Animate Animals

This spell creates an undead servant. Choose a pile of bones or a corpse of a Medium or Small beast with a CR of 0 within range. Your spell imbues the target with a foul mimicry of life, raising it as an undead creature. 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).

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 crumbles to dust and cannot be targeted again.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level, you can animate a creature with a CR of 1/8. If you use a spell slot of 5th level, you can animate a creature with a CR of 1/2. If you use a spell slot of 7th level, you can animate a creature with a CR of 1. If you use a spell slot of 9th level, you can animate a creature with a CR of 2.