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.)

 

[Crimson Longinus]

In any case necromancy is the magic of disease and contagion if you look at the other spells. It's also eternally putting souls in torment. I can't see am argument for it being anything other than evil.

It violates the circle of life in nature, and drains vitality. It's a malevolent force.

OK. The your 'good' character doesn't need Revivify or Raise Dead either!

 

[Vaalingrade]

Great! And now when they get defeated you've got rotting corpses all over the place.

Like... every organic enemy? What.

I'm not sure animate dead says it's preserving the corpses.

How do they keep being corpses for centuries while waiting for the PCs to enter the tomb then?

Humans and rotting corpses have never been on the same level of danger. There's a reason we hsve an evolutionary aversion to the smell of rotting meat.

Are... are your PCs eating zombies?

It violates the circle of life in nature, and drains vitality.

This is humanity's mission statement.

I am using harnessed lightning derived from ripping the very building blocks of existence apart in order to send my thoughts to hundreds of people around the world at the speed of light. Nature's spine is bent like a Liefeld painting and that's before I use that same lightning to order another person to fetch me processed and preserved meat via a chariot powered by burning ancient animals.

So again, Humans are evil.

 

[Voadam]

OK. The your 'good' character doesn't need Revivify or Raise Dead either!

3.5 those types of spells are conjuration, because healing is conjuring energy from the positive material plane and calling back souls(?) is conjuring them into the body, while inflict light wounds and the old reverses of raise dead such as finger of death are necromancy because they conjure negative energy from the negative material plane.

So close to a coherent symmetry.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

3.5 those types of spells are conjuration, because healing is conjuring energy from the positive material plane and calling back souls(?) is conjuring them into the body, while inflict light wounds and the old reverses of raise dead such as finger of death are necromancy because they conjure negative energy from the negative material plane.

So close to a coherent symmetry.

But this is a 5E thread, so...

 

[Vaalingrade]

That is what they screamed at me when I pointed out the 3e to 3.5 transition from consistent undead writing to hilarious spite editing.

 

[Mournblade94]

How do they keep being corpses for centuries while waiting for the PCs to enter the tomb then?

Lack of oxygen in sealed tombs

Are... are your PCs eating zombies?

Do... do you think the only way people get sick from corpses is eating them?

This is humanity's mission statement.

I am using harnessed lightning derived from ripping the very building blocks of existence apart in order to send my thoughts to hundreds of people around the world at the speed of light. Nature's spine is bent like a Liefeld painting and that's before I use that same lightning to order another person to fetch me processed and preserved meat via a chariot powered by burning ancient animals.

Are those burning animals undead? Then it's evil. Magic bends reality. Necromancy does to but it also corrupts. Hence the evil. Same logic as the Geneva convention. You can shoot people with bullets but not with 50 cal. You can't use chemical or biological weapons. The only purpose of CBR is killing through suffering

So again, Humans are evil.

They can be evil. Making undead is always evil though.

 

[James Gasik]

Yeah, the editions of the game keep flip-flopping on whether they want things to be necromancy or something else. Like healing spells being necromantic, but then in 3e they were like "no, necromancy is BAD, let's make it, uh, Conjuration (Healing) instead!"

It really screws with the old lore (which apparently the current team only cares about if if makes $$$$) when you go "I've had campaigns in this D&D setting for years, but every 5-10 years, you guys keep completely changing the rules one me".

Anyways, as was pointed out before, it's not that Necormancy itself is evil. Trap as many souls, drain as many lives as you like, those actions aren't "inherently evil" by the rules*. It's specifically spells like Animate Dead.

You can draw all the parallels you want to other abusable spells, or even spells that do similar things. They don't want good characters making undead minions in public play. What you do in YOUR campaign is not their problem, you heathens!**

*And not even every time you cast it. It's only people who cast such spells "frequently" who are doing evil. So at best, Animate Dead is only 25% evil! (I made that percentage up, Vaalingrade can tell us what the actual percentage of evil is, I'm sure.)

**Is, myself, a heathen.

 

[Mournblade94]

OK. The your 'good' character doesn't need Revivify or Raise Dead either!

I'll amend that necromancy involving the creation of undead is always evil

 

[beancounter]

Many people are afraid of death, and often associate "evil" with things they are afraid of, or don't understand.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Lack of oxygen in sealed tombs

I've only very rarely encountered sealed airtight tombs in D&D. And if you did, the air would be deadly. Not form sickness, but from a poorchemical concentration.

Do... do you think the only way people get sick from corpses is eating them?

Do you think sneezing without covering your mouth is evil? Why are we talking about disease? Disease is a bunch of living (or living adjecent) things trying to live.

Are those burning animals undead?

Hard to tell, them being liquid and on fire and all. There have been dumber D&D monsters.

Necromancy does to but it also corrupts. Hence the evil.

Money is evil. Got it.

It almost as if all proclamations of evil are pointless and arbitrary.

Same logic as the Geneva convention. You can shoot people with bullets but not with 50 cal. You can't use chemical or biological weapons. The only purpose of CBR is killing through suffering

The Geneva convention puts limits on how we make war. It doesn't go around saying .50 cal guns are evil.

They can be evil. Making undead is always evil though.

No, I'm pretty sure that by the standard of 'breaking the natural order' we're all evil. Just gonna have to deal with it.

Or reevaluate the worth of such definitions of evil used wholly to enforce a boring fantasy trope.