Corpse Whisper

This spell enables the caster to transmit a message to an undead creature. The message forms silently in the mind of the corpse in the natural voice of the caster. The caster does not need to be within line of sight of the undead creature, if it is one he currently controls. The caster is not privy to the mind or thoughts of the undead creature.

The undead recipient is forced to obey only if it is not a self-willed undead (zombies and skeletons) and not under the current control of the caster. Self-willed undead can do as they please, but fear of their master may be enough to spur them into immediate obedience.

The spell establishes a link with the undead creature that enables up to half as many one-round, one-sentence messages to be sent as the caster has levels, rounded down. For example, a 9th level caster could send four messages to an undead creature that received this spell, each message requiring a single round to send and consisting of a single sentence. Even if no commands are sent, the spell wears off after a day.

Although the creature must be within 40 feet of the necromancer when the spell is cast, after that the creature can travel up to a mile away and still receive commands. As you might expect, the spell will not function if the caster and undead minion are in different domains and the borders of either domain (or any intervening domain) are closed.

The material component of this spell is the tongue of a dead man. Casting this spell requires a Ravenloft powers check.