Using Good-Aligned Weapons and Spells as an Evil Character?

[dysike]

I was wondering if there's any rule regarding characters being able to use spells or weapons which are aligned opposite to themselves. Logically it feels like it shouldn't be possible, but I couldn't find any, so did I just manage to miss something?

[Jack_Simth]

I was wondering if there's any rule regarding characters being able to use spells or weapons which are aligned opposite to themselves. Logically it feels like it shouldn't be possible, but I couldn't find any, so did I just manage to miss something?

Look up the Hellbred race (Fiendish Codex II). They have an exception.

Spells:
Most Divine casters are strictly unable to do so (check, say, the Cleric class description (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/cleric.htm#chaoticEvilGoodandLawfulSpells): "A cleric can’t cast spells of an alignment opposed to his own or his deity’s (if he has one). Spells associated with particular alignments are indicated by the chaos, evil, good, and law descriptors in their spell descriptions.").
Most Arcane characters have no defined mechanical problems doing so (and it's pretty much required for some things, like the Planar Binding line; if you're an Evil caster trying to Planar Bind a Demon, you're probably going to use Magic Circle Against Evil, a [Good] spell, as part of it).

Weapons:
An evil character picking up a Holy weapon (or a good character picking up an Unholy weapon) can swing it just fine, and it functions for them, but they pick up some negative levels while doing so. This is defined in the weapon property. You may have problems with things like a Paladin's Code, though.

[MisterKaws]

Evil celestials can do it, but those only exist on DM fiat or by using that helm.

[Particle_Man]

I imagine that many demons and devils in the blood war might find it worthwhile to have a holy weapon to use. Gain a negative level but beat DR.

Now using an *intelligent* good weapon as an evil character, that is going to lead to some ego battles!

[Telonius]

With Arcane casters, this is rarely an issue. Using an [Evil] spell is an Evil action; using a [Chaotic] spell is a Chaotic action, and so on; so if you use a particular aligned spell often enough it's going to affect your alignment.

Most of the time, a deity isn't going to grant a spell with a descriptor antithetical to it, so Clerics (probably the most common Divine casters) are out of luck. There are a couple of ways you can cast opposed Divine spells. Archivists can put any Divine spell they want into their prayerbook; so they'd be able to cast Magic Circle against Whatever, no matter what their alignment is. I don't believe that Favored Souls have a restriction on what kind of spells they can add on level-up, either; though this does seem like something that a DM might have a lot more problems with.

[MisterKaws]

With Arcane casters, this is rarely an issue. Using an [Evil] spell is an Evil action; using a [Chaotic] spell is a Chaotic action, and so on; so if you use a particular aligned spell often enough it's going to affect your alignment.

Most of the time, a deity isn't going to grant a spell with a descriptor antithetical to it, so Clerics (probably the most common Divine casters) are out of luck. There are a couple of ways you can cast opposed Divine spells. Archivists can put any Divine spell they want into their prayerbook; so they'd be able to cast Magic Circle against Whatever, no matter what their alignment is. I don't believe that Favored Souls have a restriction on what kind of spells they can add on level-up, either; though this does seem like something that a DM might have a lot more problems with.

Concept Clerics with balance, neutrality, and whatever as their concept devotion could probably get opposed alignment spells, but those are also restricted to TN or LN because of their devotion to neutrality. Kinda defeats the whole point of it I guess.

[Telonius]

An evil character can wield a Bane (Evil Outsiders) weapon without penalty. (Same way for a Good character with Bane Good Outsiders, and so on). It's not as all-encompassing a bonus as Unholy, Axiomatic, or the rest, but it also doesn't give you a negative level.

[Kaleph]

For magic items, UMD let you emulate an alignment, which should foil the negative effects of antithetically aligned weapons.