Necromancy spells
Gwenaël/DM Notes/Spellcasting/Schools of Magic/Schools of Magic
Necromancy spells manipulate the energies of life and death. Such spells can grant an extra reserve of life force, drain the life energy from another creature, create the undead, or even bring the dead back to life.
Creating the undead through the use of necromancy spells such as animate dead is not a good act, and only evil casters use such spells frequently.
Cantrips
Chill Touch
_Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 round
Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
You create a ghostly, skeletal hand in the space of a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the creature to assail it with the chill of the grave. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 necrotic damage, and it can’t regain hit points until the start of your next turn. Until then, the hand clings to the target.
If you hit an undead target, it also has disadvantage on attack rolls against you until the end of your next turn.
This spell’s damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).
Spare the Dying
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Cleric, Artificier
You touch a living creature that has 0 hit points. The creature becomes stable. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
Toll the Dead (XGtE)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Cleric, Warlock, Wizard
You point at one creature you can see within range, and the sound of a dolorous bell fills the air around it for a moment. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d8 necrotic damage. If the target is missing any of its hit points, it instead takes 1d12 necrotic damage.
The spell's damage increases by one die when you reach 5th level (2d8 or 2d12), 11th level (3d8 or 3d12), and 17th level (4d8 or 4d12).
First Level
Cause Fear (XGtE)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Classes: Warlock, Wizard
You awaken the sense of mortality in one creature you can see within range. A construct or an undead is immune to this effect. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you until the spell ends. The frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 1st. The creatures must be within 30 feet of each other when you target them.
False Life
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (a small amount of alcohol or distilled spirits)
Duration: 1 hour
Classes: Sorcerer, Wizard, Artificier, Cleric(Death, Grave, Domain, shadow Domain), Druid(Circle of Shadows), Warlock(The Undying & Undead)
Bolstering yourself with a necromantic facsimile of life, you gain 1d4 + 4 temporary hit points for the duration.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you gain 5 additional temporary hit points for each slot level above 1st.
Inflict Wounds
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Cleric, Paladin(Oathbreaker), Warlock(Mother of Sorrows), Paladin(Oath of Castigation), Sorcerer(Crimson Dynasty)
Make a melee spell attack against a creature you can reach. On a hit, the target takes 3d10 necrotic damage.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 1st.
Ray of Sickness
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Sorcerer, Wizard, Cleric(Death Domain), Warlock(The Undying), Artificier(Alchemist)
A ray of sickening greenish energy lashes out toward a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 2d8 poison damage and must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it is also poisoned until the end of your next turn.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1st.
Second Level
Blindness/Deafness
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V
Duration: 1 minute
Classes: Bard, Cleric(Death & Shadow Domain), Sorcerer, Wizard, Druid(Circle of Spores), Warlock(The Fiend, Undying, Undead, & Horned King)
You can blind or deafen a foe. Choose one creature that you can see within range to make a Constitution saving throw. If it fails, the target is either blinded or deafened (your choice) for the duration. At the end of each of its turns, the target can make a Constitution saving throw. On a success, the spell ends.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 2nd.
Gentle Repose
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a pinch of salt and one copper piece placed on each of the corpse’s eyes, which must remain there for the duration)
Duration: 10 days
Classes: Wizard, Cleric(Grave Domain), Druid(Circle of Spores)
You touch a corpse or other remains. For the duration, the target is protected from decay and can’t become undead.
The spell also effectively extends the time limit on raising the target from the dead, since days spent under the influence of this spell don’t count against the time limit of spells such as raise dead.
Ray of Enfeeblement
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Classes: Warlock, Wizard, Cleric(Death, Grave, & Blood Domain)
A black beam of enervating energy springs from your finger toward a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target deals only half damage with weapon attacks that use Strength until the spell ends.
At the end of each of the target’s turns, it can make a Constitution saving throw against the spell. On a success, the spell ends.
Third Level
Animate Dead
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
Classes: Cleric(Death Domain), Wizard, Druid(Circle of Spores), Paladin(Oathbreaker)
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 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 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.
Feign Death
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a pinch of graveyard dirt)
Duration: 1 hour
Classes: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Wizard, Warlock(The Undying)
You touch a willing creature and put it into a cataleptic state that is indistinguishable from death.
