Speaking with the dead.

[Lerytha]

Maybe you can have an echo both ways, to -

a) increase the "coolness" factor of the spell
b) let the player know they've been "spoken dead" with.

Possible echoes:

For the PC casting it: You call up the spirit of the dead, and bind it to speak its secrets

For the dead PC: You sense a part of yourself being bound by magic

I'd enjoy that.

[Dalvyn]

I am not crazy with the idea that the mob would know the Character's name

Not sure I see what you mean. There's no mob there.

The PC who casts "Speak with dead" in D&D can ask a given number of question and the spirit must respond truthfully. One of those questions could be "What is your name?"

[Horace]

I'm not positive, but I think in the PHB one of the example questions is even "What is your name?".

But a lot of the other list of things, are more divine in nature (divination circle) than necromancy. Specifically since the dead who don't wish to cooperate (opposing alignments/motives) get a will save.

With that in mind I think alignment shouldn't be given; since while a non cleric may have an idea of his/her alignment, the "truth" of the matter is perception based - and rarely something concretely known.

Race can be given in the spell, but may be unnecessary since you can usually see it.

Class is good - level is more divination

rest is good

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If you bump the spell from 3rd to 5th/6th level I think it's perfectly justified to not need a will save. Taking in mind that you automatically get five specific answers, as opposed to asking more relevant questions...I think it sounds really cool.

Add a magic mirror component to it, and toss out the "who/what/when/where killed you" and add in alignment and level...and that's a pretty darn awesome divination spell.

You could ask affiliations too: harper/zhentarim/assassins/other guilds

I dig it. It'd make the spell pretty sweet, and reasonable. I think the game is in need of some more passive power spells, as opposed to strong arm spells.

[Moloch]

Ah, I misunderstood. I thought you meant that you would ask them for the name of the person that caused their death, since that is what I read in several other posts. Ignore me .

[Ceara]

I really don't agree with it showing guild associations, harpers and zhents for example, most guild members are unknown possibly even to other guild members. I don't think that should be included it could be abused.

[Oghma]

Guild would mean warriors, wizards, priest etc. Things like the Harpers and the Zhent are organizations.

[Horace]

I really don't agree with it showing guild associations, harpers and zhents for example, most guild members are unknown possibly even to other guild members. I don't think that should be included it could be abused.

I guess my point more was - it's a valid question that the PC's spirit knows for a fact if he's affiliated with them. There are plenty of schools/"guilds"/groups that pc's join. Just another question that could be thrown into the spell. Even if the members are unknown to other members, the only thing that needs to exist for it to be a valid question is if the dead PC knows they are a member.

I just saw this as an alternative to a "detect alignment" ability. Since, it's generally an ooc mechanic to help guide roleplay, as opposed to a hardwired IC quantification.

[Rhianon]

Tell me again why we are trying to change the speak with dead spell?

[Japcil]

It currently has no use in-game.

[Cret]

Why not make it so people cannot respond to theose who are dead, unless they have the 'speak with dead' spell activated?

[Lysha]

I agree with Cret.

[Lerytha]

As it is, however, there are occasionally times when you need to respond to someone in the Fugue Plain, because there is no priest online. For practical (largely OOC) reasons I would say leave the telling system as it is, for dead PCs. It helps people be raised, both low-level, high-level; both newbie and oldbie.

The proposed change to "speak with dead" is in my opinion, a great way to make a spell useful.

A Zhentarim necromancer chances upon a dead human ranger. This ranger has been plaguing him for years. So, he decides to cast "speak with dead", to bind the ghost/shade of this ranger to speak the truth about his past. He learns he is a member of the Harpers, that he is actually high in the Church of Chauntea, and various other tidbits. These bits of information can then be used to further RP - maybe the necromancer sets people to watch the ranger to see who he talks to regularly?

It makes for less PK evil/good RP, and the more fun "intrigue" evil/good RP. And that's only a secondary consequence! The first consequence is that you gain a very useful spell!

[Cret]

there are occasionally times when you need to respond to someone in the Fugue Plain, because there is no priest online.

I dont think you need to ever respond to someone who sends you a tell, if they are or are not dead. Just because you can, dosent mean you should.

I think otells should be able to be spoken however. If it is a newbie you could help them to understand what death on FK means.. Not a loss of exp and negative stats for a while. Its a traumatic experience. Before, the NPC clerics couldnt raise the dead. You had to have an Immortal help you or a PC priest. There was no alternative, beyond that of Reincarnation.

Let the dead speak to you. They are clinging enough to life to want to contact the living.. let them. However, my wizard dosent know how to break the barrier to the dead. He is an illusionist, not a necromancer. Why would he be able to respond? Or other classes, why would a warrior fresh out of the temple be able to talk with the dead?

Speak with dead should do just what it says, alow a person to speak with the dead

This spell allows a priest to speak with those in the realms of the dead and know their identity if they have been greeted.

I would also like to see a change in the contact of the tells from the dead.

when dead you see 'a ghostly female human' or 'a ghostly male gingerbread-man' perhaps instead of having it be "someone tells you: Hey Cret, can I get some help?" to "a soul contacts you: Heeelllppp me Maaaster"

[Oghma]

Hmm, I like the last part, adding a speech program in line with drunk talk or dwarf accent to extend words like a wail when contacting someone from the fugue, though I am not sure how it would look if the tell is long, would fill the buffer. I agree that only those with speak with the dead should be able to contact the dead. But, I think it is fine with people being able to reply to dead players if the dead contact the player first.