Animate Dead
Level 3 · Necromancy
- Summon
Listed under necromancy, Animate Dead costs a 3rd-level slot for cleric and wizard casters. Cast time: 1 Minute. Range 10 feet, components V/S/M, duration instantaneous. Material: a drop of blood, a piece of flesh, and a pinch of bone dust. Effect: Choose a pile of bones or a corpse of a Medium or Small Humanoid within range. At higher levels: You animate or reassert control over two additional Undead creatures for each spell slot level above 3. Each of the creatures must come from a different corpse or pile of bones.
Stat Block
- Level
- 3
- School
- Necromancy
- Casting Time
- 1 Minute
- Range / Area
- 10 feet
- Components
- V, S, M
- Duration
- Instantaneous
- Ritual
- No
- Concentration
- No
- Classes
- Cleric, Wizard
- Material
- a drop of blood, a piece of flesh, and a pinch of bone dust
Description
Choose a pile of bones or a corpse of a Medium or Small Humanoid within range. The target becomes an Undead creature: a Skeleton if you chose bones or a Zombie if you chose a corpse. On each of your turns, you can take 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 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 on its next turn, or you can issue a general command, such as to guard a chamber or corridor. If you issue no commands, the creature takes the Dodge action and moves only to avoid harm. 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 creature.
5e (2014) vs 2024 changes
This spell has both a 5e (2014) and 2024 Player's Handbook version. Doungim shows the current 2024 stat block above. Differences between editions typically affect components, range, or scaling — check both source books for the table.
Doungim Lore
School Fit
Necromancy is the most-stigmatised school in most settings, and the school every cleric of the right deity quietly knows. Animate Dead reads as Necromancy because the spell works on the boundary between life and death — draining, raising, or extending vitality. 3rd-level slots become common enough that Animate Dead can be cast in two or three encounters per long rest.
Class Fit
- Cleric: Clerics prepare Animate Dead from the full Cleric list each day; the question is not whether the class knows it but whether today is the day to prep it. Animate Dead has an at-higher-levels rule; the spell's per-slot scaling makes upcasting worthwhile in the right context.
- Wizard: Once Animate Dead is in the spellbook the cost is gold-and-ritual-time at acquisition; from then on the daily prep decision is free. The higher-level scaling on Animate Dead is described in the spell text; check it before upcasting.
Related Spells
Frequently Asked Questions about Animate Dead
- What level spell is Animate Dead?
- In D&D 5e, Animate Dead is classified as a level 3 spell of the Necromancy school. Available classes: Cleric, Wizard.
- What is the range of Animate Dead?
- Animate Dead has a range of 10 feet from the caster.
- What components and casting time does Animate Dead need?
- To cast: Animate Dead is cast with V, S, M. Additionally, Material component: a drop of blood, a piece of flesh, and a pinch of bone dust; the casting time is 1 minute (not a standard Action).
- Can Animate Dead be upcast?
- Yes — You animate or reassert control over two additional Undead creatures for each spell slot level above 3. Each of the creatures must come from a different corpse or pile of bones.