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Animate Dead

Necromancy
Level: 3rd-level
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 10 feet
Duration: Instantaneous
Components: V, S, M
Materials: A drop of blood, a piece of flesh, and a pinch of bone dust.

This spell creates an undead servant. Choose a pile of bones or a corpse of a Medium or Small humanoid within range. Your spell imbues the target with a foul mimicry of life, raising it as an undead creature. The target becomes a skeleton if you chose bones or a zombie if you chose a corpse (the DM has the creature's game statistics).

On each of your turns, you can use a bonus action to mentally command any creature you made with this spell if the creature is within 60 feet of you (if you control multiple creatures, you can command any or all of them at the same time, issuing the same command to each one). You decide what action the creature will take and where it will move during its next turn, or you can issue a general command, such as to guard a particular chamber or corridor. If you issue no commands, the creature only defends itself against hostile creatures. Once given an order, the creature continues to follow it until its task is complete.

The creature is under your control for 24 hours, after which it stops obeying any command you've given it. To maintain control of the creature for another 24 hours, you must cast this spell on the creature again before the current 24-hour period ends. This use of the spell reasserts your control over up to four creatures you have animated with this spell, rather than animating a new one.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, you animate or reassert control over two additional undead creatures for each slot level above 3rd. Each of the creatures must come from a different corpse or pile of bones.

Spell Details

School: Necromancy
Level: 3
Ritual: No
Concentration: No
Classes: Cleric, Wizard
B-Tier Animate Dead is a strong utility and action economy spell that scales well with character level, but requires corpses/bones and concentration, limiting its flexibility in active combat.

Player Guide

Use Animate Dead outside of combat when you have time to prepare, as it requires an action and concentration that could be better spent in active engagements. Build a small army over multiple days by casting it repeatedly on different corpses, since you can control up to 4 undead creatures at once by 9th level (one per casting, max 4 total). Position your undead minions tactically before fights begin—skeletons and zombies make excellent cannon fodder to protect spellcasters and control battlefield space. Remember that undead serve as an excellent source of action economy and can be expended without consequence, letting you use them for dangerous tasks like triggering traps or drawing enemy attacks.

DM Tips

Track undead servants carefully—players can only control up to 4, and excess animated creatures become hostile to all. Clarify whether corpses remain available in your campaign world and establish clear rules for what counts as a valid corpse (fresh bodies, skeletal remains, etc.) to prevent abuse.