. You do the right thing and help out those in need."

Theurge: "Yeah. Where are you going with this? I've got things I need to attend to."

Ranger: "Well, what I want to know is - why do you keep summoning demons and such now? You didn't used to, ya know. But ever since we got that demonomicon off whatshisname it's just been succubus-this and flood-devil that with you."

Theurge: "Oh. That. I was wondering when someone was going to bring this up. It's simple - the things I'm summoning up now, if they die in my service, they stay dead. That's it for them. Finito. So as I see it, even if we lose, we win."

 

[Li Shenron]

Unfortunatly there are no clear guidelines on this issue discused in the DMG or Players handbook.

You cannot cast a spell with an alignment type opposite to yours or your deity's. As said by a previous poster, a summon monster spells is Evil when you summon an evil creature. Since you are NG, and that also means your deity is also Good, you cannot summon creatures who are LE, NE or CE. You can summon LG, NG, CG, LN, N and CN creatures with no problems. I think you cannot even try to summon an evil creature, your deity doesn't grant you that option.

If your deity is not NG but for example LG, then you cannot also summon a chaotic creature, and viceversa is the deity is CG you cannot summon a lawful creature.

In some rare cases your deity may be even some other alignment, in any case you cannot summon monsters whose alignment on any axis is opposite to either yours or your deities. It's more simple to play than it is to explain

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Unless, of course, you're playing an Eberron game.