Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Hate-O-Tron 10-23-05, 07:09 AM	I was toying around with the idea of playing a Necromancer a while back, and I got to thinking about how Animate Dead is considered an evil act. Would it be possible to play a Neutral or Good character that regularly casts animate dead? I can understand the concept of Undead being evil, given that they are powered by negative energy and are generally destructive if left to their own devices. But does casting the arcane version of the spell automatically make you a horrible person? Even if you limit yourself to mindless undead that you control, destroying any that you don't use any more, or going so far as to only use animal intelligence creatures?
Fithero 10-23-05, 07:40 AM	I was thinking about this a while back (making a god necromancer i mean) First off i would probably make it a cleric (cos it suits the character moreso) and i would still make undead except with a few changes. I would have the character gain permission of the person to be raised (beforeh or by "talk with dead") or their family. Secondly i would bless the corpses (paint/mark them with holy symbols or what not. Basically it would be the last last rights for the body, and to make sure the spirit is gone... a respect sort of thing) Finally i would put some sort of preserver onto the body, if not that spell that actually stops bodies from rotting (ie finding someway to make it permentant) I do think its possible, it would just be alot harder to pull off that playing an evil necromancer. Obviously your still good so you could not use the animated dead for evil and despite your alignment you would probably still recieve alot of flack, so i would cover the corpses somehow. It is an interesting concept... perhaps it could be conbined with exalted somehow. Later
erbmjw 10-24-05, 01:24 PM	I agree with the idea of needing permission, you aren't just taken what you want - you are asking for something - either from the deceased, their ancestors, or even their deity's representative. I also like the idea of them being annointed before being raised. Very cool idea - fithero So there could be a list of "Annoint Dead" non-evil spells (or feats but spell would be better) for necromancers and clerics to use - I would suggest that the 'Annoint Dead' spells both mark them as having given permission and preserve the body from rotting. "Annoint Dead" spells could also act as a visible arcane mark - ie a magical signature so that all people will be able to figure out/know who raised a particular undead. "Annoint Dead" is not intended to work like the spell Gentle Repose ie allow a character to be kept in a suspended state for a few extra days until the character can be raised again. Thus if you "Annoint Dead" a recently dead individual then there is a greater resistance for returning the NPC or PC to life - as their soul agreed to move on to the afterlife. *** I would think that for a good/neutral necromancer/cleric that instead of destroying the "Annointed Dead" when they are no longer need, that they are laid to rest. So a new spell - "Consecrated Repose" - would lay the "Annointed Dead" to rest and would also stop ( or provide a greater resistance to ) an evil necromancer from being able to animate these dead. "Consecrated Repose" could also be used without having to use "Annointed Dead" before-hand as it provides protection from evil necromancers raising the dead.
MummyKitty 10-25-05, 12:44 AM	I'd say it depends on the cultures, religions and beliefs of your game world. If the culture believes that the dead are just dust, and their spirits are gone, I would say there is no more harm in animating a dead body than there is in animating a clay figure. The evil would come in what you do with the tools that you have created. If you use your animated dead to restrict the freedom of others, to destroy, then it would be an evil act. But if you use them to build or help others, it might be a neutral or even good act. Either way I think you're going to be a somewhat unsavory characters as the undead don't usually keep well.
Setherial 10-25-05, 03:17 AM	Using strict game mechanics raising/creating undead requires negative energy and wielding negative energy is a life corrupting experience. You must be pretty insane to step in that field :) Fiddling a bit with game mechanics one can come up with several types of good necromancers. In Eberron for instance you have the Elves and their Deadless (positive energy charged undead), and you have an entire country using undead as workers/fighters. You have the Blood of Vol, an official religeon followed by a lot of good aligned people who believe undead is the path to divinity etc... You can come up with other scenarios like the necromancer/healer who studies the dead in order to reveal the secrets of life (as real life docters do). She doesn't really raise the dead but uses a lot of necromantic arts in her work (preserve organ for instance). I can also see the neutral druid (not per se Druid class, more like cleric of nature) using the circle of life, wielding the power of life and dead to help him bring balance to that which has been disturbed. He might raise an ancient cemetary of dead to relocate their bones because civilisation is getting too close and treathens to destroy this sacred place. He'll raise one of his children (animals) to perform a task and then lay it to rest again in a respectfull druidic ritual etc...
biggie343 10-25-05, 09:13 PM	I once had a cleric of the almighty gawd he believed that the world was a balanced place and that all gods were actually different personifications of the same almighty gawd. in regards to undead he believed that the spirit has left the body and the body was just a tool and if you can use it with out upsetting the balance than thats ok