Animate Dead

Animate Dead

3rd-rank - Wizard Spell: Necromancy Priest Spell: Death

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

Auditory Sensory Effects: Moderate

Visual Sensory Effects: Medium

Olfactory Sensory Effects: None

Casting Perception Mod +4

Effect Perception Mod +5

This spell creates an undead servant. Choose a pile of bones or a corpse of a Medium or Small Humanoid within range. The target is surrounded by a hissing purple aura, which imbues it 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.
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 use the control undead priest ability or 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 ranks: When you cast this spell as a spell of 4th rank or higher, you animate or reassert control over two additional undead creatures for each rank above 3rd. Each of the creatures must come from a different corpse or pile of bones.