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Hviti wrote:How about enervation? That's draining levels (actually, I never really got what the IC explanation behind that was - vamp. touch at least drains health, but draining levels?) - so would that be still an inherently neutral act, like vampiric touch and weaken?

Ah, wouldn't a level drain be an attack on the spirit itself?

I must read too much or something. *shrug*

According to what I read, wizards can alter spells with research to change the spell in more fitting ways. I cannot recall exact examples at the moment, its late, but it happens.

A wizard of good intent could research and alter "Flensing" to be more controlled and targeting only certain sections of skin for example.

As for the animate dead example, many wizards are not of the physically strong sort in my experience so animating a fallen ally to reach aid when said body is too heavy to be carried by the wizard is not necessarily evil.

But its true, such choices are a case by case IC decision for characters...and their deities. Difficult to lay out blanketing rules and guidelines. *shrug*

Duh...

If a wizard alters Flensing in order to obtain something else, then it's no longer Flensing.

You can't base your argumentation that Flensing is not inherently evil on the fact that, if this spell is modified, it can be non-evil.

If a spell has an [evil] descriptor, then its evil, plain and simple. As Dalvyn said, if you alter Flensing to where it's not causing intense agony by peeling the skin off your opponent, then it's not Flensing. The very act of animating the dead is anathema to the order of life by tampering with soulless bodies, therefore, whether a good cleric were to try to justify it or not, it's very spell energy is evil, period (and to justify it by saying it were to reach a cleric for raising would be inaccurate and/or false, as animating a body makes it henceforth unable to be raised).

As a cleric, if you are expected to avoid learning and using an evil descriptor spell if you are good, or a good descriptor if you are evil, etc. Because it is a simple code limitation that we cannot exclude it from your spell list, but the rule is, your deity wouldn't even grant it to you.

If you are a wizard, and a Mystran, and you have an option of casting said spell, there's nothing to physically prohibit a wizard from learning such spells, but a Mystran would likely earn the disfavor of their Lady, who is both a cleric Herself, and good-aligned.