D&D 5E How much of a corpse?

[Plaguescarred]

A corpse, which is a dead body by definition, i'd say means most of the body so a majority of the body is enough (including its mouth).

When police finds a head or arm, they don't usually refer to it as a corpse or body, but as an organ IMO. On the other head when they find a decapitated body they still refer to it has corpse...

 

[Tormyr]

If you're going to be that serious, how are you explaining the production of sound from a dead body with rotted vocal cords, no air in the lungs, rigor mortis in the muscles of the jaw, tongue and mouth, etc.?

"Realistically" there's no way to account for a corpse being able to produce any physical sound unless it's only been dead for a very short amount of time. The only way it works is through magic. And if that's the case, why does having any anatomy at all really matter?

Sometimes it doesn't pay to overthink this too much.

Who said anything about realism? The spell requires a corpse that is not undead and has a mouth. It cannot have had the spell used on it in the last 10 days. Fulfill that, and it is successful. It makes no mention of vocal cords, air, rigor mortis, tongue, etc; so why would any of those enter into the conversation?

The spell provides the voice. I always imagined the voice just emanating versus the mouth moving or anything like that. The mouth is almost like an additional material component to the spell.

I do not think I am over-thinking this. I did exactly what I would have done in a game situation and thought on the fly after reading the spell description.

I was asked how much of a corpse was needed. I answered with the spell description and chose the closest thing on the poll (which the majority of responders have chosen): the head.

Someone responded with whether they could use another mouth. I like this creative solution, but just having another mouth is not enough. The spell says the corpse must have a mouth, so I think it is reasonable for them to have to actually add the mouth to the corpse. This gives a nice opportunity for a skill, tool or spell that does not get used much and further encourages the creativity of the players. Medicine (for sewing up wounds), artisan - tailor (for sewing), mending for knitting bones of a jaw into the skull or any number of other ideas would be interesting ways of overcoming this challenge.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I went with something else or DM Call - which I think goes to world myth and how you look at the after life in your games.

Example:
Cleric Rites of the Dead (forget the spell name), how much protection would that provide, as the spirit has moved on.

In my game world, you can also protect your soul by acts related to your religion. Saying daily prayers, go to a holy site, etc.

 

[brehobit]

Thanks for the thoughts so far.

It's not a big deal either way, I was just curious how people would rule this.

 

[Roger]

I'd probably rule vaguely around 'important bits'. A complete corpse would be pretty great. Just a head is okay. Just a skull is probably fine too. Just the tongue is starting to push things a bit, but sure, okay. A major organ like the heart or liver is making me roll my eyes a bit, but I'll probably let it slide. Anything much less than that and you're probably not getting as much out of the spell as you otherwise would.

 

[diaglo]

a head from a corpse that spoke the language of the caster is at least a start. if i want to be creative. i could have the hand or foot or elbow spell things out on the ground. but it is sloppy writing if not the handiness of the original owner

i don't give the dead new languages.

edit: therefore an illiterate hip bone would give no answer. except attempts at charades if it understood the caster.
edit2: hip thrust in hip thrust out. iykwimaityd

 

[Lanefan]

I've always had it that you need at least a skull with a lower jaw still attached, and the caster and corpse must either have a language in common or the caster has to receive a Comprehend Language or Tongues spell before starting.

Lan-"dead men tell three tales"-efan

 

[aramis erak]

For speak with dead, I'd want both at least half the torso plus the skull.