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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lord Pendragon" data-source="post: 1256738" data-attributes="member: 707">I'm not going to comment on the Law/Good argument.  I already contributed all I care to contribute to that, and I'm perfectly happy to take Kahuna's advice and leave it be.  He is absolutely correct that it's a philosophical question where every answer is the correct one.Regarding language and Speak With Dead I agree with Hyp.  The spell isn't meant to provide easy answers.  It's meant to provide cryptic hints.  That said, I tend to think of the interaction as indirect.  The spell doesn't provide a direct link to the knowledge contained in the dead body, like a computer database.  Rather, the body is a semi-conscious entity speaking a "language of the dead" which the magic of the spell then translates into a language of the living.That being said, I try to imagine two people using Babblefish (is that spelled correctly?) to communicate.  Lots of words and phrases are going to be slightly...off.  Now, with effort and concentration, the general meaning of the information can be guessed at.  But it won't be a simple task.For instance, imagine an evil wizard who's placed his tower next to a large, clear lake.  He's also made his tower invisible so that it cannot be seen, except when viewed through the facets of a yellow diamond.  The heroes fight with some of the wizard's minions.  Afterwards, they decide to cast Speak with Dead to try and learn where the wizard's tower is located.Cleric:  Where is the wizard's tower?Body:  At the edge of the crystal that moves.Cleric:  The crystal that moves?  What is the crystal that moves?Body:  A mirror.  A world.Cleric:  Argh!  Okay, how can we find the wizard's tower?Body:  The tower rests beyond a curtain of sky.Cleric:  A curtain of sky?  Curtain...curtain.  It must be hidden, obviously.  How can we get past the curtain of sky?Body:  A diamond can tear the curtain, but only one that has touched the sun.*spell ends*Cleric:  Hmmm.  Okay then, I'm off to the merchant's district to speak with a jeweler.  Perhaps I can get a hold of a diamond that has "touched the sun."  You guys try and figure out what the crystal that moves could be while I'm gone..._________________________________Okay, that example was off the cuff, but you can see my point.  I want Speak With Dead to be a useful spell, absolutely, but neither should it allow the party to avoid thinking altogether.  The spell can be useful without being straightforward.</blockquote>

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