Plot Killer: Detect evil

Here's how I do it in Urbis:

"I cast Detect Evil and look at all the council members!"

"About two-thirds of them have an evil aura."

In Urbis, an awful lot of people who have risen to power are evil - the intense competition between various politicians, merchants, and other folks make sure that you either bury your scruples, or go down.

Oh, and it is extremely impolite to call someone "evil", even if he reacts to the spell. Call him "pragmatic" or "competetive", instead - that sounds much better, and won't get you sued for slander. See my notes on alignment...
 

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Just like what Frank said, most people will radiate a faint aura. According to 3.5, normal evil creatures (not undead, evil clerics or fiends) 10 HD and below will radiate faint evil. Above faint HD, that's moderate up to 25 HD, etc.

Now, that means if the moderately evil person isn't a cleric or a blackguard or something similar, he most probably has access to either mind-shielding items OR is quite powerful (except for a 11HD commoner... which would make him diabolically evil, intelligent, talented or incredibly lucky).

So, should the paladin take it upon himself to slay everyone with a faint evil aura? Is that a child a mere bully or an evil wizard with alter self? Is that duke really a diabolical assassin? or is he was he just trying to defend himself and his honor?

Should the paladin kill a bully? Shouldn't the punishment fit the crime? Or does might make right always for a paladin?

IMO, For a paladin, its not being about Lawful Stupid and ignoring all bad guys. Its being about Lawful Friggin' Careful who you kill. Hence, IMC, stupid paladins don't last long. They lose the 'hood or lose their lives.

Lastly, I should say that there are times where a paladin's word means something. A council member of the city of Croix Xanamon was found guilty of treason by the paladin-led party. The paladin did the execution himself and everyone was happy.

But that doesn't happen all the time. A good GM, IMO, lets the players win sometimes, but for the most part, makes them work for their success... especially if it means swimming upstream (paladin trying to right wrongs in a LE society).
 

Detect Evil is a potential plot killer in some instances, but there is a good chance that if someone has decided to use that ability, then they are probably on to you anyway. Unless the player in question is using it to the point where every waking moment is spent detecting, it probably wont tell them something they have not already guessed.

This does create problems when you wish to run plots that involve your villian sending the players out to do his bidding under false pretenses. However, that is what intermediaries are for. If you want the evil bishop to send the players on some mischeif, then delegate out the task of dealing with the players directly. Instead, have the local priest deal with the players.

Anyway, if detect evil is such a problem, then perhaps you could re-examine your plot hooks to minimize the problem.

END COMMUNICATION
 

Say I'm an evil wizard in the royal court, and I hear a paladin is coming to visit. Either I arrange myself to be absent, or I cast misdirection to make myself appear good. If I'm really clever, I can USE the paladin to accomplish my nefarious goals. I could, for example, cast misdirection on somebody else so that they register as evil. If the paladin is known for Smiting evil, all I have to do is sit back and watch him do my dirty work.

Even a paladin should acknowledge that his Detect Evil is not foolproof.
 

MerakSpielman said:
Say I'm an evil wizard in the royal court, and I hear a paladin is coming to visit. Either I arrange myself to be absent, or I cast misdirection to make myself appear good. If I'm really clever, I can USE the paladin to accomplish my nefarious goals. I could, for example, cast misdirection on somebody else so that they register as evil. If the paladin is known for Smiting evil, all I have to do is sit back and watch him do my dirty work.

Or if I'm really evil, I just sit there and watch the paladin freak out as he detects evil in the court and every second person detects as such. We are referring to a place full of backstabbing career politicians, where petty lordlings try to elbow the next guy in the heirarchy out of the way while keeping above the ones below them, where sycophancy, deceit, and lies are a way of life. Or maybe that's just me and my jaundiced view of the average royal court :)
 

Detect Evil is a complex spell. I really wish that Paladins had their own special abilitiy and not the spell.

i.e. I would prefer if Paladins automatically detect the presence of evil outsiders, undead, and evil clerics within 60 feet, no concentration necessary.

That would allow Paladins to recognize and fight their natural enemies.

And it would also keep Paladins out of the business of detecting mundane evils all over the place.

Be that as it may, as a GM the best way to handle it is to remind the Paladin that evil is all over the place.

Greed, Envy, Hatred, and the rest of the seven sins are all evidence of evil.

If Paladin's see evil all over the place, they won't use their detect evil ability as a crutch.
 

We had this come in game last night. The consort of someone doing us a favor is "evil", a disguised Erinyes actually. But the someone is cleric of a LN god and my reason for not "exposing" the devil to the church is that they may yawn and ask us what particular evil she's done. We haven't seen her do anything evil. Being evil isn't illegal. Sometimes players put too much contrast on alignments.
 

Concuring with Atridis from Post #4....

If you have an evil human or even natural monster (such as Ogre), he should not register on detect evil.

I think of detect evil as picking up on emanations of radiation.
From the Negative Material Plane if you will.

Such creatures that are powered or enchanted by/through it would emit radiation. Undead or Gargoyles would radiate evil.

Spells/Magic items that were crafted for evil purpose are powered by that plane and radiate evil as well. If aided in crafting by a powerful evil diety all the better to radiate evil.

Extra-planular evil creatures of course radiate evil.
Areas conscrated by evil clerics for their diety would radiate evil.
A very vile and powerful cleric might radiate evil. A very evil fighter would not.

It is also good to define your detect evil first, before players use it or they may feel cheated and think they have just wasted a spell or charge-(if magic item).

~H
 

jmucchiello said:
We had this come in game last night. The consort of someone doing us a favor is "evil", a disguised Erinyes actually. But the someone is cleric of a LN god and my reason for not "exposing" the devil to the church is that they may yawn and ask us what particular evil she's done. We haven't seen her do anything evil. Being evil isn't illegal. Sometimes players put too much contrast on alignments.


This is exactly correct.


Detect Evil allows the players to determine the alignment of the creature/spell/object they are detecting on. That alignment has no more and no less meaning than the alignment of the players themselves. It's a guide to what behavior to expect from that character.

If I had a Paladin that detected evil, found it, attacked it and slew it - I'd dock him into an ex-Paladin for it. What proof did he have that the creature had done something worthy of being killed for?? A neutral evil innkeeper doesn't deserve to die just because he tends to charge 5sp more for out of towners than locals!

A lawful evil creature would obey the laws of the kingdom - and twist them to suit himself or profit from them - does he deserve to die?

In most communities, a paladin doing such things would immediately be labeled a murderer (perhaps a vigilante murderer) and be hunted down.


That detect evil doesn't give them the proof they need to render justice - it just tells them who bears watching or investigating. It's a sign for a Paladin to closely inspect such a person, to follow them and know what they do.

In other words - detect alignment allows you to know WHY someone does something - but until you know WHAT they've done, you can't persecute them or prosecute them without being at least somewhat chaotic - and that's not what a Paladin is.
 

In response to an earlier post, no one knows when a Paladin is detecting evil. Its a spell-like ability and therefore doesn't use components. So you won't have the problem (in the Paladin's case) of freaking out people when you detect.
 

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