For the spell’s duration, or until you use an action to touch the target and dismiss the spell, the target appears dead to all outward inspection and to spells used to determine the target’s status. The target is blinded and incapacitated, and its speed drops to 0. The target has resistance to all damage except psychic damage. If the target is diseased or poisoned when you cast the spell, or becomes diseased or poisoned while under the spell’s effect, the disease and poison have no effect until the spell ends.
Bestow Curse
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Classes: Bard, Cleric, Wizard, Paladin(Oathbreaker & Oath of Conquest), Druid(Circle of Wicker), Warlock(The Horned King)
You touch a creature, and that creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become cursed for the duration of the spell. When you cast this spell, choose the nature of the curse from the following options:
- Choose one ability score. While cursed, the target has disadvantage on ability checks and saving throws made with that ability score.
- While cursed, the target has disadvantage on attack rolls against you.
- While cursed, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw at the start of each of its turns. If it fails, it wastes its action that turn doing nothing.
- While the target is cursed, your attacks and spells deal an extra 1d8 necrotic damage to the target.
A remove curse spell ends this effect. At the DM’s option, you may choose an alternative curse effect, but it should be no more powerful than those described above. The DM has final say on such a curse’s effect.
At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the duration is concentration, up to 10 minutes. If you use a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the duration is 8 hours. If you use a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the duration is 24 hours. If you use a 9th level spell slot, the spell lasts until it is dispelled. Using a spell slot of 5th level or higher grants a duration that doesn’t require concentration.
Life Transference (XGtE)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Cleric, Wizard
You sacrifice some of your health to mend another creature's injuries. You take 4d8 necrotic damage, which can't be reduced in any way, and one creature of your choice that you can see within range regains a number of hit points equal to twice the necrotic damage you take.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 3rd.
Revivify
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (diamonds worth 300 gp, which the spell consumes)
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Cleric(Life, Grave Domain), paladin, Artificier, Druid(Circle of Wildfire), Warlock(The Celestial)
You touch a creature that has died within the last minute. That creature returns to life with 1 hit point. This spell can’t return to life a creature that has died of old age, nor can it restore any missing body parts.
Speak with Dead
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 10 feet
Components: V, S, M (burning incense)
Duration: 10 minutes
Classes: Bard, Cleric(Knowledge), Warlock(The Undying & Undead), Paladin(Oath of Castigation)
You grant the semblance of life and intelligence to a corpse of your choice within range, allowing it to answer the questions you pose. The corpse must still have a mouth and can’t be undead. The spell fails if the corpse was the target of this spell within the last 10 days.
Until the spell ends, you can ask the corpse up to five questions. The corpse knows only what it knew in life, including the languages it knew. Answers are usually brief, cryptic, or repetitive, and the corpse is under no compulsion to offer a truthful answer if you are hostile to it or it recognizes you as an enemy. This spell doesn’t return the creature’s soul to its body, only its animating spirit. Thus, the corpse can’t learn new information, doesn’t comprehend anything that has happened since it died, and can’t speculate about future events.
Spirit Shroud (TCoE)
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Classes: Cleric, paladin, Warlock, Wizard
You call forth spirits of the dead, which flit around you for the spell’s duration. The spirits are intangible and invulnerable.
Until the spell ends, any attack you make deals 1d8 extra damage when you hit a creature within 10 feet of you. This damage is radiant, necrotic, or cold (your choice when you cast the spell). Any creature that takes this damage can’t regain hit points until the start of your next turn.
In addition, any creature of your choice that you can see that starts its turn within 10 feet of you has its speed reduced by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for every two slot levels above 3rd.
Summon Undead (TCoE)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 90 feet
Components: V, S, M (a gilded skull worth at least 300 gp)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
You call forth an Undead Spirit. It manifests in an unoccupied space that you can see within range. When you cast the spell, choose the creature’s form: Ghostly, Putrid, or Skeletal. The spirit resembles an undead creature with the chosen form, which determines certain traits in its stat block. The creature disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends.
The creature is an ally to you and your companions. In combat, the creature shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It obeys your verbal commands (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any, it takes the Dodge action and uses its move to avoid danger.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, use the higher level wherever the spell’s level appears in the stat block.
