Speak With Dead

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• Level: 3
• School: Necromancy
• Class: Bard, Cleric, Wizard
• Casting Time: Action
• Range: 10 feet
• Components: V, S, M (burning incense)
• Duration: 10 minutes

You grant the semblance of life to a corpse of your choice within range, allowing it to answer questions you pose. The corpse must have a mouth, and this spell fails if the deceased creature was Undead when it died. The spell also fails if the corpse was the target of this spell within the past 10 days.

Until the spell ends, you can ask the corpse up to five questions. The corpse knows only what it knew in life, including the languages it knew. Answers are usually brief, cryptic, or repetitive, and the corpse is under no compulsion to offer a truthful answer if you are antagonistic toward it or it recognizes you as an enemy. This spell doesn't return the creature's soul to its body, only its animating spirit. Thus, the corpse can't learn new information, doesn't comprehend anything that has happened since it died, and can't speculate about future events.

Tactical Usage

Post-Mortem Investigation. Speak with Dead enables questioning of corpses for critical information about past events, murders, or hidden secrets.

Five Question Limit. The spell provides exactly five questions, requiring strategic planning about what information is most important.

Necromantic Intelligence. The spell accesses the deceased's memories and knowledge without returning their soul or consciousness.

Spell Combinations

Investigation Enhancement. Combining with detection magic helps identify the most valuable corpses to question for information gathering.

Zone of Truth Comparison. Unlike living interrogation, corpses may lie if they consider you an enemy, requiring diplomatic approach.

Divination Support. Using alongside other information-gathering magic creates comprehensive investigation capabilities.

Material Component Details

Burning Incense Requirement. The incense creates sacred smoke that facilitates communication between living and dead.

Sacred Ritual Elements. The material component reinforces the spell's necromantic ritual nature and spiritual communication.

Component Consumption. The burning incense is consumed during casting, requiring ongoing supply management.

Creator Notes

Investigation Magic Tool. Speak with Dead provides excellent mechanics for mystery solving and information gathering from deceased sources.

Necromancy Complexity. The spell demonstrates sophisticated necromancy that respects the boundary between life and death.

Time Limitations. The 10-day restriction prevents repeated questioning and maintains mystical boundaries.

Environmental Interactions

Corpse Requirements. The spell requires intact corpses with mouths, limiting effectiveness against severely damaged remains.

Undead Immunity. Creatures that died as undead cannot be affected, creating specific limitations for certain investigation scenarios.

Animation Spirit. The spell animates the corpse's spirit without returning the soul, creating temporary pseudo-consciousness.

Common Rulings & Clarifications

Question Limitation. The spell allows exactly five questions total, not per casting or per day.

Knowledge Constraints. Corpses can only share information they knew in life, not events after death.

Truthfulness Variables. Hostile or antagonistic relationships affect the corpse's willingness to provide accurate information.

Time Restriction. The spell fails if the corpse was previously targeted within the past 10 days.

Alternative Applications

Historical Research. Questioning deceased scholars, witnesses, or participants in historical events for academic investigation.

Legal Evidence. Gathering testimony from murder victims or deceased witnesses for justice proceedings.

Family Communication. Enabling final conversations with deceased loved ones for closure or important information.

Related Spells

Necromancy Communication. Various necromantic spells interact with death and undeath, while Speak with Dead focuses on information access.

Divination Alternatives. Other spells gather information from different sources, while this spell specifically targets deceased knowledge.

Investigation Magic. The spell complements other investigation techniques through unique deceased witness access.

Scaling Analysis

Consistent Investigation Value. Speak with Dead maintains utility throughout character progression as information access remains valuable.

Mystery Campaign Utility. The spell becomes increasingly important in investigation-heavy campaigns with complex plots and historical mysteries.

Resource Management. The material component cost creates ongoing resource considerations for frequent usage.

Narrative Flavor

Respectful Necromancy. The spell should emphasize respectful communication with the dead rather than domination or desecration.

Limited Animation. The corpse should appear to speak but remain obviously dead, emphasizing the temporary spiritual animation.

Cryptic Communication. Responses should feel otherworldly and potentially cryptic, reflecting the partial nature of the spiritual connection.