Gaining Aura of Good

[TheSunKing]

Hello GitP!

I have a rather silly question: is it possible to gain the Aura of Good ability without dipping into the Paladin class?

I have no real use for it (since it really is just a penalty. Detect good finds you no problem) other than flavor reasons.

In case it matters: don't assume any race/class, and all official 3.5 stuff is on the table.

[Nettlekid]

Cleric also gives it to you, and that's a much more worthwhile dip. There are probably some items that bestow it upon their wielder as well, but I don't know any off the top of my head.

[INoKnowNames]

If you take any [Exalted] Feat, you automatically gain an Aura of Good as a Cleric of your level, if I remember correctly.

[TheSunKing]

Huh. Somehow was not aware clerics got it :smallredface:

How about without a Cleric dip then? (the magic item idea seams like the easiest. Well that or Pun-Puning it)

Edit: currently incapable of checking my books about the Exalted feats thing. DND tools doesn't seem to mention it, unless I'm being blind again (like the cleric thing)

[jindra34]

You'll also gain a weaker one just through leveling up... Assuming of course that you are Good.

[Nettlekid]

Ah, right you are, a single Exalted feat gives you an aura of good of a Cleric or Paladin equal to your character level.

The Relics from BoED all radiate an aura of good, I guess with strength equal to their estimated Caster Level.

Can I ask, why do you want to have an aura of good?

[TheSunKing]

Reason? Not much of one really, other than flavor. I liked the idea of having a fighter who was such a moral person he radiated an aura of good.

I'm the guy in the group that debated taking Sacred Vow without the intention of later taking any useful vows, just because the flavor matched my Paladin so well.

Good to know that Exalted feats have the added benefit of an Aura of Good. I'll have to use that later.

[Slipperychicken]

You'll also gain a weaker one just through leveling up... Assuming of course that you are Good.

An outsider has the same aura strength as a Cleric of its level. Lesser Aasimar might be up your alley (0LA, basically the character has some celestial heritage, or his mom was standing too close to an angel during pregnancy).

[TheSunKing]

An outsider has the same aura strength as a Cleric of its level. Lesser Aasimar might be up your alley (0LA, basically the character has some celestial heritage, or his mom was standing too close to an angel during pregnancy).

According to this thread the Lesser Aasimar is no longer an outsider (and seems to be a tad broken. I wish I had my books with me to check these things :P)

Also, as a side note, If I was playing an Aasimar Paladin with a bunch of Exalted feats would I have a super strong Aura of Good? Multiple of them? Or (what I expect to be true) one Aura of Good?

Edit: forgot to link to the thread mentioned above. I meant this one: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136824

[Kuulvheysoon]

According to this thread the Lesser Aasimar is no longer an outsider (and seems to be a tad broken. I wish I had my books with me to check these things :P)

Also, as a side note, If I was playing an Aasimar Paladin with a bunch of Exalted feats would I have a super strong Aura of Good? Multiple of them? Or (what I expect to be true) one Aura of Good?

Correct - the Lesser planetouched all lose their Outsider [native] type and become Humanoid [planetouched] instead.

IIRC, the auras do not stack - it uses the 'best' of the factors to determine your Aura. Incarnates and Soulborn (Magic of Incarnum) also get the Aura class feature.

[Slipperychicken]

According to this thread the Lesser Aasimar is no longer an outsider (and seems to be a tad broken. I wish I had my books with me to check these things :P)

Also, as a side note, If I was playing an Aasimar Paladin with a bunch of Exalted feats would I have a super strong Aura of Good? Multiple of them? Or (what I expect to be true) one Aura of Good?

Well, if you don't mind being a freaky looking frog-man, Neraphim are 0 LA Outsiders.

If you take Otherworldly (PGtF), you're on Outsider. Setting-specific and has race requirement though, so it's good if you're an Elf.


You could probably talk to your DM about being double-plus-Good. To qualify for [Exalted] feats, you basically have to be a living saint who literally receives them as gifts from spirits who recognize your incredible goodness. Maybe every additional [Exalted] feat you have would make your aura count as though you were a level or two higher.

[TheSunKing]

Correct - the Lesser planetouched all lose their Outsider [native] type and become Humanoid [planetouched] instead.

IIRC, the auras do not stack - it uses the 'best' of the factors to determine your Aura. Incarnates and Soulborn (Magic of Incarnum) also get the Aura class feature.

Thought so. Cool, thanks for letting me know!


Well, if you don't mind being a freaky looking frog-man, Neraphim are 0 LA Outsiders.

If you take Otherworldly (PGtF), you're on Outsider. Setting-specific and has race requirement though, so it's good if you're an Elf.


