Detect Evil

[Human Paragon 3]

No longer useable just to find out someone's alignment! It actually now detects creature types.

Detect Evil and Good
1st-level divination
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
For the duration, you know if there is an aberration,
celestial, elemental, fey, fiend, or undead within 30
feet of you, as well as where the creature is located.
Similarly, you know if there is a place or object within
30 feet of you that has been magically consecrated or
desecrated.
The spell can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked
by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet
of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt.

[pwykersotz]

I noticed that...I like it. The detect spells needed some love.

[Palegreenpants]

This is a great rework of the spell. As a DM who shies away from "alignments, I vastly prefer creature-type detections.

[Totema]

But it doesn't seem like it actually detects alignment at all anymore? Curious.

[Human Paragon 3]

But it doesn't seem like it actually detects alignment at all anymore? Curious.

Well, once you have the creature type, the rest follows. And now we don't need Detect Undead or any of the other spells in that line.

[Balyano]

Big improvement in my opinion. Just one problem, I don't like the name, it seems, idk, stilted. I'm not saying it should be called ''Detect Supernatural Entities'', but a different name seems in order.

[Giddonihah]

Really nice all in one package. Though it seems to be more Detect Supernatural, than Detect Evil/good per say.

[pwykersotz]

Big improvement in my opinion. Just one problem, I don't like the name, it seems, idk, stilted. I'm not saying it should be called ''Detect Supernatural Entities'', but a different name seems in order.


Really nice all in one package. Though it seems to be more Detect Supernatural, than Detect Evil/good per say.

Agreed, but just try to call it that and it will introduce yet more confusion.

"This creature has a supernatural attack, why did my Detect Supernatural not find it!"

And so on...

It's awkward, but it's hard to mess up.

[Icewraith]

Really nice all in one package. Though it seems to be more Detect Supernatural, than Detect Evil/good per say.

No, because it doesn't include Slaads or Inevitables. (Those are still things right?)

Surprised it pings fey though, I thought those had the option of neutrality.

[Tholomyes]

Big fan of the change. My only issue is that It might reinforce "smite-on-site" against the listed enemies, where I prefer a more nuanced approach (not every devil is necessarily against the party's aims, and depending on the circumstance, some might even have the same short-term goals)

[Yuki Akuma]

Big fan of the change. My only issue is that It might reinforce "smite-on-site" against the listed enemies, where I prefer a more nuanced approach (not every devil is necessarily against the party's aims, and depending on the circumstance, some might even have the same short-term goals)

Thing is, you don't actually know its type. You know it's one of those types.

[Palegreenpants]

On another note, this version of the spell includes support for religions with varying ideas of good and evil. I like this.

[Balyano]

No, because it doesn't include Slaads or Inevitables. (Those are still things right?)

Surprised it pings fey though, I thought those had the option of neutrality.

I don't think Slaads or Inevitables have be introduced yet, but I don't actually know that. I wouldn't be supprised if their entry states that they are detected by the ability. But yes fey are often not good or evil, and lets not forget the elementals. Maybe in a traditonal religion or something it would be better fitting to call it "Detect Spirits" or something, but I guess in D&D terms that wouldn't work.

[Angelalex242]

I preferred it back when it detected actual alignment. This version just hit the ability with one of the biggest nerfbats imaginable.

With such a weakened version of it, the Paladin ability should at least be upgraded to always on, instead of at will.

[Tholomyes]

I preferred it back when it detected actual alignment. This version just hit the ability with one of the biggest nerfbats imaginable.

With such a weakened version of it, the Paladin ability should at least be upgraded to always on, instead of at will.It needed the nerf bat. Too many paladins that thought "smite-on-sight" was a legitmate response. Too many murder mysteries that either required the murderer to have a ring of undetectable alignment, or be neutral, or what have you. Too many groups that hated the notion of alignment being a tangible aspect of the world, and having it have mechanical implications. I'm just upset that it wasn't snuffed out earlier, so it wouldn't be an issue now (4e doesn't really count, considering that almost all non-combat spells and abilities got relegated to rituals).

