Speak with Dead

Speak with Dead is a level 3 necromancy spell. This spell allows spellcasters to grant a semblance of life to a corpse, allowing it to answer questions.

Description

Grant a semblance of life to a corpse, allowing it to answer questions.

Skeletons and creatures killed with Acid, Fire, Lightning, Necrotic, Radiant damage no longer have a mouth and can't be made to talk using this spell.

Doesn't work on Undead.

Properties

Cost

Action + Level 3 Spell Slot

Details

 Range: 9 m / 30 ft

Ritual

At higher levels

Casting this spell at a higher level grants no additional benefit.

Condition: Recast Speak with Dead

 Recast Speak with Dead

Duration: Until Long rest

• Can recast Speak with Dead without expending a spell slot.

How to learn

Classes:

• Class Level 5: Bard, and Cleric

Feats:

•  Ritual Caster

Granted by the following items:

• The Amulet of Lost Voices ( Recharge: Long rest)
• Necromancy of Thay ( Recharge: Long rest)

Other ways to learn:

• Also granted to Warlocks who choose the Eldritch Invocation  Whispers of the Grave at level 9+.

Notes

• Casting this spell also grants the ability Recast Speak with Dead, which allows the spellcaster to recast the spell without expending a spell slot, until the next Long Rest.
• There's a high chance that the corpse will be unwilling to speak with the caster if they dealt the killing blow. This is not always the case, but can be circumvented by using the  Disguise Self spell before casting it.
• For the list of NPCs you can cast this spell on see Category:Available to Speak with Dead.
• If cast by a  Cleric, the spell should remain Prepared. If the spell is removed from the Cleric's Prepared Spells list, they will lose the ability to use Recast Speak with Dead until preparing and casting Speak with Dead once more, and applicable corpses will no longer have a green glow to indicate they can be spoken to. If cast with a scroll or item, the caster does not need to keep this spell Prepared, and will be able to use Recast Speak with Dead until their next Long Rest.
• The incantation for Speak With Dead is Cum Mortuus in Lingua Mortua, Latin for "With dead in a Dead Language".
• Keeping a collection of corpses in your Traveler's Chest at camp can be a useful way to activate "Recast Speak with Dead" after each long rest, to get the green glow on "speak-able" corpses. Though this can only be done once per corpse.

External Links

• Speak with dead on the Forgotten Realms Wiki