Quote Originally Posted by Nifft View Post
C'mon, be honest.

"God has perfect knowledge therefore murder a baby." <-- that's literally your scenario

Hiding behind some kind of obfuscation isn't going to work here. You laid it all out already, and it's easily visible by scrolling up the thread.
I mean i posited an example of an in game trolley problem. To which everyone said killing one person is an evil act, but then using that same thought process, does by making a choice of action killing x amount more people become x times more evil?

In which case you get about into the discussion of exactly what Good and Evil is, and why Good and Evil are what they are.

And suddenly you're dealing with not so much good and evil, but approval and disapproval and justification, which leads you back to the OP, as wanting to punish the player for burning the guy they are fighting, stems from something.

It's not an evil act, it is an act which some people disapprove of, in the same way that a 19th century plantation owner would approve of having slaves, or a roman emperor would approve of gladiatorial bloodsports, or a 21st century vegan would rather either the home of insects and other wildlife rather than eating labgrown pseudomeat.

Evil is a matter of perception which changes over time, as is what is good, so you are left dealing with personalities. Does the clerics deity approve of the action? No, then the deity needs to do something about it. Perhaps remove access to his divine spells, or his class features, given that the deities favour is what is granting those.

Perhaps there was someone who observed the situation who decides to bide time and repay the cleric for the way in which he dispatched the opponent. Or perhaps the other way, like how banking financiers who make an immense amount of profit: my father was cared for in his last days by a charity who recieved money donated from an individual who later embezzled money in the 90's to set up his own business. Do i think he is evil? His intentions might not have been good but he saved my fathers life. The only people he 'hurt' were 6 other wealthy businessmen who were protected by the banks.

I can approve of certain things but not of others, and I can use my own judgement to select my opinion of that individual. As can a god, and their followers. To say that those who act in a manner that is acceptable is 'good' in modern society when we have been shaped by the actions of certain individuals does not apply to concept of a cosmic acceptance squished into a 3x3 table to define an action.