3.5 Detecting Alignments

[Jack Zander]

I'm playing in a hidden alignment campaign. I'm a cleric, so I've got all the spells I need to detect alignments, but what if people are taking precautions to hide their alignments? How can I reliably get around certain spells and effects without being very obvious ("I cast dispel magic on my teammate!")?

I'm only level 5 right now, but we gain 1 level each session, and we play once a week, so it won't be long before I encounter some of the higher level effects out there. Is there anything anyone could be doing to block my spells yet? At what level should I stop trusting "detect x"?

[JusticeZero]

Isn't the fact that you cannot reliably find that info out with a simple spell kind've the point of that part of the campaign?

[Jack Zander]

Isn't the fact that you cannot reliably find that info out with a simple spell kind've the point of that part of the campaign?

The DM said, "Hide your alignments." There's nothing in the campaign world keeping them hidden. We just aren't supposed to reveal them to each other. I'm using whispers to my DM to secretly detect alignments that aren't being hidden by the players themselves.

[Urpriest]

Detect Magic, plus concentrating long enough, will let you see if your party members have any Illusions or Abjurations on them.

[Jack Zander]

Detect Magic, plus concentrating long enough, will let you see if your party members have any Illusions or Abjurations on them.

That's a start, but what if they do?

[chronomatophobe]

What's the purpose of discerning their alignments?

Also, just get a holy/unholy/anarchic/axiomatic weapon and just say "Here. Hold this." You'll know they're the other thing when they recoil in agony.

[Urpriest]

That's a start, but what if they do?

Then you consider whether they have any other reasons for doing so.

[Jack Zander]

What's the purpose of discerning their alignments?

Just want to make sure no one descends into evil and back-stabs the group. Also, being a cleric, knowing which "words" I can cast safely around my party members is useful.

[JusticeZero]

Just want to make sure no one descends into evil and back-stabs the group.
Also, being a cleric, knowing which "words" I can cast safely around my party members is useful.
I've had a Chaotic Evil character be a great team player for an overall Good party. It was a bit like keeping :belkar: around, though the MO was different. We were all working toward the same ends.
Alternately, i've seen an entire party get sold down the river by the paladin. Alignment doesn't affect party dynamics as much as you might think.

As far as the words, just be up front and in character. "This is a holy word. If you've been naughty, you probably want to let me know not to use it next to you. Now, THIS one is.." Take whatever they say at face value, and fling your Words around as appropriate based on what they told you. If they are lying or misinformed, you'll find out when they get FFed, but you took the appropriate precautions and you weren't getting any OOC knowledge.

[TuggyNE]

Just want to make sure no one descends into evil and back-stabs the group. Also, being a cleric, knowing which "words" I can cast safely around my party members is useful.

One of those problems solves the other, as JusticeZero basically said.

[Jack Zander]

Well, the only other problem with that is I'm CN, and right now so are 3 other characters, with the last two TN. The only word I could really use isn't going to help me see if anyone starts going down a dark path or not.

And yeah, maybe someone becomes evil and still works fine with the team. I just want to know who to keep an eye on if I must.

[Krobar]

Just want to make sure no one descends into evil and back-stabs the group. Also, being a cleric, knowing which "words" I can cast safely around my party members is useful.

Just fyi... But they might descend into evil and backstab YOU for being insulting and disrespectful if they're already leaning that way.

[KillianHawkeye]

Well, the only other problem with that is I'm CN, and right now so are 3 other characters, with the last two TN. The only word I could really use isn't going to help me see if anyone starts going down a dark path or not.

As CN, the only one you're prohibited from using is dictum. You can use holy word just fine.

[Greenish]

And yeah, maybe someone becomes evil and still works fine with the team. I just want to know who to keep an eye on if I must.Keep an eye on all of them. Trust no one.


Stalkers of Kharash can smell evil, and it's not called out as a divination effect, so Undetectable Alignment & Co. shouldn't block it. Not very useful for you, though.

[Jack Zander]

As CN, the only one you're prohibited from using is dictum. You can use holy word just fine.

I suppose, but doesn't it give me ill effects as well?

[Urpriest]

Remember, you've got other divinations as well. Divination and Augury and the like, as well as Detect Thoughts if you've got ways to access it, give you various ways of figuring out if your party members will screw you over before they act, which as others have pointed out they might do regardless of alignment.

[Jack Zander]

Remember, you've got other divinations as well. Divination and Augury and the like, as well as Detect Thoughts if you've got ways to access it, give you various ways of figuring out if your party members will screw you over before they act, which as others have pointed out they might do regardless of alignment.

This is a good point. I just get the feeling that the DM is encouraging players to be sneaky, so I'm trying to be prepared for that.

[KillianHawkeye]

I suppose, but doesn't it give me ill effects as well?

Yes, but assuming that your Caster Level isn't higher than you Character Level, the effects are pretty mild.

Although in retrospect, since holy word doesn't differentiate between Neutral and Evil characters, it really only functions as a test to see if somebody is Good aligned. Therefore, if you want to find the Evil characters, you'll need to cast blashpemy and look for the ones who aren't affected. Of course, it won't work on characters who are higher level than you, so maybe this isnt' the greatest detection method after all.

Also, you'll probably get some negative reactions from people if you go around casting blashphemy all the time.... just saying.

[Story]

Keep an eye on all of them. Trust no one.


Stalkers of Kharash can smell evil, and it's not called out as a divination effect, so Undetectable Alignment & Co. shouldn't block it. Not very useful for you, though.

Guess they better keep Pass Without Trace up too.

[Crake]

What's the purpose of discerning their alignments?

Also, just get a holy/unholy/anarchic/axiomatic weapon and just say "Here. Hold this." You'll know they're the other thing when they recoil in agony.

As dumb as it sounds, this is probably the best way to do it. Just make/buy 1 arrow of each alignment and you're set, they'd be super cheap too, 4x +1 aligned arrows only costs... 2650gp for all of them. Just toss an arrow at the party and say "THINK QUICK!" and see if they react badly to the opposite alignment. Just don't give them to level 1 commoners unless you want to... "accidentally" make some wights.