Questions tagged [soul]

For questions primarily about creatures' souls, and game mechanics involving souls.

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In Baldur's gate 3, does becoming a warlock means said warlock will become a "Soul Coin" upon death? [closed]

Note: All of this pertains to Baldur's Gate (3) universe. I never got that deep into the lore, but friend of mine claims that Wyll is in the wrong for because, and I quote him "his soul is not ...
Zchesus's user avatar
16 votes
2 answers
4k views

Are all souls of equal value?

The Monster Manual's Devil entry describes how devils desire souls and enter into contracts with mortals to gain them. To own a creature's soul is to have absolute control over that creature, and ...
Nobody the Hobgoblin's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
222 views

What deductive reasoning capabilities would a soulless Simulacrum with an Intelligence score of 22 have?

Assume that: A level 17 Wizard (School of Evocation) with an Intelligence score of 22 is able to create a finite but arbitrarily large number of simulacrums of himself, using the widely known ...
C. A. Jones's user avatar
  • 4,276
3 votes
1 answer
134 views

How does Trap The Soul interact with a Lich?

Trap the soul forces a creature's life force (and its material body) into a gem. It seems there's no description in the spell says if it would not work with an undead. So I assume it would just work ...
Terry Windwalker's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
309 views

If I use the spell Shapechange to become a Kalaraq Quori and use Soul Binding, is the creature's soul still imprisoned when I turn back?

The Kalaraq Quori has the following attack: Soul Binding. Melee Spell Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 29 (4d10 + 7) necrotic damage. A creature reduced to 0 hit points from this ...
PseudoDruid's user avatar
  • 1,121
2 votes
1 answer
545 views

What happens to your soul when it get trapped in a Lich's phylactery?

All Liches have a phylactery that they use to trap souls so they can live forever. What exactly happens to those souls when they are trapped? Are they gone forever or just trapped in some magical ...
SuperNine09's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
930 views

Is there a difference between "soul" and "spirit"?

Some spells and effects deal with a creature's soul, for example the spells astral projection, clone, magic jar, raise dead, resurrection, true ressurection, reincarnate, and the DMG discusses that a ...
Nobody the Hobgoblin's user avatar
9 votes
8 answers
1k views

Interaction between Black Cabin and Ring of Mind Shielding

Spoiler warning: this question contains a spoiler for Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign, a relatively minor one in relation to the main plot but quite an impactful one from player's perspective. I'm ...
AnnaAG's user avatar
  • 8,245
4 votes
3 answers
1k views

Does Revivify work on trapped souls?

Nearly all the resurrection spells state that your soul has to be free and willing to be revived. The DMG on page 24 further states that A soul can't be returned to life if it doesn't wish to be, so ...
Nobody the Hobgoblin's user avatar
12 votes
5 answers
5k views

I have the Blackstaff. How can I be resurrected?

I am playing in a homebrewed setting, not Waterdeep. My DM had my character find the Blackstaff on the body of the leader of a slave owning city where we helped the rebelling slaves. It is modified at ...
awesomefrog1's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
146 views

Can Contingency be triggered by the presence of an item with a soul-affecting domain of effects? [duplicate]

I want to know if I can prepare a Contingency with Dimension Door to teleport me away if an item that may affect a creature's soul is within 125 feet of me. More specifically, I would like to be able ...
Themistoklis Gkasios's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
1k views

Is there a way to bring a Specter back to life?

The Wraith has this ability: Create Specter. The wraith targets a humanoid within 10 feet of it that has been dead for no longer than 1 minute and died violently. The target's spirit rises as a ...
Nobody the Hobgoblin's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
889 views

What is the native plane of a larva or lemure?

When a creature dies, and it has a soul, their soul departs to the plane of their deity or their alignment. In case of evil creatures, they may end up in the lower planes. For Hades, the DMG (p. 63) ...
Nobody the Hobgoblin's user avatar
12 votes
3 answers
6k views

Where do souls go upon death and when are they free to be raised?

Where do souls go when they die in 5e? Is it still an outer plane matching their alignment like in earlier editions? Are the souls of evil creatures going to the lower planes? The spells that can ...
Nobody the Hobgoblin's user avatar
18 votes
3 answers
2k views

Is a Clone created in a Demiplane native to it?

For this question, I'll pose it in the form of an example since it gets confusing otherwise Say I am playing a level 17-20 wizard who wants to use the Clone spell to become immortal, but want a safe ...
Smart_TJ's user avatar
  • 6,504
25 votes
1 answer
2k views

Could both an alive and an undead version of a creature exist?

Say Bob the fighter dies heroically while fighting some cultists. His companions realise they are outmatched and decide to run. But first, they quickly cut off one of Bob's fingers and take it with ...
Allan Mills's user avatar
  • 25.9k
2 votes
1 answer
131 views

How do summons interact with soul-affecting effects?

