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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Primitive Screwhead" data-source="post: 1753896" data-attributes="member: 20805">Creating Undead = Evil in DnD Generic SettingInteresting, if very long and prone to sidetracking, thread.Heres my opinion. In the baseline, generic edition of DnD, as represented in the RAW, creating undead is an Evil act. An act contrary to nature itself. The Undead may be tainted by this evil, usually the mindless ones, while more intelligent and willful undead may be able to choose to not be swayed by thier means of creation.  Is that to say that all undead must be evil? No. It means that if you use the core rules to create an undead, Evil is involved and can affect the target and caster of the spell. Perhaps there once were "Create Enduring Protector, Good" spells that infuse a willing target with the Undead type. Perhaps those spells still exist. In the RAW, the only ones PC's have access to are the Evil kind. So what is this 'Descriptor' all about anyway? What does it do?  The RAW leaves it up to the GM. Can a 'Good' Mage cast Raise Dead to help defend the village from sure slaughter? Sure. Will he become 'Evil' by doing that? Hard to say. Perhaps its the first step down the slippery slope of convienance. Perhaps his intentions are good, but a contingent of skeletons escape unnoticed into the bowels of the earth, only to return 10 years later and slaughter the now defenseless villagers.Are the undead that defend the village 'Evil'? At a base level, yes. Perhaps they can rise above that. Perhaps not. How can I say this?  Holy water deals damage to Undead and Evil outsiders. Why? Because its a Good weapon that deals damage to Evil beings.  IMHO, this shows that Positive=Good since it also affects Outsiders who have no connection to the Negative Energy. I think the SRD did not add the Good descriptor to the Positive Plane in order to be as generic as possible. ///Philosphy alert/// Why are these spells [Evil]?   Raise Dead, Ressurection, and Reincarnation leave the 'free will' of the soul. Create Undead oppresses this free will and makes any future Raise, Ressurection, or Reincarnation impossible. Is this evil? Evil cares not for the 'free will' of others. They only care about thier convienance and desires. It matters not that the soul of thier newly created Undead has been irrevokably barred from returning to life. I think these spells are Evil because of the removal of 'free will'. I think a Palidon would consider the use of these spells as something to stop, regardless of good intentions.Good versions of these spells would allow the soul to chose thier future, which would never be unlife as a 'mindless' undead. This would put the Good spells at a higher level, again.. being Evil would be much easier and convienant for the caster. So.. unless some other method of creating undead is found, the available method of creation imbues them with Evil. It is possible for intelligent Undead to make thier own choices and shake of this taint. It is also possible for an alternate method of creating undead that does not imbue an alignment, or even imbues Good. End result is that most Undead will be Evil by default of thier creation.Final note. D20 DnD is a generic, black and white fantasy world. Undead are unnatural creatures that the Hero's strive to defeat. The real world arguments and situational morals do not exist as written. You are welcome to play alternate versions in your own campaign. I myself delve often into the grey moral issues as there lay the issues that can truely challange a 'Hero'. After all, being law abiding means stopping at the stop sign at 2 in the morning when you can see that no-one is coming for 5 miles in any direction.</blockquote>

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