Is it really the case that the spell Command Undead can wrest away control of an undead creature from another Necromancer without any save or even opposed Charisma checks?
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a shred of raw meat and a splinter of bone)EFFECT
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets one undead creature
Duration 1 day/level
Saving Throw Will negates; see text; Spell Resistance yesDESCRIPTION
This spell allows you a degree of control over an undead creature. If the subject is intelligent, it perceives your words and actions favorably (treat its attitude as friendly). It will not attack you while the spell lasts. You can give the subject orders, but you must win an opposed Charisma check to convince it to do anything it wouldn't ordinarily do. Retries are not allowed. An intelligent commanded undead never obeys suicidal or obviously harmful orders, but it might be convinced that something very dangerous is worth doing.A nonintelligent undead creature gets no saving throw against this spell. When you control a mindless being, you can communicate only basic commands, such as "come here," "go there," "fight," "stand still," and so on. Nonintelligent undead won't resist suicidal or obviously harmful orders.
Any act by you or your apparent allies that threatens the commanded undead (regardless of its Intelligence) breaks the spell.
Your commands are not telepathic. The undead creature must be able to hear you.
This really seems to imply that the third level wizard can use Command Undead to take over that unintelligent Fast Zombie Dragon that is one of the pets of a 20th level Necromancer without even trying. Sure, the Necromancer can get it back, but the point remains that it is ridiculous that this is even possible in the first place.
Seriously, is there anyway for the Necromancer to protect his pets from this?
I'd assume the normal rule about dueling for mental control of a creature still applies.
Multiple Mental Control Effects
Sometimes magical effects that establish mental control render each other irrelevant, such as spells that remove the subject's ability to act. Mental controls that don't remove the recipient's ability to act usually do not interfere with each other. If a creature is under the mental control of two or more creatures, it tends to obey each to the best of its ability, and to the extent of the control each effect allows. If the controlled creature receives conflicting orders simultaneously, the competing controllers must make opposed Charisma checks to determine which one the creature obeys.
If you Necromancer is a cleric (who are actually far and away the best at this, despite the claims of those weaking Necro-wiz wannabes) then the 4th level spell spell immunity can give one of your Undead minions absolute, complete, and total immunity to the control undead for 10 minutes per caster level.
Master Arminas