Ouija Board
(Divination, Necromancy)

Range:  0
Components:  V, S, M
Duration:  Special
Casting Time:  1d10 rounds
Area of Effect:  Corpse touched
Saving Throw:  Special

By means of this spell the wizard and a co-caster may vocally ask questions of the spirit of a dead creature and receive answers through the Ouija board according to the knowledge of that creature. Unwilling spirits may attempt to fight the power of the Ouija board and may save versus spell as they would have saved just before they died, and willing spirits will not be able to find the Ouija board 10% of the time (-1% for every ten years dead).
The Ouija board is an oval slab of polished wood upon which are carved the numbers and letters of a writing system. In the first round this spell is cast, the carvings on the board will change to represent the letters and numbers of the writing system of the creature being called. Note that at least one of the wizards will need to be able to read that language in order to understand the spirits answers. Also on the board are the words "yes" and "no" for answering simple questions quickly. These are always in the same location, so a wizard asking a spirit yes-or-no questions need not be able to converse in that spirit's language. While both wizards hold opposite ends of a mithril triangle to the face of the board in which a hollow circle is inscribed, the spirit pushes the hollowed circle over the desired symbols.
If two or more necromancers use the Ouija board together, the wizard's level is treated as the sum of both. Otherwise, the co-caster is ignored, though this individual must still be a wizard.
Occasionally, the spirit may be yanked from the board by another, or may grow disinterested in the conversation. The chance that a spirit will "stay with it" for each minute of conversation is (10?level)% for the first minute minus a cumulative 10% for each additional minute. Long dead creatures will be more difficult to contact and keep "on-line" once contacted.
Having a part of the skeleton of the creature being contacted or being at the place of death or main place of living or place of burial also helps somewhat (+50% for contact and staying).
As a final note, it should be remembered that the Ouija board is a powerful magical item linking the prime-material plane to the various spirit domains including the plane of the dead. Powerful spirits have been known to use such a board as an exit from their final places of rest.

