[RPG] Can the True Resurrection spell resurrect a creature that was originally created by True Polymorph from an object

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If you true polymorph an object into a creature, and concentrate until the effect is indefinite, does the pseudo-creature become a valid target for true resurrection?

As I understand, it would be a complicated living, breathing, thinking, construct, until the spell maintaining it expires, but true resurrection is able to create/renew the body of a creature, that a willing soul can return to.

Basically:

  1. True Polymorph an object into a (sentient/sapient?) creature.
  2. Creature is named
  3. Creature is destroyed prior to becoming permanent by disintegration, leaving no remains to know it reverted back to an object.
  4. Someone attempts true resurrection, not knowing about the true polymorph, or maybe being super-optimistic. What would the end result be? Nothing? A comatose/soulless body? Pinnochio becomes a real boy?

As true resurrection makes specific mention of the creature's soul, what happens?

Best Answer

Given that you specifically said it's killed before becoming permanent, it depends on if you're using the original Rules as Intended or if you're going with the optional rule from Xanathar's Guide to Everything.

According to this QA if you cast a spell without a valid target (which the True Polymorphed object would be in this case) then the spell slot is not consumed and nothing happens. To summarize Jeremy Crawford's statements in the Sage Advice segment one of the Dragon Talk podcasts here (specifically at about 13:12 for ~7.5 minutes), "illegal targeting" is a gap in the written rules (as of the date of the podcast) and it's mostly open to DMs to choose how to handle it.

  • That said, there is an intent for how it should be handled, which is that the casting should still take up the casting time but the spell will not occur and not consume a spell slot. The flavor reason for this is he views spells as essentially trying to make a magical connection between the caster and target. When that connection is established, the energy of the spell is consumed in producing the spell's effect, but if the target isn't one the spell can make a connection to, nothing happens and that energy isn't expended.

The optional rules in Xanathar's state that you DO in fact use the spell slot.

Invalid Spell Targets

A spell specifies what a caster can target with it: any type of creature, a creature of a certain type (humanoid or beast, for instance), an object, an area, the caster, or something else. But what happens if a spell targets something that isn’t a valid target? For example, someone might cast charm person on a creature believed to be a humanoid, not knowing that the target is in fact a vampire. If this issue comes up, handle it using the following rule.

If you cast a spell on someone or something that can’t be affected by the spell, nothing happens to that target, but if you used a spell slot to cast the spell, the slot is still expended. If the spell normally has no effect on a target that succeeds on a saving throw, the invalid target appears to have succeeded on its saving throw, even though it didn’t attempt one (giving no hint that the creature is in fact an invalid target). Otherwise, you perceive that the spell did nothing to the target.

We know that the creature would revert to an object when it reaches 0 HP as True Polymorph specifically states

The transformation lasts for the duration, or until the target drops to 0 hit points or dies.

To illustrate with an order of events:

  1. I cast TP on my couch and make it a goblin. I name it Greg.
  2. Greg immediately runs away
  3. Some 30 minutes later I'm still concentrating on the spell because I want to make it permanent.
  4. Around that time the Greg gets in a fight and gets Disintegrated
  5. My cleric friend comes along and watches him get disintegrated

  6. She kills whatever killed him and then, being overly optimistic, casts TR and given lack of a body says his name

    Here's where it gets tricky. One of two things happens but more or less share the same end result of the couch-goblin not being resurrected.

    Either A you go by the original RAI and spend an hour casting the spell and she says Greg and then nothing happens.

    Or B you go with Xanathar's rule which results in you spending an hour casting the spell, you say Greg at the end and you expend the slot (and I assume the 25k gold worth of diamonds and holy water).

Whichever of the above happens, Greg died and turned back into an object the second his HP hit 0 making him not a valid target.

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