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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
Level 3 Spell Slot
Range: 9 m / 30 ft
At higher levels
Casting this spell at a higher level grants no additional benefit.
Condition: Recast Speak with Dead
Duration: Until How to learn
Classes:
Feats:
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
at level 9+.
Notes
- With one very silly exception, each corpse will only answer five questions before the spell loses its power.
- 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
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 Mortuis in Lingua Mortua, Latin for "With the 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.
