Dungeons & Dragons Best Necromancy Spells In 5e

The school of necromancy in


Dungeons & Dragons


is one of the more dangerous schools of magic. With spells that can manipulate life and death, wizards that specialize in this school of magic are called necromancers. Necromancy spells can be used for saving lives and can cause life-draining necrotic damage.

Necrotic damage is dangerous for players and their enemies, as it is one of the most often unresisted damage types in

Dungeons & Dragons

. With so few foes being resistant to this type of damage, it’s no wonder that some of the spells can deal devastating amounts of damage. Whether casters are creating armies of zombies or cursing their foes necromancy spells are a force to be reckoned with.

Updated November 9, 2023, by Amy Cowley

: D&D

is an ever-evolving game that has spanned decades. The latest iteration, 5e, seems like it’s here for the long haul now. With so many expansions and guides bolstered into the base-kit game, there are thousands of spells players can choose from. This article can help plaers select the most powerful spells from the school of necromancy. While this article already contains many spells for players to narrow down their selection, there is still more to include. This list has been updated to discuss more of the best

Necromancy spells 5e,

and a little more information regarding each spell.

20


Ray of Sickness

The Potential to Poison

• 
  Classes:
  
  Sorcerer and Wizard
• 
  Duration:
  
  Instantaneous
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal and Somatic
• 
  Spell Level:
  
  1st

As it is only a first level spell, Ray of Sickness does not pack as much of a punch as some of the more late-game spell options. But those on the lookout for useful early-game and spells should consider adding this one to their repertoire.

Not only does it deal a decent amount of damage for a first level spell

(2d8),

there is also a possibility that the creature targeted by this spell could be

poisoned if they fail their Constitution saving throw.

When a creature is poisoned, they gain disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks which could be vital in combat.

19


False Life

• 
  Classes:
  
  Artificer, Sorcerer, and Wizard
• 
  Duration:
  
  Instantaneous
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal, Somatic and Material (a small amount of alcohol or distilled spirits)
• 
  Spell Level:
  
  1st

Healing is one of the major mechanics in

D&D.

It allows players to survive to fight another round, preventing a snowball that could result in the dreaded TPK (Total Party Kill). In earlier editions, Cure Wounds was a branch in the Necromancy tree, but 5e has since changed that. Of course, that is not to say there are no longer any Necromancy spells to bolster a player’s life force. False Life does just that.

This first-level Necromancy Spell allows players to

give themselves 1d4 + 4 temporary hit points,

with the amount increasing by 5 for each level above 1st. This spell is a must-take when preparing for a big fight.

18


Harm

Hit Points Reduction

• 
  Classes:
  
  Cleric
• 
  Duration:
  
  Instantaneous
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal and Somatic
• 
  Spell Level:
  
  6th

Harm is an aptly named spell, as it does just that. This sixth-level Necromancy spell exclusive to just clerics allows players to output a

massive amount of damage to their target.

This can total up to 14d6 if they fail their Constitution saving throw, but the target still takes half on a success.

Failing the saving throw has more consequences than just taking more damage. The target’s their maximum amount of hit points is reduced for an hour, depending on how much damage they took from the spell. This means they cannot heal their way back to the health they had before, allowing players to whittle them down to nothing.

17


Abi-Dalzim’s Horrid Wilting

AOE Damage

• 
  Classes
  
  : Sorceror, Wizard, and Arcane Cleric
• 
  Duration:
  
  Instantaneous
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal, Somatic, and Material (a bit of sponge)
• 
  Spell Level
  
  : 8th

Princes of the Apocalypse


brought to

D&D

5e a new story that sees the material plane threatened by four prophets who seek to bring the powers and dangers of the elemental plane, as well as a whole host of new spells to choose from, including Abi-Dalzim’s Horrid Writing.

This spell levies devastating

damage against all creatures in a 30-foot cube

centered on a point that the caster chooses. Each creature other than constructs and undead must succeed a Constitution saving throw, or they will be dealt

12d8 points worth of necrotic damage

, or half of the roll total should they succeed. Along with dealing a mass amount of damage, any plants in the area immediately wither and die.

16


Wither and Bloom

Healing and Hurting

• 
  Classes:
  
  Druid, Sorceror, and Wizard
• 
  Duration:
  
  Instantaneous
• 
  Components:
  
  Verbal, Somatic, and Material (a withered vine
  
  twisted
  
  into a loop)
• 
  Spell Level:
  
  2nd

Just one of the spells in the expansive


Curriculum of Chaos,


Wither and Bloom is one of the few spells that both hurts and heals, setting it apart as a unique necromancy spell, but also one of the best. If players pay attention to their necromancy classes in


Strixhaven


, they too can learn this spell.

