Animate Dead3rd-level Necromancy
A 3rd-level necromancy spell for clerics and wizards.
The card
Animate Dead
3rd-level Necromancy
Animate Dead
Components: V, S, M (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 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.
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Cleric · level 5 · pre-filled
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Related Spells
Same level, or same school.
Bestow Curse
A 3rd-level necromancy spell for bards, clerics and wizards. Requires concentration, up to 1 minute.
Read the spell →
Speak with Dead
A 3rd-level necromancy spell for bards and clerics.
Read the spell →
Vampiric Touch
A 3rd-level necromancy spell for warlocks and wizards. 3d6 necrotic damage.
Read the spell →Counsel
Animate Dead, Answered
What level spell is Animate Dead in 5e?
Animate Dead is a 3rd-level necromancy spell, so casting it costs a 3rd-level slot or higher.
What classes can cast Animate Dead?
Animate Dead appears on the cleric and wizard spell lists in the SRD. Subclasses that draw from the wizard list, such as the Arcane Trickster and Eldritch Knight, can also gain access.
Does Animate Dead require concentration?
No. Animate Dead does not require concentration, so it runs alongside any concentration spell you already have up. Duration: instantaneous.
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