Spells
Notes from the Nails: those of you who follow me on GitP have probably seen some of these before. The rest of you are in for a treat! Here is a selection of low-level necromancy spells to get your shambling horde of unspeakable horrors off the ground, right from level 1!
Animate Body Part
1st-level necromancy
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 severed body part from a Medium or Small creature within range. Your spell imbues the target with a foul mimicry of life, raising it as an undead creature. The target becomes a zombified body part (the DM 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 2nd level or higher, you animate or reassert control over two additional undead body parts for each slot level above 1st. Each of the creatures must come from a different part of a corpse – for example, you cannot cut one long tentacle down to make multiple smaller tentacles.
Creeping Foot
Tiny undead, neutral evil
Armor Class 11
Hit Points 2 (1d4)
Speed 20 ft.
STR 14 (+2) DEX 13 (+1) CON 11 (+0) INT 5 (-3) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 4 (-3)
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhausted, poisoned
Senses blindsight 30 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 10
Languages understands Common but can’t speak
Challenge 0 (10 XP)
Turn Immunity. The foot is immune to effects that turn undead.
ACTIONS
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning damage.
Flapping Wing
Tiny undead, neutral evil
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 2 (1d4)
Speed 10 ft., fly 30 ft
STR 13 (+1) DEX 15 (+2) CON 11 (+0) INT 5 (-3) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 4 (-3)
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhausted, poisoned
Senses blindsight 30 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 10
Languages understands Common but can’t speak
Challenge 0 (10 XP)
Turn Immunity. The wing is immune to effects that turn undead.
ACTIONS
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) bludgeoning damage.
Rolling Head
Tiny undead, neutral evil
Armor Class 9
Hit Points 3 (1d4+1)
Speed 20 ft.
STR 14 (+2) DEX 9 (-1) CON 12 (+1) INT 7 (-2) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 6 (-2)
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhausted, poisoned, prone
Senses blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Common
Challenge 0 (10 XP)
Turn Immunity. The head is immune to effects that turn undead.
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) piercing damage.
Slithering Tentacle
Tiny undead, neutral evil
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 2 (1d4)
Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
STR 13 (+1) DEX 14 (+2) CON 11 (+0) INT 5 (-3) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 4 (-3)
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhausted, poisoned, prone
Senses blindsight 30 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 10
Languages understands Common but can’t speak
Challenge 0 (10 XP)
Turn Immunity. The tentacle is immune to effects that turn undead.
ACTIONS
Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 11). Until this grapple ends, the creature is restrained, and the tail/tentacle can’t constrict another target.
Devastate Undead
4th-level necromancy
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (one black onyx stone worth at least 50 gp)
Duration: Instantaneous
Target an undead creature that you control (such as by the create undead or dominate monster spells) and that you can see within range. That creature is instantly destroyed, leaving no remains, while you regain hit points equal to that creature’s remaining hit points at the time of its destruction.
Exhume
1st-level necromancy (ritual)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (a drop of blood)
Duration: Instantaneous
Choose an unoccupied 20-foot square within range – note that the area must have solid earth beneath it; this spell fails if cast on the upper floor of a building. This spell then causes one pile of humanoid bones to rise out of the ground within that square. If you cast this spell within a burial place such as a graveyard, mausoleum or barrow, 1d4 piles of bones are exhumed instead of 1. The ground itself is not changed or disturbed by this spell; the bones simply appear out of the ground.
Larloch’s Minor Drain
Necromancy cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: S
Duration: Instantaneous
You drain life energy from a creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d4 necrotic damage. You then gain temporary hit points equal to half the amount of damage dealt. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
This spell’s damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 5th level (2d4), 11th level (3d4), and 17th level (4d4).
Lesser Animate Dead
2nd-level necromancy
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 Small or Tiny beast, monstrosity, or plant 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 or a plant (the DM has the creature’s game statistics, which should represent an undead form of whatever creature was targeted).
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 3rd level or higher, you animate or reassert control over two additional undead creatures for each slot level above 2nd. Each of the creatures must come from a different corpse or pile of bones.
Undead Lieutenant
3rd-level necromancy
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S, M (a symbol of authority such as a badge, scepter, or flag)
Duration: 1 hour
You imbue one undead creature that you control with an enhanced sentience and, if required, the ability to speak one language of your choice, such that you can delegate some degree of command to it. When you cast this spell, you may explain an objective or set of objectives for the lieutenant to achieve. These may be as abstract and complex as you wish, and the spell’s power compels the target to understand your orders. You also designate up to 4 other undead creatures that you control. Those creatures then remain under the command of the lieutenant for the duration of the spell (even if your own control over them would expire within that time).
On each of its turns thereafter, the lieutenant can use a bonus action to mentally command any of its subordinates, as long as they are within 60 feet of it – it will use this ability whenever it can in pursuance of the objective(s) you set. It can command any or all of them at the same time, issuing the same command to each one. If it issues no commands (such as if it is incapacitated or out of range), the subordinates only defend themselves against hostile creatures. Once given an order, a creature continues to follow it until its task is complete.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the duration becomes 8 hours and when you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the duration becomes 24 hours.
