You summon fey spirits that take the form of beasts and appear in unoccupied spaces that you can see within range. Choose one of the following options for what appears:

• One beast of challenge rating 1/4 or lower
• Two beasts of challenge rating 1/8 or lower
• Four beasts of challenge rating 0
• Eight beasts of challenge rating 0, but these beasts cannot deal any damage, regardless of their statistics or actions.

Each beast is also considered fey, and it disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends.

The summoned creatures are friendly to you and your companions. Roll initiative for the summoned creatures as a group, which has its own turns. They obey any verbal commands that you issue to them (no action required by you). If you don't issue any commands to them, they defend themselves from hostile creatures, but otherwise take no actions.

The GM has the creatures' statistics.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using certain higher-level spell slots, you choose one of the summoning options above, and more creatures appear: twice as many with a 3rd-level slot, three times as many with a 5th-level slot, four times as many with a 7th-level slot, and five times as many with a 9th-level slot.

While the summoning of a single tough animal, such as a boar, wolf, or giant centipede can provide an obvious tactical benefit, there are a variety of smaller creatures that can provide more utility as well. A single regular spider is hardly a threat, but eight of them all responding to your command can sneak into a building with ease and quickly spread out to search for things. A pair of deer can provide a potent distraction for those hoping to sneak up on their foes in the woods. For some sample creatures that can be summoned, see the table below.

Sample Creatures