For reasons of my own, I need a trapped soul for at least a couple of hours. The exact type of soul doesn't matter: so long as I have a soul in a "jar" for, say, 8 hours, I'm good. I'm a ...
minnmass's user avatar
  • 18k
3 votes
1 answer
765 views

Can a cloned Order of Scribes wizard use their subclass features for replacing their spellbook?

I'm waffling on some interpretations regarding the Order of Scribes wizard subclass in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, and would really appreciate some second opinions. Most of the features seem ...
BlivetWidget's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
374 views

Can the soul of a creature get swept up by a Psychic Wind while going through the astral plane after dying?

I heard that in the "standard" setting for D&D, when your character dies, their soul goes travelling through the Astral Plane until they eventually end up in the outer plane they belong ...
Keinname's user avatar
  • 569
9 votes
1 answer
556 views

What happens if magic jar ends and the caster's body is undead?

Suppose I cast magic jar and possess a body, then I kill my old body and cast animate dead on it, and after that I break the magic jar. What happens when the soul returns to the zombified body? For ...
João Grando's user avatar
  • 1,795
15 votes
6 answers
6k views

How can the agent of a devil "capture" a soul?

Devils always want more souls for the Blood War. Mostly, they get those from lawful evil mortals. But as various lore - and this question What groups of souls go to the Nine Hells according to lore? - ...
Bob Tway's user avatar
  • 5,204
3 votes
1 answer
66 views

Does Soulseeker work on undead?

Soulseeker can lead you to the location of a soul, and fails if the target soul is still alive or has been destroyed. But what if the soul belongs to an undead creature, such as a vampire, or, of ...
Eagle0600's user avatar
  • 883
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

When a necromancer raises a zombie, is it animated by the dead creature's soul, or by magic?

I am interested in what precisely "moves" the undead body, in the Forgotten Realms and Eberron. Is it the magic of the spell? Is the creature's soul rebound to the body? Is a "false ...
order's user avatar
  • 3,659
7 votes
1 answer
2k views

Where do dragon souls go after their deaths?

As far as I know, mortal souls go to the plane Fugue and after 100 years Kelemvor sends them to their gods' planes to serve. But where do dragon souls go? Do Chromatic and Metallic dragon souls go to ...
Ohar's user avatar
  • 5,725
6 votes
3 answers
458 views

How is a soul different from the living creature that it came from?

Short Version If someone who can cast a spell like Plane Shift or Gate dies, what prevents their soul from simply casting the spell and returning to the Material Plane? Explanation From what I can ...
Ben S.'s user avatar
  • 4,852
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is a soul or spirit a creature?

The new Unearthed Arcana gives a new option for warlock's patron: The Undead. One of its class feature is Spirit Projection: Your body is now simply a vessel for your spirit. As an action, you can ...
Vylix's user avatar
  • 32.2k
15 votes
2 answers
2k views

Does the Awaken spell give or create a soul?

The Awaken spell adds sentience - granting 'intelligence' of 10 to either one beast or plant target (one that starts with an int score of 3 or less). It also adds mobility, ambulatory function, ...
Timm Jimm Grimm's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can one capture the 'soul' or 'spirit' of a dying Illithid/mind flayer with a 'Ring of Mind Shielding'?

Do illithids or 'mind flayers' have a spirit &/or soul to be captured in a Ring of Mind Sheilding? This is related to a previous question regarding the mind flayer return to a (previous/humanoid) ...
Timm Jimm Grimm's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is the lore behind why soul coins have the symbol of Bhaal on them?

I am struggling to find an image of both sides of a Soul Coin (Baator’s currency), but everywhere I've looked, I've only found only one side bearing a letter and the other side depicting a skull with ...
Ohar's user avatar
  • 5,725
18 votes
4 answers
5k views

What happens when a player violates two devils' contracts?

I'm currently preparing a session in my campaign where one of my players is going to consider signing a contract with a devil. While writing the contract, I noticed something that seems like a ...
Randium's user avatar
  • 371
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

What groups of souls go to the Nine Hells according to lore?

The Nine Hells (or Baator) is the Lawful Evil outer plane, and the home plane of devils. It is a plane of eternal punishment for the wicked. Which souls go there in the afterlife? I can think that ...
Vigil's user avatar
  • 19k
13 votes
2 answers
1k views

What is a creature's "animating spirit"?

The spell speak with dead says: You grant the semblance of life and intelligence to a corpse of your choice within range, allowing it to answer the questions you pose. [...] [...] The corpse knows ...
NathanS's user avatar
  • 78.6k
20 votes
2 answers
4k views

What is the complete lifecycle of souls in the Nine Hells?

The Descent into Avernus adventure provides more information about what happens to souls in the Nine Hells/Baator than was previously available (soul coins and their uses, in particular). It's also ...
Vigil's user avatar
  • 19k
27 votes
2 answers
5k views

What happens to a lich's soul when it dies with a Ring of Mind Shielding?

