Why is Deathwatch Evil, and Seed of Undeath not?
- Thread starter Kafkonia
- Start date
hamishspence
Adventurer
Deathwatch
It's a bug. it wasn't evil in 3.0, and the 3.5 MH class healer (must be good) and BOED prestige class slayer of Domiel (must be Lawful good Exalted) both have it on their spell lists. Just say so if pressed by people who say "isn't that an evil spell?"
It's a bug. it wasn't evil in 3.0, and the 3.5 MH class healer (must be good) and BOED prestige class slayer of Domiel (must be Lawful good Exalted) both have it on their spell lists. Just say so if pressed by people who say "isn't that an evil spell?"
lukelightning
First Post
Yeah, it's wonky. "Calling upon the powers of evil and unlife" you say? I'm going to make a new spell, Lukelightning's Floorbuffing, which polishes your floors by calling upon the powers of evil and unlife.
I'll throw my lot in with the "I haven't the foggiest [bleeping] notion as to why Deathwatch is Evil."
Although sadly, in my game, it makes perfect sense. I tie Alignment to universal forces, and Evil is Negative Energy. (I could just change the spell Detect Evil to Detect Negative Energy, but I find Evil has more punch to it.) Alignment is Inherent, and not tied to morality. As I explained it to my players, A werewolf will always detect as evil, even when he is saving children from a burning orphange, and a werebear will always detect as good, even when he is burning the orphange down.
Clearly though, that's not the way the traditional D&D alignment system works, so it doesn't make a lot of sense. Apparently its evil to know when your friends are about to die. (Although sadly, it hardly seems to matter since players are always yelling out "I'm down to 3hp!" when they get slammed. But there are other uses for the spell. Apparently knowing the charismatic stranger you just met is undead, or that statue is a Golem, is eviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiil!)
Although sadly, in my game, it makes perfect sense. I tie Alignment to universal forces, and Evil is Negative Energy. (I could just change the spell Detect Evil to Detect Negative Energy, but I find Evil has more punch to it.) Alignment is Inherent, and not tied to morality. As I explained it to my players, A werewolf will always detect as evil, even when he is saving children from a burning orphange, and a werebear will always detect as good, even when he is burning the orphange down.
Clearly though, that's not the way the traditional D&D alignment system works, so it doesn't make a lot of sense. Apparently its evil to know when your friends are about to die. (Although sadly, it hardly seems to matter since players are always yelling out "I'm down to 3hp!" when they get slammed. But there are other uses for the spell. Apparently knowing the charismatic stranger you just met is undead, or that statue is a Golem, is eviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiil!)
frankthedm
First Post
Just drop the spell. The designers did not want Autodetect Constructs and Undead on a first level spells available to most PCs.
Mouseferatu
Hero
Kafkonia said:I think it's even more odd that a spell that animates a person as dead is evil (animate dead) and another is not (seed of undeath.)
I guess it's not evil because they're not dead when you cast it, right? Right?
Nope. It's not listed as [Evil] because the author who wrote that spell forgot to include the [Evil] descriptor, to make it match up with animate dead. No other reason.
No mention will be made as to who said forgetful author was.
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