Mobs
An angry mob represents the most dangerous form of crowd. An angry mob might or might not be enraged at the PCs, but as a general rule the mob mentality overrides the desires and goals of an individual in a mob, and PCs who happen to get in the way could find themselves the focus of the mob's rage.
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. You can use the following template to create specific types of mobs.
"Mob" is an acquired template that can be added to any Small, Medium, or large creature. Generally, mobs are transitory; after forming, a mob lasts for, at most, 1d4+1 hours before breaking up. Most mobs break up naturally far sooner, once the condition that caused their formation is no longer a factor. A mob uses all the base creatures statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: A mob is a Gargantuan creature composed of either forty-eight Small or Medium creatures or twelve large creatures. The mob's type remains unchanged from the base creature.
Hit Dice: A mob has a single pool of Hit Dice and hit points. All mobs have 30 Hit Dice; this number represents the mob's mentality and physical mass rather than its race or class, since the individual members of a mob don't use their own abilities or experience to aid the whole. The type of Hit Dice rolled is set by the mob's racial Hit Dice, not any class levels the mob might have. Thus, a mob of commoners would roll d8s for hit points, not d4s.
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.
Initiative: A mob's initiative modifier is always +0.
Speed: A mob's speed is 10 feet slower than that of the base creature.
Armor Class: As the base creature, modified by -4 for the mob's Gargantuan size.
Base Attack: Since all mobs have 30 Hit Dice, their base attack bonuses are set depending upon their type.
| Mob Type | Base Attack Bonus |
|---|---|
| Fey or undead | +15 |
| Aberration, animal, construct, elemental, giant, humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin | +22 |
| Dragon, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, or outsider | +30 |
Grapple: As base attack bonus, modified by +12 for its size, and as appropriate for its Strength modifier.
Attack/Full Attack: Mobs don't make standard attacks. Rather, they are treated similar to swarms in combat. A mob deals 5d6 points of bludgeoning damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move, with no attack roll needed. Mob attacks ignore concealment and cover. A mob's attacks are nonmagical, unless the base creature's attacks are considered magical. Damage reduction applies to mob attacks.
Space/Reach: A mob occupies a square 20 feet on a side, but its reach is 0 feet. 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.
Larger mobs are represented by multiples of single mobs. The area occupied by larger mobs is completely shapeable, though the mob usually remains in contiguous squares.
Attack Options: 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, ability damage, 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 30 Hit Dice.
In addition, mobs gain one or both of the following attack options.
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. A trampled creature takes damage equal to 2d6 points + 1-1/2 times the mob's Strength modifier. The victim can either make an attack of opportunity against the mob or make a Reflex save (DC 25 + the mob's Str modifier) to take half damage.
Special Qualities: 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.
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 two negative levels on the mob. A mob that gains negative levels equal to its Hit Dice breaks up as if reduced to O 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.
Although mobs are treated as one creature, it sometimes becomes necessary to determine the fate of a specific individual caught up in the mob. if a mob is dispersed by nonlethal attacks, there are no casualties. If the mob is dispersed by lethal attacks, assume that 30% of its number are slain and 30% are reduced to 0 hit points. To determine a specific individual's fate, simply roll d%: a result of 01-30 indicates death, 31-60 indicates the victim is reduced to 0 hit points, and a roll of 61-100 indicates the victim escapes relatively unscathed.
Saves: A mob's saving throws are calculated as for a 30 HD creature of its type. A mob's base good save is +17, and its base bad save is +9.
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 30 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.
Organization: Solitary, pair, or gang (3-12 mobs).
Challenge Rating: 8, or +2 if the base creature's CR is 7 or higher.
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: -