Vampiric Touch
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Classes: Warlock, Wizard, Cleric(Death & Grave Domain), Sorcerer(Crimson Dynasty)
The touch of your shadow-wreathed hand can siphon life force from others to heal your wounds. Make a melee spell attack against a creature within your reach. On a hit, the target takes 3d6 necrotic damage, and you regain hit points equal to half the amount of necrotic damage dealt. Until the spell ends, you can make the attack again on each of your turns as an action.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 3rd.
Fourth Level
Blight
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard, Cleric(Death, Grave, Blood, & Festus Domain), Druid(Circle of Spores), Paladin(Oathbreaker), Artificier(Alchemist)
Necromantic energy washes over a creature of your choice that you can see within range, draining moisture and vitality from it. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. The target takes 8d8 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
If you target a plant creature or a magical plant, it makes the saving throw with disadvantage, and the spell deals maximum damage to it.
If you target a nonmagical plant that isn’t a creature, such as a tree or shrub, it doesn’t make a saving throw; it simply withers and dies.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 4th.
Shadow of Moil (XGtE)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (an undead eyeball encased in a gem worth at least 150 gp)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Classes: Warlock
Flame-like shadows wreathe your body until the spell ends, causing you to become heavily obscured to others. The shadows turn dim light within 10 feet of you into darkness, and bright light in the same area to dim light.
Until the spell ends, you have resistance to radiant damage. In addition, whenever a creature within 10 feet of you hits you with an attack, the shadows lash out at that creature, dealing it 2d8 necrotic damage.
Fifth level
Contagion
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Component: V, S
Duration: 7 days
Classes: Cleric, Druid, Cleric(Festus Domain), Druid(Circle of Spores), Paladin(Oathbreaker), Warlock(The Undying, Mother of Sorrows, Predator, & Parasite)
Your touch inflicts disease. Make a melee spell attack against a creature within your reach. On a hit, the target is poisoned.
At the end of each of the poisoned target’s turns, the target must make a Constitution saving throw. If the target succeeds on three of these saves, it is no longer poisoned, and the spell ends. If the target fails three of these saves, the target is no longer poisoned, but choose one of the diseases below. The target is subjected to the chosen disease for the spell’s duration.
Since this spell induces a natural disease in its target, any effect that removes a disease or otherwise ameliorates a disease’s effects apply to it.
Blinding Sickness. Pain grips the creature’s mind, and its eyes turn milky white. The creature has disadvantage on Wisdom checks and Wisdom saving throws and is blinded.
Filth Fever. A raging fever sweeps through the creature’s body. The creature has disadvantage on Strength checks, Strength saving throws, and attack rolls that use Strength.
Flesh Rot. The creature’s flesh decays. The creature has disadvantage on Charisma checks and vulnerability to all damage.
Mindfire. The creature’s mind becomes feverish. The creature has disadvantage on Intelligence checks and Intelligence saving throws, and the creature behaves as if under the effects of the confusion spell during combat.
Seizure. The creature is overcome with shaking. The creature has disadvantage on Dexterity checks, Dexterity saving throws, and attack rolls that use Dexterity.
Slimy Doom. The creature begins to bleed uncontrollably. The creature has disadvantage on Constitution checks and Constitution saving throws. In addition, whenever the creature takes damage, it is stunned until the end of its next turn.
Danse Macabre (XGtE)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
Classes: Warlock, Wizard
Threads of dark power leap from your fingers to pierce up to five Small or Medium corpses you can see within range. Each corpse immediately stands up and becomes undead. You decide whether it is a zombie or a skeleton (the statistics for zombies and skeletons are in the Monster Manual), and it gains a bonus to its attack and damage rolls equal to your spellcasting ability modifier.
You can use a bonus action to mentally command the creatures you make with this spell, issuing the same command to all of them. To receive the command, a creature must be within 60 feet of you. You decide what action the creatures will take and where they will move during their next turn, or you can issue a general command, such as to guard a chamber or passageway against your foes. If you issue no commands, the creatures do nothing except defend themselves against hostile creatures. Once given an order, the creatures continue to follow it until their task is complete.
The creatures are under your control until the spell ends, after which they become inanimate once more.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, you animate up to two additional corpses for each slot level above 5th.
