Is this an evil act?

[Geiger Counter]

Your out hunting and you kill a deer, it was an awakened deer.

[Swordgleam]

Did you know it was an awakened deer?

Was the deer evil?

If so, did you know the deer was evil?

In your system of alignment, do actions or intentions count?

[Siosilvar]

No.qwertyuiop

EDIT: Assuming that is all you're given.

[Ravens_cry]

Manslaughter, I would say. Accidental homicide. Not evil, not good but not evil ,as it was accidental. Unless, of course, you knew beforehand it was awakened. Then as evil as premeditated murder, which is pretty evil.

[Studoku]

If you had no idea it was an awakened deer, no.

[druid91]

So long as you Don't eat the deer and give it a proper burial I think you will be fine, Well unless you knew it was awakened and killed it just because you could.

[Tiki Snakes]

Doesn't matter remotely if it was awakened. If you killed it to watch it die, smear it's entrails on your face and use its departing soul to summon forth a Demon then yeah, it's probably an Evil act reguardless of whether it's capable of long division.

If not, then it's really not an evil act. Deer are not part of your society, you are not bound by the shared social contract that makes civilisation work. It is food, and you needed food.

In the case of genuine hunting, it's not really evil even if you are, infact, aware it was awakened before-hand.

In my opinion, anyway.

Obviously, some would argue that because it is Awakened, it is somehow more important than an Animal, but I'm sure there's a nature god or three around to argue against that point of view.

[Starbuck_II]

Your out hunting and you kill a deer, it was an awakened deer.

Were you hunting for sport, food, or to show off?

[Grumman]

It is only an evil act if you knew it was an awakened deer, or the numbers of awakened deer in this forest were so high that your failure to check demonstrated a callous disregard for the consequences of your actions.

[Gadora]

Did you ask it if it could talk?

I'm going to be lazy and have this (and the following pages) be my answer.

[Jayngfet]

Depends, did you have a brief conversation with it, kill it, and feed it to a couple of wandering human children? (free cookie to whoever gets the reference).

[Kurald Galain]

Did it have a red nose?

[Crow]

This is similar to a question I asked a little while ago.

If a man lives in a society in which sailing to distant shores in the name of raid and pillage is an accepted way of gaining fame and fortune, is he evil for doing so?

[Graymayre]

Why did you kill it?

Did you know beforehand it was awakened?

This is similar to a question I asked a little while ago.

If a man lives in a society in which sailing to distant shores in the name of raid and pillage is an accepted way of gaining fame and fortune, is he evil for doing so?

The society dictates what is good and evil. It may be evil from our perspective but not the society's

[ericgrau]

Same as accidentally killing a person. Not the worst thing in the world but you can't simply walk away from it. And if you're a paladin, you'd fall and need an atonement for an accidental wrong.

[DaedalusMkV]

I agree with the "Not Evil unless you knew it was sentient and did it on purpose" crowd. In this case, there's really not a lot of question; you couldn't have asked it first, that would make actually catching anything impossible. There's no visual clue, and unless this particular forest is known to be absolutely full of sentient deer, there was no reason to suspect it.


Crow: In DnD terms, yes, it's being evil. Entire planes of existence can be evil in DnD, so obviously the universe doesn't subscribe to Relativist theories. In real life terms... I'm not opening that can of worms. Suffice to say "evil in at least two ethical systems, not evil in at least two others"...

[Tinydwarfman]

This is similar to a question I asked a little while ago.

If a man lives in a society in which sailing to distant shores in the name of raid and pillage is an accepted way of gaining fame and fortune, is he evil for doing so?

Hell no, Vikings were pretty badass. Nothing that cool could possibly be evil.

[Jayngfet]

This is similar to a question I asked a little while ago.

If a man lives in a society in which sailing to distant shores in the name of raid and pillage is an accepted way of gaining fame and fortune, is he evil for doing so?

