Speak with Dead
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.
At a Glance
Level
3rd
School
Necromancy
Casting Time
1 action
Range
10 feet
Duration
10 minutes
Concentration
No
How Speak with Dead Works
| Casting Time | 1 action |
|---|---|
| Range | 10 feet |
| Components | V, S, M (burning incense) |
| Duration | 10 minutes |
Available to:
BardCleric
Common Mistakes
Common Mistake
Expecting the corpse to know things that happened after death
Common Mistake
Forgetting the corpse can lie if it was hostile to you in life
Common Mistake
Not enforcing the 5-question limit
Common Mistake
Thinking corpses without mouths can still answer - they can't
DM Tips
DM Tip
Have the corpse answer based on its personality in life - a loyal guard might lie to protect secrets
DM Tip
Answers should be from the corpse's perspective and knowledge, not omniscient
DM Tip
Consider how long ago the creature died - memories might be hazy or incomplete
DM Tip
This is a great investigation tool but shouldn't trivialize murder mysteries entirely
Sources & Further Reading
- Speak with Dead — D&D 5e Wikidot — Full SRD text
- Speak with Dead — Roll20 Compendium — Structured reference
- Speak with Dead — D&D Beyond — Official digital reference