D&D 5E Can Gentle Repose extend the timelimit for Revivify?

Stalker0 · Jul 14, 2019

Gentle Repose extends the duration for spells like raise dead. Revivify is similar to those spells, but does have a few differences. Do you allow the same effect to occur on that spell?

DND_Reborn · Jul 14, 2019

We have played that is Gentle Repose does allow Revivify to be used up to 10 day later, but the Gentle Repose MUST then be cast within 1 minute of the creature's death. Otherwise, too much time has lapsed for Revivify to be effective. That's our interpretation, anyway.

BlivetWidget · Jul 14, 2019

That's well within the spell's purview, IMHO. The wording used ("...extends the time limit on raising the target from the dead") is so nonspecific that trying to prevent its use in that manner seems like an untenable position.

dnd4vr said:
We have played that is Gentle Repose does allow Revivify to be used up to 10 day later, but the Gentle Repose MUST then be cast within 1 minute of the creature's death. Otherwise, too much time has lapsed for Revivify to be effective. That's our interpretation, anyway.

I think that goes without saying for all of the dead-raising spells: you have to keep in mind the dead-raising spell's original time limit. Gentle Repose doesn't turn back the clock, it keeps it from ticking.

Oofta · Jul 14, 2019

Personally I wouldn't allow it because revivify just stops the body from decaying. In my world it's difficult to raise dead, revivify works because the spirit has not moved on yet. Once the soul has started it's journey, it takes a lot to get it back. I guess if it ever came up I'd have to make an official ruling since it also affects raise dead.

I've always viewed it as extending the Raise Dead spell because it specifically states that it doesn't restore lost limbs. If too much time has gone by, there's too much decomposition of the body to restore life.

Maxperson · Jul 14, 2019

dnd4vr said:
We have played that is Gentle Repose does allow Revivify to be used up to 10 day later, but the Gentle Repose MUST then be cast within 1 minute of the creature's death. Otherwise, too much time has lapsed for Revivify to be effective. That's our interpretation, anyway.

That seems very reasonable to me.

Maxperson · Jul 14, 2019

Oofta said:
Personally I wouldn't allow it because revivify just stops the body from decaying. In my world it's difficult to raise dead, revivify works because the spirit has not moved on yet. Once the soul has started it's journey, it takes a lot to get it back. I guess if it ever came up I'd have to make an official ruling since it also affects raise dead.

I've always viewed it as extending the Raise Dead spell because it specifically states that it doesn't restore lost limbs. If too much time has gone by, there's too much decomposition of the body to restore life.

That seems reasonable, too.

jaelis · Jul 14, 2019

Crawford says it works:

Q: does gentle repose work with revivify?
A: Gentle repose works with revivify

I would interpret "working" the same way [MENTION=6987520]dnd4vr[/MENTION] does.

Mistwell · Jul 14, 2019

I'd allow gentle repose to extend the time to cast revivify, yes.

Sword of Spirit · Jul 14, 2019

As much as it would help in our current campaign, I just can’t let it work that way based on the cosmological dynamics as I understand them. Raise dead (and its higher level corollaries) retrieves the soul from the afterlife, etc. The 5e DMG explains it, and I flesh it out with 2e Planescape material. Revivify is more like a magical CPR. The soul hasn’t reached its destination. This interpretation is supported by the fact that revivify has no requirement that the soul be “free and willing” to return. You don’t get that choice with revivify, because it’s stopping your soul from passing on in the first place.

I wouldn’t have a problem with a DM who was using different cosmological assumptions to run it differently, but going by the the implied metaphysics (spell descriptions and DMG elaboration), I think it’s the weaker conceptual argument to let it work, even if a strict reading wouldn’t prohibit it.