You could probably talk to your DM about being double-plus-Good. To qualify for [Exalted] feats, you basically have to be a living saint who literally receives them as gifts from spirits who recognize your incredible goodness. Maybe every additional [Exalted] feat you have would make your aura count as though you were a level or two higher.

Kill it with fire! Get it away from me! *hisses as 1984 reference*

[TheSunKing]

Ok, so another question regarding Auras of Good: Since it is just a sphere of goodness, if other good characters hide inside it are they disguised from detect good? Or if there is an evil character inside it will detect evil fail to find?

[INoKnowNames]

Ok, so another question regarding Auras of Good: Since it is just a sphere of goodness, if other good characters hide inside it are they disguised from detect good? Or if there is an evil character inside it will detect evil fail to find?

I'm pretty sure that it doesn't quite work like that.

Unless your Dm wanted to fluff everyone as being Saiyans or something, you can't normally visibly -see- everyone's Auras. And since everyone has a personal Aura, they normally can't affect other's Auras. It's more that each person has more or less of a presence when someone who can detect them, like Paladins and such, come looking around.

Also, the detect spells can pinpoint multiple good auras, and an evil character simply wouldn't register.

Though I didn't look at the books for any of that, so there's a high chance I'm speaking out of my donkey.

[TheSunKing]

I'm pretty sure that it doesn't quite work like that.

Unless your Dm wanted to fluff everyone as being Saiyans or something, you can't normally visibly -see- everyone's Auras. And since everyone has a personal Aura, they normally can't affect other's Auras. It's more that each person has more or less of a presence when someone who can detect them, like Paladins and such, come looking around.

Also, the detect spells can pinpoint multiple good auras, and an evil character simply wouldn't register.

Though I didn't look at the books for any of that, so there's a high chance I'm speaking out of my donkey.

Maybe I worded it weird (I do that quite often). Let me try again:

Situation 1: Someone is casting detect good, and there is a good character within my Aura of good. I was wondering if the strength of my aura would mask the goodness of the other character, and the person casting detect good would only see me and my aura

Situation 2: Same as above, but someone is casting detect evil and there is an evil character inside my aura. Here I'm wondering if my aura masks their evil.

[INoKnowNames]

Maybe I worded it weird (I do that quite often). Let me try again:

Situation 1: Someone is casting detect good, and there is a good character within my Aura of good. I was wondering if the strength of my aura would mask the goodness of the other character, and the person casting detect good would only see me and my aura

Situation 2: Same as above, but someone is casting detect evil and there is an evil character inside my aura. Here I'm wondering if my aura masks their evil.

Since you were polite enough to ask again and be even clearer with your question, I'll be polite enough to actually look for a proper answer.

Situation 1: If someone Detects Good (or any kind of Detect), the spell seems to uneeringly pick up on how many good characters there are, and how strong each aura is. Doesn't matter how overwhelming yours is, though the fact that one is overwhelming might be enough to draw focus from the others.

Situation 2: The Detect Spells only detect one thing. If someone Detects Evil, they only search for and find Evil (or the lack of). Personal Auras do not interfere with each other, though maybe an item carried or a spell you're using, or a lingering aura might.

Consult Detect Evil (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/detectEvil.htm) (all other Detect Spells are based on it) for further details.

An example of this can be found in comic, actually... (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0202.html)

[Slipperychicken]

Ok, so another question regarding Auras of Good: Since it is just a sphere of goodness, if other good characters hide inside it are they disguised from detect good? Or if there is an evil character inside it will detect evil fail to find?

Auras in D&D aren't "spheres" by default so much as they are radiation. I personally imagine a Detect Good spell displaying aura strength much like a pair of heatvision goggles would inform the wearer about heat levels. For example, casting Detect Good at a high-level Cleric covered in good magic items would reveal the auras of every good item in addition to the Cleric's (this is referred to as the "Christmas Tree effect", where high level characters tend to radiate a large number of magic auras from all their items).

The "sphere of goodness" thing does sound cool. If it sets up some interesting plots or challenges that are otherwise awkward, consider talking to your DM about it (or if you are the DM, think about whether your game would be improved by such a modification).


To disguise an aura, one would normally use a spell like Undetectable Alignment or Magic Aura, or an item such as a Ring of Mind-Shielding.

[TheSunKing]

Since you were polite enough to ask again and be even clearer with your question, I'll be polite enough to actually look for a proper answer.

Situation 1: If someone Detects Good (or any kind of Detect), the spell seems to uneeringly pick up on how many good characters there are, and how strong each aura is. Doesn't matter how overwhelming yours is, though the fact that one is overwhelming might be enough to draw focus from the others.

