[Jgotty777]

Sorry if this isn't the correct place to put this. If it's not I can delete it or can move it to the correct forum.

So I was playing the PC shadowrun games recently and saw that shamans had the ability to speak with the dead for a little while. Not only that but there are random piles of bone that shamans can use to summon spirits.

Is this possible in the tabletop game? I'm writing my first campaign for 6th now and the entire premise was about a serial murder case where the spirits can't see the face of the one that killed them. This of course goes under the assumption that speaking to the dead is possible like in the video games.

Honestly I was still probably going to do it even if it isn't canon, but I was more curious if it's a thing at all.

[Giabralter]

Not currently in 6th edition (Since only core rules have been published), but previous edition has similar ideas with Necromancy, Creating zombies, Psycometry, etc.

[KatoHearts]

There's nothing that's going to let you speak with the dead outside of gm fiat. There are spirits that act or believe themselves to be deceased but any form of "raised dead" are either spirits ((Shedim)), a body enchanted to move ((Homunculus)), or just a living person that's been enchanted ((Zombie)). Even the necromantic magics are more focused on magical forensics rather than raising the dead.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

Even in prior editions, there's always doubt as to whether you're really talking to the soul of a departed or just some spirit messing with you and pretending to be a formerly living person.

[Giabralter]

Even in prior editions, there's always doubt as to whether you're really talking to the soul of a departed or just some spirit messing with you and pretending to be a formerly living person.

Yep.
A couple of extra notes. I believe in the Tir, evidence from a "deceased" spirit is admissible. And spirits inhabiting the bones of the deceased often take on traits/habits of the dead, which leads into the debate.

[GuardDuty]

There were, way back, shamans that could summon ancestor spirits (pretty much what you're talking about) instead of spirits of man.  It was never proven if the spirit was the person they seemed to be, but they were very convincing.  It required three fetishes appropriate to the particular person you wished to commune with, and at least one relative present (including the shaman).

[Reaver]

In SR since the beginning, there have been three unspoken "hard" rules for magic:

No raising the dead,
No teleportation,
No seeing the absolute future.

Now, LORE WISE - things have happened, that seem to break these rules... but, when explained in game, actually don't.


In the PC game, I believe the shaman is actually talking to a Hearth Spirit, and not the actual person's raised spirit. (THIS, is a topic unto its self!)
Spirits. especially Spirits that favor an area, Know things that they shouldn't.. which makes them great for info, (Again, another topic for an other post).
So the Shaman, was just basically tapping into a spirit "contact" for some info on what happened.. but thanks to Spirits, and Magic.. its not as straight forward..
(If I remember right, SR Returns is not set int he 4e timeline...)