You thrust your hand out towards a hostile creature you can see within range, assailing it with a smokey gray tendril of death energy and draining its life force. Make a ranged spell attack against the target, if you do not have a spell attack modifier, use your Charisma modifier for the attack roll. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 necrotic damage, and you regain a number of hit points equal to half the damage dealt. You can’t regain hit points in this way if you are above half your hit point maximum.

This cantrip inflicts an additional 1d8 damage per tendril against ghosts, wraiths, or other spirits, but has no effect on constructs, or creatures without a soul, as determined by your DM.

The spell creates more than one tendril when you reach higher levels: two tendrils at 5th level, three tendrils at 11th level, and four tendrils at 17th level. You can direct the tendrilsat the same target or at different ones. Make a separate attack roll for each tendril.