Séance (5e Spell)

Author: Zhenra-Khal (talk) Date Created: 3-1-2023 Status: Complete Editing: Don't edit without discussion. Unauthorized edits will be reverted.

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5e Spell Séance
2nd-level conjuration (ritual)
Casting Time: Special
Range: 5ft (15ft Radius)
Components: V, S, M (A spirit board with planchette, worth at least 50gp, and one lit candle, plus one for each participant.)
Duration: Special
Casters: Bard, Cleric, Warlock, Wizard

You and up to six other participants perform a ritual to contact the spirit of a deceased sapient mortal. Typically, this is the spirit of a Humanoid, but the spirits of other creatures, such as a Dragon or Giant, can be called if, in life, they were capable of speech, possessed an Intelligence score of at least 3, and understood at least one language spoken by the caster.

The spell is cast centered on the spirit board that is used for the material component, which must remain within 5ft of you throughout the entire casting time. Each participant, lit candle in hand, must be present within the spell's radius for the entire casting time, and the spell ends immediately if the caster, or all participants other than the caster, are ever outside of the spell's area during its duration. The spell also immediately ends if the spirit board is moved from the exact position it was placed in during the spell's casting. When the casting is complete, the candle each participant is holding goes out, reigniting of their own accord when the spell ends.

You must have at least a description of the spirit you are attempting to summon; Otherwise, the spirit called by the spell will be entirely random. However, there is no guarantee that the spirit that answers your call is the spirit you intended to summon; Incorrect or insufficient information almost always leads to the wrong spirit appearing. But, whether it is the correct spirit or not, a spirit of one sort or another always answers the call, as determined in the following section.

Determining The Spirit

In order to determine whether or not the spirit that answers is the correct spirit, you must make an ability check using your spellcasting ability modifier, referred to as a Calling Check. The DC for this check is determined by how much information you have about the spirit, and you gain modifiers based on additional circumstances, as shown below. In any case, the correct spirit only answers your call if it is willing to.

Table: Correct Calling DCs

Caster's Knowledge Of Called Spirit	Calling Check DC
Vague or incomplete description of the person in life	25
Complete, detailed description of the person in life	23
Met the person in life once or twice	21
Knew the person well in life for less than 1 year	18
Knew the person well in life for more than a year	16
Familial or romantic relationship to the person in life at least 1 year	14

Table: Correct Calling Modifiers

Casting Circumstance	Calling Check Modifier
Object the person possessed used as additional material component	+2 (Owned for 1 month or more) or +4 (Owned for 1 year or more)
Body part (Such as a tooth, lock of hair, nail clipping or vial of blood) used as additional material component	+6
One or more additional participants knew the person well in life for less than 1 year	+1 per qualifying participant
One or more additional participants knew the person well in life for 1 year or more	+2 per qualifying participant
One or more additional participants had a familial or romantic relationship to the person for at least 1 year	+3 per qualifying participant
True, full name of the person in life is spoken as part of casting	+4
Incorrect or incomplete name of the person in life is spoken as part of casting	-4
Spirit holds a grudge against one or more additional participants	-2 per qualifying participant
Object the person was afraid of, found repulsing, or otherwise despised in life used as additional material component	-5

Once the DM sets the DC, and determines what modifiers apply, the ability check is rolled, and, success or failure, a spirit answers your call. The only way for the caster to determine whether it is the correct spirit is to ask it questions that it would have know the answers to in life, as determined by what method you are using to channel the spirit, as noted in the next section.

Calling The Spirit

Upon beginning to cast the spell, you must determine how the spirit will arrive and communicate - In doing so, you choose one of three options noted below - Spelling, Possession, or Manifestation. The chosen method determines the casting time and duration of the spell, the number of questions you may ask the spirit and the level of detail the spirit answers with, and the risks of the spell going wrong.

The spirit is not aware of any events that have transpired since its death, though it is not incapable of learning new information while summoned by this spell. Additionally, the spirit is under no compulsion to answer truthfully, though you can still attempt Insight checks as normal for interacting with an NPC.

Séance - Spelling

• Casting Time: 1 minute
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

The safest method of summoning the dead, the Spelling method requires the summoned spirit to spell out the answers to your questions. Each participant (Including the caster) may ask the spirit a number of questions not exceeding one-half (Rounded down) of their Proficiency Bonus over the course of the spell's duration. The spirit responds by spelling each word out letter by letter on the spirit board, and typically responds in 5 words or less.

At the end of each minute, or if a participant asks a question beyond their individual limit, the spirit can choose to force the caster to make another Calling Check, using the same DC and modifiers. On a failure, the spirit can choose to either end the spell (Returning to rest), or to take control of the spell, allowing it to roam freely.