Situation 2: The Detect Spells only detect one thing. If someone Detects Evil, they only search for and find Evil (or the lack of). Personal Auras do not interfere with each other, though maybe an item carried or a spell you're using, or a lingering aura might.

Consult Detect Evil (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/detectEvil.htm) (all other Detect Spells are based on it) for further details.

An example of this can be found in comic, actually... (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0202.html)

... now I feel silly. I realize that you answered me the first time, but I misread what you said. I apologize, and thank you for specific links to your explanation!

I did recall that scene from the comic, but I try not to take rules from the comic as actually being how things work in D&D. At times they rules are bent for a joke (like the Half Giant and AoO, and unless I'm mistaken Detect Evil registers either Evil or No Reading. "Not Evil" isn't an option, I think)


Auras in D&D aren't "spheres" by default so much as they are radiation. I personally imagine a Detect Good spell displaying aura strength much like a pair of heatvision goggles would inform the wearer about heat levels. For example, casting Detect Good at a high-level Cleric covered in good magic items would reveal the auras of every good item in addition to the Cleric's (this is referred to as the "Christmas Tree effect", where high level characters tend to radiate a large number of magic auras from all their items).

The "sphere of goodness" thing does sound cool. If it sets up some interesting plots or challenges that are otherwise awkward, consider talking to your DM about it (or if you are the DM, think about whether your game would be improved by such a modification).


To disguise an aura, one would normally use a spell like Undetectable Alignment or Magic Aura, or an item such as a Ring of Mind-Shielding.

heh, "Christmas tree effect". I like it.

I do prefer the "sphere of goodness" that masks stuff. So when I DM I might make it work how I was asking.

I suppose though, if the "sphere of goodness" was a thing then masking alignment spells would be pretty bad.

[INoKnowNames]

... now I feel silly. I realize that you answered me the first time, but I misread what you said. I apologize, and thank you for specific links to your explanation!

No problem. Glad to help.


I did recall that scene from the comic, but I try not to take rules from the comic as actually being how things work in D&D.

Eh, it's decent enough at it while still being interesting to get me into D&D. Half of how a lot of new comers to this site first get started, I assume.


At times they rules are bent for a joke (like the Half Giant and AoO, and unless I'm mistaken Detect Evil registers either Evil or No Reading. "Not Evil" isn't an option, I think)

Not Evil may have been a joke, but the overall jist of "Evil / Lack of Evil" is the main conveyed point, and it is conveyed successfully enough to understand.

And the Giant admitted he made a mistake, but cared more about the story and plot to make a big deal about it; I'd respect the heck out of that from a Dm.


heh, "Christmas tree effect". I like it.

Now that I think about it, so do I...


I do prefer the "sphere of goodness" that masks stuff. So when I DM I might make it work how I was asking.

I suppose though, if the "sphere of goodness" was a thing then masking alignment spells would be pretty bad.

Personally, I think getting feed-back from alignment spells like that would be a cool way to introduce a super seriously powerful enemy. The party Paladin tries to cast Detect Evil on the Big Bad, and nearly goes blind / passes out because of the sheer power of his overwhelming evil.

... *takes a note*

[Chronos]

And then there's the Axe of Prissan, from the Goblins webcomic, which is meant for use by paladins, and which has an overwhelmingly-strong aura of evil.

See, there's a powerful demon imprisoned in it, and the prison is reinforced by the wielder using it to perform acts of good. So those who created it wanted paladins to use it, to keep that demon imprisoned. And they designed the axe to actually amplify the imprisoned demon's aura, so that paladins would be sure to notice the weapon.

[Slipperychicken]

unless I'm mistaken Detect Evil registers either Evil or No Reading.


This is correct. Not finding evil means that the subject isn't radiating an aura of evil, whether because he simply isn't Evil, or some effect is masking the aura. It would be OP to detect "not evil", because that would pinpoint every creature in the area and ignore the Hide skill.


It's kind of like searching for traps, the feedback is binary. The results are [you find a trap] and [you do not find a trap]. You cannot get [there are no traps], as that is not a valid response to the query. Only the DM can ever truly know if there's a trap; unless a player can read the DM's mind (or his notes), he can only make observations and inferences as to whether a trap exists in the area his character searched.



Personally, I think getting feed-back from alignment spells like that would be a cool way to introduce a super seriously powerful enemy. The party Paladin tries to cast Detect Evil on the Big Bad, and nearly goes blind / passes out because of the sheer power of his overwhelming evil.

... *takes a note*

This is already the case.


2nd Round
Number of evil auras (creatures, objects, or spells) in the area and the power of the most potent evil aura present.

If you are of good alignment, and the strongest evil aura’s power is overwhelming (see below), and the HD or level of the aura’s source is at least twice your character level, you are stunned for 1 round and the spell ends.