The caster chooses a point within the 60-feet spell range, where a

10-foot-radius sphere will fill with necrotic energy, dealing 2d6 necrotic damage

to creatures of the caster’s choice, or half of the roll of the creatures succeed on a Constitution saving throw. In addition to dealing that damage, a creature of the caster’s choice can spend one of its unspent Hit Dice, and heal themselves for the amount rolled.

15


Negative Energy Flood

Raises What it Kills

• 
  Classes:
  
  Warlock and Wizard
• 
  Duration:
  
  Instantaneous
• 
  Components:
  
  Verbal and Material (a broken bone and a square of black silk)
• 
  Spell Level
  
  : 5th

One of the spells that the beholder guild leader Xanathar collected was Negative Energy Flood, another spell for the school of Necromancy. This is more typical of a Necromancy spell, involving the creation of undead thralls to serve the caster.

Warlocks or Wizards who cast this spell deal

5d12 points of necrotic damage

against a creature they can see within range, or only as much if the target passes their Constitution saving throw. If the target dies because of this damage, they don’t stay dead. Instead, they will

rise up as a zombie and pursue the closest target to them.

Players should take care not to use this spell against enemy undead, as it will instead bolster them with temporary hit points.

14


Create Undead

Create Minions

• 
  Classes:
  
  Cleric, Warlock, and Wizard
• 
  Duration:
  
  Instantaneous
• 
  Components:
  
  Verbal, Somatic, and Material (One clay pot filled with grave dirt, one clay pot filled with brackish
  
  water
  
  , and one 150 gp black onyx stone for each corpse)
• 
  Spell Level
  
  : 6th

For players wanting a spell that aligns more with classical necromancy, look no further than Create Undead. This spell allows players to

raise up to three corpses of Medium or Small size,

creating loyal thralls to carry out their commands. Higher level casting allows the user to reanimate more corpses with different variants.

The corpses become ghouls, using the stat

block

as seen in the Monster Manual. As a bonus action, the caster can issue a command to their ghouls so long as they are within 120 feet. If no commands are given, the creature will simply defend itself against hostiles.

13


Soul Cage

Great Versatility

• 
  Classes:
  
  Warlock and Wizard
• 
  Duration:
  
  8 hours
• 
  Components:
  
  Verbal, Somatic, and Material
  
  
  (a tiny silver cage worth 100 gp)
• 
  Spell Level:
  
  6th

Soul Cage is a truly unique spell, allowing players to snatch the soul of a recently deceased being from wherever their soul was intended to ascend or descend, trapping them in a jar. Once they have the soul in their possession, they can use the soul in a number of ways until the cage is destroyed, or the 8-hour duration expires.

The uses for the soul include the following options:

• 
  Steal Life
  
  • Use a bonus action to regain
    
    2d8 hit points.
    
• 
  Query Soul
  
  • Ask the soul a question (no action required) and receive a brief telepathic answer, which can be understood regardless if they share a language.
  • The soul knows only what it knew in life, but it must answer truthfully.
  • The answer is no more than a few sentences and might be cryptic.
• 
  Borrow Experience
  
  • Use a bonus action to bolster the caster with the soul’s life experience, making the next attack roll, ability check, or saving throw with advantage.
  • The benefit must be used before the start of their next turn, or lose it,
• 
  Eyes of the Dead
  
  • As an action, name a place the humanoid the caster saw in life, which creates an invisible sensor somewhere in that place if it is on the same plane of existence.
  • The sensor remains for as long as the caster concentrates, up to 10 minutes. The player receives visual and auditory information from the sensor as if they were in its space using their senses.
  • A creature that can see the sensor (such as one using See Invisibility or True Sight) sees a translucent image of the humanoid trapped in the cage.

12


Spirit Shroud

Additional Damage

• 
  Classes
  
  : Cleric, Paladin, Warlock, and Wizard
• 
  Duration
  
  : Concentration, up to 1 minute
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal and Somatic
• 
  Spell Level
  
  : 3rd

Introduced in

Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

, Spirit Shroud is a

third-level Necromancy spell

. Players can

call forth spirits of the dead

, which float around them and can act as an intangible, invulnerable spirit shield.

