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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elvinis75" data-source="post: 1251304" data-attributes="member: 4379">Note that the question here isn't whether poison is evil, it's why using poison is evil.So the book does in 3E define poison use as evil?No, the basis for evil inherent in objects (rather than in their use) is based on magical effects.If this is the case then I submit that a child would play with the flask of Alchem. Fire and eventually break or drop a glass container as any parent will tell you.  This kind of accident would kill the child 50% of the time.Any illiterate peasant understands that a dagger is capable of causing harm, including a child. The idea that a child could actually stab another with enough force to kill him in PLAY is ludicrous. Now if he were throwing it at, say, a door, and someone suddenly opened it, yes, that could indeed be a lethal accident. But a dagger won't hurt you beyond a scratch if you are just sitting with it, fiddling with it.Maybe that is why so many parents leave there children to play with steak knifes.   <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    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />  The truth is that kids do stupid things, running with scissors or the dagger in question or even a bunch of pencils in their mouth ( <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />  Space Ghost coast to coast).  The truth is that with any adventurer that has a dangerous tool is responsible for its proper care.  Define "labeled clearly". Using writing that an illiterate child can't read, or a symbol that an illiterate child can't understand?A good old skull and cross bones is pretty universal.  The object itself may be neutral, but using it may be evil.Say, for example, you have a device which has just one function. You put a baby in it, push a button, and 10 gp comes out... and one time in a hundred, the baby dies. I think we can all agree that using this machine would be evil, because it has a side effect that risks innocent human life.I agree with you that using this item is evil.  Intent is almost everything.  There is nothing else that that item can do?  I think that it is a bad example.  The item as listed is intended to be used with risk implied to an anothers life.  Poison use only causes a risk to other innocents only when the person that uses it is careless.  If the paladin that is using poison is leaving his pack in the nursery for the kids to play with then yeah he is commiting an evil act.  The reason that it becomes evil is that it breaches the threshold of naivety.  It starts to fall into the category of your box.  I would go further to say that yes your box is evil because the only way that it works is by risking the life of an innocent.Is it evil if he takes poison with and applies it before a battle and never has it around the other people?</blockquote>

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