Speak with Dead
2024 Rules
- Level & School
- 3rd-level necromancy
- Casting Time
- Action
- Range
- 10 feet
- Components
- V, S, M (burning incense)
- Duration
- 10 minutes
- Classes
- Bard, Cleric, Wizard
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.
2014 Rules
- Level & School
- 3rd-level necromancy
- Casting Time
- Action
- Range
- 10 feet
- Components
- V, S, M (burning incense)
- Duration
- 10 minutes
- Classes
- Bard, Cleric
You 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.
Speak with Dead 5.5e 2024 vs. 5e 2014 edition differences
Speak with Dead popularity
How popular is Speak with Dead? It is a commonly found spell in the game, but is chosen less than other options when available. This spell may be situational for many spellbooks.
- Top 50% of all level 3 spells
- Top 50% of all 5e spells
- Top 50% picked level 3 Wizard spell
- Top 50% picked level 3 Cleric spell
- Top 50% picked level 3 Bard spell
Spells similar to Speak with Dead
Sending 3rd-level divination
This spell also provides a reliable way to communicate and exchange information across distance, filling a similar role of directed interrogation or messaging.
Players prefer Sending over Speak with Dead
Speak with Animals 1st-level divination
It provides temporary conversational access to a creature type to get knowledge you couldn’t otherwise obtain, making it a close lower-level analogue.
Players prefer Speak with Dead over Speak with Animals
Gentle Repose 2nd-level necromancy
While not conversational, it specifically interacts with corpses and affects what can be learned or done with them, so it pairs conceptually with asking the dead questions.
Players prefer Speak with Dead over Gentle Repose
Tongues 3rd-level divination
Both let you overcome language barriers to converse and gather information from beings you otherwise couldn't communicate with.
Players prefer Speak with Dead over Tongues
Speak with Plants 3rd-level transmutation
It grants long conversation with a non-sentient or non-hostile target to extract information and influence, and is the same spell level and a similar conversational utility.
Players prefer Speak with Dead over Speak with Plants