This spell creates an army of undead servants. Each pile of bones or corpse of a Medium or Small humanoid within 1 mile is imbued with a foul mimicry of life, raising it as an undead creature. Each becomes a skeleton if you chose bones or a zombie if you chose a corpse (the GM has the creature's game statistics).

On each of your turns, you can mentally command any creature you made with this spell if the creature is within 1 mile of you (no action required). You decide what action the creature will take and where it will move during its next turn, or you can issue a general command, such as to guard a particular chamber or corridor. If you issue no commands, the creature only defends itself against hostile creatures. Once given an order, the creature continues to follow it until its task is complete.

The creature is under your control for 4 hours, after which it stops obeying any command you've given it. To maintain control of the creature for another 4 hours, you must cast this spell on the creature again before the current 4-hour period ends. This use of the spell reasserts your control over up to four creatures you have animated with this spell, rather than animating a new one.