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Let's say we have a LG succubus (who therefore has the chaotic and evil subtypes). A nine lives stealer would be a bad weapon for her, since it bestows negative levels to good wielders, and her alignment is good.

But what about the other way around? Both the chaotic and evil subtypes say that the creature suffers effects according to their "subtype alignment", so I'd guess a sun blade would also cause her to suffer the effect of a negative level. Using a magic item with alignment-based requirements, however, isn't covered by the subtype rules.

So as one example, could the LG succubus use an enveloping pit (MiC p.159) in the following way?

If you are lawful evil, lawful neutral, or neutral evil, an enveloping pit functions like a portable hole, except that it is 50 feet deep.

She is lawful, but is she considered evil for this purpose? What about a fiendhelm (MiC p.99), which explicitly requires the user be "evil-aligned", but lacks any requirements along the law-chaos axis?

I couldn't find any examples of such an item, but what if she wanted to wield something that only required the user to be "evil", but didn't have the world "aligned" attached to that requirement?

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    \$\begingroup\$ By extension, I'm interested in how this applies to feat prerequisites. For example, the feat Sadistic Reward (Drow of the Underdark 52) has as for its lone prerequisite just the word Evil. Could that LG succubus take—and, of course, benefit from—that feat? Still, I understand if you think including that is that's beyond the question's scope. \$\endgroup\$
    – Hey I Can Chan
    Commented May 12, 2020 at 5:48
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    \$\begingroup\$ The subtype doesn't say "qualify for", but "any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has a chaotic alignment". I would rule that you have Evil energy, but you are not Evil so you wouldn't want to commit Evil actions, but is the eternal disscusion of "Is someone born Evil, o it becomes Evil?" \$\endgroup\$
    – MrTakeru
    Commented May 12, 2020 at 12:06

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Subtype

[Chaotic|Evil|Good|Lawful]

Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has an [chaotic|evil|good|lawful] alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment.

An LG succubus, which has the Chaotic and Evil subtypes, counts as all four alignments for “any effect.” That means it is always affected by anything that says it affects those who have or are any given alignment, and is never affected by anything that says it affects those who do not have or are not any given alignment. Statements like “non-evil alignment” fall under the “do not have” category.

These rules answer any number of questions of this sort. Yes, the enveloping pit functions as a portable hole for her.

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    \$\begingroup\$ While never obligatory, it is always preferable to point the reason of a downwote. Either for the sake of answer's improvement or for the sake of ease of readers' judgment on the subject. \$\endgroup\$
    – annoying imp
    Commented May 19, 2020 at 9:00
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    \$\begingroup\$ @annoyingimp I believe that was put there before the quote was added, because someone felt that the quote was necessary even though it’s absolutely redundant since the question clearly knows what the rules are and just wants confirmation that they understand them correctly. \$\endgroup\$
    – KRyan
    Commented May 19, 2020 at 9:11

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