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Thoughts on 6-7-13 Playtest Packet
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<blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 6142710" data-attributes="member: 22779"><p>I think this is a very good point. </p><p></p><p>But, on the topic, I would prefer if they left alignment out of the spells. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you start scratching below the surface even a little bit. Animating something as evil presumes the whole "The dead are inviolate" taboo of the real world. There's no particular reason why a fantasy world would have this taboo, particularly in a D&D world where you can actually ASK if it's okay to animate the corpse - Speak with the Dead. Never mind that priests can literally know what happened to the spirit of the dead and know that the corpse is potentially a lump of meat (depends on the campaign setting of course). </p><p></p><p>And, it begs the question, why is Animate Dead always evil, but, various killing spells are not. Poison spells carry at least as many social taboos as animate dead. So, is Poison an evil spell? Never mind that if I want to do a Voodoo sort of tribal set-up, now all my shamans are evil by default?</p><p></p><p>Yes, I can change the rules. That's fine and dandy as the DM. But, the players can't. The players look at the rules and see, Animate Dead (Necromancy, Evil) and reasonably assume that it is, in fact, an evil act to cast. They can't change the rules. At best, they can petition the DM, but, once something is in the rules, it becomes that much more difficult to change.</p><p></p><p>I would much prefer a sidebar conversation in the Alignment section regarding magic. Tell DM's to be clear where they come down on the issue in their own campaigns. Be consistent and off you go. It is not required to mandate alignment and playstyle in the rules. </p><p></p><p>Basic/Expert survived without aligning Animate Dead (a wizard only spell in that edition). It's not like it's unprecedented.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Hussar, post: 6142710, member: 22779"] I think this is a very good point. But, on the topic, I would prefer if they left alignment out of the spells. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you start scratching below the surface even a little bit. Animating something as evil presumes the whole "The dead are inviolate" taboo of the real world. There's no particular reason why a fantasy world would have this taboo, particularly in a D&D world where you can actually ASK if it's okay to animate the corpse - Speak with the Dead. Never mind that priests can literally know what happened to the spirit of the dead and know that the corpse is potentially a lump of meat (depends on the campaign setting of course). And, it begs the question, why is Animate Dead always evil, but, various killing spells are not. Poison spells carry at least as many social taboos as animate dead. So, is Poison an evil spell? Never mind that if I want to do a Voodoo sort of tribal set-up, now all my shamans are evil by default? Yes, I can change the rules. That's fine and dandy as the DM. But, the players can't. The players look at the rules and see, Animate Dead (Necromancy, Evil) and reasonably assume that it is, in fact, an evil act to cast. They can't change the rules. At best, they can petition the DM, but, once something is in the rules, it becomes that much more difficult to change. I would much prefer a sidebar conversation in the Alignment section regarding magic. Tell DM's to be clear where they come down on the issue in their own campaigns. Be consistent and off you go. It is not required to mandate alignment and playstyle in the rules. Basic/Expert survived without aligning Animate Dead (a wizard only spell in that edition). It's not like it's unprecedented. [/QUOTE]
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