I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place I am currently running the Rise of the Runelords adventure path and one of the pc's is a oracle of bone and we just hit 6th level. Now the main point is about half the party (an evoker(NG),an inquisitor(LN) a monk(LG with avow of peace) And a rouge(CG))are pretty close minded with raising the dead. The other three rouges are apathetic and don't care one way or the other they just want the stuff. That being said the oracle has bent over backwards optimizing for undead and still being able to heal. I'm honestly new and this is the first time I have ran a game other than the 2 sessions prior to this one so is anyone has some advice that preferably doesn't involve someone losing their character that would be appreciated. If that is impossible some advice on how to let them down easily would help.
Thanks all.
Take a page from the "Juju" oracle mystery. Undead aren't actually undead, they're remains animated by spirits with an alignment that matches the caster. The 'Create Undead' spells lose the evil descriptor (unless the caster is evil, of course).
You still have to make them okay with using human remains, but it isn't an inherently 'evil' act.
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Personally, I'd let them take the Spirit Vessels Revelation at 7th using the 'removed text' from the Editor's Note. It's normally for Juju Oracles only (and, as noted, not canonical at this point), but it seems like it'd solve your problem without any hard feelings, which seems like a good thing. I mean, the Bones Oracle can definitively prove that what he's doing isn't evil and even explain why, so the other PCs should probably be willing to go along with it. Tell the Bones Oracle you'll let him do this only if he doesn't summon any Evil undead prior to 7th level, so he feels he's earned it.
Now, in future, you should probably talk to people about problematic character concepts like this one in advance, so as to head off this sort of thing before it becomes an issue...but that's the best fix I can see given the existing situation.
EDIT: And ninja'd, though I did expound further and provided a link.
The oracle may try to pass it off as giving the souls of her ancestors a chance to help their living relatives.
"That's not a zombie that's Uncle Olaf making up for missing my fifth birthday"
It all gets down to how the player handles it. If she confronts the others they may figure out how to work around the issue. My favorite was a necromancer that would only raise people that had given permission in advance
Thank you for your suggestions although I would like to know is there any ideas for limits that the PC can use to make the subject a little more ok.
Like not animating people or only having one at a time.
Things like that that are not crippling.
I am all for the idea of letting them take spirit vessels and using the non evil undead provided they find a way to explain it.
There is another thing to deal with the Evoker is still not pleased with this solution and I would rather not kick him out of the group (he is the transport to 2 of the other pcs(the oracle and another) who otherwise could not come).
Once again if no other alternative option arises then I may have to have one of them make a new character or they may start a pvp and that I would very much like to avoid.
So opinions any solution and is it within a NG or CG alignment to intentionally kill a deaf oracle for raising non evil undead of enemies to help the party?
If necessary I can work around the transportation so feel free to ignore it.
This is a moral dilemma that I never quite got. Sure, raising sentient creatures as the undead is a horrible thing and should rightly be shunned in most civilized societies. But you know what else is a taboo that is cosmically punished in this setting? Cannibalism. Eating another sentient being is horrible and almost impossible to excuse in a world where you can see that it is demonstrably evil and that is a demonstrably afterlife. But you know what you CAN eat without much consequences?
Animals. Non-sentient lifeforms. Most people don't complain too much when you carve up animals and wear their faces as hats. So why should they complain about using the skeletons in a creative way? Looking at the mysteries, feats, and spells concerning the undead, there is little that actually stops you from using that dire tiger you just killed as an undead servant. Seriously, just throw some random beasties at the party and give the oracle a wink. Sure, the other party members might not be happy with it, but I think this would be a legitimate moral compromise both in and out of the game. No PEOPLE are getting hurt by this. And it is not like there is a druid in the party, right? As long as the inquistor is not the rabid servant of a god specifically against the undead, then it should all work out.
Actually that may be a good idea as they are about to go into a forest.
Any other ideas?
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Any other ideas?
Talk to the players OOC.
Something like "Hey, I know you guys don't like undead, but Joe here based his character concept around them, and IC he's only using animals, and his versions aren't even Evil, which you can verify with Detect Evil...so there's no real reason for you to object IC. That being the case, can we just let this go and move on?"
Never underestimate the power of proper communication.
Of course, after making it clear OOC so that there is no major conflict, you can have fun making it clear IC. What fun would the role playing be if they all just let that slide without comment?