Animate Dead

3rd-Level Necromancy
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 10 feet
Components: VSM (a drop of blood, a piece of flesh, and a pinch of bone dust)
Duration: Instantaneous

This spell creates an undead servant. Choose the remains of a dead creature within range. This spell animates that creature as an undead creature under your control. The creature are most often skeletons, zombies, or but other corporeal undead can be raised by this spell according to situation or the remains being used. The creatures cannot be incorporeal, and must have an Intelligence of 6 or less.
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 set of remains.
You may choose to animate a greater minion, with this spell. To do so, simply "spend" the lesser minions that would be summoned to instead create a greater minion.
The number of equivalent minions is listed on the table below. To assert control over a greater minion, one must reassert control over it as if you were reasserting control over a number of minions equal to the cost of animating the greater minion
Table: Undead Minion Conversion
Greater Minion CRAnimate Dead CR 1/4th MinionsCreate Undead CR 1 Minions
1/41
1/22
131
262
383
4104
5125
6146
7167
8188
9209

Source: PHB 212, SRD

Changelog