Objects come to life at your command. Choose up to ten nonmagical objects within range that are not being worn or carried. Medium targets count as two objects, Large targets count as four objects, Huge targets count as eight objects. You can't animate any object larger than Huge. Each target animates and becomes a creature under your control until the spell ends or until reduced to 0 hit points.
As a bonus action, you can mentally command any creature you made with this spell if the creature is within 500 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.
Animated Object Statistics
Size | HP | AC | Str | Dex | Attack |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tiny | 20 | 18 | 4 | 18 | +8 to hit, 1d4 + 4 damage |
Small | 25 | 16 | 6 | 14 | +6 to hit, 1d8 + 2 damage |
Medium | 40 | 13 | 10 | 12 | +5 to hit, 2d6 + 1 damage |
Large | 50 | 10 | 14 | 10 | +6 to hit, 2d10 + 2 damage |
Huge | 80 | 10 | 18 | 6 | +8 to hit, 2d12 + 4 damage |
An animated object is a construct with AC, hit points, attacks, Strength, and Dexterity determined by its size. Its Constitution is 10 and its Intelligence and Wisdom are 3, and its Charisma is 1. Its speed is 30 feet; if the object lacks legs or other appendages it can use for locomotion, it instead has a flying speed of 30 feet and can hover. If the object is securely attached to a surface or a larger object, such as a chain bolted to a wall, its speed is 0. It has blindsight with a radius of 30 feet and is blind beyond that distance. When the animated object drops to 0 hit points, it reverts to its original object form, and any remaining damage carries over to its original object form.
If you command an object to attack, it can make a single melee attack against a creature within 5 feet of it. It makes a slam attack with an attack bonus and bludgeoning damage determined by its size. The GM might rule that a specific object inflicts slashing or piercing damage based on its form.
At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, you can animate two additional objects for each slot level above 5th.
Can an animated object do something else than attacking? Like grapple or Push?
@taotad
The spell says that it makes them a creature and that you choose its action. The wording implies that it will have all actions available to it that creatures have, assuming it has the proper anatomy to perform the task (a large animated statue of Kord could totally grapple something, while an animated boulder could not)
The only possible hang up is that the later paragraph mentions that if you command it to attack, it makes a single melee attack, but since the wording doesn't state "if you command an object to take the Attack action" it most likely doesn't mean that it can only choose a melee attack as its attack action. Wording might sound pedantic but as it is written that appears to be the intent since typically specific rules will directly state whether or not they override the general rules, and I don't see that occurring.
Why not? It has a STR score. Talk it over with your DM/group.
I'd love to see someone animate 10 small lengths of cheese wire, have each of them wrap around an enemy and pin it to the ground with a convince strength score of 60, or lift it in the air.
what does forge domain mean in the available classes section?
It means this spell is available to clerics of the forge domain, the forge domain being one of their subclass options from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. (Currently playing one and she’s a ton of fun!)
Thanks
So do the creatures created with this spell count as allies for the purposes of, say, Sneak Attack?
Yes it does even if they are tiny.
Do dead creatures count as objects?
For example if a party killed a large monster could I animate the body this way and use it?
That would be the animate dead spell for corpses
Seems like with ten nonmagical objects becoming constructs of small size (5x5 feet of space that it effectively controls in combat), a caster could surround a medium or smaller creature and prevent it from moving, and then attack it for potentially 100 damage per round. Could be lots of fun with perhaps ball bearings... or maybe daggers.
I'm planning on doing it with daggers as my College of Swords Bard. I just need to level up enough to learn the spell. And buy nine more daggers.
Roll out 10 coins on the table, animate them. All have +8 to hit, 1d4 +4 damage.
10d4 +40 damage if all hit. A round. Yikes!
Is there a permanent version of this spell or is "Awaken" the only version?
This exactly what my Lore Bard did. I took it as my 5th level spell and level 9 and never had an opportunity to use it until the session we eventually leveled to 10. A small part of our party was surrounded by a dozen Orcs and my Bard threw a handful of copper pieces into the air. Everyone thought I was just trying to distract the enemy until I cast the spell and ended up killing four of them in one round. First kills my Bard landed as he is primarily a support character.
According to Chris Perkins it's classed as a object as its no longer a creature. Mike Merals also talks about about how the body would move if targeted by the spell. So you would be able to use the spell on the body but please think about the table you play at before doing it. Not everyone is cool with dead body stuff.
https://www.sageadvice.eu/2015/05/14/corpse-creature-or-object/
https://www.sageadvice.eu/2017/12/15/animate-objects-targeting-corpses-would-you-make-them-visually-distinct-from-undead/
Do tiny objects count as one or a half
The spells says choose up to ten objects. Then it says Medium count as two, Large as four and Huge as eight. Tiny and small are not mentioned, so it is assumed that Tiny and Small both cost one object slot.
Just imagine the chaos a bard can bring with this spell. Especially at higher levels.