If you could choose, which version of animate dead and create undead would you pick?
We're playing Tomb of Annihilation and two of our players are playing laserllama classes, one of them (me) a necromancer wizard.
As a result, the question about whether i should use the official 2014 rules for animate dead and create undead, or the ones from laserllama. Since were probably continuing this campaign after tomb of annihilation, the next question is the same about simulacrum, but im focusing on the zombie spells.
Which Version do you guys think i should take? For reference, here are the laserllama spells:
Animate Dead ALT
3rd-level Necromancy
- Classes: Cleric, Wizard
- Casting Time: 1 minute
- Range: 10 feet
- Components: V, S, M (a corpse or pile of bones, consumed by the casting of the spell to create the Undead Thrall)
- Duration: Instantaneous
You use dark magic to reanimate the bones or corpse of a creature of CR 3 or lower, transforming it into your Undead Thrall. Until destroyed, this Thrall uses the rules below:
Statistics. The Undead Thrall is a shambling corpse with no memory of any abilities it had in life. It uses the same stat block, but its creature type becomes Undead, it has hit points equal to 7 times the level of the spell slot you spent to create it, and it uses your Spellcasting ability for attack and damage rolls. If commanded to attack, it only makes a single attack, even if it could have made more attacks in life.
Thralls cannot benefit from short or long rests or regain hit points. They are immune to the Exhaustion condition, and do not require food, drink, air, or sleep. If it is destroyed, a Thrall cannot be raised as an Undead Thrall again.
Control. Undead Thralls follow your commands without quesion. If not given commands, a Thrall will not move and will only act to defend itself. In combat, all Undead Thralls share your initiative and act during your turn.
As a bonus action, you can mentally command any number of Thralls created with this spell so long as they are all within 120 feet. You can issue an individual command to each where you determine exactly how it acts, or you set a general course of action for it ("defend this hall"). So long as it is under your control, Thralls will follow commands until completed.
Spellcasting. If it can cast spells, you can command it to do so, but it uses your spell slots to fuel its spellcasting, even if it would normally be able to cast without spell slots.
Undead Bond. While a Thrall is under your control, you cannot regain the spell slot you spent to create it. However, when you finish a long rest, you can end your control over a Thrall to regain the slot. If you do so, that Thrall is freed and is hostile to all living things, the spellcaster in particular.
At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell with a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the CR of the creatures you can raise as Undead Thralls increases by 1 for each slot level above 3rd.
Create Undead
4th-level Necromancy
- Classes: Cleric, Warlock, Wizard
- Casting Time: 10 minutes
- Range: 30 feet
- Components: V, S, M (the corpse of a creature slain within the last day, and blood from the spellcaster, both of which are consumed by the casting of this spell)
- Duration: Instantaneous
This spell can only be cast at night. You spill your blood onto the corpse as part of a sinister ritual, reducing your maximum hit points by 2 and creating a Skeleton or Zombie under your control. Undead created by this spell use the rules below:
Control. Undead follow your commands without quesion. If not given a command, an Undead won't move and will only act to defend itself. In combat, any Undead you created share your initiative and act during your turn.
As a bonus action, you can mentally command any number of Undead you created with within 120 feet. You can issue an individual command to each, determining exactly how it will act, or setting a general course of action ("defend this hall"). So long as they remain under your control, your Undead will follow commands until completed.
Spellcasting. If it can cast spells, you can command it to do so, but it uses your spell slots to fuel its spellcasting, even if it would normally be able to cast without spell slots.
Undead Bond. While an Undead is under your control, you cannot regain the maximum hit points you spent to create it. However, when you finish a long rest, you can release control over any Undead that you created to regain the maximum hit points you spent to create them. When freed, Undead become hostil to all living things, the spellcaster in particular.
At Higher Levels. You can cast this spell with a spell slot of a higher level, and expend additional maximum hit points (Max. HP) to create more powerful Undead, as shown here:
| Slot Level | Max. HP | Undead |
|---|---|---|
| 5th | 3 | Ghoul |
| 6th | 6 | Ghast |
| 7th | 9 | Mummy, Wight |
| 8th | 12 | Flameskull |
| 9th | 15 | Revenant,Vampire Spawn |
Posted Jul 23, 2026, 10:06 AM UTC