Enervation (XGtE)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
A tendril of inky darkness reaches out from you, touching a creature you can see within range to drain life from it. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a successful save, the target takes 2d8 necrotic damage, and the spell ends. On a failed save, the target takes 4d8 necrotic damage, and until the spell ends, you can use your action on each of your turns to automatically deal 4d8 necrotic damage to the target. The spell ends if you use your action to do anything else, if the target is ever outside the spell’s range, or if the target has total cover from you.
Whenever the spell deals damage to a target, you regain hit points equal to half the amount of necrotic damage the target takes.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 5th.
Negative Energy Flood (XGtE)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, M (a broken bone and a square of black silk)
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Warlock, Wizard
You send ribbons of negative energy at one creature you can see within range. Unless the target is undead, it must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 5d12 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A target killed by this damage rises up as a zombie at the start of your next turn. The zombie pursues whatever creature it can see that is closest to it. Statistics for the zombie are in the Monster Manual.
If you target an undead with this spell, the target doesn't make a saving throw. Instead, roll 5d12. The target gains half the total as temporary hit points.
Raise Dead
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a diamond worth at least 500 gp, which the spell consumes)
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Bard, Cleric(Life & Grave Domain), Paladin, Artificier(Alchemist)
You return a dead creature you touch to life, provided that it has been dead no longer than 10 days. If the creature’s soul is both willing and at liberty to rejoin the body, the creature returns to life with 1 hit point.
This spell also neutralizes any poisons and cures nonmagical diseases that affected the creature at the time it died. This spell doesn’t, however, remove magical diseases, curses, or similar effects; if these aren’t first removed prior to casting the spell, they take effect when the creature returns to life. The spell can’t return an undead creature to life.
This spell closes all mortal wounds, but it doesn’t restore missing body parts. If the creature is lacking body parts or organs integral for its survival—its head, for instance—the spell automatically fails.
Coming back from the dead is an ordeal. The target takes a -4 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks. Every time the target finishes a long rest, the penalty is reduced by 1 until it disappears.
Sixth level
Circle of Death
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 150 feet
Components: V, S, M (the powder of a crushed black pearl worth at least 500 gp)
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
A sphere of negative energy ripples out in a 60-foot-radius sphere from a point within range. Each creature in that area must make a Constitution saving throw. A target takes 8d6 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the damage increases by 2d6 for each slot level above 6th.
Create Undead
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 10 feet
Components: V, S, M (one clay pot filled with grave dirt, one clay pot filled with brackish water, and one 150 gp black onyx stone for each corpse)
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Cleric, Warlock, Wizard
You can cast this spell only at night. Choose up to three corpses of Medium or Small humanoids within range. Each corpse becomes a (CR 1) Ghoul under your control. (The DM has game statistics for these creatures.)
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 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 have 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.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a 7th-level spell slot, you can animate or reassert control over four ghouls. When you cast this spell using an 8th-level spell slot, you can animate or reassert control over five ghouls or two (CR 2) Ghasts or wights. When you cast this spell using a 9th-level spell slot, you can animate or reassert control over six ghouls, three ghasts or wights, or two mummies.
Eyebite
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Classes: Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
For the spell’s duration, your eyes become an inky void imbued with dread power. One creature of your choice within 60 feet of you that you can see must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be affected by one of the following effects of your choice for the duration. On each of your turns until the spell ends, you can use your action to target another creature but can’t target a creature again if it has succeeded on a saving throw against this casting of eyebite.
Asleep. The target falls unconscious. It wakes up if it takes any damage or if another creature uses its action to shake the sleeper awake.
Panicked. The target is frightened of you. On each of its turns, the frightened creature must take the Dash action and move away from you by the safest and shortest available route, unless there is nowhere to move. If the target moves to a place at least 60 feet away from you where it can no longer see you, this effect ends.
Sickened. The target has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. At the end of each of its turns, it can make another Wisdom saving throw. If it succeeds, the effect ends.
Harm
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Cleric
You unleash a virulent disease on a creature that you can see within range. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 14d6 necrotic damage, or half as much damage on a successful save. The damage can’t reduce the target’s hit points below 1. If the target fails the saving throw, its hit point maximum is reduced for 1 hour by an amount equal to the necrotic damage it took. Any effect that removes a disease allows a creature’s hit point maximum to return to normal before that time passes.
