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I've always found ranged touch attacks baffling considering one would expect a ranged spell to automatically home in on its target.

if the spell would automatically home in on the target, then it would be affected by the spell resistance. Why it requires the ranged touch attack? because you are basically throwing a blob of exploding ice/acid/fire/whatever the caster has conjured and holds in his hands. It could be even an earth elemental if the caster had enough strength... throwing means a ranged attack and since it needs to only connect with the target and not pierce armor/shield, it's called ranged touch attack and not ranged attack.

To be honest... I have a little problem with NPC priests being used as heal-o-matics...
 
I doubt that any of the gods would grant healing to those who do not even respect him and simply lie to priests to have wounds cured...
 
I'd like the idea of free healing to those who have the same patron deity as the priest they are asking for healing. Those with similar alignment would have to pay but would be cured, and those who are not even remotly close with their behavior and thoughts to what that certain god stands for, would simply not be healed at all.... I guess that it would require a huge amount of scripting for little immersion gain, so probably all will stay as it is.

I suppose, but I play a LE character who hasn't done anything particularly evil. She's not a psychopath or sociopath. She has no interest in murder, thievery, etc. She's more interested in the systematic oppression and use of those without the inner fortitude to control themselves and make a place in society. She'd gladly enslave half of the colonists and give them some direction rather than let them live out their pitiful lives accomplishing nothing... but since she's new, she's poor, and she's currently rather weak there is no point publicly announcing any of this.
 
Clever schemes don't require me to wear a scarlet-letter style branding of my alignment through IC actions...

Why not to join for example the Church of Tyrant or Stygian Armada? there you can be perfectly LE even on low levels as I doubt that anyone that is not already in conflict with such organizations would not fear you from the RP perspective.. you have powerful back then and can ascend in ranks of organization that is a ruling and oppresing force... just one of possibilities

I very much disagree. If you view the world as having evil and good as legitimate forces (as in PnP) that are concrete concepts, not abstractions, then it doesn't always matter how you act. Evil does NOT mean stupid. If I'm a newly recruited mercenary of some sort (fighter) who used to be abused by the town guard and beaten up by local ruffians as well, that doesn't mean I immediately go and try to kill them. If I'm a cleric who is supposed to make living sacrifice to a god, do I do it in the middle of the Ziggurat when I've just been initiated into the church? Absolutely not. If we played evil the way you suggested it, we'd all be dead within days of creating our characters.
 
Evil is about personality, not actions. You can be evil and not commit evil (though if you NEVER do anything evil, it becomes questionable).

I've never said that you are to be STUPID evil... heh you can try to stab someone in some back alley, you can join the chuch and be an active part of a ritual, you can find a way to pay someone to kill the one who beat you up or promise something in return. But personality itself does not make you evil if you've never before commited an evil act nor you are willing to do so till you will gain more levels and feel safer OOCly. Even if you speak of personality it means that you should have acted -evil- as level should mostly give you just other means. If you do not want to act evil, then maybe just pick a neutral allignemnt and then through your PCs development reach the desired 'evil' alignment? It will also save you the problem of being killed on sight on lower levels by a paladin who will happen to detect evil as it will be a fully IC action to do so by him, same as if the higher level blackguard would detect a lower level paladin. Each choice should have consequences same as there are consequences in RL. *shrugs* But that's just my point of view on this topic and not all have to have the same one.

Your font is dark ^^^^

I am a darkpriest, no? :P fixed ;)

I happen to agree with those that perceive good and evil as pure and real forces actively affecting the world and being clearly defined as white and black at least in DnD.
 
Why? Well to be frank, because there are domains of evil and good as well as planes that are purely good or purely evil. What one has to remember that there is a difference between an ‘evil’ character and character that commits evil and the difference is quite significant. In fact an evil character might not even perceive itself as evil and DnD lore contains characters that were acting evil constantly even though they had their own goal that from their perspective would have a good outcome.
 
Being evil means being in grasp of evil gods, actively and consequently displaying traits that are governed and reflected by evil gods with little to no display of traits being governed and reflected by neutral or good gods.
 
Being evil IMO requires specific conditions that are hardly met by any lvl 2 character (we should remember that we all start as such, lvl 2 means little to no experience aside of learning your basic profession). To be evil for me it would mean:
- Actively and consequently committing evil acts FROM THE START and not when you’ll gain some levels and decide that “ok, now it’s fairly safe to be a badass evil character”. If you do not act evil that means that you are neutral and you’d best ask for alignment shift. (meaning, you try to gut someone for money AT LVL 2, you try to sacrifice someone in religious ritual AT LVL 2, etc.)
- Having an evil deity patron of whose you strictly follow the dogma
- Being a priest of an evil god (obvious)
- Having willingly contacts with evil summons and evil planes (for example creating portals to such and making deals with inhabitants of such)
- Have absolutely no regard for someone else’s well being and most important life when you are pursuing your goals.
- And more of examples of evil god’s dogmas…
 
Those that commit evil act on occasion are most likely neutral characters because they most likely commit good acts on occasion as well.
 
If you will have a very strict definition of what an evil character/being is then suddenly the paladin’s ability of detect evil has much more sense.
 
Now to the topic of paladin (as it seems it’s a hot topic everywhere ;) ). A paladin is a paramount display of goodness and strict rules. Paladins speak with their actions and they do not preach in a way like clerics do. They just call the name of their god, they are proud to speak of whom they serve, but hardly they will preach with words. It is their actions that should inspire others, it is their actions that should make them respected by those of good will or feared by those who have something heavy on their conscience or don’t have it at all.
 
Paladins are sent there where their strong arm and resolve are required.
 
There are different types of paladins. Some might be zealous crusaders who will strike at any evil which they’ll detect. Some are born leaders that show others how their way of life and their dogma can serve for the good of the people he wishes to protect, free, or sway away from temptations of evil. Some are quest knights, who search the world in pursuit of holy relics of their church and god, and in the process helping those who they’ll meet, etc.
 
The most problematic is the one that is the crusader type, but you need not to forget that there are some restrictions on detect evil. Paladin cannot detect evil on which he does not have in his line of sight (a cone). If the evil is too strong, he’ll be stunned and suffer, as the gaze of his god revealed too much of a power for his mind and soul to bear.
 
There is also a difference in paladin’s reaction to someone committing evil deed. If he’ll see that the evil act was committed by an ‘evil’ character, he’ll draw weapon and challenge the evil with all power of his own body and his god’s might. If he’ll not detect evil, he’ll give to options, to surrender and face judgment for his act and hope for redemption or face his wrath.
 
All in all the matter of good and evil definition is left with DMs, but I personally perceive both good and evil as alignments to achieve and retain as it is hard to be purely good and purely evil (generally it is a bit easier is to be purely good as that kind of attitude is easier to accept by others). Personally if I am creating any other class than a divine class I make it a neutral one and let the RP and IG development to drive it either towards good or evil.

I am not sure if that's a bug or am I simply missing some override file but after learning a few of custome spells I do not see them in my spellbooks. I also do not see clerical custom spells in selection.
 
I've downloaded such files:
 
dialog.tlk - tlk catalogue
iprp_spells.2da - override catalogue
spells.2da - override catalogue
 
Am I something missing?