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source: Players Guide 2
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Some wizards are naturally drawn to necromancy, and others are turned to it by trauma—learning the incredible power of using the dead to do their bidding as they attempt to hang onto what remains of their deceased brethren. But whatever drew them to these dark arts, these wizards all share one core belief: death is merely a new beginning.

| Necromancer Progression |                                  |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| Wizard Level            | Features                         |
| 3rd                     | Reanimation Rites, Undead Thrall |
| 7th                     | Enhanced Undead                  |
| 11th                    | Necromantic Reversal             |
| 15th                    | Monstrous Creations              |

## Reanimation Rites 

3rd-Level Necromancer Feature 

Your study of death and the Undead has made you adept at using necromantic magic. You can add any spell from the necromancy school to your spellbook, regardless of its spell source. These spells count as Arcane spells for you.

## Undead Thrall 

3rd-Level Necromancer Feature 

You can spend 1 minute touching a pile of bones or the corpse of a Medium or Small Beast or Humanoid (or Monstrosity with the Animal tag) to create an Undead thrall. The target must have a CR of 1/2 or lower. The target becomes a skeleton if you chose bones or a zombie if you chose a corpse. If the target is a Humanoid, it uses the statistics of a standard skeleton or zombie. If the target is a Beast or Monstrosity, it uses its normal statistics with the skeleton or zombie template applied (see Game Master’s Guide for more information on monster templates). 

This Undead thrall understands one language you know, and you can communicate with it telepathically while it is within 1 mile of you. The thrall is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your commands. In combat, the thrall shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It obeys your verbal commands (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any commands, it takes the Dodge action and uses its move to avoid danger.

You can have only one thrall at a time. If you create another, the previous one immediately crumbles. Any new thrall you create retains the memories and personality of the previous thrall, unless you decide otherwise. 

Starting at 7th level, you can raise a Large or smaller creature as your thrall, and your thrall can be created from a creature with a CR of 1 or lower. The target must meet all other requirements to be raised as your thrall. At 11th level, the maximum CR increases to 3, and at 15th level, it increases to CR 5. 

## Enhanced Undead 

7th-Level Necromancer Feature 

You can cast the animate dead ritual spell as an action instead of its normal casting time, and you can ignore the material spell component when you do so. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your **PB**, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

In addition, any Undead you animate or create, including your Undead thrall, adds your **PB** to its damage rolls and to its AC. Any Undead you animate or create can use your spell attack modifier in place of its normal attack bonus, and if the creature has a feature that requires a save, it can use your spell save **DC** or its own save **DC**. Attacks from such Undead count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

## Necromantic Reversal 

11th-level Necromancer feature 

As an action, you can drain the necromantic energy suffusing nearby Undead that you don’t control. Each Undead of your choice within 30 feet of you that you can see must succeed on a **WIS** save or be destroyed if its CR is equal to your **PB** or lower. From this, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to twice the number of Undead destroyed, or you can distribute these temporary hit points to any Undead you control.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your **PB**. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

## Monstrous Creations 

15th-Level Necromancer Feature 

When you cast the animate dead ritual spell, you can now target Medium or Small Beasts and Humanoids (and Monstrosities with the Animal tag). Each creature uses its normal statistics with the skeleton (if bones) or zombie (if corpse) template (see Game Master’s Guide). You are no longer limited by the number of Undead you can control with the spell, but the total CR of Undead you can control with animate dead can’t be higher than half your wizard level (rounded down). Creatures with a CR of 0 are considered to have a CR of 1/8 for the purpose of this calculation.