Magic Jar
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (a gem, crystal, reliquary, or some other ornamental container worth at least 500 gp)
Duration: Until dispelled
Classes: Wizard
Your body falls into a catatonic state as your soul leaves it and enters the container you used for the spell’s material component. While your soul inhabits the container, you are aware of your surroundings as if you were in the container’s space. You can’t move or use reactions. The only action you can take is to project your soul up to 100 feet out of the container, either returning to your living body (and ending the spell) or attempting to possess a humanoids body.
You can attempt to possess any humanoid within 100 feet of you that you can see (creatures warded by a protection from evil and good or magic circle spell can’t be possessed). The target must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, your soul moves into the target’s body, and the target’s soul becomes trapped in the container. On a success, the target resists your efforts to possess it, and you can’t attempt to possess it again for 24 hours.
Once you possess a creature’s body, you control it. Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the creature, though you retain your alignment and your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You retain the benefit of your own class features. If the target has any class levels, you can’t use any of its class features.
Meanwhile, the possessed creature’s soul can perceive from the container using its own senses, but it can’t move or take actions at all.
While possessing a body, you can use your action to return from the host body to the container if it is within 100 feet of you, returning the host creature’s soul to its body. If the host body dies while you’re in it, the creature dies, and you must make a Charisma saving throw against your own spellcasting DC. On a success, you return to the container if it is within 100 feet of you. Otherwise, you die.
If the container is destroyed or the spell ends, your soul immediately returns to your body. If your body is more than 100 feet away from you or if your body is dead when you attempt to return to it, you die. If another creature’s soul is in the container when it is destroyed, the creature’s soul returns to its body if the body is alive and within 100 feet. Otherwise, that creature dies.
When the spell ends, the container is destroyed.
Soul Cage (XGtE)
Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when a humanoid you can see within 60 feet of you dies
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (a tiny silver cage worth 100 gp)
Duration: 8 hours
Classes: Warlock, Wizard
This spell snatches the soul of a humanoid as it dies and traps it inside the tiny cage you use for the material component. A stolen soul remains inside the cage until the spell ends or until you destroy the cage, which ends the spell. While you have a soul inside the cage, you can exploit it in any of the ways described below. You can use a trapped soul up to six times. Once you exploit a soul for the sixth time, it is released, and the spell ends. While a soul is trapped, the dead humanoid it came from can't be revived.
Steal Life: You can use a bonus action to drain vigor from the soul and regain 2d8 hit points.
Query Soul: You ask the soul a question (no action required) and receive a brief telepathic answer, which you can understand regardless of the language used. The soul knows only what it knew in life, but it must answer you truthfully and to the best of its ability. The answer is no more than a sentence or two and might be cryptic.
Borrow Experience: You can use a bonus action to bolster yourself with the soul's life experience, making your next attack roll, ability check, or saving throw with advantage. If you don't use this benefit before the start of your next turn, it is lost.
Eyes of the Dead: You can use an action to name a place the humanoid saw in life, which creates an invisible sensor somewhere in that place if it is on the plane of existence you're currently on. The sensor remains for as long as you concentrate, up to 10 minutes (as if you were concentrating on a spell). You receive visual and auditory information from the sensor as if you were in its space using your senses.
A creature that can see the sensor (such as one using see invisibility or truesight) sees a translucent image of the tormented humanoid whose soul you caged.
Seventh Level
Finger of Death
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
You send negative energy coursing through a creature that you can see within range, causing it searing pain. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. It takes 7d8 + 30 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
A humanoid killed by this spell rises at the start of your next turn as a zombie that is permanently under your command, following your verbal orders to the best of its ability.
Resurrection
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a diamond worth at least 1,000 gp, which the spell consumes)
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Bard, Cleric
You touch a dead creature that has been dead for no more than a century, that didn’t die of old age, and that isn’t undead. If its soul is free and willing, the target returns to life with all its hit points.
This spell neutralizes any poisons and cures normal diseases afflicting the creature when it died. It doesn’t, however, remove magical diseases, curses, and the like; if such effects aren’t removed prior to casting the spell, they afflict the target on its return to life.
This spell closes all mortal wounds and restores any missing body parts.
