Animate Dead Monster

This spell enables the caster to animate one humanoid or semi-humanoid corpse for every four levels of the caster. Such creatures are the animated remains of bipedal monsters of more than 3 Hit Dice and with endoskeletons similar to those of humans except in size, which must be 7 feet or greater in height. Typically, subjects are ettins, ogres, trolls, giants, carnivorous apes, and the like.

The dweomer empowers the caster to give any number of direct commands or instructions that will be obeyed, up to 12 words long, much like the animate dead spell.

A skeletal form will have Hit Dice equal to the basic monster Hit Dice. A zombie form will have one additional Hit Die. Animated monsters receive their normal physical attacks, but have no special attributes other than those possessed by skeletons or zombies.

A monster zombie is turned as an undead with the base creature's Hit Dice, while a skeletal monster is turned as the next weaker type of undead. For example, a zombie ogre would be turned as a shadow, while a skeletal ogre would be turned as a ghoul.

The material component is a sliver of bone or a gobbet of flesh from the body to be animated.

Notes: Common for necromancers; otherwise rare.