In addition, any attack that player makes (including cantrips and spell attacks) will deal an additional

1d8 damage when hitting a creature within 10 feet

of the player. Players also have the ability to decide whether the damage dealt is Radiant, Necrotic, or Cold. This makes Spirit Shroud a powerful spell, since players can choose a damage type that would help them in any situation.

11


Summon Undead

Summon Forth Minions

• 
  Classes
  
  : Warlock and Wizard
• 
  Duration
  
  : Concentration, up to 1 hour
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal, Somatic, and Material (a gilded skull worth at least 300 gold)
• 
  Spell Level:
  
  3rd

Summon Undead is a

third-level Necromancy spell

found in

Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

. Players can

summon an undead spirit that acts as an ally

and can choose between three forms: Ghostly, Putrid, or Skeletal. Each form determines specific traits and abilities the spirit will have.

• 
  Ghostly:
  
  • 30-foot movement speed and 40-foot fly/hover speed
  • 
    Incorporeal Passage
    
    – The spirit can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain.
  • 
    Deathly Touch
    
    – A creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw, or be frightened until the end of its next turn.
• 
  Putrid:
  
  • 30-foot movement speed
  • 
    Festering Aura
    
    – Creatures within 5 feet of must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or be poisoned until its next turn.
  • 
    R
    
    o
    
    tting Claw
    
    – Melee Weapon Attack dealing slashing damage.
• 
  Skeletal:
  
  • 20-foot movement speed
  • 
    Grave Bolt
    
    – Ranged Spell Attack dealing necrotic damage.

The spirit uses the Undead Spirit stat block and will obey the player’s verbal commands for up to an hour.

10


Toll the Dead

No Spell Slot Needed

• 
  Classes
  
  : Cleric, Warlock, and Wizard
• 
  Duration
  
  : Instantaneous
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal, Somatic
• 
  Spell Level
  
  : Cantrip

One of the best damage-dealing cantrips in

Dungeons & Dragons

, Toll the Dead fills the air around an enemy with haunting bells. If the target fails their wisdom saving throw, they take

1d8 necrotic damage.

If the target happens to be missing any of its hit points, it instead takes 1d12 necrotic damage.

Another great thing about Toll the Dead is that as a cantrip, it scales with the player’s level. Cast at higher spell slots, it can deal a maximum of

4d12 damage

at the seventeenth level.

9


Spare the Dying

Prevent Death

• 
  Classes
  
  : Artificer and Cleric
• 
  Duration
  
  : Instantaneous
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal, Somatic
• 
  Spell Level
  
  : Cantrip

As a cantrip, Spare the Dying has limitless value for players. Casters can

stabilize a creature they can touch,

possibly preventing them from dying. This is a skillset normally available only if players have access to a healer’s kit, or can perform a successful medicine check.

Spare the Dying requires no ability check, and unlike a healer’s kit, it has limitless uses. The spell only requires verbal and somatic components, which means it can be cast without concentration or material components.

8


Inflict Wounds

Mass Amounts of Damage

• 
  Classes
  
  : Cleric
• 
  Duration
  
  : Instantaneous
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal, Somatic
• 
  Spell Level
  
  : 1st

Inflict Wounds is one of the best damage-dealing

first-level spells



in

Dungeons & Dragons

. This spell can be made as a melee attack roll, meaning it has the possibility to critically hit a target.

On a hit, the

target takes 3d10 necrotic damage;

however, this spell can be cast at higher-level spell slots to increase that amount. Inflict Wounds does not require any material components, thus freeing up melee casters to add in additional attacks or carry a shield in their offhand.

7


Revivify

Restore Life to the Dead

• 
  Classes
  
  : Artificer, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, and Ranger
• 
  Duration
  
  : Instantaneous
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal, Somatic, and Material (diamonds worth 300 gold points, which the spell consumes)
• 
  Spell Level
  
  : 3rd

This spell changes the entire game when players can access it. While other spells only restore hit points or stabilize a creature,

Revivify can resurrect them

. There is a limit, though, as this can only be used within

one minute after the target has

died

.

With several monsters in the game that can kill an adventurer in a single attack, Revivify becomes a necessity. What’s more, there is no limit to how many times it can be cast on a single creature. Inventive players with access to this spell can get very creative with its application.

6


Bestow Curse

Debuff the Enemy

• 
  Classes
  
  : Bard, Cleric, and Wizard
• 
  Duration
  
  : Concentration, up to 1 minute
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal, Somatic
• 
  Spell Level
  
  : 3rd

One of the few debuff Necromancy spells in

Dungeons & Dragons

is the

third-level spell

Bestow Curse. Bestow Curse has incredible versatility in the way that curses can be inflicted on a target. If the target fails a saving throw,

they suffer the full effect of the curse for the duration

.

