Episode 47 — The Big Chamber

[JulyDiaz 2797]

After retrieving the goods off Amarth’s mangled corpse, giving him a true Viking burial, and talking about Julie Andrew’s boobs, the rest of the gang continue the search for the old necromancer. Smashing their way through the tower’s rooms, they arrive in a large chamber where Sir Richard detects a mysterious evil presence.

[Effigy_Power 47]

Mysterious evil presence? Old Necromancer or Brian's new character...? Who can know these things...

[AJValliant 266]

Ah Nerd Poker, you make Wed good. And now I've seen Julie Andrews Boobs.

[AJValliant 266]

And I love Brians new terribly named priest of Judas. I want to see a buddy cop movie with Damian Wyrmwood and Sir Richard.

[andrewmarvell 34]

hey, my cat is named wormwood! he's also evil.

[RobotsPJs 123]

Oh that old guy. Son of a bitch.

 

Detect evil seems kind of like an overpowered power. Can you even attempt to fool the players with a bad guy pretending to be good? That doesn't seem fun. Double crosses are the best!

[Effigy_Power 47]

Detect evil seems kind of like an overpowered power. Can you even attempt to fool the players with a bad guy pretending to be good?

 

A lot of people seem to have houseruled this with some limitations for exactly that reason. Since the spell instantly shows you the true self of someone it sort of defeats a lot of possible plots. One way is to make the spell very obvious, with glowing runes or something, to the person being scanned. Meeting someone and instantly searching for evil in their souls seems like a pretty big social faux-pas, so maybe that limits how readily you use it at least in a social encounter.

Or you make it work like a submarine sonar, where you can detect evil passively when it is aimed at you or aware of you, but if you want to hone in on something or someone, they are made aware of your presence as well. Personally I feel like that's the best way to do it. It creates a tradeoff between being sure of an evil presence and the element of surprise.

Edited October 23, 2013 by effigy_power

[RobotsPJs 123]

 

A lot of people seem to have houseruled this with some limitations for exactly that reason. Since the spell instantly shows you the true self of someone it sort of defeats a lot of possible plots. One way is to make the spell very obvious, with glowing runes or something, to the person being scanned. Meeting someone and instantly searching for evil in their souls seems like a pretty big social faux-pas, so maybe that limits how readily you use it at least in a social encounter.

Or you make it work like a submarine sonar, where you can detect evil passively when it is aimed at you or aware of you, but if you want to hone in on something or someone, they are made aware of your presence as well. Personally I feel like that's the best way to do it. It creates a tradeoff between being sure of an evil presence and the element of surprise.

 

Ahh I see. Plus, if you want to get it at it, what's the true nature of "evil"? Someone might have what others consider an evil agenda based on a point of view. Of course D&D is a world where a entire races can be labeled evil... which gets into weird discussions about racism.

[ill Neal 42]

i was really missing amarth amon... until i met damian wormwood darkomen.

 

Meeting someone and instantly searching for evil in their souls seems like a pretty big social faux-pas, so maybe that limits how readily you use it at least in a social encounter.

 

HAH. kind of like being introduced to someone and then immediately starting a conversation about how much money you make, or how much you hate president _____. nobody likes the guy who shows up and instantly starts scanning everyone for evil.

[Effigy_Power 47]

Of course D&D is a world where a entire races can be labeled evil... which gets into weird discussions about racism.

 

That's certainly a big sort of weird issue in roleplaying, but alleviating that has always been up to DMs. I've had people play good Gnolls and Orcs and Kobolds and I think there's nothing in the rules that says they can't be good. For all the emo, Drizzt is a pretty good example of the fact that characters can overcome an inborn or societal drive towards an evil alignment through their actions.

Sure, some beings are doomed to follow their alignment, either because they are basically creatures of evil, like demons, or because they are just thralls to evil powers. But in general it's more of a wash, I think.

 

PS: I am pretty sure I scanned my racist uncle for evil mentally once and he actually flinched. So the houserule seems to work.

 

PSS: Also, Brian's choice is amazing. I can't wait for the interaction between Damian and Sir Richard. I just hope Karen Kilgariff doesn't jump out of a window for him.

[RobotsPJs 123]

 

That's certainly a big sort of weird issue in roleplaying, but alleviating that has always been up to DMs. I've had people play good Gnolls and Orcs and Kobolds and I think there's nothing in the rules that says they can't be good. For all the emo, Drizzt is a pretty good example of the fact that characters can overcome an inborn or societal drive towards an evil alignment through their actions.

