I animated a corpse (into a zombie) using the animate dead spell. During a fight with a succubus, the succubus tried to charm the zombie using its Charm ability:
One humanoid the fiend can see within 30 feet of it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed for 1 day. The charmed target obeys the fiend's verbal or telepathic commands. If the target suffers any harm or receives a suicidal command, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. If the target successfully saves against the effect, or if the effect on it ends, the target is immune to this fiend's Charm for the next 24 hours.
The zombie is not immune to being charmed according to its stat block – but the animate dead spell says that I command the undead how to act.
Can the zombie be charmed into fighting me? In general, can creatures you command (familiars, summoned, animated) be charmed into fighting their master?
Best Answer
Can the zombie be charmed into fighting me?
No.
In the specific case of the Succubus (and the spell Charm Person which the Charm action seems to borrow from) the target has to be a humanoid. A Zombie is of the type undead, and thus not a valid target. Though there are other spells and abilities that produce the charmed condition on any type of creature who is not immune to the charm condition, like Fey Presence and Hypnotic Pattern.
Moreover, the charm effect doesn't grant control, it would only prevents it from attacking the charmer, and gain advantage on social checks.
However, since the undead is compelled to follow the command of the person who controls it, the Zombie's new found love for you shouldn't prevent it from carrying out the task.
In general, can creatures you command (familiars, summoned, animated) be charmed into fighting its master?
Charmed
Charmed doesn't allow control. Familiars would be susceptible to the charmed condition unless their stat block provides immunity.
Suggestion
Suggestion won't work on Zombies. Suggestion reads:
Zombies don't have drive/will, so even if someone suggested to the Zombie should attack you, it would be overridden by your command, as long as you are in control. Even outside of a caster's control, a Zombie doesn't care about anything except killing the nearest target; so suggesting outside of who or what to attack next might not have the intended affect -- but it up the DM what the Zombie does with the suggestion.
A Find Familiar (both typical and Pact of Chain) summoned familiar would arguably be susceptible to suggestion; and the variant familiar Imp, Quaist or Pseudodragon would definitely be susceptible to suggestion.
Dominate
Dominate person wouldn't work on a Zombie, as a Zombie is not of type humanoid, it is of type undead. Dominate Monster (lvl 8 spell) would work to control a zombie.
Dominate Beast on a Find Familiar summoned familiar probably shouldn't work, because it isn't a beast, it is a spirit -- but Dominate Monster should, as it says specifically "creature" which includes spirits.
The variant familiar Imp, Quaist or Psudodragon would be a real creature, but all count as monsters by their type, so Dominate Monster would apply (not beast).
Summoned Creatures and constructs
Summoned creatures and constructs are all called forth from their own spells with their own verbiage. Some can be freed much more easily from the hold of the summoner than others. Most of them you lose control of by losing concentration. In either case, there are typically ways of using them against the caster.