Animate Dead Beast

This spell creates an undead servant. Choose a pile of bones or a corpse of a beast up to CR 1/4 within range. Your spell imbues the target with a foul mimicry of life, raising it as an undead creature. The remains rise as skeletal or zombified version of the creature depending on the materials used. The creature is will behave much as it did in life, but without specific memories. It will retain any training that it received.

The creature is under your direct control for 24 hours, after which it may stop obeying. 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 rather than animating a new one. Commanding a creature under your control is a bonus action. 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.

A creature that is not under your command will respond to Handle Animal.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, you animate or reassert control over 1 higher CR for each slot level above 3rd. This can be a single higher CR creature or multiple lower level creatures that total your limit. This can include 1 creature of the monstrosity creature type for each 2 spell slot levels above 3rd. Each of the creatures must come from a different corpse or pile of bones.

* - (a drop of blood, a piece of flesh, and a pinch of bone dust)