Create Undead
Level 6 · Necromancy
- Summon
Listed under necromancy, Create Undead costs a 6th-level slot for cleric, warlock, and wizard casters. Cast time: 1 Minute. Range 10 feet, components V/S/M, duration instantaneous. Material: one 150+ GP black onyx stone for each corpse. Effect: You can cast this spell only at night. At higher levels: If you use a level 7 spell slot, you can animate or reassert control over four Ghouls. If you use a level 8 spell slot, you can animate or reassert control over five Ghouls or two…
Stat Block
- Level
- 6
- School
- Necromancy
- Casting Time
- 1 Minute
- Range / Area
- 10 feet
- Components
- V, S, M
- Duration
- Instantaneous
- Ritual
- No
- Concentration
- No
- Classes
- Cleric, Warlock, Wizard
- Material
- one 150+ GP black onyx stone for each corpse
Description
You can cast this spell only at night. Choose up to three corpses of Medium or Small Humanoids within range. Each one becomes a Ghoul under your control. As a Bonus Action on each of your turns, you can mentally command any creature you animated with this spell if the creature is within 120 feet of you (if you control multiple creatures, you can command any of them at the same time, issuing the same command to them). 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 particular place. 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 the order 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 before the current 24-hour period ends. This use of the spell reasserts your control over up to three creatures you have animated with this spell rather than animating new ones.
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. The Necromancy school is the right home for Create Undead thanks to the spell works on the boundary between life and death — draining, raising, or extending vitality. Spells of Create Undead's level usually shape an entire encounter, not a single round.
Class Fit
- Cleric: Channel Divinity is the Cleric's Bonus-Action competitor; pair Create Undead with Channel Divinity only if both fit the same turn. 10 feet is enough range that Create Undead doesn't pull the caster forward.
- Warlock: Pact Magic casts every spell at the highest slot the Warlock has available. Create Undead upcasts automatically. Create Undead reaches 10 feet, which lets the caster stay clear of the front line.
- Wizard: Wizards add Create Undead to the spellbook once and prepare it on the days that warrant it — a different decision from the class's known-spell competitors. At higher spell-slot levels Create Undead grows — refer to the upcast clause for the exact terms.
Related Spells
Frequently Asked Questions about Create Undead
- What level spell is Create Undead?
- The spell Create Undead is a level 6 spell in the Necromancy school. Cleric, Warlock, Wizard all have access to it.
- What is the range of Create Undead?
- Create Undead can target a point or creature within 10 feet of the caster.
- What components and casting time does Create Undead need?
- For Create Undead: Create Undead is cast with V, S, M; on top of that, Material component: one 150+ GP black onyx stone for each corpse; the casting time is 1 minute (not a standard Action).
- Can Create Undead be upcast?
- Upcasting Create Undead works as follows: If you use a level 7 spell slot, you can animate or reassert control over four Ghouls. If you use a level 8 spell slot, you can animate or reassert control over five Ghouls or two Ghasts or Wights. If you use a level 9 spell slot, you can animate or reassert contro.