Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 10 ft
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Instantaneous
You can cast this spell only at night. Choose up to three corpses of Medium or Small humanoids within range. Each corpse becomes a ghoul under your control. (The DM has game statistics for these creatures.)
As a bonus action on each of your turns, you can mentally command any creature you animated with this spell if the creature is within 120 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 have given it. To maintain control of the creature for another 24 hours, you must cast this spell on the creature before the current 24-hour period ends. This use of the spell reasserts your control over up to three creatures you have animated with this spell, rather than animating new ones.
When you cast this spell using a 7th-level spell slot, you can animate or reassert control over 4 ghouls. Using an 8th-level spell slot, you can control over 5 ghouls or 2 ghasts/wights. Using a 9th-level spell slot, you can control over 6 ghouls, 3 ghasts/wights, or 2 mummies.
Material Component:
one clay pot filled with grave dirt, one clay pot filled with brackish water, and one 150gp black onyx stone for each corpse
Verbal Component:
Creo Nonmortuus
Classes: Cleric, Warlock, Wizard
Tags: Creation
Source: Player's Handbook [5th Edition] (page 229)
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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).
