Animate animal

This spell creates an undead animal servant. Choose a pile of bones or a corpse of a beast with up to a Challenge Rating of 1/4 within range. Your spell imbues the target with a foul mimicry of life, raising it as an undead creature. The target becomes a skeleton beast if you chose bones or a zombie beast if you chose a corpse.

The creature uses the following template when it becomes undead.

Beast Skeleton:

Simple skeleton is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal Beast (other than an undead) that has a skeletal system (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

Size and Type

The creature's type changed to Undead. Do not change attack bonus or saves.

Hit Dice

The skeleton retains the same amount of hit dice, but they become d12s. They lose all class features.

Speed

Winged skeletons can’t use their wings to fly. If the base creature flew magically, so can the skeleton.

Armor Class

Armor Class changes to a number based on the skeleton’s size:

Attack

A skeleton retains all the natural weapon attacks of the base creature, except for attacks that can’t work without flesh. A creature with hands gains one claw attack per hand; the skeleton can strike with each of its claw attacks at its full attack bonus.

Special Attacks

A skeleton retains none of the base creature’s special attacks.

Special Qualities

A skeleton loses most special qualities of the base creature. It retains any extraordinary special qualities that improve its melee or ranged attacks. A skeleton gains the following special qualities.

Immunity to Cold: Skeletons are not affected by cold weather.

Breathless: Skeletons are not required to breathe air.

Weak to bludgeoning: Skeletons gain a weakness to bludgeoning damage

Abilities

A skeleton keeps the ability scores of the base creature

Skills

A skeleton has no skills.

Feats

A skeleton has no feats.

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. 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 a higher level higher CR Beasts can be animated, 4th level CR 1/2, 5th level CR 1, 6th level CR 2, 7th level CR 3, 8th level CR 4 and 9th level CR 5.