it has the evil descriptor. Thus it's an evil spell.
Evil spells aren't illegal because their evil no, if they're banned its for another reason. Evil spells aren't evil in society either. You can raise dead, heal with infernal healing, and drink blood for spells(Blood Transcription), and you won't take a hit to your alignment for any of those.
There are several threads on this exact topic. Have you investigated them?
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It's an evil spell, and an evil act to cast (for some reason). However, there is no risk to alignment whatsoever, since in PFS minor evil acts are always forgiven since it's part of your mission to complete the Society's instructions.
In my own campaign, it's "evil" in the sense that overzealous crusaders will get mad at you, but it's not morally wrong to use, as it hurts no one.
To avoid weird "it's evil, but not" confusion like this, in my games raising undead is literally torturing departed souls (making it wholly evil), and summoning demons (even for good purposes) weakens the barriers sealing off the lower planes (also making it evil). I have an intense dislike of "it's evil because I said so" mechanics like Infernal Healing has.
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
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There are several long threads about this very topic, if you want to read/necro any of them. Be warned that the discussion gets pretty heated.
In PFS as long as you own/bring the book, you're gtg using infernal healing.
Morphling, in my home games all alignment spells help the forces of that alignment in some way...for example, infernal healing steals the health of others in subtle ways. So your friend is healed, but somewhere else a child fell out of a tree and broke an arm. Each casting makes the world a slightly worse place overall.
(...) Morphling, in my home games all alignment spells help the forces of that alignment in some way...for example, infernal healing steals the health of others in subtle ways. So your friend is healed, but somewhere else a child fell out of a tree and broke an arm. Each casting makes the world a slightly worse place overall.
Oh I like that fluff! I'll use it it as a general presentation-style for "aligned" spells. Ex.: Lawful spells can make a clock more reliable or a judge more "enlighthened"...
Edit: the affected situations are not chosen or even known by the caster unless it's cool/usefull in the story.
Oh I like that fluff! I'll use it it as a general presentation-style for "aligned" spells. Ex.: Lawful spells can make a clock more reliable or a judge more "enlighthened"...
So, would a clockmaker spend all day casting lawful spells to fix clocks around the world, or casting chaotic spells to give himself more business?
Personally, I don't use rules like that because I feel it takes too much control out of the player's hands.
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Okay, a bit of misinformation floating around in this thread.
First, check out the Guide to Organized Play HERE for the general campaign rules.
Second, and this will be mentioned in the Guide as well, check out the Additional Resources page HERE to definitively see whether any given piece of content you have is legal for PFS or not.
Third, HERE is an Official PFS FAQ stating that, in PFS at least, casting a spell with the [evil] descriptor is not inherently an evil action (it depends on what you do with it; healing your allies is fine, keeping someone from dying so they can be tortured is evil, etc).
And finally, threads asking questions specific to the nature of Organized Play will get better traffic in the PFS forums HERE.
Hope that helps! :)
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There are several long threads about this very topic, if you want to read/necro any of them. Be warned that the discussion gets pretty heated.
In PFS as long as you own/bring the book, you're gtg using infernal healing.
Morphling, in my home games all alignment spells help the forces of that alignment in some way...for example, infernal healing steals the health of others in subtle ways. So your friend is healed, but somewhere else a child fell out of a tree and broke an arm. Each casting makes the world a slightly worse place overall.
Oh I do like this. That is definitely going into the campaign world lore.
I'm not so sure the other idea of "lawful spells make clocks better" deal, but perhaps they just subtly make the world a more organized place by their very nature - the direct effects of a Lawful spell pretty much do that usually.
Evil spells carrying a hidden cost, paid by someone else, is delicious flavor, though. That's similar to what I went with in the "summoning fiends makes it easier for more fiends to enter the world" deal (the walls between Earth and Hell decaying is a gradual plot point in the game).
(...) I'm not so sure the other idea of "lawful spells make clocks better" deal, (...)
Yhea, I was looking for a intersting specific manifestation of "Lawfullness" but the "somewhere else a child fell out of a tree and broke an arm" is a hard one to match as an incarnation of Evil magic.
I guess a farmer finding a dirty yet gold made cup dropped behind by the bandit who stole his cow would be more Lawful-tasty...
I guess a farmer finding a dirty yet gold made cup dropped behind by the bandit who stole his cow would be more Lawful-tasty...
So the result is that a cup just magically falls out of a bandits pouch, denying the bandit his right to goods and paying the farmer 10 times his cows worth? That doesn't sound lawful to me.