Unlike other upcast spells, this Bestow Curse gains a longer duration at higher levels of casting. At the fifth level, the concentration requirement is removed. At the ninth level, this spell becomes permanent until it is dispelled.

5


Danse Macabre

Puppeteer a Small Army

• 
  Classes
  
  : Warlock and Wizard
• 
  Duration
  
  : Concentration, up to 1 hour
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal, Somatic
• 
  Spell Level
  
  : 5th

Being able to animate the dead and creating undead allies are amazing options for a necromancer. The fifth-level spell Danse Macabre allows the caster to

create up to five powerful undead with a single spell

. At higher levels, this spell can animate even more corpses.

These can be corpses of any type, so long as they are Small and/or Medium in size. The corpses are then reanimated into the caster’s choice of skeletons or zombies. They can then use the caster’s spellcasting modifier for their attack and damage rolls. The player controlling them can give them commands as a bonus action, which can be maintained for up to an hour with concentration.

4


Eyebite

Multiple Possible Effects

• 
  Classes
  
  : Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard
• 
  Duration
  
  : Concentration, up to 1 minute
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal, Somatic
• 
  Spell Level:
  
  6th

Eyebite allows the caster to choose between three effects that can

strike dread into any enemy,

with three different options as to how. If the caster chooses to inflict

Asleep

on the target, the target will fall unconscious. Another option is

Panicked

, which causes the target to become frightened. On each of its turns, the creature has to take a dash action to move away from the player. Lastly, the player can inflict

Sickened

, forcing the target to roll at disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

On each turn, players can use their action to target another creature. However, if that creature succeeds on a saving throw, it can not be targeted again.

3


Finger of Death

Deadly Damage

• 
  Classes
  
  : Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard
• 
  Duration
  
  : Instantaneous
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal, Somatic
• 
  Spell Level
  
  : 7th

This often-overlooked spell is one of the best in

Dungeons &


Dragons.

Finger of Death requires no material components and has a sixty-foot range. This range means a caster can safely avoid direct melee combat, and still deal a lot of damage.

The spell

deals 7d8 plus 30 necrotic damage

if the target fails its constitution save, and half that on a successful one. As if that isn’t enough, if the caster kills a humanoid creature with this spell, that creature becomes a zombie permanently under the caster’s control. This can create entire armies of zombies. A special note with rules notes that a caster could use True Polymorph on the zombie, and whatever they polymorph into would still be completely under the control of the caster.

2


Clone

Safeguard Against Death

• 
  Classes
  
  : Wizard
• 
  Duration
  
  : Instantaneous
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal, Somatic, and Material (see below)
• 
  Spell Level
  
  : 8th

Clone is a great spell for

mitigating the effects of a character or favorite NPC death

. After the spell is cast, any time the original person dies and their spirit is severed from their body, the spirit manifests into the clone.

Instead of a party member having to roll a new character, the clone can now be controlled by that player. The clone is physically identical to the original, and has the same personality, memories, and abilities. The clone does not gain any of the character’s equipment; however, if the body hasn’t been disintegrated, they can just go loot their old body.

While this spell is great for saving party members, the material cost is heavy. Players will need:

• A diamond worth at least 1000 gold
• At least 1 cubic inch of flesh of the creature that is to be cloned
• A vessel worth at least 2000 gold that has a sealable lid and is large enough to hold a Medium creature. Options include a huge urn, coffin, a mud-filled cyst in the ground, or a crystal container filled with saltwater.

1


True Resurrection

Bring Back the Dead Without a Body

• 
  Classes
  
  : Cleric and Druid
• 
  Duration
  
  : Instantaneous
• 
  Components
  
  : Verbal, Somatic, and Material (a sprinkle of holy water and diamonds worth at least 25,000 gold, which the spell consumes)
• 
  Spell Level
  
  : 9th

Though this spell has a huge material cost of 25,000 gold, the restorative power is well worth it. Not only can this spell revive humanoids, but it can

revive any creature that has died within the last two centuries

. The exception is if the creature died of old age.

True Resurrection is so powerful that even if the creature’s body no longer exists, a new one will be provided. If the body does exist, all wounds are healed, poisons are neutralized, and curses are lifted. Unlike a regular resurrection spell, there are no drawbacks to True Resurrection. This also means players shouldn’t rely on killing off important figures in their backstories, with resourceful DMs.