Necromancers use the following creatures as their thralls: bonebeasts, gorgers, gravetouched ghouls, skeletons, spirits, visages, and zombies. Unless otherwise stated, no other Undead creatures can be animated as thralls. A Small or Medium Humanoid corpse can be animated into any of these Undead. Other than having a different size, your thralls’ statistics are unchanged.
A corpse can become a gorger, gravetouched ghoul, or zombie. A pile of bones can become a bonebeast or skeleton. The corpse of a creature that has been dead for no more than 1 hour can become a spirit or visage.
The Undead Thralls table can be used as a quick reference for thrall statistics.
Undead Thralls table
| Name | CR | AC | HP | Movement | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonebeast | 1 | 14 | 28 | 40 ft. | Keen Smell, Pack Tactics |
| Gorger | 1 | 8 | 36 | 30 ft. | — |
| Gravetouched Ghoul | 2 | 12 | 63 | 30 ft. | Regeneration |
| Skeleton | 1/4 | 13 | 13 | 30 ft. | — |
| Spirit | 1/4 | 15 | 7 | 25 ft., fly 25 ft. (hover) | Incorporeal Movement |
| Visage | 2 | 17 | 41 | 25 ft., fly 25 ft. (hover) | Incorporeal Movement, Magic Resistance |
| Zombie | 1/4 | 8 | 22 | 20 ft. | Undead Fortitude |
Many Thralls
When you have three or more thralls under your command of the same type, you can roll a single attack on a particular target for all your thralls, instead of rolling attacks separately. If this attack hits, you treat all your thralls as having hit; if this misses, all your thralls’ attacks miss. Thralls with different Action statistics and those that make attacks against different targets must roll separately.
Bonebeast
Constructed of haphazardly assembled humanoid bones, a bonebeast looks nothing like a man. Lumbering about on four legs with great boney fangs, the beast can run as fast as a bear and strike as viciously as a lion.
- Medium Undead, Typically Neutral Evil
- Armor Class: 14 (natural armor)
- Hit Points: 28 (5d8 + 5)
- Speed: 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 (+1) | 15 (+2) | 13 (+1) | 5 (–3) | 10 (+0) | 5 (–3) |
- Damage Immunities: poison
- Condition Immunities: poisoned
- Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages: understands all languages it knew in life, as well as the languages of its creator, but can’t speak
- Challenge: 1 (200 XP)
- Proficiency Bonus: +2
Keen Smell. The bonebeast has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Pack Tactics. The bonebeast has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the bonebeast’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:9 (2d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Gorger
An unholy tangling of flesh, the gorger still vaguely resembles a humanoid in profile, except for the gaping, toothed maw in its chest. Its colossal teeth are little more than sharpened ribs, but its monstrous bite can easily decapitate.
- Medium Undead, Typically Neutral Evil
- Armor Class: 8
- Hit Points: 36 (8d8)
- Speed: 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (+3) | 7 (–2) | 10 (+0) | 7 (–2) | 10 (+0) | 6 (–2) |
- Damage Immunities: poison
- Condition Immunities: charmed, exhaustion, poisoned
- Senses: blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages: understands all languages it knew in life, as well as the languages of its creator, but can’t speak
- Challenge: 1 (200 XP)
- Proficiency Bonus: +2
Echolocation. The gorger can’t use its blindsight while deafened.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:12 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage.
Gravetouched Ghoul
Gravetouched ghouls, which are suffused with terrible necromantic energies, manifest various deformities on their undead bodies. Despite being undead, their flesh knits itself back together nearly as quick as a troll’s, with strength to match.
- Medium Undead, Typically Neutral Evil
- Armor Class: 12
- Hit Points: 63 (14d8)
- Speed: 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 15 (+2) | 10 (+0) | 9 (–1) | 10 (+0) | 8 (–1) |
- Damage Immunities: poison
- Condition Immunities: charmed, exhaustion, poisoned
- Senses: blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages: understands all languages it knew in life, as well as the languages of its creator, but can’t speak
- Challenge: 2 (450 XP)
- Proficiency Bonus: +2
Regeneration. The gravetouched ghoul regains 5 hit points at the start of its turn. If the gravetouched ghoul takes fire or radiant damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start of the gravetouched ghoul’s next turn. The gravetouched ghoul dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate.
Actions
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:18 (4d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Skeleton
The renanimated remains of humanoids long since dead, skeletons are puppets of bone held aloft by strings of magic.
- Medium Undead, Typically Lawful Evil
- Armor Class: 13 (armor scraps)
- Hit Points: 13 (2d8 + 4) ]
- Speed: 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (+0) | 14 (+2) | 15 (+2) | 6 (–2) | 8 (–1) | 5 (–3) |
- Damage Vulnerabilities: bludgeoning
- Damage Immunities: poison
- Condition Immunities: exhaustion, poisoned
- Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
- Languages understands all languages it knew in life, as well as the languages of its creator, but can’t speak
- Challenge: 1/4 (50 XP)
- Proficiency Bonus: +2
Actions
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit:5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Spirit
A spirit is the scarcely tangible echo of humanoid, a soul bound to the mortal realm by necromantic magic.
- Medium Undead, Typically Chaotic Evil
- Armor Class: 15 (natural armor)
- Hit Points: 7 (2d8 – 2)
- Speed: 25 ft., fly 25 ft. (hover)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (–5) | 14 (+2) | 9 (–1) | 10 (+0) | 10 (+0) | 11 (+0) |
- Damage Vulnerabilities: radiant
- Damage Immunities: cold, poison, necrotic
- Condition Immunities: exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
- Senses: darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages: understands all languages it knew in life, as well as the languages of its creator, but can’t speak
- Challenge: 1/4 (50 XP)
- Proficiency Bonus: +2
Incorporeal Movement. The spirit can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. The spirit takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Actions
Grave Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) necrotic damage and the target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken. This reduction lasts until the creature finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
Visage
Mournfully longing for the world of the living, a visage is the lingering soul of a departed humanoid. Their yearning for a life once lived binds them to the mortal realm, and drives mad those who see their terrible countenance.
- Medium Undead, Typically Chaotic Evil
- Armor Class: 17 (natural armor)
- Hit Points: 40 (9d8)
- Speed: 25 ft., fly 25 ft. (hover)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (–5) | 16 (+3) | 11 (+0) | 10 (+0) | 10 (+0) | 11 (+0) |
- Damage Immunities: cold, poison, necrotic Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
- Senses: darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages: understands all languages it knew in life, as well as the languages of its creator, but can’t speak Challenge 2 (450 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Incorporeal Movement. The visage can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. The visage takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Magic Resistance. The visage has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Horrify. Melee Spell Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit:15 (5d4 + 3) psychic damage.
Invisibility. The visage magically turns invisible until it attacks or until its concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell). Any equipment the visage wears or carries is invisible with it.
Zombie
A zombie is the rotting remains of the once living, held together and driven by dark magic.
- Medium Undead, Typically Neutral Evil
- Armor Class: 8
- Hit Points: 22 (3d8 + 9)
- Speed: 20 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 (+1) | 6 (–2) | 16 (+3) | 3 (–4) | 6 (–2) | 5 (–3) |
- Damage Immunities: poison
- Condition Immunities: poisoned
- Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8
- Languages understands all languages it knew in life, as well as the languages of its creator, but can’t speak
- Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
- Proficiency Bonus +2
Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces the zombie to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the zombie drops to 1 hit point instead.
Actions
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage.