Mob (3.5e Template)

Mob
Summary::The mob template can turn a group of creatures into a whole army, without needing to keep track of every individual unit.

Mobs make suitable units when PCs fight entire armies or crowds. Instead of dealing with dozens of different hp pools, attacks, and positioning you create one abstract, amorphous unit to express them all. This is especially effective when throwing vast amounts of mooks at the party, allowing for dramatic scenes of individuals kicking away hundreds of attackers at once.

Creating a Mob
This template is an acquired template, which can be added to any large group of creatures, typically of 20 or more.

Size and Type
A mob is not unlike a swarm, a creature composed of many smaller creature. Unlike a swarm, a mob is a collection of Small or larger creatures that acts as a single creature. A mob has the characteristics of its type, except as noted here. A mob has a single pool of Hit Dice and hit points, a single initiative modifier, a single speed, and a single Armor Class. A mob makes saving throws as a single creature. A single mob occupies a square (if it is made up of nonflying creatures) or a cube (of flying creatures) Size::two sizes larger than the original creature type (so a human mob is Huge), but its reach is as its component creatures (5 feet for medium humans). It can occupy the same space as a creature of any size, since it swarms all over its prey. A mob can move through squares occupied by enemies and vice versa as if it were difficult terrain, although the swarm provokes an attack of opportunity if it does so. A mob can move through spaces or holes large enough for its component creatures.

A mob consists of between 20-40 nonflying creatures or 60-120 flying creatures. Mobs of nonflying creatures include many more creatures than could normally fit in their size square based on their normal space, because creatures in a mob are packed tightly together and generally swarm around each other and their prey when moving or attacking. Larger mobs are represented by multiples of single swarms. The area occupied by a mob is completely shapeable, though the mob usually remains in contiguous squares.

Mixed-unit groups can use the statistics of their majority component, or be split off into their own separate mobs. Mobs can overlap, but they slow each other down when they do to half speed due to difficult terrain as they attempt to move through each other.

Hit Dice
A mob multiplies its HD by the number of members contained within. A mob of 30 first level commoners would have 30 HD of commoner HD, while a mob of 30 centaurs would have 120 monstrous humanoid HD. HD determines the mob's hit points, but their other abilities remain the same as per their original base HD.

Speed
A mob's speed is reduced by 2/3rds (as if they were wearing heavy armor) of their component creature.

Armor Class
There is no change to the armor class of a mob.

Attack
Mob Attack: Mobs don’t (usually) make standard melee attacks. Instead, they deal automatic damage to any creature whose space they occupy or that is within their reach, with no attack roll needed. Even if the component creatures are weak, a few of them roll 20s to automatically hit the target, and the mob damage represents this. Mob attacks are not subject to a miss chance for concealment or cover. A mob’s statistics block has “mob attack” in the Attack and Full Attack entries, with no attack bonus given. The amount of damage a mob deals is based on its CR (not its Hit Dice), as shown in the table.

A mob’s attacks are nonmagical, unless the mob’s description states otherwise. Damage reduction sufficient to reduce a mob attack’s damage to 0, being incorporeal, and other special abilities usually give a creature immunity (or at least resistance) to damage from a mob. Some mobs also have other special attacks in addition to normal damage (see below).

Mobs threaten creatures in their square and out to their normal reach for their component creatures, and can make attacks of opportunity with their swarm attack, which do not require an attack roll. They distract foes whose squares they occupy, as described below.

Distraction : Any living creature vulnerable to a mob’s damage that begins its turn with a swarm in its square is dazed for 1 round as they are beaten and jostled; a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ swarm’s CR + swarm’s Con modifier; the exact DC is given in a swarm’s description) negates the effect. Spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Concentration check.

Special Attacks
Mob Special Attack Options: A mob may have additional special attacks beyond their mob attack and distraction. If the component creatures have spell-like abilities or spellcasting, ranged weaponry, or other abilities or item selection they can gain special attack options. Choose from below, increasing the CR of the mob as appropriate if you are adding these aspects to a mob. However, this CR increase does not increase the damage of its mob attack.

