AD&D 2nd Edition

Sphere: Necromantic
Range: 30 yards
Components: V, S
Duration: Permanent
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: 1 person
Saving Throw: Special

When the priest casts a raise dead spell, he can restore life to a dwarf, gnome, half-elf, halfling, or human (other creatures may be allowed, at the OM’s option). The length of time that the person has been dead is of importance, as the priest can raise persons dead only up to a limit of one day for each experience level of the priest (i.e., a 9th-level priest can raise a person who has been dead for up to nine days).

Note that the body of the person must be whole, or otherwise missing parts are still missing when the person is brought back to life. Likewise, other ills, such as poison and disease, are not negated. The raised person must roll a successful resurrection survival check to survive the ordeal (see Table 3: Constitution) and loses 1 point of Constitution. Furthermore, the raised person is weak and helpless in any event, and he needs a minimum of one full day of rest in bed for each day or fraction he was dead. The person has but 1 hit point when raised and must regain the rest by natural healing or curative magic.

Note that a character’s starting Constitution is an absolute limit to the number of times the character can be revived by this means.

The somatic component of the spell is a pointed finger.

The reverse of the spell, slay living, grants the victim a saving throw vs. death magic, and if successful, the victim sustains damage equal only to that of a cause serious wounds spell – i.e., 2d8 +1 points. Failure means the victim dies instantly.