Coming back from the dead is an ordeal. The target takes a -4 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks. Every time the target finishes a long rest, the penalty is reduced by 1 until it disappears.
Casting this spell to restore life to a creature that has been dead for one year or longer taxes you greatly. Until you finish a long rest, you can’t cast spells again, and you have disadvantage on all attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.
Eighth Level
Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting (XGtE)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 150 feet
Components: V, S, M (a bit of sponge)
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Sorcerer, Wizard
You draw the moisture from every creature in a 30-foot cube centered on a point you choose within range. Each creature in that area must make a Constitution saving throw. Constructs and Undead aren’t affected, and Plants and (CR 5) Water Elementals make this saving throw with disadvantage. A creature takes 12d8 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Nonmagical plants in the area that aren’t creatures, such as trees and shrubs, wither and die instantly.
Clone
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a diamond worth at least 1,000 gp and at least 1 cubic inch of flesh of the creature that is to be cloned, which the spell consumes, and a vessel worth at least 2,000 gp that has a sealable lid and is large enough to hold the creature being cloned, such as a huge urn, coffin, mud-filled cyst in the ground, or crystal container filled with salt water)
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Wizard
This spell grows an inert duplicate of a living creature as a safeguard against death. This clone forms inside the vessel used in the spell’s casting and grows to full size and maturity after 120 days; you can also choose to have the clone be a younger version of the same creature. It remains inert and endures indefinitely, as long as its vessel remains undisturbed.
At any time after the clone matures, if the original creature dies, its soul transfers to the clone, provided that the soul is free and willing to return. The clone is physically identical to the original and has the same personality, memories, and abilities, but none of the original’s equipment. The original creature’s physical remains, if they still exist, become inert and can’t thereafter be restored to life, since the creature’s soul is elsewhere.
Nineth Level
Astral Projection
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: 10 feet
Components: V, S, M (for each creature you affect with this spell, you must provide one jacinth worth at least 1,000 gp and one ornately carved bar of silver worth at least 100 gp, all of which the spell consumes)
Duration: Special
Classes: Cleric, Warlock, Wizard
You and up to eight willing creatures within range project your astral bodies into the Astral Plane (the spell fails and the casting is wasted if you are already on that plane). The material body you leave behind is unconscious and in a state of suspended animation; it doesn’t need food or air and doesn’t age.
Your astral body resembles your mortal form in almost every way, replicating your game statistics and possessions. The principal difference is the addition of a silvery cord that extends from between your shoulder blades and trails behind you, fading to invisibility after 1 foot. This cord is your tether to your material body. As long as the tether remains intact, you can find your way home. If the cord is cut—something that can happen only when an effect specifically states that it does—your soul and body are separated, killing you instantly.
Your astral form can freely travel through the Astral Plane and can pass through portals there leading to any other plane. If you enter a new plane or return to the plane you were on when casting this spell, your body and possessions are transported along the silver cord, allowing you to re-enter your body as you enter the new plane. Your astral form is a separate incarnation. Any damage or other effects that apply to it have no effect on your physical body, nor do they persist when you return to it.
The spell ends for you and your companions when you use your action to dismiss it. When the spell ends, the affected creature returns to its physical body, and it awakens.
The spell might also end early for you or one of your companions. A successful dispel magic spell used against an astral or physical body ends the spell for that creature. If a creature’s original body or its astral form drops to 0 hit points, the spell ends for that creature. If the spell ends and the silver cord is intact, the cord pulls the creature’s astral form back to its body, ending its state of suspended animation.
If you are returned to your body prematurely, your companions remain in their astral forms and must find their own way back to their bodies, usually by dropping to 0 hit points.
True Resurrection
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a sprinkle of holy water and diamonds worth at least 25,000 gp, which the spell consumes)
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Cleric, Druid
You touch a creature that has been dead for no longer than 200 years and that died for any reason except old age. If the creature’s soul is free and willing, the creature is restored to life with all its hit points.
This spell closes all wounds, neutralizes any poison, cures all diseases, and lifts any curses affecting the creature when it died. The spell replaces damaged or missing organs and limbs. If the creature was undead, it is restored to its non-undead form.
The spell can even provide a new body if the original no longer exists, in which case you must speak the creature’s name. The creature then appears in an unoccupied space you choose within 10 feet of you.