Animate Dead Monsters

This spell enables the caster to animate 1 humanoid or semi-humanoid skeleton or corpse for every 2 levels of experience which he or she has attained. 

The dweomer animates the remains and empowers the caster to give commands. Direct commands or instructions of up to about 12 words in length will be obeyed by the skeletons or zombies animated (cf. animate dead spell). 

Monster types which can be animated by this spell include but are not limited to: apes (carnivorous and giant), bugbears, ettins, giants (all varieties), ogres, and trolls (all varieties). In general, the remains must be of bipedal monsters of more than 3 hit dice and with endoskeletons similar to those of humans, except in size (which must be greater than 7-ft height). 

Corpses animated by this spell are treated either as monster zombies (see Monster Manual II), or else as normal (living) creatures of the same form if that creature type normally has less than 6 hit dice. 

Skeletons animated by this spell are treated as monsters of half the hit dice (rounded up) of the normal sort. 

Animated monsters of either type receive their normal physical attacks, but have no special attacks or defenses other than those typically possessed by monster zombies or skeletons. 

The material components for the spell are the cleric's holy/unholy symbol and a small specimen of the type of creature which is to be animated.