How many can you control with Animate dead?

How Many Can You Control with Animate Dead?

Direct Answer: Animate Dead allows you to control up to four undead creatures at a time. This includes skeletons and zombies. With higher spell slots, you can animate or reassert control over additional undead creatures.

Overview of Animate Dead

Animate Dead is a necromancy spell in the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons that allows you to animate corpses and control them as undead creatures. This spell is commonly used by necromancers and other spellcasters who specialize in summoning and controlling the dead.

Controlling Up to Four Undead

One of the most significant limitations of Animate Dead is the number of undead creatures you can control at any given time. The spell states that you can control up to four skeletons or zombies, regardless of their HD (hit dice) or CR (challenge rating). This means that even if you have the ability to animate multiple skeletons or zombies, you can only control a maximum of four at a time.

Higher Spell Slots = More Control

However, when you cast Animate Dead using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, you gain the ability to animate or reassert control over additional undead creatures. For every spell slot level above 3rd, you can animate or reassert control over two additional undead creatures. This means that if you cast the spell with a 5th level spell slot, you could control up to six undead creatures.

Example

Here’s an example to illustrate how this works:

  • You cast Animate Dead using a 3rd level spell slot and animate three skeletons.
  • Later, you cast Animate Dead again using a 4th level spell slot and animate two more skeletons.
  • In total, you now control five undead creatures: the three skeletons animated with the 3rd level spell slot and the two skeletons animated with the 4th level spell slot.

Controlling Undead Over Time

Another important consideration when using Animate Dead is that the undead creatures you animate will eventually disintegrate after 1 minute of inactivity. This means that if you stop controlling the undead for 1 minute or more, they will cease to exist. To avoid this, you’ll need to reanimate the undead using the spell or use a different method to maintain control over them.

Comparison to Other Spells

Compare Animate Dead to other spells that allow you to control undead creatures, such as Create Undead. Create Undead allows you to create multiple undead creatures at once, but you can only control them for a short duration (1 minute). In contrast, Animate Dead allows you to control multiple undead creatures at once, but you can only do so for a short duration (1 minute) as well.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Animate Dead allows you to control up to four undead creatures at a time, but you can animate or reassert control over additional undead creatures using higher spell slots. It’s essential to understand the limitations of the spell, including the time it takes for the undead creatures to disintegrate, to effectively use this spell in your campaign.

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