Draconomicon zombies and skeletal dragons

[hamishspence]

Using the rules as written in Draconomicon, with animate dead + the desecrate + altar combination , you can create and control undead way above your CR. And with no cap on HD, they can get very nasty very fast:

5th level cleric: CR7 20HD zombie with breath weapon (though half strength) Nasty
10th level cleric: CR 14 40HD zombie. Very nasty.

Combine this with polymorph any object (great wyrm dead body of one species into great wyrm dead body of another species, may last forever if you assume species are closely related: Reptilian, Dragon, True Dragon, Great Wyrm)

20th level cleric (trickery domain): CR 34 78HD zombie: Awesomely nasty!

Are there rules that prevent this? Can only dragons animate dragon zombies? Is this abuse of the PAO spell?

Or, cos spells are very evil, is this the sort of thing you should throw at PC's who need shaking up?

15th level 4 being, PC group

10HD cleric riding 40HD CR 14 Colossal Red Dragon Zombie. Guaranteed to scare the pants off them when you place the Colossal dragon model on the battlmat with favorite rider model carefully Blu-tacked on back.

 

[frankthedm]

Well under skeleton template

If the creature has more than 20 Hit Dice, it can’t be made into a skeleton by the animate dead spell.

 

[azhrei_fje]

Yeah, that line of the spell was a bummer for me ... for my RttToEE campaign, I just ruled that the limit was 22HD so that one of my BBEGs could bring backa huge red dragon and burn up a gem from the same dragon's hoard (!) at the same time!

 

[hamishspence]

Draconomicon templates not same as MMI templates

That is to say, no limit listed in Draconomicon (in fact listed skeletal dragon has more than 20 HD) No limit in animate dead in PH, only on templates in MMI

Therefore, rule that binds MMI skeletons and zombies to 20HD does not bind draconomicon skeletal dragons and zombie dragons.

they also get more powers: frightful Presence, Spell Resistance, the zombie dragon gets a half-strength breath weapon.

So, question is, would using the rules as written in Draconomicon, plus descrate to double HD animated, lead to severe overpowering?

EG: 10th level cleric on 40HD Gread Red Wyrm Zombie Dragon. Or 5th level cleric on 20HD Green Zombie Dragon.