sam from quebec (not verified) — Tue, 2003-12-09 19:59
Sorry Joe but an assassin (the prestige class, not any common hired killer) is Evil, period.
Second, an assassin or what ever evil character registers on a detect evil (check it PHB 3.5 under "detect evil").
Now even if police forces and tribunals have detection spells, there are ways in which a person can radiate an alignment but not be so.
Spells can lead you to misread the aura, posession, some curses, magic items have their own alignment at times, etc.
In AD&D I once created a manacratic state where the systematic application of magic was the solution to everything. It was about as advanced as the most advanced countries of our time (if not more).
Still, since nobody is uncorruptible detection of lie or evil could not be used alone in a court of law. Also they had their own version of the death penalty for evil people: the personality inversion (helmet of opposite alignment). So there was no way for them to accept the cold blooded execution of any mortal material plane sentient. Since even if proven guilty of the worst attrocities, the criminal could be cured of insanity, changed alignment and made to repay his debt to society.
But that is a very High Magic setting.
Look at it like the Jedi in Star Wars, while they can read intents and detect the dark side, they are not jury, judge and executionner because:
1 - there are too few of them.
2 - it would lead the rest of the population to resent and hate them for holding power over them. A power they themselves can never have. Hey in the real world, many resent lawyers, judges and officers of the law. And it is withing most people's capacities to hold such a position.
So even if there are clerics and paladins in most city watches, they don't can't apply the law all by themselves and have to follow some if not all mundane rules of conduct.
Sorry Joe but an assassin (the prestige class, not any common hired killer) is Evil, period.
Second, an assassin or what ever evil character registers on a detect evil (check it PHB 3.5 under "detect evil").
Now even if police forces and tribunals have detection spells, there are ways in which a person can radiate an alignment but not be so.
Spells can lead you to misread the aura, posession, some curses, magic items have their own alignment at times, etc.
In AD&D I once created a manacratic state where the systematic application of magic was the solution to everything. It was about as advanced as the most advanced countries of our time (if not more).
Still, since nobody is uncorruptible detection of lie or evil could not be used alone in a court of law. Also they had their own version of the death penalty for evil people: the personality inversion (helmet of opposite alignment). So there was no way for them to accept the cold blooded execution of any mortal material plane sentient. Since even if proven guilty of the worst attrocities, the criminal could be cured of insanity, changed alignment and made to repay his debt to society.
But that is a very High Magic setting.
Look at it like the Jedi in Star Wars, while they can read intents and detect the dark side, they are not jury, judge and executionner because:
1 - there are too few of them.
2 - it would lead the rest of the population to resent and hate them for holding power over them. A power they themselves can never have. Hey in the real world, many resent lawyers, judges and officers of the law. And it is withing most people's capacities to hold such a position.
So even if there are clerics and paladins in most city watches, they don't can't apply the law all by themselves and have to follow some if not all mundane rules of conduct.