Speak with Dead
3rd-level Necromancy
- Casting Time
- 1 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.
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Start a free campaignFrequently asked questions
What level is Speak with Dead in D&D 5e?
Speak with Dead is a 3rd-level Necromancy spell.
What classes can cast Speak with Dead?
Bard, Cleric have Speak with Dead on their spell list in the SRD.
What is the casting time and range of Speak with Dead?
Speak with Dead has a casting time of 1 action and a range of 10 feet. Its duration is 10 minutes.