Speak with Dead
NecromancyYou grant the semblance of life and intelligence to a corpse of your choice within range, allowing it to answer the questions you pose. The corpse must still have a mouth and can't be undead. The spell fails if the corpse was the target of this spell within the last 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 hostile to 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.
Spell Details
Player Guide
Use Speak with Dead after combat or exploration to extract intelligence from defeated enemies, murdered NPCs, or crime victims without relying on potentially unreliable divination magic. The spell answers up to five questions, so prioritize critical information and ask follow-ups strategically within your allotted questions. Position yourself safely before casting since the corpse cannot move, and remember the corpse answers only from its knowledge—it may have been deceived in life. This spell is best used in downtime or preparation phases rather than during active encounters.
Spell Combos
DM Tips
A corpse's answers reflect only what it knew in life and its interpretation of events—it can be mistaken or deliberately deceived. Use this to plant false clues or create mystery when the party expects straightforward answers; a murdered victim might not know who truly killed them.