Entreat Dead

This spell creates an undead ally. Choose a pile of bones or a corpse of a Medium or Small humanoid within range. Either the target makes a Charisma Saving Throw against your spell DC, using its statistics as if it was still living, or you make a persuasion check against a DC set by the DM based on the target's feelings toward the caster, if any. If the target fails it's save or you pass the persuasion check your spell imbues the target with a mimicry of life and sentience, raising it as an undead creature with a hollow copy of its soul. The target becomes a skeleton if you chose bones or a zombie if you chose a corpse (the GM has the creature's game statistics).

The creature retains a semblance of it's personality from life, but does not remember details of it's past life. It knows it's languages from its past life and can speak falteringly. It can learn new information and react. If left without a command it will subconsciously act as it would have in its previously life given it's current situation, though in combat it will still only defend itself against hostile creatures. 

On each of your turns, you can use a bonus action to mentally command any creature you made with this spell if the creature is within 60 feet of you (if you control multiple creatures, you can command any or all of them at the same time, issuing the same command to each one). 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 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, and the target must pass a Charisma Saving throw. If the creature succeeds on the save, the creature drops to 0 hit points and becomes a corpse as the hollow soul leaves the creature and the corpse cannot be targeted by this spell again. 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.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, you animate or reassert control over two additional undead creatures for each slot level above 3rd. Each of the creatures must come from a different corpse or pile of bones.