Animate Dead=Evil Align Only?

[Silencher]

Hey All,

I am really getting into the idea of using Animate Dead and Command Undead. My group is in the midst of fighting a vast undead army. My char is CN, he has high int and he is all about turning weaknesses into strengths and enemy strengths into weaknesses. Here's my question... Animate Dead has the (Evil) descriptor, this does NOT make it just an evil aligned spell, right? From my point of view, my character would look at animate dead as an efficient way to use the flesh and meat of already slain people for the benefit of those still living. He isn't taking over souls or taking over free-will, he's just using lumps of flesh to help him battle.

Am I totally wrong in this? Can only Evil aligned players use this spell?

If I'm not wrong, is there a specific rule that points this out somewhere? I don't want the problem player in my group whining about how I can't do it because I'm not evil, unless that really is the case.

[Siberys]

You can use an (Evil) aligned spell, but most likely you will convert from chaotic neutral to chaotic evil.

Personally, good and evil are not definite perspectives but ethics of law and chaos are, and defiling the undead is more an Ethics debate, making it chaotic instead of evil.

Although, there's also a degree of idiocy involved in some of the (Evil) spells. Cheat, is an example of an idiotically labeled evil spell. It's a first level book of vile darkness spell, and it doesn't even give you a definite chance to win a non-magical probability game (poker, dice, other gambling etc). All it gives you is the ability to reroll and take the better value of the percentiles.

I mean think about it; yes you can use it in a standard gambling game to screw people out of money, but what if you were to use that spell on say some thugs who have randomly captured some chick you want to rescue, and they give you the option of gambling on her ransom and freedom, the spell "Cheat" would then be a (Good) spell.

But yes, you can use the spell animate dead, anybody can. If you go powerhungry though with it, your DM might forcefully convert your alignment to evil.

[GawainBS]

You can use an (Evil) aligned spell, but most likely you will convert from chaotic neutral to chaotic evil.

Personally, good and evil are not definite perspectives but ethics of law and chaos are, and defiling the undead is more an Ethics debate, making it chaotic instead of evil.

Although, there's also a degree of idiocy involved in some of the (Evil) spells. Cheat, is an example of an idiotically labeled evil spell. It's a first level book of vile darkness spell, and it doesn't even give you a definite chance to win a non-magical probability game (poker, dice, other gambling etc). All it gives you is the ability to reroll and take the better value of the percentiles.

I mean think about it; yes you can use it in a standard gambling game to screw people out of money, but what if you were to use that spell on say some thugs who have randomly captured some chick you want to rescue, and they give you the option of gambling on her ransom and freedom, the spell "Cheat" would then be a (Good) spell.

But yes, you can use the spell animate dead, anybody can. If you go powerhungry though with it, your DM might forcefully convert your alignment to evil.

In D&D, Good & Evil are absolutes. Very much so, the existence of the Planes is the evidence of it.
Apart from that, Syberis is right, the descriptor doesn't exclude you from using it. But it's an Evil spell and will probably make you Evil after a few casting.
Of course, building on the "Cheat" example: if you cast Animate Dead to buy time for refugees to escape, would that make you evil?
In this case, since it's about efficiency without consideration for the peace/respect of/for the dead, it's probably Evil.

[Siberys]

In D&D, Good & Evil are absolutes. Very much so, the existence of the Planes is the evidence of it.

Simply because aligned planes exist don't mean that good and evil are definite. Most morally aligned planes are based off of positive and negative energy, not good and evil energy.

The perspective is still their, and debatable in the game, it's just made to appear definite to give a DM or player some guidelines. Eberron for instance, a D&D campaign setting, got rid of the "Always Evil" or "Always Chaotic" alignment descriptor in every monster, saying that there are some creatures that though born of evil can become inherently good. And lets not forget the deathless, is it evil to animate a good aligned undead?

Like I said, there's the illusion of things being inherently evil or definitely good, but for any DM or player that's even remotely experienced in the game, those rules can be bent pretty easily.

[GawainBS]

The planes themselves are aligned. It's not about positive or negative energy, except for the Positive Energy Plane and the Negative Energy Plane. Elysium, Arborea & Celestia, to name the most prolific are simply Good-aligned.