16 Uses For Animate Objects in DnD 5e

When you animate an object, while technically you command the creatures, to help prevent the rest of the table getting bored, have them do the rolls for your Tiny or Small objects. It keeps them engaged and while you’re still doing the command, they can take on the personality of the item.
Animate Objects RAW Explained: • Animate Objects - DnD ...
Other DnD 5e Spell Uses: • 10 Uses For Animate De...
With so many objects, you can speed things up by using the average damage and if you’re using ten, you might just want to leverage a dice rolling app to save yourself some headache. You could also use mob rolling methods. More on that in a separate video.
Remember you’re dealing with objects, so no liquids or gasses, unless they are in vials or containers. From the DMG, an object is a discrete, inanimate item like a window, door, sword, book, table, chair, or stone. If you’re unsure if something is an object, check with your DM, but a general rule of thumb is “smaller than 15x15, not well-fastened to another object, and not being worn or carried by a creature”
All that out of the way, let’s get into some of the ways you can use Animate Objects as a player in DnD from basic to chaotic. Most uses fall into four categories: distraction, combat, chores, and puzzle-solving.
Act out your Fantasia fantasies and party hard while brooms and other objects do your chores for you.
Distract commoners by rolling gold pieces down the street, up to you whether the coins do damage once grabbed
From Dr Elm Tree, fulfill the prophecy of the Dread Gazebo and animate what was once only a stationery misunderstanding
Open a portcullis or heavy metal doors that block your way
Roll a bunch of boulders into a barrier formation to take cover from the baddies
The inverse, if the baddies are hiding in an area of animatable objects, have the objects turn on them and begin to beat them senseless.
Make several scarecrows and deck them out to look like the party. Have them march through guarded areas, drawing folks away from doors and giving you clear entry
Build your own cloud of daggers and chase after all of your enemies, dealing slashing damage as you go.
From Iuithriel, gaslight your enemies by moving furniture around quickly while you stay in place
Animate an entire wagon and crash it into foes, barricades, or stop a wedding.
Have a sneaky little artificer hiding in the walls that animates any chest the party gets near so they think it’s a mimic, teasing them into destroying the chest and the goods inside
Pretend a house is haunted to scare off bandits or squatters
Launch 10 projectiles into a room to find an invisible enemy using their blindsight
Lay out 10 bombs from your adventuring gear and send them off toward your enemies, each with a one minute fuse. The bombs do 3d6 fire damage to anyone within 5 feet once they explode, so technically as long as they are not attacked themselves, they could probably do the Tiny Object 1d4+8 damage for 1 minute of concentration and then explode at the end
Staying on the explosive side of things, if you have 10 sticks of dynamite, you could have them do the same thing, as the bombs, 3d6 bludgeoning instead of fire, but if 8 of the sticks form up prior to concentration breaking, they can do up to 10d6 bludgeoning damage, increasing the blast radius to 20 feet. I’ll say that again, 10d6 bludgeoning damage in a 20 foot radius, from pseudo-sentient dynamite.
Animate a huge boulder and fly it above your enemy right before you break concentration or before the minute is up. Not only can the huge rock deal damage prior to the spell ending, it can fly and hover, meaning if you have an enemy that’s entangled or grappled and can’t move, you can drop the 15x15 boulder on them, dealing 1d6 damage for every 10 feet it falls, up to 20d6. Fly speed of 30 means the boulder could be lifted to its max height after 7 turns, ready to fall 210 feet onto the head of whatever poor soul is under it. Once it falls, the boulder will do 70 bludgeoning damage on average. That poor kobold never stood a chance.
00:00 Animate Objects Clarifications
01:30 Uses 1-6
02:05 Uses 7-11
02:40 Uses 12-16
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[@rodneytucker8230]

Purchase 11 musical instruments, animate instruments, 1 man band with accompanying 10 piece ensemble. Who says the bard is the only one that gets to “rock out!” Distraction to the max.

[@FiddleForge]

Need to crack a safe or vault door? Animate it and command it to open itself.

[@Richinnameonly]

I don't think reading the text I could allow an object to fly up so high. I think it breaks the spirit of animating the object. According to the text something with legs wouldn't be allowed to do this despite being animated by the same spell. I don't think a different set of logic was meant to be applied depending on the object having legs or not. And having legs is detrimental, that doesn't make logical sense. In any case I can imagine every dm would rule this slightly differently.

[@DumbestDnD]

😄 agreed! The rules around fly are extremely vague, but rules as intended would likely be keeping it close to the ground.