Top 15 Best Necromancy Spells in D&D 5e [Ranked]

The School of Necromancy is the most well-known form of magic and one of the most feared. Supreme necromancers can wield the true power of Necromancy, raising the dead to do their bidding.

Even though using the flesh of the fallen to fight your battles is most often associated with Necromancy, it also has spells that restore HP, resurrect fallen comrades, or drain the life of enemies while fighting with potent Necrotic damage.

Necromancy is often the favorite of Clerics or Druids, providing high healing, and Wizards, who intend to create armies of the dead!

Best Necromancy Spells 5e

15. Cause Fear (1st-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Starting off the Necromancy list, we have a spell that provides a negative condition at a surprisingly low level.

You target a creature and cast the spell, forcing it to succeed in a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened until the spell ends.

While you can’t target undead or constructs, you’ll find many other creatures that you’ll be able to fear.

14. Toll the Dead (Cantrip)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

Spells like Toll the Dead are great if you want to lower your spell cost but up your damage.

You point to a creature and cast the spell, forcing it to make a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d8 Necrotic damage. If the creature already missing any HP, it’ll take 1d12 Necrotic damage instead.

In the early game, dealing 1d12 Necrotic damage is great, so be sure to use this spell in combination with other damage spells!

13. Chill Touch (Cantrip)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 120 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: 1 round

Chill Touch is a regenerative creature’s worst nightmare.

Make a ranged spell attack, targeting one creature. If hit, it takes 1d8 Necrotic Damage and cannot regain HP until the start of your next turn.

Note: If the target is undead, it will also have a disadvantage on attack rolls against you until your next turn ends.

Creatures like vampires are especially linked to regeneration, so if you’re facing them, bring this spell along.

12. Speak with Dead (3rd-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 10 feet

Components: V, S, M (burning incense)

Duration: 10 minutes

Those long deceased carry knowledge unknown to the mortals who were not in their presence upon death.

You target a corpse no older than 10 days, giving it a semblance of life. You’ll be allowed 5 questions, but the answers are usually brief, and the corpse has no obligation to answer truthfully.

Note: The corpse must have a mouth and cannot be undead.

Finding secrets, treasures, or what happened on a battlefield are some of the ways Speak with Dead can be used.

11. Bestow Curse (3rd-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Curses are a hassle for players and monsters and are a powerful form of debuffing.

You touch a creature, and if it fails the Wisdom saving throw, it becomes cursed with one of the 4 curses.

They involve disadvantage on ability checks and saving throws, disadvantage on attack rolls, missing an action if it doesn’t succeed on a saving throw, and your attacks and spells deal extra 1d8 Necrotic damage.

Remember, Bestow Curse, along with many others, can be removed using the spell Remove Curse. So be on the lookout for spellcasters.

10. Gentle Repose (2nd-level) [Ritual]

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: V, S, M (one copper piece placed on each of the corpse’s eyes and a pinch of salt, which must remain there for the entire duration)

Duration: 10 days

If saving your companions is too dangerous, simply use Gentle Repose.

If you touch a corpse or remains, the target will be protected from decay and cannot become undead, effectively extending the time limit on raising the target.

Resurrecting party members could take a while, especially if you’re in a fight. So if you need to focus on a battle, cast this spell and save and resurrect them right after.

9. Ray of Enfeeblement (2nd-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Giant Strength brutes can be problematic, especially in the early game, where AC is low, and spell slots are limited.

You perform a ranged spell attack against a creature; on a hit, the creature only deals half damage with its weapon attacks that use Strength, lasting until the end of the spell.

If you don’t have a Paladin for defense, you should have your spellcasters unlock Ray of Enfeeblement. It’ll make fighting Strength-based enemies much easier.

8. Life Transference (3rd-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

Sometimes the backline isn’t targeted; in those cases, the frontline will need some help, so why not give them some of your HP?

You sacrifice some of your HP, taking 4d8 Necrotic damage, choosing a creature to regain HP equal to twice that of the Necrotic damage you took.

A small sacrifice can win the battle!

7. Blindness/Deafness (2nd-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V

Duration: 1 minute

As explained earlier, negative conditions are very powerful, especially when you obtain them at lower levels.

You choose one creature and force it to make a Constitution saving throw. If it fails, the target will either be blinded or deafened (your choice).

Upcasting this spell can be very powerful, adding to how many creatures you can target at once.

6. Vampiric Touch (3rd-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Self

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Staying alive amid battle isn’t easy, but with Vampiric Touch, you’ll heal indefinitely.

Simply make a melee spell attack against your target. On a hit, the target will take 3d6 Necrotic damage, and you will regain HP equal to half the Necrotic damage dealt.

Close-combat Wizards perform exceptionally well with Vampiric Touch!

5. Eyebite (6th-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Self

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You already understand the power of conditions, but when combined with other debuffs, they become even more powerful.

You choose one creature, which must succeed in a Wisdom saving throw or be afflicted by 1 of the 3 conditions.

Choose between Asleep (target falls unconscious), Panicked (becomes frightened and must use a dash to get away from you), and Sickened (disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks), all providing powerful debuffs to your target creature.

4. Finger of Death (7th-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

If you’re playing a Necromancer, Finger of Death is an automatic unlock.

Target a creature; it must succeed (taking half damage) on a Constitution saving throw or take 7d8 + 30 Necrotic damage on a failed one. Humanoids killed this way turn into a zombie on your next turn and is permanently under your control.

Finger of Death has great damage, but its big advantage is that it effortlessly creates zombies. Constantly using this spell can result in the caster amassing an army of the dead.

3. Danse Macabre (5th-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

Unlike Finger of Death, Danse Macabre provides undead forces temporarily.

Target up to 5 Small or Medium corpses, raising the corpse and choosing if it becomes a skeleton or zombie. You issue commands to them, fulfilling them to the best of their abilities.

Upcasting this spell can lead to raising a maximum of 13 corpses.

2. Revivify (3rd-level)

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch

Components: V, S, M (some diamonds worth 300 GP, consumed by the spell)

Duration: Instantaneous

Revivify needs no introduction; it’s by far one of the best spells in D&D.

Touching a creature that has died within the last minute returns the creature to life with 1 HP.

Note: No missing body parts can be restored, along with creatures that died of old age.

If you can’t spare high-level spell slots or need to revive someone quickly, Revivify is the way to go.

1. True Resurrection (9th-level)

Casting Time: 1 hour

Range: Touch

Components: V, S, M (diamonds worth at least 25,000 GP and a sprinkle of holy water consumed by the spell)

Duration: Instantaneous

Resurrection doesn’t only apply to comrades; it can also be used to revive long-forgotten creatures!

Touch a creature that hasn’t been dead longer than 200 years. The creature is resurrected with all its HP if the soul is free and willing.

Note: True Resurrection closes all wounds, cures all diseases, neutralizes poisons, and lifts curses that affect the corpse. It can even provide the creature with a new body if its original form is no more.

If you can convince or magically control a powerful resurrected creature, your party will be a force to reckon with.

Final Thoughts

While Necromancy has many powerful spells, there are some that completely change the way you play D&D. Others even present you with power that can have you turn into a Necromantic King.

You’ll find no better school to amass an army, resurrect your companions are deal life-draining damage with!

You might also be interested in the following:

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