[Roncorps]

Well, once you have the creature type, the rest follows. And now we don't need Detect Undead or any of the other spells in that line.

Thing is, you don't actually know its type. You know it's one of those types.

Same opinion here. It tell if there's one of the type, not what type it is. So, something like Detect Undead could be something more precise now.

[Theodoxus]

Big improvement in my opinion. Just one problem, I don't like the name, it seems, idk, stilted. I'm not saying it should be called ''Detect Supernatural Entities'', but a different name seems in order.

Detect ACEFFU.

"Hey Jim, any ACEFFUs around here?"
"I don't know Shequaniqua, let me cast Detect ACEFFU" [casts Detect ACEFFU]
DM: You sense the presence of an ACEFFU 20 feet to the left.
"Yup, there's an ACEFFU here... go git 'im"

[Angelalex242]

It needed the nerf bat. Too many paladins that thought "smite-on-sight" was a legitmate response. Too many murder mysteries that either required the murderer to have a ring of undetectable alignment, or be neutral, or what have you. Too many groups that hated the notion of alignment being a tangible aspect of the world, and having it have mechanical implications. I'm just upset that it wasn't snuffed out earlier, so it wouldn't be an issue now (4e doesn't really count, considering that almost all non-combat spells and abilities got relegated to rituals).

But...some people did NOT hate it. I was one of them. I, thus, do not welcome the change.

Not that I was ever all that smite on sight. I used it more as 'never trust anyone who blips on the radar.' But I didn't draw my sword unless I felt there was a valid immediate need.

[Totema]

The thing is, though, smite doesn't work the same way anymore. It simply deals extra radiant damage on usage, regardless of the target's alignment. The smite only does a wee little extra d8 of damage if the target also happens to be fiendish or undead. So, with this in mind, taking away the actual alignment detection utility of the Detect Good/Evil spell puzzles me.

[Tholomyes]

The thing is, though, smite doesn't work the same way anymore. It simply deals extra radiant damage on usage, regardless of the target's alignment. The smite only does a wee little extra d8 of damage if the target also happens to be fiendish or undead. So, with this in mind, taking away the actual alignment detection utility of the Detect Good/Evil spell puzzles me."Smite-on-sight" isn't really about actual smiting. It's about the fact that pinging on the evil-dar would give some players, who played paladins poorly, a blank check to attack. This isn't a problem I've had in a long while, since my group doesn't do the "smite on sight" thing.

But there are other reasons why detect evil actually detecting evil isn't a good thing. For a simple one, it invalidated murder mysteries (or else required the DM to have a neutral killer, or one who had some way to regularly have Undetectable alignment on him all the time). The big thing, I think, is that a LOT of people had issues with the fact that the rules treated alignment as something tangible, and made it so it was incredibly inconvenient to try to work around it, if you didn't want to run your games that way. With this change, separating alignment from mechanics, you can have Alignment be a tangible thing in your world, or not, and you don't have to house-rule away anything. Sure, you might not be able to see that someone pings as Evil, but you can still have Evil be something tangible, and another group can have evil be more philosophical, and both will be using the same rule set.

[Gracht Grabmaw]

That is outrageously useful even if you don't play with alignment.
Although you do run the risk of sounding like that obnoxious overzealous new guy on the job. Can you imagine being a god and putting up with "Hey boss, I found this thing, what do I do with it?" all day from every single one of your paladins?

Then again I suppose you're not likely to become a paladin if you're not a by-the-book personality.
Note to self for my next campaign: Bahamut is too old for this ****.

[Falka]

It's an interesting change and I like it. I consider that it tries to keep people from thinking about "good monsters" and "bad monsters", and just gives them a tool to detect "supernatural" creatures. Things like Fey, Undead, Devils, etc., are usually depicted in several mythology as being outsiders from the real world.

At least in my homebrew setting, that's how I describe most things. Anything that isn't a human, a rabbit, etc. is something that has supernatural origin. So the way this spell works just fits perfectly with the kind of world I like to play with. :)