Yes, every one of them. Please remember the past was a horrible place, and basing a game civilization off those practices isn't a shield from an alignment.

[mucat]

Deer are not part of your society, you are not bound by the shared social contract that makes civilisation work. It is food, and you needed food.

In the case of genuine hunting, it's not really evil even if you are, infact, aware it was awakened before-hand.

In my opinion, anyway.

And a most disturbing opinion at that. If it were a wandering human foreigner, who is also not part of your society or a party to your social contracts, does the same logic apply?

I would agree with what most others have said: if you knew the animal was awakened, or if there was some reason you should have suspected it might be, then the act is evil (unless the deer was posing some direct threat to you or others.)
If you didn't know, and killed the deer for food or for some other normally acceptable reason, then it was an accident...but one that you should do your best to atone for and put right if possible.

[elonin]

The whole question of good and evil has to do with duality. I've never cared for how alignment works in dnd. The stock game worlds set the stage in stark terms with obviously good actors and obviously evil actors and the most suspicion being in regards to neutral types who are the only ones that might come up with an interesting answer. A better answer about alignment would be to accept that tribalism and clan behavior is a motivating factor in society.

[Ravens_cry]

Hell no, Vikings were pretty badass. Nothing that cool could possibly be evil.

Tell that to my ancestors.
Ain't gonna pay no stinking danegeld no more.

[Jayngfet]

I agree with the "Not Evil unless you knew it was sentient and did it on purpose" crowd. In this case, there's really not a lot of question; you couldn't have asked it first, that would make actually catching anything impossible. There's no visual clue, and unless this particular forest is known to be absolutely full of sentient deer, there was no reason to suspect it.


Crow: In DnD terms, yes, it's being evil. Entire planes of existence can be evil in DnD, so obviously the universe doesn't subscribe to Relativist theories. In real life terms... I'm not opening that can of worms. Suffice to say "evil in at least two ethical systems, not evil in at least two others"...

Thats a neutral opinion at best. There's a point where justifications get so heavy they outweigh the intention or thought behind it. You can't be good and BS some excuase whenever there's something you want to do thats too ambiguous. Good implies you make *sacrifices* and can form opinions of your own.

[Amiel]

More information needed.

[chiasaur11]

Depends, did you have a brief conversation with it, kill it, and feed it to a couple of wandering human children? (free cookie to whoever gets the reference).

Are you also planning to eat the children?

Are they accompanied by a Marshwiggle, possibly played by Tom Baker?

Important questions.

[Ravens_cry]

Are you also planning to eat the children?

Are they accompanied by a Marshwiggle, possibly played by Tom Baker?

Importnt questions.

The stag was lying anyway. He said he was tough!

[Crow]

Tell that to my ancestors.
Ain't gonna pay no stinking danegeld no more.

Well my ancestors say "Pay Up!".

...well before you kicked their butts later on.

[The Shadowmind]

If you did not know the deer was Awakend, and had no reason to suspect so, then said act is not evil, it is neutral. Not attempting the fix the death is evil(reincarnate is a valid method).
Another important question is, how did you know the deer was awakened if you killed it? Did you talk just before the finishing blow? Speak with dead on a creature you thought was just food? It was singing in the middle of the forest, and you thought it was a hallucination from hunger?
Not enough information given.

[Ravens_cry]

Well my ancestors say "Pay Up!".

...well before you kicked their butts later on.

They didn't call him Alfred the Great for his shredded cheese, dude.

[Amiel]

Afterwards, eat it.

Don't have a cow, man, eat deer.

[Abd al-Azrad]

Just to be difficult...

Why is an Intelligence score of greater than 2 the defining distinction between an evil killing and a good killing? Or the presence (or absence) of a magic spell? It seems awfully arbitrary, especially since these things do not change the nature of an act: that you killed a "food thing."

Yes, I'm bringing the vegetarian argument into a D&D debate. Because I am the true evil.