Alignment and Energy Question

[SteveLightblade]

In all the time I have played D&D 3e and Pathfinder, there is something I have never really understood: alignment as it relates to energy and consistency of the rules applied. Of course, alignment auras and detect/smite/protection from spells work, but I have never really understood the logic behind channeling energy. positive and negative energy are never explicitly states as good or evil. However, good clerics, paladins, and other divine classes that can channel energy can only channel positive energy, while evil clerics and antipaladins can only channel negative energy. In addition to this, while good clerics can spontaneously cast cure wounds and evil clerics can spontaneously cast inflict wounds, neither of these spells are good or evil, and RAW there is no penalty for a good cleric preparing inflict light wounds or vice versa. While it would only be useful for highly specific builds, why do good clerics not have the option to channel negative energy?

[Tzardok]

Because negative energy is harmful, and most good people prefer to heal and protect instead of harming. Because undead are feared as perversions of the natural order, and most good deities hate them and want to see them destroyed. Because evil people prefer to control monsters instead of outright killing them. Choose whatever you want.

Besides, I've seen once or twice in fanmade stuff evil deities that hated undead and granted their clerics Turn Undead, and I think I once saw an adaption of an undead good-aligned deity whose clerics got Rebuke Undead.

[ShurikVch]

In all the time I have played D&D 3e and Pathfinder, there is something I have never really understood: alignment as it relates to energy and consistency of the rules applied. Of course, alignment auras and detect/smite/protection from spells work, but I have never really understood the logic behind channeling energy. positive and negative energy are never explicitly states as good or evil. However, good clerics, paladins, and other divine classes that can channel energy can only channel positive energy, while evil clerics and antipaladins can only channel negative energy. In addition to this, while good clerics can spontaneously cast cure wounds and evil clerics can spontaneously cast inflict wounds, neither of these spells are good or evil, and RAW there is no penalty for a good cleric preparing inflict light wounds or vice versa. While it would only be useful for highly specific builds, why do good clerics not have the option to channel negative energy?
Because some author made the same mistake as Darkwing Duck in The Frequency Fiends (https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/The_Frequency_Fiends):

Megavolt: (Pulls the lever) We need negative polarity!
Darkwing: A-da-da-da-da-da! This is some kind of trick! Even I know negative is bad! (Pulls the lever) Positive is good!
Megavolt: (Pulls the lever) Negative.
Darkwing: (Pulls the lever) Positive.
Megavolt: (Pulls the lever) Negative!
Darkwing: (Pulls the lever) Positive!
Megavolt: (Pulls the lever) NEGATIVE!! (Jumps up and down, waving his fist in anger) Negative, negative, negative!
Darkwing: (Pulls the lever, then throws a fit by jumping up and down) Positive, positive, positive, pos-pos-pos-pos-pos...!
Gosalyn: (Breaks up the fight in a scolding way) Hold it! Don't you think you're being a little bit immature?
Darkwing: (Sighs calmly in agreement and realization) You're right.... (Grabs a chair and rope, and ties Megavolt up to the said chair with the said rope) Positive.
Megavolt: (Practically in tears) I think what hurts the most is that you call yourself a superhero.
They thought "Positive" equals "Good", never mind the fact overwhelming majority of Evil creatures - bandits, goblins, drow, chromatic dragons, illithids, and even fiends - are healed by Positive energy (let alone various examples of corrupted/malignant healing)
And nobody cared to fix it ever since - on the contrary, there is notable trend for vilification of Necromancy (Skeletons/Zombies weren't Evil in 3.0, magical healing was Necromancy pre-3E, Liches weren't "always Evil" in earlier 2E, etc)



Because negative energy is harmful
Fire can be harmful too, but channeling it isn't Evil by itself


and most good people prefer to heal and protect instead of harming
Evil people need healing too (arguably - even MORE, because Good people aren't fond of torturing)


Besides, I've seen once or twice in fanmade stuff evil deities that hated undead and granted their clerics Turn Undead, and I think I once saw an adaption of an undead good-aligned deity whose clerics got Rebuke Undead.
Two interesting "official" examples:
Erivatius - LE god of aging and death ("Quicksilver Hourglass", Dungeon #123) - hates Undead (since they're undermining his portfolio) but still grants Rebuke/Command (supposedly, to destroy Undead with other Undead)
Tonatiuh - NE sun god (Dragon #358): his clerics channel positive energy regardless of alignment

[Powerdork]

It boils down to: Good and Evil have philosophical differences that attune them to the manipulation of positive and negative energy, respectively. The cleric training for followers of Good deities in part involves learning to turn that spark out toward the world, whereas the equivalent training for cults of villainous deities... certainly doesn't STOP the prospective cleric from tapping the darkness in their heart, the hatred of (a subset of) living beings, the same darkness that pushes them to call on the names of Evil deities.

Something something community and alienation, constructive and destructive efforts to change the world.

I don't have the language to express this thought any better, but I invite others to offer their insights.

[Beni-Kujaku]

Negative Energy is the "end" of things. The Negative Energy Plane absorbs energy and never gives it back. For most creatures, it represents the end of their life and the destruction of everything they were.
Positive Energy is the "beginning" of things. The Positive Energy Plane gives off so much energy out of nowhere that it pours into other planes and creates life.

None of these are inherently Good or Evil. The "end" of something evil is good. Too much "beginning" without stability leads to despair. And too much Positive Energy will kill you just as much as too much Negative Energy. It's just that of your corpse will be born more life, instead of unlife, as happens when you die because of too much Negative Energy.

Undead are evil not because they use Negative Energy, but because they "live" off of it. This is completely opposite to the natural order, where Negative Energy cannot sustain anything, its very principle is to end any status quo and return everything to entropy. By their very nature, undead are anathema to the world, hence they are Evil, and it is Good to destroy them. Moreover, since nothing can truly live off of Negative Energy, they slowly drain life from the plane they're on into the Negative Energy Plane. Undead are almost the definition of evil. Even if the undead itself is Good, creating it and letting it unlive is an Evil act by itself.

The reason Good clerics channel Positive Energy is almost exclusively (at least, in my opinion) because it allows them to better fight undead. Especially low level clerics are very oriented towards dealing with undead. Evil clerics learn immediately to control them and heal them, while good cleric learn how to destroy them and harm them. Healing people is almost a cherry on top.


In the end, it's not really about why Good deities allow their followers to channel Positive Energy. They're Good because they allow their followers to channel Positive Energy, and the others are Evil because their followers channel Negative Energy, and can bring more undead into the world. The moral compass is only secondary (fortunately, I'd say, when you see how many supposedly Good deities are ruthless warriors who kill any Evil creature in sight with no distinction. Looking at you, Tyr.)

Antonia: I am the planetar Antonia of Hjördis, known to mortals as Resounding Justice, and I bring good tidings to you, Thelasand, fourth of that name. Grimjaws is nigh! In the name of Tyr, this land shall be cleansed of wickedness and anarchy. The seed of Valigan Thirdborn shall be extinguished. Those with evil in your hearts beware—Tyr's justice is both merciful and swift.