True, but so could a well-placed dominate person (a 5th level spell), assuming you got the right person.When you have 7th level spells, who really cares about a save-or-slightly-delay undead spell? Why not just vaporize them? (Disintegrate is both a lower level spell and has a better chance of working.) I honestly believe that control undead was meant to be more like a limited dominate monster - like command undead is a limited charm monster. 2 spell levels lower, confined to a single type... It make much more sense that way. I think it should have been days/level instead of minutes. And if you're worried about controlling something too powerful - well it already has an HD cap. Seems fair enough.
Creating creatures that create MORE creatures seems like a powerful ability... except that we're still talking about CR 1 monsters. Honestly, who cares? (Well, other than all the CR 1/2 villagers who you could have killed with a fireball anyway.) Not to mention that we're not talking about creating infinitely spawning critters under your control - we're talking about a single monster that you have to continue to dominate somehow (expending your resources), whose minions you would have to work even harder to ALSO control, and who - if intelligent enough - might even use their spawning abilities to topple your control of them (duh, evil). I think it's already well-limited.
The main thing that's "wrong" with this spell is that the people who wrote animate dead didn't seem to realize that you could make skeletons or zombies out of more than just human commoners. If you keep to the idea that a 4th level spell can make only CR 1/2 or CR 1/3 creatures, then the 6th level spell to create CR 1 and then CR 3 monsters makes more sense. However, if you stuck with this idea, then that whole line of spells is worthless. Who cares how many CR 1/3 monsters you have at your command at level 7? Again, no one but the CR 1/2 villagers, all of whom could die to your fireball, anyway.
Any other thoughts as to why these spells are so strangely high level?
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7prrWqKmlnF6kv6h706GpnpmUqHy4tNhmmKudXZi%2Fpq3TnmSuppSarqV5wKebZpufo8Gzu8tmrKeclZaxbr%2FOZpiwnqWhe3N9lG1tcGc%3D