Summon Undead: Working Stiff

Usable By: Warlock, Wizard

Spell Level: 3

School: Conjuration

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 90 feet

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

Components: V, S, M (tears inside a crystal vial worth at least 300 gp)

You call forth an undead spirit. It manifests in an unoccupied space that you can see within range. This corporeal form uses the Undead Spirit stat block. 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.

Undead Spirit

Medium undead

Armor Class: 11 + the level of the spell (natural armor)

Hit Points: 30 (Ghostly and Putrid only) or 20 (Skeletal only) + 10 for each level of the spell above 3rd

Speed: 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover) (Ghostly only)

STR: 12 (+1) DEX: 16 (+3) CON: 15 (+2) INT: 4 (−3) WIS: 10 (+0) CHA: 9 (−1)

Damage Immunities: necrotic, poison

Condition: Immunities exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned

Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10

Languages: understands the languages you speak

Challenge: —

Proficiency Bonus: equals your bonus

Festering Aura (Putrid Only). Any creature, other than you, that starts its turn within 5 feet of the spirit must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or be poisoned until the start of its next turn.

Incorporeal Passage (Ghostly Only). The spirit can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. If it ends its turn inside an objects, it is shunted to the nearest unoccupied space and takes 1d10 force damage for every 5 feet traveled.

Actions

Multiattack. The spirit makes a number of attacks equal to half this spell’s level (rounded down).

Deathly Touch (Ghostly Only). Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 1d8 + 3 + the spell’s level necrotic damage, and the creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be frightened of the undead until the end of the target’s next turn.

Grave Bolt (Skeletal Only). Ranged Spell Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, range 150 ft., one target. Hit: 2d4 + 3 + the spell’s level necrotic damage.

Rotting Claw (Putrid Only). Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 + 3 + the spell’s level slashing damage. If the target is poisoned, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or be paralyzed until the end of its next turn.

Review by Sam West, Twitter:@CrierKobold

Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything introduced a new way to handle summoning magic that looks like it’ll be the new way D&D handles summoned monsters. This is one of, if not THE best quality of life update it opened up. Each varies in spell level from 2nd to 6th level, but all of them share a common mechanic that makes them feel streamlined and easy to use while maintaining a bit of the flexibility the original conjure spells like Conjure Minor Elementals had. Because you’re getting just one, and it requires your concentration, immediately a lot of the problems bulk low CR summoning magic created vanishes. Instead, each offers you a unique set of tools you can somewhat tailor by situation that reflects the strength of the summoned creature type. If you love casting and using your spirit friend, the up-casting benefits scale pretty well, and can be major threats even in the upper tiers. If you’re just curious as to if they’re powerful or useful, the answer, regardless of summon, is absolutely. Some more than others based on their spell level, but you will consistently find they open up new ways to navigate encounters in a big way.

Summon Undead is a 3rd level summon option for warlocks and wizards. When you cast it, you pick from a ghostly, putrid, or skeletal undead to rise and assist you. All of them are immune to some common conditions (namely frightened), but beyond that, differ majorly as all of their attacks differ, and ghostly and putrid get unique abilities to set them apart further.

Ghostly undead get a 40 ft. fly speed with hover, the incorporeal passage ability, and a frightening save attached to their deathly touch ability. Cast with a 4th level slot, that's two attacks around dealing 1d8+7 with the ability to frighten a creature on a failed save. Plus, they can fly through things as though they were difficult terrain, giving you an assailant who can move and attack through doors, walls, and other creatures with ease.

Putrid undead come with festering aura and rotting claws; basically, you’re getting a ghast. Festering aura forces Con saves against being poisoned anytime a creature starts its turn within 5 feet of the putrid undead, making it easily able to poison groups of enemies so long as you can keep it alive. The poison condition does impose disadvantage on attack rolls, so it defends itself somewhat. On top of that, its rotting claw, while being a dice downgraded from deathly touch, paralyzes creatures hit if they fail a Con save against your spell save DC if the creature it's hitting is poisoned. This is THE coolest ability in this spell, encouraging a poisoner build looking to empower their own poison condition. A character might actually consider Ray of Sickness when your summoned ghast can paralyze creatures poisoned by you. Teaming up with your ranger or rogue to poison their arrows, or working with a summoned homunculus to get more instances of poison turns the value here up to 11. Even on its own, though, putrid undead just need one creature to get poisoned to open up a world of hurt. If they paralyze on the first hit, every subsequent hit becomes a crit. It's yucky good.

Skeletal undead come with a 2d4+6 150 ft. range grave bolt, and nothing else of note. It's a ranged option that mirrors skeleton archers, but can be flavored to be any skeletal thing. Its definitely not as good as the other two for the 3rd level slot, but when you add in multi-attack for a 4th level slot, it becomes a lot more palatable if all you want is two free ranged attacks a turn. Still exceptional, still way better than not using summoning in the first place, but not as interesting as the other two for sure.

Summon Undead is one of my favorites. It's a home run from a flavor perspective, and gives you really cool build around options with putrid and ghostly undead summons that empower a variety of builds in unique ways. This is summoning at its finest, a sweet spot to me for how to do the summon spells right. Summon Undead is spectacular.

5e Spells

Summon Undead: Working Stiff

Undead Spirit

Actions