http://starcraft.incgamers.com/galle..._Zerg_Rush.jpg
The zergs show that quantity has a quality of it's own.
Intro
Well, as any D&D player may have noticed, it's really hard to make large number of small enemies threaten players once they start reaching higher levels.
It would be really cool if you could put your 10th level party against a hundred level 1 orc warriors, but the batle would be really one sided as the casters fly and drop nukes and the orcs can, at best, hit the party members on nat 20s, plus no sane DM wants to roll attacks, saves and iniatives for one hundred orcs, not to mention the models.
And the players wouldn't even get experience.
The good news is that DMG 2 gave us the mob template, wich turns that group of commoners into actualy something dangerous.
The bad news is that, like everything else in DMG2, it kinda sucks. Ok, it's probably the best thing in the book, and the only reason any D&D player should bother reading it, but the template itself really could use some work. It's a great idea and so I decided to properly polish it.
So I present you:
Mobs(template)
An angry mob represents a group of creatures that band togheter with a single destructive mentality. Like killing someone or taking down a city.
A mob is treated as a single entity similar to a swarm,
except that it is made of larger creatures. A mob can be
composed of Small, Medium, or Large creatures, but all
the individual creatures must be of the same type. A mob
that incorporates a crowd of goblins and a crowd of chokers
is best modeled by two separate mobs.
“Mob” is an acquired template that can be added to any
group of Small, Medium, or Large creatures who choose to form a mob. A mob uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Unless noted otherwise, all of the mob abilities are ex abilities.
Resumed version:
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Size: dependant on the number of members. Large ones count as four and small ones count as half. Mobs have reach as the base creature.
8-20: large
21-37: huge
38-68: gargantuan
69-128: colossal
Other creatures can move across a mob whitout troubles, and the mob can move over creatures, causing attacks of oportuny for movement. Mobs do attacks of oportunity as their base creature does, except that they have no limit to the number of aoos they may perform per turn. Mobs can change their shape at will as long as their area remains the same and pass trough any passage large enough to allow passage of their composing inidividuals.
HD:Equal to the number of members. Mobs breack up at 0 hp.
Speed:reduce by 10
The following remain unchanged from the base creature, but apply the mob's size modifier: AC, grapple
The following remain unchanged from the base creature:
Iniative, BAB, saves, physical stats, skills, attack options that don't demand an activation like poison, and any ability that's based on the total number of HD of the creature
Charisma, intelegence and wisdom change to 10.
Mob damage: die damage of the weapon most common on the mob, increased to the new size, and multiplied by the following factor based on the mob's size. Apply strenght modifier before multiplier.
1/2 BAB:Don't multiply
3/4 BAB: multiply by 2
Full BAB:multiply by 3
Armor and shield bonuses count as DR against all mob attacks.
Mob attack options:
Mob up: mobs automaticaly deal mob damage to all creatures in the same area of the mob at the end of the mob's turn, whitout need of any action. It may also choose to attack objects whitin it's reach as a free action at the end of their turn.
Voley:Standard action, single target or area based on mob size. Uses mob's ranged weapons range. Ref save for half damage of 10+mob's dex+mob's BAB.
If the mob has enough BAB it can do iterative attacks as a fullround action, but only against a single target. Range increment penalties apply to the save DC.
Large:Can't use area attack.
Huge-5 radius circle.
Gargantuan-10 radius circle.
Colossal-20 radius circle.
Creatures hit by a volley get can't move next turn and drop twice the damage they've taken in feets if they're flying. A sucessfull save means hit creatures move at half speed next turn and drop the damage taken in feets if flying.
Volleys cannot be used if the mob has ungrappled enemies inside of it.
Mob grapple: as normal grapple, but creatures who are caught by the mob take mob damage instead of unarmed damage, and the mob can never be grappled itself. It can also carry grappled creatures at it's full speed. A mob who's grappling a target never takes any penalty for grappling.
Trample:The mob must start and end it's turn away from the creature, passing over it somewhere in between. Damage 2d6+1,5 str modifier of the mob, reflex DC 13+mob's size bonus+mob's strenght modifier for half damage. Enemies can choose to make an aoo instead of the save. Only smaller creatures than the mob are affected.
Mob mind:A mob cannot use any special ability that demands an activation like spells and breath attacks. It can still use abilities that work automaticaly such as poison, improved grappled, swallow whole, gaze attacks ect. Use the base creature HD for DCs
Mobs can still use skills as normal.
Mob Anatomy:Immune to criticals, precision damage and spells/effects that don't deal damage and/or don't outright kill a creature.
Don't affected by flanking, bullrush, overrun, trip or grapple
If a mob fails a save against a spell/effect that would normally kill/incapapacitate a creature, such as disintrigate, slay living or wail of the bashee, it instead gains one negative level for each creature that would be killed by that spell/effect. Large creatures count as 4 and small creatures count as half.
Mobs take +50% damage from area damage spells.
Mobs take double damage from melee attacks from creatures with cleave.
Mobs take quadruple damage from melee attacks from creatures with greater cleave.
Feats: Same as the base creature; all mobs gain Improved
Bull Rush and Improved Overrun as bonus feats.
Challenge Rating:
Large:3, or +2 if the base creature’s CR is 2 or higher.
Huge:5, or +2 if the base creature’s CR is 4 or higher.
Gargantuan:8, or +2 if the base creature’s CR is 7 or higher.
Colossal:12, or +2 if the base creature’s CR is 11 or higher.
New:
Unit, a more organized form of the mob.
Leaded Mob
Detailed version
Size and Type:
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Size is based on the number of creatures forming the mob. Large creatures count as four, and small creatures count as half. It is assumed that the creatures press against each other, and thus they fill less space than they would fill as individuals. There must be at least 8 members to form a mob. Mobs with more members than the maximum size should be represented as multiple mobs. The mob’s type remains unchanged from the base creature.
8-20: large
21-37: huge
38-68: gargantuan
69-128: colossal
Hit Dice:
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A mob has a single pool of Hit Dice and hit
points. Like regular HP, it's an abstraction of both the endurance of the members of the mob and their will to destroy whatever it's on their path.
The mob has HD equal to the number of composing members (with large creatures counting as 4 and small creatures counting as half).
Reducing a mob to 0 hit points or lower causes it to
breack up (with two thirds of it's members killed or disabled, the remaining undamaged, but now counting as simple individuals, and probably wanting to run away for their lifes), though damage taken until that point does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. Mobs are never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage.
However, for abilities based on the number of HD, like SR, the mob uses the number of HD of the base creature.
Initiative: As the most common among the creatures composing the mob.
Speed: A mob’s speed is 10 feet slower than that of the
base creature.
Armor Class: As the base creatures, with the respective penalty for the new size(-1 for large, -2 for huge, -4 for gargantuan, -8 for colossal)
If the creatures have diferent kinds of AC, use the most common.
Base Attack:Use the most common BAB of the members of the mob. Don't recalculate based on the new HD.
Grapple: Use the base creature attack bonus, modified for the mob's size, and as appropriate for its Strength modifier.
Attack/Full Attack: Mobs can’t make standard attacks. In return, they receive three special attack options:
Mob up
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A mob automaticaly deals damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move, with no attack roll needed. Mob attacks ignore concealmentand cover. A mob’s attacks are nonmagical, unless the
base creature’s attacks are considered magical. Damage reduction applies to mob up attacks.
The damage amount and type is based on the damage the most common kind of individual of the mob would normaly deal, but multiplied by a factor based on it's BAB and increase the damage HD acording to the new size.
1/2 BAB:Don't multiply
3/4 BAB: multiply by 2
Full BAB:multiply by 3
For example, a mob of 50 orc warriors with longswords would deal 12d6+6 damage to any creature inside it every turn.
The mob can also choose to deal that damage to any unatended object it is touching. So a mob could eventualy bring down walls and houses.
Volley
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If at least half of the members of the mob have similar ranged weapons, they can fire at the same time at an area or target as a standard action. The mob cannot fire if it has nongrappled enemies on it's midst.
Range is the same as the ranged weapon more common in the mob. Damage is as the mob up attack, but based on the ranged weapon the mob is using. Range increments give a bonus on the defender's save of +2 for each range increment.
Single target: as mob up attack damage, enemy can make a reflex save equal to the mob's BAB+ 10+mob's dex modifier for half damage. If using a fullround action the mob can do iterative attacks, but whitout the -5 penalty.
Area attack: A mob of huge size or larger, as a fullround action, can deal mob up damage in an area based on their own size. Reflex of 10+BAB+mob's dex modifier for half.
Huge-5 radius circle.
Gargantuan-10 radius circle.
Colossal-20 radius circle.
Creatures who fail their saves against a volley of either kind are pinned down by the projectiles, and cannot move next turn. If flying, they drop down twice as much feets as they took damage.
Even if they make their saves, their speed is reduced to half in the next turn, and if flying they drop a number of feets equal to the damage taken.
Mob grapple: a mob can grapple as a standard action, altough it cannot be grappled back. Sucessfull rolls from the oponent just mean it managed to don't be brought down by the mob. Instead of unarmed damage, the mob deals the mob up attack damage to grappled oponents as they are mercyless steped over by the angry individuals. The mob can carry grappled oponents at it's full speed.
Armor and shield bonus work as DR against all mob damage.
Space/Reach:
Large-10 by 10 feets square
Huge-15 by 15 feets square.
Gargantuan-20 by 20 feets square.
Colossal-30 by 30 feets square.
A mob's reach is the same of the base creature, and it's aoos work exactly as aoos from that creature, except the mob can make as much aoos per turn as it wants. It's height is the average of the composing individuals.
In order to attack, it moves into an opponent’s space, which provokes an attack of opportunity. It can occupy the same space as a creature,
since it tramples over and moves around its victim. A mob
can move through squares occupied by enemies, and vice
versa, without impediment, although a mob provokes an
attack of opportunity if it does so. A mob can move through
openings large enough for its component creatures.
The area occupied by mobs is completely shapeable,
though the mob usually remains in contiguous squares.
Mob mind:
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A mob’s mentality is fueled by emotion;
as a result, the individual creatures that make up
the mob are unable to use any attack options that require
actions, such as breath weapons, spell-like abilities, and
the like. If the base creature has attack options that affect
the damage it deals (such as poison, energy drain, abilitydamage, improved grab, constrict, rend, or swallow whole),
those special attacks function normally on any creature
damaged by the mob. Attack options such as gaze weapons
that function constantly continue to function normally.
The save DCs for any of these attacks should be recalculated
based on the mob’s Hit Dice.
Mobs can still use skills as normal.
In addition, mobs gain both of the following:
Expert Grappler (Ex): A mob can maintain a grapple without
penalty and still make attacks against other targets
(normally, attacking other targets while grappling imposes
a –20 penalty on grapple checks). A mob is never considered
flat-footed while grappling.
Trample (Ex): A mob that simply moves over a creature
and doesn’t end its movement with that creature in one of
its occupied squares can trample the creature. The creature must be at least one size smaller than the mob. A trampled creature takes damage equal to 2d6 points + 1,5 times the mob’s Strength modifi er. The victim can either make an attack of opportunity against the mob or make a Refl ex save (DC 13+mob's size bonus+the mob’s Str modifi er)to take half damage.
Special Qualities:Spoiler
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A mob retains all the special qualities
of the base creature. In addition, it gains the following
special quality.
Mob Anatomy (Ex): A mob has no clear front or back
and no discernible anatomy, so it is not subject to critical
hits or sneak attacks. A mob cannot be flanked, tripped,
grappled, or bull rushed.
However, unlike standard swarms, mobs are made up of relatively
small numbers of individual creatures, so spells or
effects that target specific numbers of creatures can have
an effect on a mob. Each specific creature that is slain,
disabled, or otherwise incapacitated by spells or effects
that target specific creatures bestows one negative level
on the mob.
A mob that gains negative levels equal to its
Hit Dice breaks up as if reduced to 0 hit points. Negative
levels gained in this manner are not the result of negative
energy (and thus cannot be blocked by death ward or
removed by restoration), but never result in permanent
level loss. A mob takes half again as much damage (+50%)
from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash
weapons and evocation spells.
Characters with cleave deal double damage to a mob in melee. Characters with greater cleave deal quadruple damage to a mob in melee.
Saves: A mob uses the same saving throws as the base creature, but failed saves never result in anything worst than negative levels as it loses members. Effects that don't instantly disable a creature (like blindness or curse) have no effect whatsoever on the mob.
Abilities: A mob’s abilities are the same as the base
creature, except that its Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma
scores drop to 10. If the base creature’s Intelligence,
Wisdom, or Charisma scores are already lower than 10,
they do not change.
Skills: Same as the base creature; do not recalculate
based on the mob’s new Hit Dice. The mob’s new Intelligence,
Wisdom, or Charisma scores might grant some
skills different modifiers.
Feats: Same as the base creature; all mobs gain Improved
Bull Rush and Improved Overrun as bonus feats.
Challenge Rating: Based on size:
Large:3, or +2 if the base creature’s CR
is 2 or higher.
Huge:5, or +2 if the base creature’s CR
is 4 or higher.
Gargantuan:8, or +2 if the base creature’s CR
is 7 or higher.
Colossal:12, or +2 if the base creature’s CR
is 11 or higher.
Sample mobs.
Goblin raiding team
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CR 3
NE large humanoid (mob of 16 goblin warriors):
Init +5;
AC 12, touch 10, flat-footed 11(-1 size, +1 dex, +2 armor)
36 HP (8d8)
Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +0
Speed 20 ft. (4 squares)
Mob up with longswords (6d6-3) or shortbows (3d8-3, range 60 feet, ref DC 11, one volley if using fullround action)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +1; Grp +4
Atk Options expert grappler, trample 2d6
Abilities Str 8, Dex 12, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10
SQ mob anatomy
Feats Improved Initiative, Improved
Bull Rush, Improved Overrun
Skills hide +1, move silently +5
Hill giant stampede
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CR 12
CE colossal giant (mob of 25 hill giants):
Init +3;
AC 13, touch 1, flat-footed 13(-8 size, -1 dex, +3 armor)
850 HP (100d8+400)
Fort +12, Ref +3, Will +4
Speed 20 ft. (4 squares)
Mob up with greatclubs (12d8+14) or rocks (12d6+14, range 120 feet, ref DC 18 for half, two volleys if using fullround action)
Space 30 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Base Atk +9; Grp +32
Atk Options expert grappler, trample 2d6
Abilities: Str 25, Dex 8, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10
SQ mob anatomy
Feats: Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack, Improved Sunder, Weapon Focus (greatclub)Improved Bull Rush, Improved Overrun
Climb +7, Jump +7, Listen +3, Spot +6