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Well, the material component is a drop of devil's blood. So if anything, I'd say it has some link to that devil. But I don't think I'd include the evil descriptor having other effects.
I prefer the approach of "Do you know how much I had to hurt that devil to get this blood? This healing is my reward for sending him back to hell."
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(...)
So the result is that a cup just magically falls out of a bandits pouch, denying the bandit his right to goods and paying the farmer 10 times his cows worth? That doesn't sound lawful to me.
Interesting question, let’s see … :-)
(the INEVITABLE ARBITER puts it’s glasses on and takes out his lawful-legal cost/value reference tome)…
A cow, registered as cattle, is referred to with a price of 50gp(Ultimate Equipment)
A gold cup, (not a chalice or wine glass) considered a Grade 1 art object, valued at 50gp (Ultimate Equipment)
So, one could consider the “forced” fair-value exchange, overrunning the chaotic action of stealing as a manifestation of Lawful karma.
So, one could consider the “forced” fair-value exchange, overrunning the chaotic action of stealing as a manifestation of Lawful karma.
Actually I see it as an act of chaos. You traded a cow for a golden goblet, which inevitably changes the routine and actions of the bandit and that is most definitely not lawful. Equivalent exchange isn't always lawful. Worse is that it infers you aren't in control of your own destiny and can be controlled by the forces of the cosmos, which is pretty bleh.
Btw, Its 50 gp for a cow now? Was 10 gp in 3.5, and 50 for a pound of gold. Inflation these days.
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Chaotic, Evil, Good, and Lawful Spells: A cleric can't cast spells of an alignment opposed to her own or her deity's (if she has one).Neutral characters can cast the spell.
Also arcane casters of any alignment.
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RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
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Well, if you want subtle lawful effects, you could always have bureaucracies run a little better- less paperwork is lost, things get to the people that need to see them, there is less petty corruption and graft, that sort of thing. Casting a lot of Lawful spells just makes society run better.
(Note this is seperate from good/evil; the execution orders for those rebels against the Evil Overlord are also less likely to be misplaced).
Extra Law in the world makes it more likely the bandit gets caught, and the authorities more likley to return the farmer's cow rather than keep it for themselves.
Since this is the "Advice" forum and not the "Rules" forum, I'll tell you how I play this in my game.
Infernal healing invokes the power of Hell to infuse the recipient with a devil's fast healing ability for a minute. Invoking the power of Hell is an evil act.
(Where do I get that? It's in the name of the spell! That's what "infernal" means. And it gives the same restrictions on the fast healing as a devil.)
I rule that while the spell is in effect, the recipient can "sense the evil of the magic" surging through her body, mixing with the pleasurable feelings of her wounds healing. Evil thoughts come to mind while under the effect of the spell: desires to violently avenge past wrongs; take things that wouldn't be missed by their owners; seduce possible lovers away from their spouses; etc. This is why the subject detects as evil while the spell is in effect. These urges pass when the spell effect ends, but the memory of these evil desires remains.
Both casting the spell and willingly receiving the spell are evil acts. Minor acts of evil, to be sure, but still evil. Using this spell occasionally won't have lasting affects on alignment, but relying upon it as a matter of course certainly will.
But that's just my read. (I believe that the Creative Director reads the spell pretty similiarly, for what it's worth.) In your campaign, let it have the effects that you find most useful for the stories you want to tell.
But that's just my read. (I believe that the Creative Director reads the spell pretty similiarly, for what it's worth.) In your campaign, let it have the effects that you find most useful for the stories you want to tell.
Really? Because you added things that contradict what the spells says, and JJ really doesn't need to weigh in on peoples ideals.
Sin, Haladir flat out said that that is his opinion, explicitly not the rules, and closes by saying that is how he personally reads it, and you still feel the need to tell him he's doing it wrong because it conflicts with your opinion? Not cool.
Sin, Haladir flat out said that that is his opinion, explicitly not the rules, and closes by saying that is how he personally reads it, and you still feel the need to tell him he's doing it wrong because it conflicts with your opinion? Not cool.
I didn't insult his opinion. I am bothered that something that's supposed to be a 'read' is directly contradicting the text, and that its supported by an unsupported statement about someone supporting him. How you run it is very different from how you read it.
Infernal healing invokes the power of Hell to infuse the recipient with a devil's fast healing ability for a minute. Invoking the power of Hell is an evil act.
But you're using it for healing, which is 99% of the time, a good act. So, you wind up at a net result of zero.