The use of death magic and what it means to virtue.

Okay - I will cast my vote against changing it, because it doesn't make sense to change it. Arguments can be made for both sides (many have already been made in the thread and there may well be more to come) so if it comes down to whether players mostly support one side or the other, I'll be clear about my position

 

It should defiantly make you evil with that ring you just put on

 

Hear hear!

 

There are good arguments for both sides, but it is not conclusive that death magic is inherently evil.

I use death magic and I generally consider my use of it to be in keeping w/ virtue. When I take the life force of another to benefit my own, look at whose life I am taking? When I summon a skeleton (etc.), who is to say these are the bones of one who is being disrespected by this act? Who is to say this is not some composite of fill in the blank magical whatchamacallit?

There are enough arguments to sway this either way. There must be a better reason to implement this than the desires of one player (the OP). Unlike the pickpocketing skill which is an outlying skill, spell skills are key skills for forward traction in the game, on par w/ melee and ranged skills. If this were to be implemented, it would require a deeper look at balances within the magic trees and also how these relate to the other key skills game wide, not to mention a deeper, balancing look towards the virtues as a whole.

This is a side of things none of the previous discussion has touched upon but which is real and practical for the game. A good question would be: if any of the OP considerations were to be implemented, how would this be done fairly in relation to other skills and also as a reflection of a greater, balanced virtue system?

 

The simplest way to look at it is like this: the bigger picture in combat is usually your survival or someone else's survival - however you accomplish that just isn't going to negatively impact your virtue.