[phiwum]

Zombies are kinda like servants more than animals. Here, I'm speaking of ITL Zombies, not feral or plague Zombies. Taking over a Zombie is like taking over a foot soldier or an elemental.

Now, each of those get a save roll, while animals don't, so it seems to me that Zombies should get a save roll too. The obvious one (using the wizard's IQ) unfortunately is too hard and makes the spell useless. Hence, the IQ vs. IQ competition may be a better way to go.

Feral zombies are much more like animals, but with even less intelligence. I'd probably skip the save roll for them. This spell won't really stop a serious Zombie apocalypse since there are likely few wizards who learn Megahex Zombie Control and the ST cost is significant. There are only so many megahexes of Zombies you can command to walk into the lava pits before you need a good lie-down.

If you have a save roll or competition to take over controlled zombies, I guess the multihex variants aren't too bad.