Spell question: Speak with Dead

[werk]

Such as, perhaps, nodding its head "yes" or "no"?

Hyp convinced me so hard I think the dead could play charades...

"ok, first syllable, sounds like...bone! oh, right! sounds like leg!"

Wait, the spell description says "The partially animated body" Now I'm back to my original position. No movement except for speaking-type movement (mouth area).

Sorry for not having a rock-solid opinion on this. I think better while typing.

I want to go with the 'intent' of the spell or caster, but the description text is really making it hard for me to believe that's the way they wanted the spell to be used...I mean, why have that: "but the body must be mostly intact to be able to respond. A damaged corpse may be able to give partial answers or partially correct answers, but it must at least have a mouth in order to speak at all. " text in there at all if you want it to work properly most of the time? If they had left that out, I'd be on-board.

Speak with Dead is lvl 3, same as Animate Dead, so I'd say there is enough magic power to fully animate the skeleton for the duration, but the text gets in the way, for me.

 

[Raven Crowking]

I want to go with the 'intent' of the spell or caster, but the description text is really making it hard for me to believe that's the way they wanted the spell to be used...I mean, why have that: "but the body must be mostly intact to be able to respond. A damaged corpse may be able to give partial answers or partially correct answers, but it must at least have a mouth in order to speak at all. " text in there at all if you want it to work properly most of the time? If they had left that out, I'd be on-board.

Speak with Dead is lvl 3, same as Animate Dead, so I'd say there is enough magic power to fully animate the skeleton for the duration, but the text gets in the way, for me.

If speak with dead animated the skeleton fully, then wouldn't animate dead also allow the skeleton to speak? I would certainly argue that speak with dead probably animates the head so as to allow for communication (assuming that the creature's mouth is/was in its head area), and additionally grants access to the soul imprint stored in the body (which animate dead does not -- the spell/monster descriptions make clear that animate dead creates a new imprint on the body, resulting in a new skill set and making it much harder to restore the original character to life).


RC

 

[werk]

I wasn't suggesting anything by comparing SwD to AD other than they are the same level.

So you are saying that he can nod/shake because the whole head is animated, not just the mouth?
Interesting that the muscles that move the mouth are in the head and (most) the muscles that control the head shake/nod are in the neck...And that implies that he cannot use sign-language or play charades as well.

I think the question is, really, what do they mean by 'partially animated'?