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Animate Dead D&D 2014

Revised in 2024 The D&D 2024 version differs. Read the D&D 2024 version.

Level
3rd
School
Necromancy
Casting time
1min
Range
10 ft
Components
V/S/M (a drop of blood, a piece of flesh, and a pinch of bone dust)
Material
a drop of blood, a piece of flesh, and a pinch of bone dust
Duration
Instantaneous
Classes
Cleric, Wizard

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 GM 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.

RollQuest summary At Higher Levels. When cast with a slot of 4th level or higher, animate or reassert control over two additional undead for each slot level above 3rd.

SRD 5.1, pp.115–116 · CC BY 4.0

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Licence and attribution

This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 ("SRD 5.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. RollQuest has adapted this material: it is reorganised into rules data, and some entries are reworded, abridged or corrected.

This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 ("SRD 5.2.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at https://www.dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. RollQuest has adapted this material: it is reorganised into rules data, and some entries are reworded, abridged or corrected.

Dungeons & Dragons and D&D are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC. RollQuest is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast. Both notices are also on the SRD licences page.