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Necrotic damage is dangerous for players and their enemies, as it is one of the most often unresisted damage types inDungeons & 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 reconned with.
Updated December 4, 2021, by Camisha Pisenti: With the release of Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, The Wild Beyond The Witchlight, and Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, fans of Dungeons & Dragons have plenty of new materials to explore — especially since every new sourcebook comes with new spells. With so many new settings and modules for campaigns players, spellcasters will want to keep their magical arsenals up to date. For spellcasters looking to practice necromancy, there are plenty of new powerful spells to experiment with. Thus, this list has been updated to include new spells and additional information.
12 Spirit Shroud
Spell Lists : Cleric, Paladin, Warlock, and Wizard Duration : Concentration, up to 1 minute Components : Verbal and Somatic
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 a 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 to have, due to players being able to choose a damage type that would help them in any situation.
11 Summon Undead
Spell Lists : Warlock and Wizard Duration : Concentration, up to 1 hour Components : Verbal, Somatic, and Material (a gilded skull worth at least 300 gold)
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. Rotting 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
Spell Lists : Cleric, Warlock, and Wizard Duration : Instantaneous Components : Verbal, Somatic
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
Spell Lists : Artificer and Cleric Duration : Instantaneous Components : Verbal, Somatic
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.
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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
Spell Lists : Cleric Duration : Instantaneous Components : Verbal, Somatic
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
Spell Lists : Artificer, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, and Ranger Duration : Instantaneous Components : Verbal, Somatic, and Material (diamonds worth 300 gold points, which the spell consumes)
This spell changes the entire game when players can access it. While other spells only restore hit points or stabilize a creature from dying, 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
Spell Lists : Bard, Cleric, and Wizard Duration : Concentration, up to 1 minute Components : Verbal, Somatic
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.
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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
Spell Lists : Warlock and Wizard Duration : Concentration, up to 1 hour Components : Verbal, Somatic
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
Spell Lists : Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard Duration : Concentration, up to 1 minute Components : Verbal, Somatic
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 the caster can choose is to inflict 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 on a target, forcing them 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, they can not be targeted again.
3 Finger of Death
Spell Lists : Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard Duration : Instantaneous Components : Verbal, Somatic
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.
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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
Spell Lists : Wizard Duration : Instantaneous Components : Verbal, Somatic, and Material
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, 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 Avessel worth at least 2000 gold that has a sealable lid and is large enough to hold a Medium creature. Options include as a huge urn, coffin, mud-filled cyst in the ground, or a crystal container filled with saltwater.
1 True Resurrection
Spell Lists : 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)
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.
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