[RPG] What level of bodily damage can the Raise Dead spell repair

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I have a bit of confusion about the Raise Dead spell. It states that it can raise a creature from the dead, but cannot do so if major organs needed for life are missing (such as a head).

Killing anyone though will likely severely damage or destroy major organs. Jabbing a sword through someone's heart will leave it in little pieces. Can that heart reform itself if Raise Dead is cast? What if an enemy purposefully grinds it up as best as possible in the chest so nothing is really left except fragments? What if they remove the main heart muscle?

Also, with the head issue – what if someone is beheaded, but the head is held onto the body and the spell is cast? How about if someone is cut in half lengthwise by a nasty trap and then held back together? I'm sure that'd do major organ damage, but if both halves were available?

Some of these particular situations may be arising soon, as you might guess. Best if I know ahead of time what my PCs can fix.

Best Answer

Take a look at the full detail of what it actually says (my emphasis):

This spell closes all mortal wounds, but it doesn’t restore missing body parts. If the creature is lacking body parts or organs integral for its survival—its head, for instance—the spell automatically fails.

It doesn't matter if the organs are shattered, splattered or ground to mincemeat - if they are there the spell works, if they are missing or lacking then it doesn't. For your specific example, a decapitated creature can be raised so long as both the head and body are present (how close together you can leave as a DM's call).

Compare this with Resurrection:

This spell closes all mortal wounds and restores any missing body parts.

You can Resurrect a creature from en eyelash.

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