How Often should Good aligned clerics use Inflict Spells?

[Scalenex]

These characters never got used because my D&D game sputtered out before the PCs left the wilderness, but for some urban stories, I had some clerics of a homebrew CG diety (I adapted Isis) serving as the core of an underground resistance in a city where the state religion is Lawful Evil (I adapted Set). If you disagree with the alignments of Set and Isis, that's understandable but the important thing is a mystical oriented LE priesthood bought their way into power from a mostly secular LE king and a CG diety became more prominent as resentment. The king is a dragon pretending to be a vampire pretending to be a human so this isn't a recent takeover.

I figured the CG rebels would focus mostly on the LE clergy and not their secular enemies. I also figured Inflict spells would be good for covert hit and run stuff, so most Isis clerics have a few on hand most of the time. One of my friends said that's not very appropriate for good clerics, what do you guys think? The poll is for good clerics in general, not this specific case.

EDIT: I goofed and couldn't come up with concise poll entries before my time limit to make a poll expired. Anyway here's what I figured.

1-Good clerics could use Inflict spells as often as Evil clerics use Cure spells.
2-Good clerics could use Inflict spells as often as they use any other non Cure spell
3-Good clerics using Inflict spells would be limited to very strict groups and circumstances
4-Good clerics would never be able to use Inflict spells
5-The question is moot because Good clerics can do more damage with their regular attack spells and melee weapons

[random11]

As a basic rule, if a cleric is allowed to beat someone with a big stick, he is also allowed to cast harmful spells on him.

The question is not "how much", but "when".
When does the CG deity consider using violence neccecery?

[Sornas]

RAW, it's fine, inflict doesn't have an alignment descriptor.

From an RP standpoint (Which I'm assuming is what you are actually asking about), in my opinion, it's a perfectly fine thing for good clerics to cast inflict spells. If you don't like the whole "dark energy" flavor, then just change it to something like pulling the positive energy out of the person. I can see how some gods may take issue with it, but a CG one? Seems A-ok.

Then again, I'm also the kind of guy that thinks that the creation of undead isn't evil.

Edit- By your numbers there, I vote 1.

[Skjaldbakka]

Myself, I'm pretty solidly in the 'channeling negative energy is, if not evil, morally questionable' camp. My vote is 3, and with many clerics, 5. I could see a good-aligned cleric of St. Cuthbert, for example, chucking inflicts.

[daggaz]

RAW its totally legal, all good clerics have equal access to inflict spells, no limitations whatsoever.

Mechanically, its number five baby, all the way.

RP-wise, I would say you need to narrow down the alignment definition somewhat, as well as possibly take a look at the cleric's domains. A cleric of a CG deity? Anything is game so long as its against evil. NG deity? This would depend more on the deity and their domains...are they more peaceful, or do they have a fighting side to them as well? LG? High chance they will either never use them, or will use them judiciously on the appropriate enemies, once again depending on the deity.

[Woot Spitum]

As a basic rule, if a cleric is allowed to beat someone with a big stick, he is also allowed to cast harmful spells on him.

The question is not "how much", but "when".
When does the CG deity consider using violence neccecery?

Frequently, if Corellan Larenthian is anything to go by.

Inflict spells don't carry the [Evil] descriptor so you should be find. Frankly, I don't think CG conflicts with this behavior, since chaotic means that there are no hard and fast rules about this sort of thing, and to accomplish the greater good, you do what you have to do.

As far as options go, I'd go with 5.

[Dhavaer]

1 and 5. RAW-wise it's legal, flavour-wise it's no different from beating them with a stick, mechanically it's not as good as beating them with a stick unless the stick is small and they have lots of armour.

[Pyrex]

{Singalong}Smite, smite, smite the Infidels! {/Singalong}

Inflict spells are no more or less morally neutral than hitting people with sticks or incinerating them with Flame Strike.

So my answer would be 6)

6) Good clerics attack with Inflict spells as often as it's the right tool for the job.

[RandomNPC]

funny story.

a hireling minion cleric was told to prepare healing for the group, lots of healing. so with three wands of cure mod. she still prepared nothing but healing spells. when the battle was going in party favor she would drop healing spells for inflict spells left and right. i don't see why a good cleric wouldn't prepare inflicts, and if they aren't needed drop them for healing.

silly part is the cleric was given a ring of invisibility to help protect her, she took it as a wedding ring and before you know it she's yelling at death sladd in infernal to leave her husband alone.