[DF] Why isn't Detects as Evil more of a disadvantage?

[b-dog]

I am wondering why the feature Detects as Evil isn't a 10 point disadvantage. It seems to me that if a PC detects as evil then the people in the town will know that the PC is either an evil cleric, unholy warrior or a half-infernal. All of the other classes and races do not detect as anything out of the ordinary. A PC who detects as evil can not disguise himself to a cleric or wizard with the spell. I used to play D&D and having a PC with an evil alignment has a lot of problems because many towns people will be suspicious and will often have ways to detect evil. Ravenloft would never work if the monsters didn't have a way to obscure their alignment either because detecting evil was one of the first things to be done when trying to find out who the bad guy is. The vast majority of people are neutral or unaligned morally so a person who detects as evil is able to be singled out.

The same is true of a person who detects as good. That PC will have a hard time infiltrating a temple dedicated to a demon lord or other areas of evil. Evil monsters can sniff out guy who radiate good pretty easily.

[sir_pudding]

Social Stigma: Excommunicated is a 10 point disadvantage in any setting where it is supernaturally relevant.

[Kelly Pedersen]

Generally speaking, "being something that can be Detected" isn't worth points, because it's not actually obvious to someone without a special ability. To Detect Evil, someone has to purchase the Detect advantage, or put points into a Detect Evil spell - it's not obvious to someone without those traits. You can see this in other traits as well: you don't buy an "affected by True Faith" disadvantage, it's simply a 0-point feature, because the person with True Faith has to pay for it.

[b-dog]

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

Generally speaking, "being something that can be Detected" isn't worth points, because it's not actually obvious to someone without a special ability. To Detect Evil, someone has to purchase the Detect advantage, or put points into a Detect Evil spell - it's not obvious to someone without those traits. You can see this in other traits as well: you don't buy an "affected by True Faith" disadvantage, it's simply a 0-point feature, because the person with True Faith has to pay for it.

I guess so but in a high powered game like DF detecting for evil/good is pretty routine.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

MY DF Cleric has Detect Evil as an advantage that doesn't cost anything, so I can do it whenever I want. I like to start off every session by using it on the party. The GM tells me, "Yep, the backstabbing thief, trained killer, and brutal monster you work with are still evil," and I proceed as normal because nobody has mind-controlled them.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by b-dog

I guess so but in a high powered game like DF detecting for evil/good is pretty routine.

For 25 point ordinary townspeople? At any rate even if they know the character is "evil" he did get points for the reaction penalties when he took Social Stigma.

[b-dog]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

For 25 point ordinary townspeople? At any rate even if they know the character is "evil" he did get points for the reaction penalties when he took Social Stigma.

No but the town guard has people who can do this because they often work with the church to keep the town safe from evil forces.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by b-dog

I am wondering why the feature Detects as Evil isn't a 10 point disadvantage. It seems to me that if a PC detects as evil then the people in the town will know that the PC is either an evil cleric, unholy warrior or a half-infernal. .

Most people in town aren't going to be equipped to detect that, and some towns are going to be actually run by the forces of evil.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by b-dog

No but the town guard has people who can do this because they often work with the church to keep the town safe from evil forces.

Even so the guards are actually just reacting to the character's social stigma (and see the "Almost Monster" box in DF3 for how to abstract this), which is a disadvantage they already got points for.

[b-dog]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

For 25 point ordinary townspeople? At any rate even if they know the character is "evil" he did get points for the reaction penalties when he took Social Stigma.

Will your PC detect as evil if he is excommunicated? Being kicked out of the church is bad but being truly evil would be worse I would think.