Séance - Possession

• Casting Time: 10 minutes
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

You willingly allow the spirit to possess your body. It uses your senses and controls your actions, but has no access to any of your non-sensory abilities or features, and you regain awareness and the use of your senses. While possessed, you cannot speak, nor can you move or act, except to end the spell as an Action; You cannot willingly end the spell in any other way, though others may attempt to interrupt your concentration to end it.

Over the course of the spell's duration, each participant other than the caster may ask the spirit one question per point of their Proficiency Bonus; the spirit responds using your voice. If a participant asks a question beyond this limit, the spirit can force the caster to make another Calling Check, using the same DC and modifiers. On a failure, the spirit can choose to either end the spell (Returning to rest), or to take control of the spell, possessing the caster fully.

When possessing the caster fully, the spirit gains full access to the caster's features and abilities, and you cannot end the spell as an Action. At the end of each of your turns, you can make another Calling Check, using the same DC and modifiers. On a success, you regain partial control of your body and can choose to either end the spell, or continue the questioning process.

Séance - Manifestation

• Casting Time: 1 hour
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

The spirit manifests as a ghostly figure in an unoccupied space of your choosing within the spell's area. The spirit chooses its visual appearance (Though it is always transparent and ever so slightly aglow, enough to be obvious that it is incorporeal). The spirit may move and act freely within the spell's area, and it may speak freely, as with a normal NPC. Neither the caster nor the additional participants gain any form of protection again the spirit's abilities.

At any time, the spirit may use its Action to force the caster to make another Calling Check, using the same DC and modifiers. On a failure, the spirit can choose to either end the spell (Returning to rest), or to take control of the spell, allowing it to roam freely.

The Spirit's Capabilities

Any spirit summoned by this spell uses the Séance Spirit statblock below, unless the DM creates a more appropriate statblock for a particularly powerful unique spirit.

While the spirit is under the effects of the spell, and has not taken control of the spell, both the spirit's movement (Willing or otherwise), and the range of its abilities, are confined to the spell's radius.

Séance Spirit
Medium Undead, any alignment
Armor Class: 13
Hit Points: 35 (7d8)
Speed: 0ft, Fly 40ft (Hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 3 (-4) 16 (+3) 11 (+0) 10 (+0) 13 (+1) 17 (+3)
Skills: Three skills it had in life; It uses your Spell Attack Bonus as its skill Bonus with these skills.
Damage Resistances: Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing From Nonmagical Attacks
Damage Immunity: Necrotic, Poison
Condition Immunity: Charmed, Exhaustion, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Unconscious
Senses: darkvision 60 feet, passive Perception 11
Languages: The Languages It Knew In Life
Challenge: 5 (1,800 xp)Proficiency Bonus (PB): +3
Ethereal Sight. The spirit can see 60 ft. into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane, and vice versa. Incorporeal Movement. The spirit can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. Actions Etherealness. The spirit enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on the Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can't affect or be affected by anything on the other plane. Haunt. As an Action or Bonus Action, the spirit can cause one of the following effects to occur within 60ft: Cause flames to flicker, brighten, dim or change color for 1 minute; Cause harmless tremors in the ground for 1 minute. Create an instantaneous sound that originates from a point of the spirit's choice within range, such as a rumble of thunder, the cry of a raven, or ominous whispers. Instantaneously cause up to ten unlocked doors or windows to fly open or slam shut. Cause a color, a small mark, or a symbol (No larger than 5ft on a side) appear on an object or a surface the spirit can see within range for 1 hour. Telekinetically move and manipulate one unsecured object the spirit can see within range that weighs no more than 10lbs. The object moves up to 30ft, floating through the air as though lifted by an invisible force. The manipulation can include simple things like retrieving or showing the item, pouring the contents from a waterskin, or opening or closing an unlocked container. Hurl. The spirit telekinetically hurls one object it can see within range that weighs 5lbs or less, making the attack as if it occupied the object's space. Ranged Spell Attack: +6 to hit, range 20ft/60ft, one target. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) Bludgeoning, Piercing or Slashing damage, depending on object thrown. Possession (Recharge 6). One humanoid that the spirit can see within 5 ft. of it must succeed on a DC 14 Charisma saving throw or be possessed by the spirit; the spirit then disappears, and the target is incapacitated and loses control of its body. The spirit now controls the body, but doesn't deprive the target of awareness. The spirit can't be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, except ones that turn undead, and it retains its alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and immunity to being charmed and frightened, as well as its Haunt and Hurl abilities. It otherwise uses the possessed target's statistics, but doesn't gain access to the target's knowledge, class features, or proficiencies. The possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit points, the spirit ends it as a bonus action, or the spirit is turned or forced out by an effect like the dispel evil and good spell. When the possession ends, the spirit reappears in an unoccupied space within 5 ft. of the body. The target is immune to this spirit's Possession for 24 hours after succeeding on the saving throw or after the possession ends.

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