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If a paladin is trying to find something like an invisible enemy, he would have to use the normal version of detect evil, because the move action version requires you to be able to see what you are targeting.
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I agree with you guys personally, and ruled it that way in my game, but I'm having trouble with the "you have to see it to concentrate on it" argument. I feel like if he's detecting an aura, he can just concentrate on the presence of that aura, whether he can see it or not.
It's a bootstrap problem. You can't see the individual aura until you take 3 rounds. So you can't target an invisible creature by aura until that much time has passed.
Do note that a paladin can use his detect evil as/with the normal spell, without needing the move action version.
Also note that Detect Evil requires concentration, so the paladin would never be able to take another standard action while using it to "see".
I agree with you guys personally, and ruled it that way in my game, but I'm having trouble with the "you have to see it to concentrate on it" argument. I feel like if he's detecting an aura, he can just concentrate on the presence of that aura, whether he can see it or not.
Do as you like.
One way of reconciling is by saying that he's not really doing that, though. You could say, he sees something, and he asks about it - he's not focusing on the aura, he's focusing on the thing, and he does that by visually concentrating. Then the aura information is imparted, even if he doesn't see it.
Effectively, he has two very different mechanics - the slow one that allows him to get his own information, and the rapid, "I don't got time for this, gimme the cliff notes" version, relying on something else - his power - to rapidly tell him, now that he's aware of stuff by visual.
If a spell has a specific target (as opposed to an area), you need line of sight in order to use the spell. If you cannot see your target, you do not have line of sight.
The spell Detect Evil is a cone, but the Paladin's move action "add on" is single target. And that target has to be a creature or an object. And you have to be able to perceive it, to target it.
For what it's worth, I have two things to add:
1) we allow a Paladin to locate invisibility (after a debacle against a lowly quasit), though officially we agree with your interpretation
2) making links are as follows:
[ url = google.com ] Here is Google [ / url ]
... becomes ...
Here is Google
... when you take out the spaces!
Peace and good gaming!