Divine Ward feat (PHB2)

[Shin Okada]

As the party of my current campaign (I am the DM) need a NPC healer, I am toying with an idea of a cleric who can save a dead friend from distance.

Can dead characters still be the subject of Divine Ward feat? Can they still considered to be characters? The spells in my mind are Gentle Repose (target : corpse) and Revivify (target: dead creature).

 

[Celebrim]

Depends on whether you rule that a corpse can still be a willing ally. My sense is that they certainly can be. After all, I'm pretty sure Raise Dead also requires a willing target. So in general, yeah, I'd allow that. But that sort of ruling is strictly up to the DM's judgment in my opinion.

 

[delericho]

Can dead characters still be the subject of Divine Ward feat? Can they still considered to be characters? The spells in my mind are Gentle Repose (target : corpse) and Revivify (target: dead creature).

No, and yes. A corpse isn't a creature, so you can't set up a Divine Ward with a corpse.

However, per the wording of the feat you set up a Ward with a willing creature and then that ward lasts for 24 hours from that point. There's nothing in the feat description about it being ended by death. So, if you set up a Ward and the creature later dies, you should still be able to cast raise dead (or similar) through the Ward - it still exists.

(Note also that the creature only needs to be willing for the Ward to be created. As far as I can see, they don't actually have to then be willing to receive any spells you choose to cast through the Ward!)

 

[Celebrim]

No, and yes. A corpse isn't a creature, so you can't set up a Divine Ward with a corpse.

However, per the wording of the feat you set up a Ward with a willing creature and then that ward lasts for 24 hours from that point. There's nothing in the feat description about it being ended by death. So, if you set up a Ward and the creature later dies, you should still be able to cast raise dead (or similar) through the Ward - it still exists.

(Note also that the creature only needs to be willing for the Ward to be created. As far as I can see, they don't actually have to then be willing to receive any spells you choose to cast through the Ward!)

This argument seems compelling and reasonable to me.