Sure, some beings are doomed to follow their alignment, either because they are basically creatures of evil, like demons, or because they are just thralls to evil powers. But in general it's more of a wash, I think.

 

PS: I am pretty sure I scanned my racist uncle for evil mentally once and he actually flinched. So the houserule seems to work.

 

PSS: Also, Brian's choice is amazing. I can't wait for the interaction between Damian and Sir Richard. I just hope Karen Kilgariff doesn't jump out of a window for him.

 

I'm hoping to start a new character that's a cleric that's convinced that goblins and trolls and all the "evil" races can be converted. It's going to be fun times. And annoying as hell for the other players.

 

And agree on Brian's new character. Is he cleric? or a Necromancer?

[SeejoCrux 4]

 

Ahh I see. Plus, if you want to get it at it, what's the true nature of "evil"? Someone might have what others consider an evil agenda based on a point of view. Of course D&D is a world where a entire races can be labeled evil... which gets into weird discussions about racism.

 

The rule I hear most often is that "evil intent" is a pretty strong requirement when you think about it. If Hitler is just sitting in a chair eating cereal and humming a dity in his head, then the spell should pass over him without saying anything. I was always okay with that rule, but the reading they gave here made it pretty clear that the spell detects evil monsters and characters, which kind of goes against this interpretation.

[mattman92ish 823]

fuck i love this podcast and everyone involved

[Jackson1326657838 105]

[Docwhiskey 18]

Dragonopolis is my new favorite thing

[JeffNelms 10]

 

Ahh I see. Plus, if you want to get it at it, what's the true nature of "evil"? Someone might have what others consider an evil agenda based on a point of view. Of course D&D is a world where a entire races can be labeled evil... which gets into weird discussions about racism.

 

In DnD, I think that "evil" really just means selfish. Good characters fight for the greater uh...good, Neutral characters strive for balance and evil characters are in it for themselves. Lawful, Neutral, and Chaotic describe how you go about achieving your goals. If anyone knows better, feel free to correct me, I only have experience in 4th edition.

[Corky Kneivel 113]

These past 2 episodes have been amazing, this one was stellar. Sounds like you guys are playing a longish session then breaking thsoe up and that sounds like a great idea.

 

Brian's commitment to that character was the highlight of the episode not to mention the whole concept of the character being created to be a foil for Sir Richard. It would've been often if he was from Glinnishmost I like Sarah getting after him too "We just detected evil on yoru ass, so...."

[Handinpants 91]

I had expected Brian's new character, because it's Brian, to be burly and brutish. I was expecting a death knight after Scott announced he was designed to ruffle Sir Richard's many petticoats, but Brian's roleplay as Damien Wormwood Darkomen was pretty amazing, and I'm definitely on board with the new character. From a group standpoint, a Priest of Judas makes more sense than yet another fighter.

 

Also, Melvania? A Melvins reference?

[benk 257]

That was some fucking A+ roleplaying by Brian there.

[IanSolomon 5]

YES - this.

 

That was some fucking A+ roleplaying by Brian there.

[Chaosound 50]

Digging the new guy, though that was some metagaming that a paladin allowed an "evil" person to join up. Bummed that Brian missed a great reference opportunity when Sir Richard said something like "my Vengeance is holier than yours", was hoping the Priest of Judas would reply with "my Vengeance is Screaming" or something similar.

[StevoDoccerson 97]

Oh I think we're not going to have to want for jokes like that, I have a feeling it's going to be like "I want my robes back!" "Oh, what are they made of?" "Leather." "And how determined are you to get them?" "I'd say I'm Hellbent."

[yeknom02 5]

How I felt when I heard that the Old Man was escaping:

 

[Effigy_Power 47]

"I want my robes back!" "Oh, what are they made of?" "Leather." "And how determined are you to get them?" "I'd say I'm Hellbent."

 

Ouch and bravo.

[Walks 4]

Alignments in D&D, like many things in D&D, only make sense when you don't think about them too hard. They are useful at a glance, yeah, but they're also part of some really serious parts of gameplay. I think it's just one of the breaks from reality you have to live with as a d&d player/dm. does it make any sense? not really, but it's one of the core mechanics of the game, so you kind of have to take it and all it implies in stride.