Evil Magic

[Avenger]

the above post was me

[Avenger]

Note: Most necromancy spells aren't evil in the slightest-not all spells relating to death and the dead are evil. Note that Kelemvor and Jergal are both LN, not evil. Not even the Bestow Curse spell is evil-it can be used just as easily by a good character to curse an evil-doer.

 

Here's a list of the 3.5E spells that specifically have the evil descriptor (i.e. for purposes of spells like protection from evil, these are specifically affected):

 

Align Weapon (if used to make a weapon evil)

...

 

Those are the only spells considered evil by their actual magical nature. Trap the Soul is simply a Conjuration (Summoning) spell. Death spells are neither good nor evil by nature-the vast majority of Necromancy spells are in fact neutral in alignment. They're necromantic, not evil.

Hmm, charm and mind affecting isn't shielded by protection from evil?

I would consider horrid wilting an evil spell, somehow it causes more pain and suffering than necessary, plus it kills too. It is also a destructive spell, not just an illusion.

[aVENGER_(RR)]

Hmm, charm and mind affecting isn't shielded by protection from evil?

 

In BG1, Protection From Evil did shield the recipient from Charm Spells but in BG2 this is no longer the case. Personally, I consider it a bug, but I don't know whether it's possible to use some wacky EFF targeting and implement it in the proper fashion (i.e. only protect from mind-affecting spells which were cast by an evil creature).

 

@Caedwyr: I'd go with the 3.5E spell list that Tempest posted. Also, you can find more spells with the Evil descriptor in the Spell Compendium.

[berelinde]

I will probably not install any mod that removes Horrid Wilting from the list of spells available to a good spellcaster. They can always use it to fry bad guys.

[Gabrielle]

Magic is not evil, only the intent of the user gives it evil or good. Magic is simply a tool to use.

[Gabrielle]

I will probably not install any mod that removes Horrid Wilting from the list of spells available to a good spellcaster. They can always use it to fry bad guys.

That's one of the best spells ever. Sucks the life force right out of an enemy.

[Guest Tempest]

So, really I'm mostly looking at the Cacofiend, Summon Fiend, Gate...

 

Actually, Gate is the only one of those spells that exists in 3.5E, and it can have the evil descriptor, but only if you use it to summon demons-Gate in PnP can be used to summon any kind of outsider, including archons, elder elementals, inevitables, and so on and so forth, plus it can be used in a different mode to allow planar travel for the caster.

 

it causes more pain and suffering than necessary, plus it kills too

 

If you consider that grounds for being an evil spell, then most offensive spells that are not save or die type spells can be considered evil. Acid arrow makes the survivor continue to be burned by acid, ditto acid fog, most fire spells would do doubt cause intense pain, disintegrate would have to hurt, and you could probably toss baleful polymorph onto the roster as well.

[Daulmakan]

feeblemind is much more 'human' than magic missile someone to death

if you consider that feeblemind is easier reversible and doesn't even cause much pain.

I just threw it down for discussion. As I said before, I don't consider any spell to be inherently evil (in 2E, at least).

 

And what do you mean by easier reversible? Granted, Magic Missile can't be reversed, but Feeblemind takes a Heal or a Wish to be removed (or is otherwise permanent), I wouldn't call it easier.

[BigRob]

Energy Drain might be one of those spells that's difficult to justify the use of, the removal of life energy from an individual in the manner of the worst undead. Of course, that too could be used as a punishment for someone evil, a way of removing some of their power while leaving them alive.

 

 

Most offensive spells wouldn't qualify as evil by nature though, as Gabrielle pointed out, magic is a tool and it can have a lot of uses. In a PnP game, I can think of a non-offensive use for almost any combat spell (starting fires with fireball, melting a lock with Melf's Acid Arrow, blowing a door open with lightning bolt, etc), so the spell itself just summons particular substances/elements that happen to be particularly damaging to living beings caught within the spell's area of effect.

[Caedwyr]

My final shortlist is the following:

 

Cacofiend, Summon Fiend, Gate, Contagion, Animate Dead, Feeblemind

 

Animate Dead's description explicitly states that the spell creates undead creatures, something that a character striving to be a paragon of goodness probably shouldn't be doing. Contagion is on the shortlist already, and Feeblemind's description seems to be pretty similar.

 

Arguments about how these spells should be classified are welcome, of course.