Can You Raise Dead a Zombie? A Deep Dive into D&D Resurrection
The short answer is: It depends, but generally, no, not directly. You can’t use the spell Raise Dead to bring a zombie back to life. This is a common point of confusion in D&D, and for good reason. Let’s explore the nuances of why, and how resurrection spells interact with the undead.
Why Raise Dead Doesn’t Work on Zombies
The core issue lies in the fundamental rules of D&D 5th Edition and how spells interact with creature types. Raise Dead specifically targets a creature that has died. A zombie, however, while animated, is classified as Undead. This creature type distinction is critical.
Undead are Not Living Creatures
The game mechanics consider Undead to be fundamentally different from living beings. They are animated by necromantic magic, not by a natural life force. This means spells that restore life, like Raise Dead, are not designed to work on them. Raise Dead explicitly states that it cannot bring an undead back to life.
The State of a Zombie’s “Corpse”
Another layer of complexity arises because when a zombie is “destroyed,” it doesn’t revert to a standard, dead PC. It essentially becomes a dead zombie, not a deceased living creature. The magic that animated it is dispelled, leaving behind a destroyed husk. Thus, Raise Dead lacks the fundamental living essence necessary to restore it.
The “Re-kill” and Resurrection Approach
To bring a zombie back to its former living self, you must effectively “re-kill” the zombie. That is, you must first destroy the undead animation, reducing the creature to a normal corpse. Only then can you attempt to resurrect that corpse using an appropriate spell, such as Resurrection.
Exceptions and Alternative Spells
While Raise Dead is off the table for zombies, some spells offer alternatives.
Resurrection
The spell Resurrection is a more potent form of raising the dead. It can restore life to a creature that has died. However, it states that it can’t bring undead back. To use Resurrection on a zombie that used to be a living being, you must first destroy the zombie. Then, you can use Resurrection to bring the original, living creature back to life using the original corpse that was re-killed from it’s undead state.
True Resurrection
True Resurrection, a powerful 9th-level spell, is arguably the most reliable method for restoring a zombie to its former living state. Unlike Resurrection and Raise Dead, True Resurrection does not state that it is unable to bring undead back to life. Moreover, True Resurrection can restore the target to life even if the corpse is no longer intact or even if it is just ashes.
Revenants and Resurrection
A similar scenario emerges with Revenants. These undead are driven by a specific purpose. Resurrection can bring them back to their original, living form, but only after the revenant is destroyed. True Resurrection is typically a more direct path to restoring them, as it doesn’t require the same “re-killing” precondition.
The Object vs. Creature Conundrum
A crucial point to understand is that a corpse is considered an object in D&D rules, not a creature. This distinction further reinforces why spells targeting creatures have limitations when dealing with the dead, and, by extension, the undead. When a character becomes a zombie, they cease to be a living creature and become an undead creature. When that zombie is destroyed, it ceases to be an undead creature but becomes an object.
The Necromantic Paradox
Necromancy is the magic of life and death, but it doesn’t always adhere to simple logic. Undead are a twisted mockery of life, not life itself. This is why spells designed to restore life often struggle to interact with creatures animated by necromantic energies.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 15 frequently asked questions about the complex topic of raising the dead, particularly in the context of zombies and other undead:
1. Does Animate Dead prevent Resurrection?
Animate Dead itself doesn’t prevent Resurrection. However, if you animate a dead PC and then the zombie is destroyed it will become a “dead zombie” object. It is not the original PC that died, but a reanimated corpse that has itself been killed. The original corpse is lost, and so you could not bring that PC back using resurrection or raise dead, but you might still bring them back using True Resurrection if you had it in time.
2. Are Undead resistant to magic?
Undead are indeed resistant to many types of effects. They are immune to death effects, disease, mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, etc.), paralysis, poison, sleep, stun, and effects that require a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless).
3. Do corpses count as objects?
Yes, a corpse is considered an object, not a creature, per D&D rules. This means that spells and abilities that target creatures do not automatically work on corpses, and vice-versa.
4. Why can’t a dead person be revived in real life?
In real life, death is generally considered the irreversible end of life. Once blood flow to the brain ceases for long enough, irreversible damage occurs. Modern science currently cannot restore life in this state, although there are speculative technologies like cryonics.
5. Can a necromancer raise a vampire?
Necromancers can typically raise zombies, skeletons, and other forms of basic undead. The ability to raise vampires specifically depends on the setting and specific lore. In some narratives, it is possible with exceptional magic or dark rituals, although most of the time Necromancers can not resurrect a vampire directly.
6. Can you resurrect a vampire?
Resurrecting a vampire depends on the lore of the setting. In some cases, specific rituals, or even a high-level spell like True Resurrection, might bring back a deceased vampire. However, the specifics are setting-dependent and can vary. In many instances, a vampire who died as a vampire cannot be brought back by standard resurrection spells.
7. Why are revenants so strong?
Revenants are often imbued with powerful magic or driven by an intense purpose, making them formidable opponents. In some lore, they are associated with Seiðr magic, giving them supernatural abilities and strength.
8. Do revenants need to eat?
Revenants do not need to eat or drink in the traditional sense, as they are undead. They do, however, need to breathe to maintain their connection to their physical form.
9. Does Raise Dead make you undead?
No, Raise Dead does not make you undead. It is a restorative spell that returns a creature to its previous living state. The issue that arises is that if you raise a zombie back to a dead PC using Raise Dead, the target that you’re resurrecting was itself undead at the time that it was killed, not the PC.
10. Can a necromancer control zombies?
A necromancer using the Animate Dead spell can create and control skeletons and zombies. A Necromancer subclass often allows them to control even more of these undead creatures.
11. Can you turn a zombie back to normal?
In some video games, like Minecraft, certain methods can revert a zombie back to a normal villager. However, these methods are game-specific and do not translate to D&D rules. In D&D lore you would need to kill the zombie and then resurrect the individual who is now a dead PC.
12. Can you resurrect someone who is brain dead?
No, in the real world, there is no case of someone being declared braindead and then being revived.
13. Can corpses still move after death?
Yes, it is possible for corpses to move after death. This is usually a result of muscle spasms or the body’s natural decay processes.
14. Do corpses sit up?
No, dead bodies do not sit up on their own. Although corpse movement can occur due to gas build-up or muscle spasms, the phenomenon of corpses sitting up is fictional.
15. Is the body in the coffin?
Yes, in most contexts, a coffin or casket is designed to contain the body of a deceased person for a funeral service and burial.