Animate Beast

This spell creates an undead beast servant. Choose a pile of bones or a corpse of a Medium or Small beast with a CR of 1/2 or less within range. Your spell imbues the target with a foul mimicry of life, raising it as an undead beast. The target retains its beast stat block but gains the undead creature type, and the Undead Fortitude feature from the [monster]zombie[monster] stat block.

On each of your turns, you may use a bonus action to mentally command any undead beast you made with this spell if the undead beast is within 60 feet of you (if you control multiple undead beasts, you can command any or all of them at the same time, issuing the same command to each one). You decide what action the undead beast will take and where it will move during its next turn, or you can issue a general command, such as to protect a particular creature, or complete a specific task. If you issue no commands, the undead beast takes the dodge action. Once given an order, the undead beast continues to follow it until its task is complete or a different order is issued.

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 three undead beasts 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 3rd level or higher, you animate or reassert control over two additional undead beasts for each slot level above 2nd. Each of the creatures must come from a different corpse.