D&D 5E Why is animate dead considered inherently evil?

[Tolerable Tyrant]

I'm having a troublesome time understanding why the animate dead spell is considered evil. When I read the manual it states that the spall imbues the targeted corpse with a foul mimicry of life, implying that the soul is not a sentient being who is trapped in a decaying corpse. Rather, the spell does exactly what its title suggests, it only animates the corps. Now of course one could use the spell to create zombies that would hunt and kill humans, but by that same coin, they could create a labor force that needs no form of sustenance (other than for the spell to be recast of course). There have also been those who have said "the spell is associated with the negative realm which is evil", however when you ask someone why the negative realm is bad that will say "because it is used for necromancy", I'm sure you can see the fallacy in this argument.

However, I must take into account that I have only looked into the DnD magic system since yesterday so there are likely large gaps in my knowledge. PS(Apon further reflection I've decided that the animate dead spell doesn't fall into the school of necromancy, as life is not truly given to the corps, instead I believe this would most likely fall into the school of transmutation.) PPS(I apologize for my sloppy writing, I've decided I'm feeling too lazy to correct it.)

 

[Clint_L]

Googling Murderbot:
" As it spends more time with a series of caring people, it starts developing friendships and emotional connections, which it finds inconvenient."

This seems impossible for undead. They don't develop friendships or emotional connections.

Why not? Because the MM says so? Why does the MM need to limit our imaginations? I'm glad Martha Wells never read the MM, or I wouldn't have one of my favourite book series!

And D&D is full of undead characters with friendships and emotional connections. I mean, Curse of Strahd. That guy is a jerk, but definitely has emotional connections!

 

[Micah Sweet]

I guess the books aren't relevant if you're making up your own stuff and wanting to ignore the intent of the game designers. If you're using the fluff from the actual printed game, then it's relevant. I quoted the rule books because an actual question about undead sentience got asked.

The answer, according to the books, is they have sentience that revolves around the need to destroy the living. They have no other purpose unless those desires are over-ridden.

You can argue about whether or not that's evil. The fact that the MM specifically saying the corpse is possessed by a "hateful undead spirit" seems relevant to the discussion.

Some of that is new to 5e, however. As has been mentioned previously, zombies and skeletons weren't always regarded as inherently evil creatures in D&D. Coming from the perspective of previous editions affords a different point of view.

 

[Micah Sweet]

There really isn't a "should." I think that the game is written from real world western philosophy point of view, so going by how most who play the game view it, evil makes the most sense. From a traditional d&d view it also makes the most sense.

I think that of you want the creation of undead to be non-evil, that's a change DMs will have to make for their own tables.

Why can't that western philosophy view just be an expression of setting though? Must it be baked into the actual rules?

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Some of that is new to 5e, however. As has been mentioned previously, zombies and skeletons weren't always regarded as inherently evil creatures in D&D. Coming from the perspective of previous editions affords a different point of view.

And coming from another edition might mean that you give the ranger two hit dice at first level and the ability to use crystal balls.

Doesn't mean that it's the rules. You can always change the rules.

 

[Lanefan]

Not if, but when the caster screws up. He will die eventually, even if he somehow amazingly never messes up the 24 hour thing. The screw up is inevitable. The monsters he created by using the energy of death to create evil semi-intelligent beings will one day get loose and start trying to murder people.

There's a possible answer here, but the Necromancers might not like it: put a hard time limit on how long minor undead animated by the spell will keep going; and base that time on the level of the caster at time of casting.

Thus, undead created by a 5th-level caster might have a one-year expiry date, after which they crumble to dust no matter what. A 10th level caster might get 5 years out of them, after which the time jumps up logarithmically such that an 18th or higher level caster's undead are permanent as now.

This only applies to the Animate Dead (or Animate Dead Monster) spell. Other spells and effects would have their own durations.

 

[Micah Sweet]

And coming from another edition might mean that you give the ranger two hit dice at first level and the ability to use crystal balls.

Doesn't mean that it's the rules. You can always change the rules.

The stuff we're talking about here is lore baked into the WotC 5e rules. Its not really the same thing as hit dice and levels, and it doesn't need to be there to make the game work. All of that should be setting material.

 

[Maxperson]

Why can't that western philosophy view just be an expression of setting though? Must it be baked into the actual rules?

The rules bake in almost all of it. Why do you expect necromancy to he different?

 

[Micah Sweet]

The rules bake in almost all of it. Why do you expect necromancy to he different?

I don't. I don't really think any of it should be baked into the rules.

 

[Maxperson]

There's a possible answer here, but the Necromancers might not like it: put a hard time limit on how long minor undead animated by the spell will keep going; and base that time on the level of the caster at time of casting.

Thus, undead created by a 5th-level caster might have a one-year expiry date, after which they crumble to dust no matter what. A 10th level caster might get 5 years out of them, after which the time jumps up logarithmically such that an 18th or higher level caster's undead are permanent as now.

This only applies to the Animate Dead (or Animate Dead Monster) spell. Other spells and effects would have their own durations.

That doesn't fix the issue. Suppose the necromancer heart attack happened 2 minutes after casting? That a lot of murdered innocents before even a 1 year spell ends.

 

[Lanefan]

Which I admitted is a drawback. Though like I said, not a genuine one unless someone was going to raise the person in the first place, which in most cases is not in the cards. Furthermore, some powerful magic can still resurrect them, and destruction of the body has similar drawbacks.

There's a corollary issue here, however: if one has it that souls/spirits either do or can naturally reincarnate - i.e. the soul of a person who dies will eventually be "recycled" into a newborn - and if animating a corpse prevents this process, that's a much bigger deal.

Well, better not lose control then. Sure it is somewhat risky, but people exaggerate how much.

Getting back to the intentionality. The crazy evoker magic missiles town guards to death and then fireballs the orphanage which they were guarding, and then runs away, laughing maniacally. A friendly necromancer happens to pass by, and decides to raise the dead guards as zombies, that rescue the orphans from the burning building. After this is done, the necromancer disposes of the zombies.

Do you think what the necromancer did here was evil? Would it have been more moral to let the orphans burn to death?

That depends on whether the zombies can be trusted not to eat the orphans on the way out of the building.