Interrogating the Dead

[Maquise]

Due to the limits of the Speak With Dead spell, I was wondering if there was another way to get information out of a hostile dead creature.

In that regard, I was wondering how much information from their life undead have. Depending on that, it might be effective, if not efficient, to simply reanimate (as something more powerful than a zombie, obviously) and then Command the creature, but that gets expensive.

[Slipperychicken]

What's stopping you from just eating the -4 tohit to deal nonlethal damage? Or using a nonlethal weapon like a truncheon or sap?

[Maquise]

This is only hypothetical at this point. Perhaps, for the sake of argument, they are already dead by the time you get there.

[Malrone]

Most intelligent undead are stated outright as only having vague knowledge of their former selves, if any at all. Too busy hating the living and wanting to eat their kidneys for much else. That said, Vampires would be a good way to go, 'cept for the strick "entry" requirements. Otherwise, the Corpse Creature template from BoVD keeps the body's mind intact well enough to retain class levels, and only needs Create Undead. Being allowed to use that book is a different matter.

Ultimately, it falls to the DM if any variety of undead is going to have something useful for you. If you are the DM, well, whatever makes a better story.

[Erik Vale]

If they remember their past lives, you can always threaten family members.

[Rhynn]

If they remember their past lives, you can always threaten family members.

That presumes that love survives the transition. I think the general assumption is that evil undead (i.e. most of them) would eat their previous families with pleasure.

The general assumption is, AFAIK, that intelligent undead retain memories from life (although they're probably fairly insane by human standards). This unfortunately rarely gets leveraged - something like a wight is a very different creature when you consider it's intelligent and has no reason to be roaming around half-naked and slavering. Wights would be like junior vampires, IMO.

[Slipperychicken]

If intelligent undead retain memories (I haven't seen anything RAW to the contrary), you could try casting Animate Dread Warrior, then commanding it to yield the desired information. Scrolls of the spell are around 1k for a decent CL, which means you not only don't have to carry around Black Onyx, but you don't need to prepare the spell, either.

Dread Warriors also serve you until you die and retain their spellcasting, so that's a nifty bonus.

[Jeff the Green]

Alternatively (assuming you're playing 3.5e), absorb mind, a corrupt spell from BoVD, gives you a 25% chance of learning any fact a creature knew in exchange for 2d6 Wisdom damage and eating an ounce of their brain.

[Arcanist]

Alternatively (assuming you're playing 3.5e), absorb mind, a corrupt spell from BoVD, gives you a 25% chance of learning any fact a creature knew in exchange for 2d6 Wisdom damage and eating an ounce of their brain.

I prefer Spirit Sense and a nice little Diplomacy check

[Kelb_Panthera]

For an extreme option: if they haven't been dead too long and you're capable of getting there, seek out their soul on the outer planes and perform an interrogation (enhanced or not at your option).

[TuggyNE]

For an extreme option: if they haven't been dead too long and you're capable of getting there, seek out their soul on the outer planes and perform an interrogation (enhanced or not at your option).

Wouldn't they have already forgotten it in most cases just by getting there?

[Kelb_Panthera]

Depends on who you ask.

The default material for the great wheel cosmology, IIRC, says that they lose it fairly quickly (thus the comment about them being recently deceased) but not instantly.

It's definitely "ask your DM" territory.