Level 1 •
Necromancy (Ritual
)
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 10 ft
Components: V, S, M
Duration:
User Created: This is an unofficial, user-created spell.
Check with your DM about using this spell.
This spell binds the life force to a creature's severed hand, animating it. The hand must have been severed from the body of a M or S humanoid within the last seven days. The humanoid must be dead at the time of the hand's animation, otherwise the life force can not be bound and the spell fails. If the humanoid's spirit already manifests as another undead creature, the spell fails.
The hand becomes a crawling claw (statistics can be found in the Monster Manual). The hand is under your control for 3 hours, after which the hand becomes inactive and can't be animated again. On each of your turns, you can use a bonus action to mentally command the crawling claw. You decide what action the creature will take and where it will move during its next turn, or you can issue a general command for it to follow to the best of its understanding. If you issue no commands, the claw follows its last command to the best of its ability. Once given an order, the claw continues to follow it until its task is complete.
Note: A crawling claw has a movement speed of 20 ft. and a climbing speed of 20 ft. The crawling claw can do a "standing jump" of 6 ft, a "running jump" up to 13 ft, and a "high jump" of 2 ft. A creature with a strength of 13 can carry 195 lbs and drag 390 lbs; however, a crawling claw does not have the leverage of a "complete" humanoid, so it can carry only 100 lbs (handheld items) and drag 200 lbs.
When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 1st level or higher, the crawling claw remains active for an additional 3 hours for every slot level above 1st. When cast using a spell slot of 8th level, the crawling claw remains active until slain.
Material Component:
a severed hand and a pinch of grave dust
Verbal Component:
Excito Mors Manus
Verbal Component (Alternative):
I call forth the spirit of one that dies; Animate this hand; grip, grasp and rise;
Classes: Warlock, Wizard
Domain: Death, Grave, Undeath
Tags: animate, undead, necromancy
View Animate Crawling Claw Spell Card
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Other Planes and Effects
Below is information about this spell as it relates to other planes and area of effects (i.e. underwater). Some of the information is pulled official D&D sources (such as books and the twitter feeds of D&D officials), but other information is derived from forums and online discussions. As always, it is up to the DM to decide how they wish to handle spell effects.
Underwater - Verbal Component
Official rules have been verified by Jeremy Crawford - "No rule prohibits verbal components from working underwater. Keep in mind that if you're talking, you're not holding your breath." Hence, while submerged underwater and holding its breath, a creature can cast a spell that requires a verbal component. After casting the spell, if the creature can't breathe underwater, it immediately runs out of breath. The creature can survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 round).
