Rend Shadows

4th-level necromancy

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Choose up to 4 creatures within range. Each creature has their shadow forcibly ripped from their body, conjuring a Shadow (Monster Manual pg. 269) in an unoccupied space next to them. As long as the shadow is separate from their body, they do not cast a shadow. A shadow created through this spell reforms with its host when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends, and it disappears if its host dies. If its host dies, a new shadow does not rise from the corpse.

The shadows seek only to attack the creature they were separated from, and disappear when that creature is killed. Roll initiative for the shadows as a group, which has its own turns. They spend their turns attacking their host, without any thought for strategy or tactics.

When you cast this spell using certain higher level spell slots, you can target more creatures: twice as many with a 6th-level slot and three times as many with an 8th-level slot.