Jarble Hwarfgarble's page

Actually, you only gain a negative level if you're chaotic. So while lawful evil would certainly be best, a neutral evil character could wield the Mantis Blade with no ill effects.

Any character whose alignment does not correspond to that

of the item (except as noted by the asterisks on the table) gains
one negative level if he or she so much as picks up the item.

If it were neutral evil it'd allow all evil people to wield it or if it were lawful neutral it'd allow all lawful people to wield it. but if you're not lawful evil you can't pick it up without getting that neg level. add on if you're chaotic, you get 2 neg levels. I guess it's a rating system. the most talented future priests are fine while the least talented look like they're about to keel over.

I'll just assume the troglodytes can tell the difference between someone getting 1 neg level and someone getting 2 neg levels

Thought this was funny....

Normally, the troglodyte high priests use the blade to

“judge” hopeful troglodytes who seek to become clerics
of the Mantis God. If a would-be cleric is chaotic evil, the
blade imparts its negative level from its axiomatic power,
revealing the truth that the aspirant would not take to
training for a class that requires, at best, a neutral evil
alignment.

Here's the problem:

The Mantis Blade is lawful evil.
+
If you're not the alignment of the intelligent item you wield, you gain a negative level

=

It having axiomatic is redundant-- all creatures who aren't lawful evil gain a negative level if they wield this item. I guess a lot of the neutral evil would be clerics who sign up for the test get killed too!