Question about Necromatic Animation/creation & Warlock's

[Azaroth Incubus]

Town Ordinances are local laws.

• Regarding Necromantic Animation

Necromantic Animation is defined as the raising of spirits, bodies, or outsider presences through necromantic magics. Unless authorized in writing from the government for the purpose of research or criminal investigation, necromantic animation is unlawful in all of Sundren.


I was wondering, If I am a Cleric of a good god, and animate dead am I subject to this rule? What is the ruling on Warlocks, I have heard they are to be treated in the same way as Necromancers, is this true?

[Vichtor]

Alignment doesn't matter. The spell type does, as it outlines the kind of magic used to perform the action. Raise Dead uses Necromantic magic (which is why its spell type is "necromancy"). Good God or no, you've still broken the law through that act.

Warlocks may be treated the same as necromancers (generally feared/hated) but do not try to tie them together in any way other than that. It is not being assumed that warlocks are necromancers or vice versa, they are each simply hated for seperate reasons, that hate generally has the same outcome; therefore they are treated basically the same.

[Azaroth Incubus]

So basicly, any spell that has necromacy tagged to it is forbidden by law?

Raising someone and it being against the law seems kinda, I dunno. Lame? I mean, tha's what Cleric's and Churches do.

[Acheron77]

Alignment doesn't matter. The spell type does, as it outlines the kind of magic used to perform the action. Raise Dead uses Necromantic magic (which is why its spell type is "necromancy"). Good God or no, you've still broken the law through that act.

Are you sure about that? The spell Raise Dead supplies fallen allies with immense godly power that can bring them back to their former selves.

Surely, Animate Dead (which summons skeletons, zombies, and other mindless shells of former individuals) is illegal...but why should Raise Dead be considered "evil?"

[InquisitorFury]

Raise dead is not a Necromatic spell, it is Conjuration. Animate Dead however is Necromatic, and regardless of it's intended purpose it is inherintly evil. What good god has Death as a domain anyways, to animate dead?

If you have Animate Dead it says in the spell discription:

Cleric 3 Wizard/Sorcerer 4
Necromancy
Discriptor: Evil

[Vichtor]

Raise dead is not a Necromatic spell, it is Conjuration. Animate Dead however is Necromatic, and regardless of it's intended purpose it is inherintly evil. What good god has Death as a domain anyways, to animate dead?

If you have Animate Dead it says in the spell discription:

Cleric 3 Wizard/Sorcerer 4
Necromancy
Discriptor: Evil

You beat me to it. Raise Dead is not Necromancy. (Reader's Digest version).

Next argument, please?

[Euniana]

As far as NWN2 spells go, the law specifically outlaws Animate Dead, Create Undead, and Create Greater Undead while you're in town.

Beneficent necromantic spells such as Undeath to Death and Death Ward are far from banned.

[Dark presence]

Sadly, healing and ressurection type spells are no longer necromancy spells. Yay for 3rd edition dumbing things down.
Of course DMs could always change that if they wanted. It definitely is totally illogical.

[Euniana]

Restoration spells were still necromantic in NWN1. NWN2 fixed them though.

[Grigori]

I would like to make a request in this line of discussion:

If you see another character use some power that has a purple tint to it's color, do not automatically say "Warlock!" or start going off about that person being evil. Unless you are a warlock, or have a high enough spellcraft to know what the person cast, and then, once making that spellcraft roll, have enough lore to know that it is a warlock ability, then you have no reason to walk around blurting out that someone is a warlock or someone is evil or someone dabbles with demons. It is rediculous to the point of blatant metagaming and I get tired of reminding people in-game (warriors, rangers, barbarians, rogues, etc) that unless they have studied these types of things before, and unless they can understand celestial, abyssal, or infernal then they have absolutely no reason or right to start accusing someone of something or treating them as an enemy worth attacking.

For all you know, the purple magic is a customized spell, a divine blessing, or a dark ability... Unless you are knowledgeable specifically, or see someone summon a demon, then honestly, you would have no idea what, exactly, the person is doing. I've roleplayed off that it is merely personalized sematic components that offer a different color, I've called it a blessing of my patron deity, and I've blamed it on a failed spell... and huge kudos to those of you that have roleplayed appropriately and actually acted within the limitations of your character thus avoiding the plague of metagaming.

So, next time you see a tiefling, a human with ashen skin and dark tattoos, an odd colored elf, or someone creating purple lights and muttering incantations, please roleplay accordingly and don't just assume or metagame that they are a warlock. The spellchecks need to be adjusted like the languages were and it is my hope that those changes are already being worked on, but until then, please stop abusing non-character knowledge and making life hard on those that are playing their ass off to camoflage their warlock abilities as deific blessings of darker beings, odd magics, or other believable origins... I wish I had the ability to grant experience to some of you, and I am working on ways to do just that, but until then, stick it out, hang in there, and continue to hide your warlock ways until such a time that we can bind together in a coven and have our own temple to visit so that we can stay away from that vile temple of helm...

[Kaldaris]

Spellcraft is fine, no need to tweak it at all.

Warlock blasts are very distinct. The buffs are more subtle.

Assumptions are made in character all the time. ( i.e. All drow are evil, all warlock spells are purple. )

This can be information garnered in character.

[Xym]

As far as NWN2 spells go, the law specifically outlaws Animate Dead, Create Undead, and Create Greater Undead while you're in town.

Can we use any of these spells outside of town and stay within the law?

[Grigori]

Um... gee... thanks for the four-line dismissal of my heart-felt concern regarding an issue that plagues more than just myself... That is... well... nevermind.

[skyde]

So if my cleric succeeds in a spellcraft check and sees " Maleficus is casting purple worms of doom" I know it is a warlock spell? Kjessen saw one person (not Maleficus) cast them and succeeded in the checks, then this person said something it being ray of enfeeblement or something. Kjessen merely shrugged and did not comment. (He would not comment either way anyways).

[Acheron77]

Um... gee... thanks for the four-line dismissal of my heart-felt concern regarding an issue that plagues more than just myself... That is... well... nevermind.

I know you're talking about me, so let me say this:

Vicho is a sorcerer, he can recognize arcane spells
Vicho knows Draconic, which is the language arcane spells are cast in.
Vicho has met warlocks before, and he has strong prejudices against them.

Ravenor was hurling bolts of purple energy at a gnoll, with evil-sounding words, in a language that Vicho does not know.

For all of the above reasons, he assumed Ravenor was a warlock.
I was not metagaming.

And, for that reason, you should not immediately call out other players as metagamers for knowing what a warlock is.