It states “creating life” under limitations of magic. Restoring != creating so it should be possible. I can’t find a ready spell to do it.
Is there a published one, if not how to create it?
It depends on how the cosmology of your world works. Does the soul linger by the body after death for any given amount of time? Then maybe you can make a spell that binds the soul back to the body, creating a sorta-zombie. Their body is traumatized, but will eventually mostly mend. And their soul is the same, so that’s good. It’s just…not quite the same as being a normal living person.
Now, if the soul gets whisked away to the Underworld ASAP, I assume you’d need to keep the body fresh and preserved while you conjure up a way to steal it back from the vaults of the dead.
It’d make an interesting premise for drama.
Also, there’s always Faith magic.
If by “Raise the Dead” you mean to return a “dead” character back to “life” (return to playable status), I don’t think that’s possible with the sorcery rules. The Anima element specifically prohibits creating life through magic (page 159 Magic Burner) so at least as far as Abstracting a new spell to do it, no.
Depending on what faith idioms you use, it might be possible to have Raise the Dead as a Major Miracle (Ob 10 Faith roll), but I am not certain.
Burning Wheel doesn’t seem to go for the large scale magical effects, no teleportation, life creation, or time control.
There are other magic systems available in the Magic Burner, but it was written for Burning Wheel Revised and as such, predates Burning Wheel Gold,but it is still quite useful. (just ignore “spellweaving”)
Is it possible to at least talk to the dead? Like ask them a few questions and get answers?
Major Miracle can definitely bring the dead back to life, I say.
And we’ve used Summoning to speak with the dead in some of our campaigns.
If you want, you can create a trait called “Medium” and let some character Circles up that Medium to allow the dead to speak into this world.
I think that Blossoms Are Falling has a trait that allows you to circle up ghosts.
Judging by the spell “Wisdom of the Ancients” (page 223 BWG) I would say yes. I don’t think that particular spell would let you speak to a specific person/spirit, but it demonstrates the possibility.
Perhaps a witch, summoner, or augur could be circled up to help.
My first wizard did raise a few spirits by accident through unwanted summoning/spell failure. Not good!
Depending something which lets you simply stable a spirit back to the body (with Anima?) makes sense as well.
Something like:
Element Anima
Impetus Enhance
Origin Personal
Duration Sustained
A of E One Target
But cause it to only work on someone whose soul you had. Name it something like Restoration of the Lost Soul.
If you want, have a metaphysical thing about how souls tend to stick around for 3 days after death.
I really like what this implies.
That’s what I’m thinking. Something like Death Art.
Duration Permanent makes more sense (and I meant to type it) - but I much prefer that version.
So I have a new spell for my campaing. How about a name “Sustain Unlife”?
I could see a ritual or spell of preservation to keep the body from deteriorating until its spirit could be reclaimedin some way.
Well, if you’re just having the soul possess its original (now dead) body, then what you have is a revenant of some sort. Importantly, that body is already dead. There’s a wound to it that is what killed the poor sod in the first place. Likely, this spell would give you a second chance to use something like Blessed Hands (I would suspect a Miracle or the Lyric of Healing could help). If you’re going to use a “Staple Soul” spell, it likely wont heal the actual wound, just give you a second change (while your friend is in agony).
Or, you could simply use someone whose soul you’ve taken.
Note: I am starting to fear resurrection.
Here’s the spells I am thinking of, I do not recommend any of them for your game:
Form Revenant
Anima Ob2 Acc 4 Res 10
Enhance Ob 4 Acc 12 Res 4
Personal Ob 0 Acc 1 Res -
Sustained Ob 2 Acc 2 Res 2
Single Target Ob 1 Acc 2 Res 2
First Distillation
Single Target-Enhance Ob 3 Acc 7
Anima Ob 2 Acc 4
Personal Ob 0 Acc 1
Sustained Ob 1 Acc 2
Second Distillation
Single Target-Enhance Ob 3 Acc 7
Anima Ob 2 Acc 4
Personal-Sustained Ob 2 Acc 3
Finalized
Form Revenant
Ob 3 Acc 7 Res 18 (add effect Cap makes it Ob 2)
Majoris Sigil
Ob 5 Acc 70 Res 18 (Makes it hard, and less battle relevant, also, reccomend adding cap for Ob 4)
Effect:
This spell, used by adventuring wizards and necromancers, quickly and easily temporarily attaches the soul of a person to their body. Leaving them in pain, it only lasts as long the wizard keeps the spell going. Whatever injury caused the wound does not heal. Often, it is used to bring someone back long enough to ask a single question, let them have some form of revenge, or keep their body trying to heal so a more lasting solution can be found.
Attach Soul
Anima Ob2 Acc 4 Res 10
Enhance Ob 4 Acc 12 Res 4
Personal Ob 0 Acc 1 Res -
Permanent Ob 10 Acc 500 Re 100
Single Target Ob 1 Acc 2 Res 2
First Distillation
Single Target-Enhance Ob 3 Acc 7
Anima Ob 2 Acc 4
Personal Ob 0 Acc 1
Permanent Ob 10 Acc 500
Second Distillation
Single Target-Enhance Ob 3 Acc 7
Anima Ob 2 Acc 4
Personal-Permanent Ob 6 Acc 251
Finalized
Form Revenant
Ob 6 Acc 131 Res 116 (add effect Cap makes it Ob 5)
Majoris Sigil
Ob 7 Acc 350 Res 116 (Makes it hard and I again recommend adding cap for Ob 6)
Effect:
This spell is a more rare and powerful version of Create Revenant. This spell will keep the soul in the body permanently. This means that it will require a Spellbreaker miracle (often incorporated into last rites). for the person raised to be taken from their warn out and useless body into the afterlife.
Restore Body
Anima Ob 2 Acc 4 Res 12
Personal Ob 0 Acc 1 Res -
Instantaneous Ob 0 Acc 1 Res -
Single Target Ob 1 Acc 2 Res 2
Enhance Ob 4 Acc 12 Res 4
First Distillation
Enhance-Anima Ob 3 Acc 8
Personal Ob 0 Acc 1
Instantaneous Ob 0 Acc 1
Single Target Ob 1 Acc 2
Second Distillation
Enhance-Anima Ob 3 Acc 8
Personal-Single Target Ob 1 Acc 2
Instantaneous Ob 0 Acc 1
Finalized
Restore Body:
Ob 2 Acc 6 Res 18
Majoris Sigil
Ob 4 Acc 600 Res 18
This is basically just Blessed Hands with the majoris sigil, and that is much too weak, so I am going to just kind of fudge some numbers for a Gold Version:
Ob Target’s Health+6 Acc 600 Res 22
Effect:
This spell can remove the mortal wound of a person who is dead, but only if their soul rests within their body. Since it is forcing their soul back into the recesses where it belongs, and forcing things that should not be messed with, it does not work on a functioning body.
Perhaps an enchanter could make an elven star crystal (Starcraft skill, page 300) into a “spirit gem” capable of holding the spirit/soul of the departed by collecting their essence as the antecedent.
The gem would be needed beforehand, you could even go so far as preparing a gem for a specific individual so that should they parish, their spirit would not pass but would be transfered into the gem itself. The true danger here is that in allowing spirit gems to exist, you give access to powerful necromantic magic that can upset game balance.
I would make a belief to find the ancient artefact scull of unholy light, chop off the hand of the deceased and find the old mystic to perform the ritual to bring him back to life. I will also ignore the fact that I just failed my " bring-the-dead-back-101-wise". I don’t want know my friend will come back as the next harbinger of the apocalypse.