Carrier Effect: If the component creature has an effect attached to its attacks (such as poison, disease, or ability damage) the effect now applies to those hit by the mob attack, but only one time per round. If the mob does not do any damage with its mob attack, the secondary carrier effect is not applied. The creature makes any saving throws against it as normal. CR increase +1.

Focused Assault: Sometimes a mob is really after one creature. The mob gains a melee attack it can make to anyone in its reach (including its own square), dealing its mob attack damage without needing to roll an attack roll. This is a full-attack action, and it deals its normal mob attack damage to anyone in its square or reach as normal, effectively dealing twice as much damage on a a single target and normal damage to all other targets. CR increase +1/2.

Pack Maul: Mobs swarm around you and try to tear you apart, a favorite for zombie hoards. If a creature is inside a mob's square, the mob may make a grapple attack with a +2 bonus for every square they normally could surround you (typically maxing out at +8 for medium creatures with 4 squares around them). If they succeed, the creature is grappled and takes mob attack damage each round they remain grappled, as well as the normal mob attack damage they take for being in their square. The victim is considered grappled, but the mob is not. CR increase +1.

Pack Maul, Deadly: As above, but the mob will literally try to tear you apart. A round after a creature is grappled, the mob may attempt a strength check. The result is the Fortitude DC the grappled creature must make or be dismembered, killing the victim. CR increase +4.

Ranged Volley: Mobs with ranged attacks can make a volley against one or more creatures within their ranged attack ranged. As a full-attack action as long as they have line of effect, they may deal their mob attack damage to a creature in range, or split their damage up among multiple creatures (such as a mob which deals 8d6 damage splitting damage between 6d6 for one, and 1d6 for two others). Ranged attacks from armies are quite dangerous in mass. CR increase +2.

Spell Volley: Mobs with magic can fling spells around in a group, though only some of them get through to have any effect on its opponents. The mob can spend a full-attack action to cast a single spell or use a supernatural ability it has with a casting time of a standard action or less. It must be a spell, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability its component creatures are capable of using. Mobs are too chaotic to cast spells that take longer than 1 standard action. This uses the spell for all members, as other units are assumed to be using their magic on other things or having them unprepared. CR increase +1.

Trample: The mob gains the trample special ability, dealing its mob attack damage to all creatures affected by its trample. CR increase +1.

Special Qualities
Mob Special Qualities: A mob may have additional special qualities beyond mob traits and qualities granted by their race or item selection. Choose from below, increasing the CR of the mob as appropriate if you are adding these aspects to a mob. However, this CR increase does not increase the damage of its mob attack.

Blockade: The mob gets in the way, is packing tower shields, or other obstructions. A mob is considered a mostly-solid block that reduces speed to 5 feet. CR increase +1/2.

Phalanx Training: The mob moves at its regular speed instead of reduced speed, and the mob's speed is not reduced when moving through other mobs. CR increase +1/2.

Turn Resistance: Undead en masse tend to bolster each other by their presence. For every 4 dice the mob attack does, the mob gains +1 turn resistance. CR increase +1/2.

Wall of Spears: The mob is treated as always readying an attack against a charge. It deals its mob attack damage to any creatures which charge it. CR increase +1/2.

Mob Traits: A mob has no clear front or back and no discernible anatomy, so it is not subject to critical hits or flanking. A mob has the same special qualities as its component creatures, such as immunity to an element and fast healing or special senses like blindsense and see in darkness. Reducing a mob to 0 hit points or lower causes it to break up, 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. Also, they cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed, and they cannot grapple an opponent unless they pick up the Pack Maul ability.

A mob is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), as well as mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects) unless the mob has some manner of hive mind. A mob takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash weapons and many evocation spells.

A mob rendered unconscious by means of nonlethal damage becomes disorganized and dispersed, and does not reform until its hit points exceed its nonlethal damage.

Challenge Rating
As component creature +2 CR.

Level Adjustment
+Level Adjustment::N/A