What happens to a lich's soul when it dies with a Ring of Mind Shielding? Normally, a lich's soul goes to the phylactery. But the Ring of Mind Shielding also takes a soul. Does the lich choose where ...
Dfvx990mq321pl's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
1k views

Can you force out a soul that is occupying a Ring of Mind Shielding?

Per the description: If you die while wearing the ring, your soul enters it, unless it already houses a soul. You can remain in the ring or depart for the afterlife. As long as your soul is in the ...
MivaScott's user avatar
  • 39.5k
6 votes
1 answer
4k views

When a Hexblade warlock uses the Accursed Specter feature on a slain creature but another character casts Soul Cage, which takes priority?

The Hexblade warlock's Accursed Specter feature does not have an action timing specified, and merely says (XGtE, p. 56; emphasis mine): When you slay a humanoid, you can cause its spirit to rise ...
Siddartha's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
494 views

Does a soul being resurrected know what spell is being used?

Specifically, would a soul know that the body they're being invited into was created via Reincarnate? After all, for some souls, changing species might be a big deal, possibly of the 'rather stay dead'...
vonBoomslang's user avatar
  • 7,840
12 votes
3 answers
3k views

Party Paladin sold his soul to an evil goddess. Does he get a new character template now? (ie: deathknight, blackguard, etc.)

A PC died, and in an attempt to have his life spared, my group's paladin decided to offer his soul after he had a talk with the spiritual form of Lolth. Lolth decided to bargain for a trade of his ...
Drunken Commoner's user avatar
15 votes
3 answers
4k views

Where is a warlock's soul?

In a campaign that I am running, we came upon an interesting question. Where is a warlock's soul? This came about when my players were trying to sneak into a restricted area. In my world, there is a ...
Wise Man's user avatar
  • 1,551
4 votes
3 answers
492 views

How does Clone interact with lichdom?

Assume we have a high level wizard named Recnamorcen. Recnamorcen casts Clone on himself, then undergoes the process to become a lich before the Clone matures. Now if he dies his soul will not go ...
Q Paul's user avatar
  • 4,074
7 votes
1 answer
515 views

Can a victim of diablerie's soul be retained within the diablerist?

My latest campaign has reached a rather tragic point, heaved on by diablerie happening more often than it should. A character's blood bound wife, diablerising that character's childe, was lost to the ...
Ivan T.'s user avatar
  • 917
13 votes
1 answer
590 views

Do non-elven gods become more powerful over time?

As far as I understand, gods in the Forgotten Realms become more powerful if they get more souls of their worshippers in the afterlife. According to Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes (p. 37, under "...
Ohar's user avatar
  • 5,725
24 votes
3 answers
4k views

Do all creatures have souls?

Do all living creatures have souls in the D&D multiverse (Forgotten Realms in particular)? The only hint I've found so far was from the Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes: A nabassu can eat the soul of ...
enkryptor's user avatar
  • 65.5k
24 votes
4 answers
16k views

Where does an unaligned creature's soul go after death?

In the DMG section on "Bringing Back the Dead" (chapter 1, p. 24), it describes what happens when a creature dies: When a creature dies, its soul departs its body, leaves the Material Plane, ...
user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
2k views

Can the True Resurrection spell resurrect a creature that was originally created by True Polymorph from an object?

If you true polymorph an object into a creature, and concentrate until the effect is indefinite, does the pseudo-creature become a valid target for true resurrection? As I understand, it would be a ...
Aaron's user avatar
  • 697
4 votes
2 answers
450 views

What happens if a petitioner is brought back to the Material Plane?

A petitioner is, essentially, the soul of a deceased character that has found its way to the plane to which it belongs. However, as far as I am aware, it does retain its level and abilities - at least ...
Arthaban's user avatar
  • 7,778
1 vote
1 answer
194 views

How many souls does a multiheaded creature have? [closed]

How many souls does a multiheaded creature have? Ettins have multiple heads. Does one resurrection spell revive both heads of the Ettin? What happens if one head is willing to be revived and the ...
user56158's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
881 views

Could a soul from the Soulmonger be restored in the ToA campaign after this event?

Assume some soul was sucked into the Soulmonger. This event could happen with this soul, when it is inside: Is it possible to resurrect a soul after this event happens? Maybe with a Wish spell or ...
Ohar's user avatar
  • 5,725
11 votes
2 answers
10k views

Can a soul inside a Ring of Mind Shielding be brought back to life?

One of the traits of the Ring of Mind Shielding is: If you die while wearing the ring, your soul enters it, unless it already houses a soul. You can remain in the ring or depart for the afterlife. As ...
Mwr247's user avatar
  • 7,619
5 votes
2 answers
480 views

Can a Vampire Soul be trapped in a Magic Jar-type spell, and what happens if it's released?

Can a Vampire Soul be trapped in a Magic Jar-type spell, and what happens if it's released? I'm going through this right now in my current adventure. One of my PCs got an amulet that acts as a magic ...
Mike Chaplin's user avatar