Danse Macabre
2014 Rules
- Level & School
- 5th-level necromancy
- Casting Time
- Action
- Range
- 60 feet
- Components
- V, S
- Duration
- Concentration, 1 hour
- Classes
- Warlock, Wizard
- Source
- Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Threads of dark power leap from your fingers to pierce up to five Small or Medium corpses you can see within range. Each corpse immediately stands up and becomes undead. You decide whether it is a zombie or a skeleton (the statistics for zombies and skeletons are in the Monster Manual), and it gains a bonus to its attack and damage rolls equal to your spellcasting ability modifier.
You can use a bonus action to mentally command the creatures you make with this spell, issuing the same command to all of them. To receive the command, a creature must be within 60 feet of you. You decide what action the creatures will take and where they will move during their next turn, or you can issue a general command, such as to guard a chamber or passageway against your foes. If you issue no commands, the creatures do nothing except defend themselves against hostile creatures. Once given an order, the creatures continue to follow it until their task is complete.
The creatures are under your control until the spell ends, after which they become inanimate once more.
Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, you animate up to two additional corpses for each slot level above 5th.
Danse Macabre 5.5e 2024 vs. 5e 2014 edition differences
Danse Macabre is currently only available in the 2014 edition.
Danse Macabre popularity
How popular is Danse Macabre? It is a seldom seen spell in the game, and is chosen less than other options when available. This spell may fill a specific niche for a spellbook.
- Bottom 50% picked level 5 Warlock spell
- Bottom 25% picked level 5 Wizard spell
- Bottom 25% of all level 5 spells
- Bottom 25% of all 5e spells
Read about how this popularity data is calculated.
Spells similar to Danse Macabre
Animate Objects 5th-level transmutation
This concentration spell similarly turns multiple creatures into temporary combatants whose actions improve the caster’s action economy.
Players prefer Animate Objects over Danse Macabre
Animate Dead 3rd-level necromancy
It also raises corpses as undead servants and lets the caster direct multiple creatures.
Players prefer Animate Dead over Danse Macabre
Create Undead 6th-level necromancy
Both are higher-level necromantic spells that create several controllable undead for battlefield support.
Players prefer Create Undead over Danse Macabre
Summon Fiend 6th-level conjuration
Although it produces one creature rather than several undead, it shares the warlock-wizard list, one-hour concentration duration, and servant-based combat role.
Players prefer Summon Fiend over Danse Macabre
Summon Undead 3rd-level necromancy
The shared necromantic theme, undead servant, one-hour concentration duration, and warlock-wizard overlap make it a close alternative.
Players prefer Summon Undead over Danse Macabre
Spirit of Death 4th-level necromancy
A fourth-level necromancy spell with the same hour-long concentration framework, it calls forth a death-themed ally to fight for you.
Players prefer Danse Macabre over Spirit of Death