Overlapping Detect Evil areas?

[pokedigimaniac]

So, this question came up when my player's gnome paladin decided to induce headaches in battle by doing 'Detect Evil, 5 foot step, Detect Evil, rinse and repeat' from round to round (1 DE and 1 5-foot-step per round, natch). How do you handle overlapping Detect Evil areas? (I'm speaking of time issues here - the differing effects between 1st round and 3rd round of scan) Especially if, for example, something that was once making a 'ping' (like an invisible creature) moves out of the cone/radius of Detect Evil between the first and second rounds?

Also, if you continue scanning an area past the 3rd round, can you continue to gain the 3rd round effect time after time? (Like, for example, if the paladin is scanning a room, and an invisible imp enters the room after the 3rd round - would the paladin automatically know its aura strength and location, or would it just be told 'There is now evil in there!' and start over from Round 1?

Thanks.

 

[Starglim]

I'd say that he can concentrate on maintaining the detect evil while taking 5' steps. The duration would simply stack up on each source of evil depending on how long the source remained continuously within his detection radius.

To take an extended example: There is an evil (unhallowed) altar 30' in front of the paladin and an imp 65' away from him.

Round 1: There is evil here [altar].
Round 2 (5' step forward): There is evil here [altar and imp]. You sense a strong evil aura [the altar].
(Imp backs away 10' on its initiative)
Round 3 (5' step forward): You sense a strong evil aura from the altar.
Round 4 (5' step forward): No change [the imp is now in range again but has only been detected for one round, so the paladin only detects the presence of evil, which he senses anyway because of the altar].

 

[Peter Gibbons]

I'd say that he can concentrate on maintaining the detect evil while taking 5' steps. The duration would simply stack up on each source of evil depending on how long the source remained continuously within his detection radius.

This is how I would handle it, too. But there's a much more pressing question to my mind:

What are you doing wrong that the paladin has time to waste in battle detecting evil?

 

[Mark Chance]

What are you doing wrong that the paladin has time to waste in battle detecting evil?

Especially since the paladin's detect evil is a spell-like ability which provokes attacks of opportunity.

 

[dcollins]

I bet it might be a mistake when the original poster said "in battle". For example, I had a rogue player who wanted to 5-ft-step and Take 10 Search in every square throughout a dungeon as standard procedure. (Had a whole other thread on this topic.) I bet this paladin player has come up with the same idea.