This spell discovers emanations of evil, or of good in the case of the reverse
spell, from any creature, object, or area. Character alignment, however, is
revealed only under unusual circumstances: characters who are strongly aligned,
who do not stray from their faith, and who are of at least 9th level might
radiate good or evil if intent upon appropriate actions. Powerful monsters, such as rakshasas or ki-rin, send forth emanations of evil
or good, even if polymorphed. Aligned undead radiate evil, for it is this
power and negative force that enable them to continue existing. An evilly cursed
object or unholy water radiates evil, but a hidden trap or an unintelligent viper
does not.
The degree of evil (dim, faint, moderate, strong, or overwhelming) and
possibly its general nature (expectant, malignant, gloating, etc.) can be noted. If
the evil is overwhelming, the priest has a 10% chance per level of detecting its
general bent (lawful, neutral, or chaotic). The duration of a detect evil (or detect good) spell is one turn plus five rounds per level of the priest. Thus, a
1st-level priest can cast a spell with a 15-round duration, a 2nd-level priest can cast
a spell with a 20-round duration, etc. The spell has a path of detection 10
feet wide in the direction the priest is facing. The priest must
concentrate--stop, have quiet, and intently seek to detect the aura--for at least one round to
receive a reading.
The spell requires the use of the priest's holy symbol as its material
component, with the priest holding it before him.
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