Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 10 feet
Components: V, S, M (a drop of blood, a piece of flesh, and a pinch of bone dust)
Duration: Instantaneous
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.
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 corpse or pile of bones.