Speak with Dead
Level 3 · Necromancy
- Utility
Carried by bard, cleric, and wizard, Speak with Dead operates at the 3rd level of the necromancy school. Cast time: Action. Range 10 feet, components V/S/M, duration 10 minutes. Material: burning incense. Effect: You grant the semblance of life to a corpse of your choice within range, allowing it to answer questions you pose.
Stat Block
- Level
- 3
- School
- Necromancy
- Casting Time
- Action
- Range / Area
- 10 feet
- Components
- V, S, M
- Duration
- 10 Minutes
- Ritual
- No
- Concentration
- No
- Classes
- Bard, Cleric, Wizard
- Material
- burning incense
Description
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.
5e (2014) vs 2024 changes
This spell has both a 5e (2014) and 2024 Player's Handbook version. Doungim shows the current 2024 stat block above. Differences between editions typically affect components, range, or scaling — check both source books for the table.
Doungim Lore
School Fit
The school of Necromancy is the one that frightens its targets before the spell connects. A Necromancer at the casting position is already winning the morale fight. Speak with Dead is Necromancy because the spell works on the boundary between life and death — draining, raising, or extending vitality. At level 3, Speak with Dead sits in the mid-tier slot competition.
Class Fit
- Bard: Bards rely on Bardic Inspiration for most action-economy boosts; Speak with Dead matters when Inspiration isn't the right tool for the moment. At 10 feet, Speak with Dead stays usable from the caster's typical positioning.
- Cleric: Wisdom is the Cleric's casting stat, and the DC scales with proficiency bonus plus Wis modifier — Speak with Dead is castable at the Cleric's normal DC. Speak with Dead reaches 10 feet, which lets the caster stay clear of the front line.
- Wizard: On a Wizard sheet, Speak with Dead competes for prep slot with Misty Step, Counterspell, Shield (a Reaction always worth prepping), Fireball, Polymorph, and the higher-tier wall and force spells. The 10-foot range on Speak with Dead leaves room for the caster to stay in the back line.
Related Spells
Frequently Asked Questions about Speak with Dead
- What level spell is Speak with Dead?
- The spell Speak with Dead is a level 3 spell in the Necromancy school. Bard, Cleric, Wizard all have access to it.
- What is the range of Speak with Dead?
- Speak with Dead can target a point or creature within 10 feet of the caster.
- How long does Speak with Dead last?
- Speak with Dead sticks for 10 minutes. Concentration is not required, so the caster's concentration slot stays free.
- What components and casting time does Speak with Dead need?
- The cast needs v, s, m. The other notable details — Material component: burning incense.