Atonement

[Elasair]

I have a player in a campaign that has a version of the Atonement spell as a class feature. The main difference is that this can be used on unwilling subjects as well.

What I ask is if this would be considered a mind affecting effect if used to forcefully change a creature's alignment?

[HalfDragonCube]

Yes, although since there won't be any penalties for changing back, then it's kinda useless in the long run.

[Elasair]

I ask this because a creature that was recently targeted with it has immunity to mind affecting.

[Psyren]

Yes, although since there won't be any penalties for changing back, then it's kinda useless in the long run.

Which is why you would instead use Super Atonement Holy Mindrape Sanctify the Wicked instead :smallwink:

[Callista]

You wouldn't need it. Creatures who change alignment generally don't want to go back to the old.

Which class is this? Because it sounds pretty overpowered to be able to change alignments of opponents at will. It's like a save-or-die; only the "die" part is replaced with "be paralyzed the realization of Oh God What Have I Just Done". Most of the time, that kind of drastic change of outlook would pretty much stop an enemy in their tracks, force them to back down, run away, start fighting defensively, stand there confused...

[Drachasor]

That seems...kind of lame to me to be able to use it on the unwilling. That should be a roleplaying opportunity, not a "solve it quick with a spell/class ability" opportunity.

[Callista]

Same here. I've always thought of the Atonement spell as a sort of ceremony a cleric does for someone who's repentant and looking for forgiveness--the same kind of "flavor" as a Catholic going to confession; only D&D-style. It's re-establishing a link between a person and his deity or his moral compass when the world's knocked him way off course. There are even some mentions of it being used to give a bonus to a Heal check on those who have suffered some kind of insanity and been forced to do something Evil unwillingly. (Sanity loss rules. Apparently Heal includes psychology; who knew?)

But yeah, Atonement has never struck me as anything that could be done forcibly. It's just not made to do that. Establishing a link to the divine in someone who didn't want to be linked doesn't seem like it'd create an alignment change; that the spell would fizzle when used on someone unwilling seems entirely sensible to me.

That, and Atonement is a lot lower level than spells which can change alignment by force, and costs a lot less. Balance issues, there.