Kerbouchard's page

ngc7293 wrote:

I find it odd that most of this group finds it okay for a Paladin to go through a city and Detect evil on every person in it. There have been articles on this subject and the consensus is that it is poor role playing to go around and Detect Evil everywhere you go.

Why? Why is this poor roleplaying? I'm not detecting evil on every person in the city door to door, I'm detecting evil on any person i actually interact with.

I personally see nothing wrong with this. I wouldn't consider it any poorer RPing than a Wizard using Prestidigition to clean his clothes.

As for being able to detect if the Paladin is using Detect Evil the above discussion that was linked to does make me wonder... Nothing as obvious as hand waving, but maybe some kind of sign?

Honestly I could go either way with that. The point that perhaps a spellcraft check could identify what you were doing is an interesting one.

Malachi Silverclaw wrote:

Universal Monster Rules wrote:

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp) Spell-like abilities are magical and work just like spells (though they are not spells and so have no verbal, somatic, focus, or material components). They go away in an antimagic field and are subject to spell resistance if the spell the ability is based on would be subject to spell resistance.

AoO are provoked because you let your guard down, not because they know what you're doing! The only thing they know is that you let your guard down, not why you let it down!

You let your guard down, and did so in a manner which your opponent knows he can take advantage of (or do they not understand why they decided to attack you just then?). No, he doesn't know why you suddenly aren't defending yourself properly, but (and I know, RAW doesn't explicitly say this) there must be some observable feature to which the attacker reacts. If you can spot it in combat, when you've got to focus on so many other things (like keeping your own guard up), then you can spot it in the middle of town.

He doesn't know you're using Detect Evil, but he does know you've done something out of the ordinary, even if it's just drifting off.

Not to mention that you still have to spend a standard action each round actively concentrating on maintaining it, which should also generally be a perception check away from being obvious. Again, not that you're using a specific spell like ability, but that you're distracted, not really paying attention to the person who's talking to you, or staring. You know, being generally rude.

"A paladin can, as a move action, concentrate on a single item or individual within 60 feet and determine if it is evil, learning the strength of its aura as if having studied it for 3 rounds."

No need to continue concentrating on a subject as it gains you nothing extra.

There's no reason you can't Detect Evil on anyone you come across if you like. Its not obvious. Its a spell-like ability. "A spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, or material component, nor does it require a focus. The user activates it mentally."

However just because the NPC registers as evil doesn't mean you can just haul off and attack it. There are laws against that after all. Just because you know someone is evil you can do nothing about it unless they break the law. Doing so will get you arrested or in trouble with the local guard/police force.

Also a character "acting with evil intent" pings as evil at the time but doesn't necessarily mean they ARE evil. So if you randomly attack them you could end up losing your Paladin powers as your god gets ticked off at you.

And of course there are lots of ways to avoid pinging as evil even if you are.

So...all in all its not a magic "I can kill you" spell.

Yeah Armor Kilt isn't that great... till you realize that it can hold an armor bonus all it's own.

Had a fighter run around in plate mail +3, an armor Kilt, +2, and a Heavy steel Shield +2.

Gm wanted me dead so badly.

Actually the devs have already said this wouldn't work. Add a kilt to an armor and it becomes that armor with kilt so you can only enhance the armor overall and not an individual piece. As he said it would be like trying to add an enhancement to the studs on studded leather armor. Doesn't work. Plus you can never add a kilt to plate anyway. So...your GM was right to be upset on this one.