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<blockquote data-quote="Painfully" data-source="post: 568984" data-attributes="member: 601">The paladin's detect evil ability has been a pet peeve of mine as a DM for a while now.&nbsp; Here are a few ideas to give the DM a bit more control:1.&nbsp; Let the ability sense only powerful evil.&nbsp; Demons and devils and outsiders in general should apply here.&nbsp; But if they are powerful, it might be necessary to allow a custom form of a change self spell that includes hiding their alignment too if you want the paladin to interact with them in any way.&nbsp; Creatures that are purposefully comitted to evil or an evil organization might qualify, but those that act neutral more often than evil should not.&nbsp; 2.&nbsp; Keep it general.&nbsp; Make it more like a &quot;spidey sense,&quot; that tells the paladin something evil is &quot;in the area,&quot; but don't let him pinpoint any individuals.&nbsp; Let it just be a feeling of darkness that washes over him, warning him that what lies ahead is an unhallowed burial ground, but never warn of a den of pickpockets at a tavern.3.&nbsp; Make it a passive ability.&nbsp; Fits well with #2 above.&nbsp; Don't let the paladin call out his ability, this is a divine power we're talking about here--it comes to him when it's needed.&nbsp; Just be sure to not miss any &quot;evil spots&quot; during the campaign that the paladin should have noticed.&nbsp; Now that you have control of it, you'll have to be sure to remember it for the paladin.4.&nbsp; Consider giving this ability as a feat for clerics, and as a prerequisite feat for paladins (if they're a PrC).&nbsp; This is a useful way to limit the power level of the paladin (which I think is just a wee bit strong IMO), and offering this ability to good clerics (and the equivalant for evil clerics) seems like a no-brainer to me.5.&nbsp; Make them say it out loud in the form of a prayer.&nbsp; This also works well in addition to #3.&nbsp; This kind of verbal warning to everyone around them should give enough time to take cover if they're in a crowd, or to attack the paladin if they're alone together.&nbsp; And it's fun to make the player say it in character too!&nbsp; <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin&nbsp; &nbsp; :D"&nbsp; data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />&nbsp; I would say make it about a 15 sec verbal prayer starting with, &quot;By the power of [deity's name] I shall seek out and punish all who oppose [domain name] and good.&nbsp; Reveal yourself to the light of [deity] or face judgement!&quot;&nbsp; This one is a personal favorite of mine.&nbsp; <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin&nbsp; &nbsp; :D"&nbsp; data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />&nbsp; Try practicing your Judge Dredd voice for this one the first time you use it on your players!Well, I don't use all those IMC right now (nobody wants to be the cleric or paladin), but I've used each of them at one time or another.&nbsp; Have fun with those, and if you still need more I'll see what I can cook up.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Painfully, post: 568984, member: 601"] The paladin's detect evil ability has been a pet peeve of mine as a DM for a while now. Here are a few ideas to give the DM a bit more control: 1. Let the ability sense only powerful evil. Demons and devils and outsiders in general should apply here. But if they are powerful, it might be necessary to allow a custom form of a change self spell that includes hiding their alignment too if you want the paladin to interact with them in any way. Creatures that are purposefully comitted to evil or an evil organization might qualify, but those that act neutral more often than evil should not. 2. Keep it general. Make it more like a "spidey sense," that tells the paladin something evil is "in the area," but don't let him pinpoint any individuals. Let it just be a feeling of darkness that washes over him, warning him that what lies ahead is an unhallowed burial ground, but never warn of a den of pickpockets at a tavern. 3. Make it a passive ability. Fits well with #2 above. Don't let the paladin call out his ability, this is a divine power we're talking about here--it comes to him when it's needed. Just be sure to not miss any "evil spots" during the campaign that the paladin should have noticed. Now that you have control of it, you'll have to be sure to remember it for the paladin. 4. Consider giving this ability as a feat for clerics, and as a prerequisite feat for paladins (if they're a PrC). This is a useful way to limit the power level of the paladin (which I think is just a wee bit strong IMO), and offering this ability to good clerics (and the equivalant for evil clerics) seems like a no-brainer to me. 5. Make them say it out loud in the form of a prayer. This also works well in addition to #3. This kind of verbal warning to everyone around them should give enough time to take cover if they're in a crowd, or to attack the paladin if they're alone together. And it's fun to make the player say it in character too! :D I would say make it about a 15 sec verbal prayer starting with, "By the power of [deity's name] I shall seek out and punish all who oppose [domain name] and good. Reveal yourself to the light of [deity] or face judgement!" This one is a personal favorite of mine. :D Try practicing your Judge Dredd voice for this one the first time you use it on your players! Well, I don't use all those IMC right now (nobody wants to be the cleric or paladin), but I've used each of them at one time or another. Have fun with those, and if you still need more I'll see what I can cook up. [/QUOTE]

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