[3.5] Summon skeleton mob!

[GoatBoy]

A friend of mine asked me to help him with optimizing a Dread Necromancer (level 14). One idea I came across was using the mob rules in DMG2 for assembling a large number of 1HD skeletons, cheap and easy to replace. The rules say that a mob is considered to have 30HD (way too high to control via rebuking), but they also say that the mob is made up of 48 medium creatures, easy enough for a level 14 Dread Necro.

So this results in a gargantuan creature that moves 3 squares per round, automatically deals 5d6 damage to any creature that shares its space, 195 hp, and a grapple mod of 27 + str. I think the damage and grappling are acceptable, but the hp feels a little high.

This is a very rules-light game and our DM goes by the Rule of Cool for just about everything, but I am just wondering if anyone has tried this idea before with any game-shattering results. Thanks for the feedback.

[Caphi]

Doesn't it take a ton of damage from area? You could fling fireballs/fiery bursts and blow them up en masse. Or have I forgotten the swarm rules?

[Lord Vukodlak]

Doesn't it take a ton of damage from area? You could fling fireballs/fiery bursts and blow them up en masse. Or have I forgotten the swarm rules?

Swarms take 50% more damage from area effects, and undead swarms count as having half their hit dice for resisting turning.

[Noedig]

Do swarms and mobs have different rules?

If yes, do they count as a swarm or a mob.

[hamishspence]

If you can already control that many skeletons, allowing a necromancer to give the order "Mob formation"- to turn them into a mob- would be a nice idea- and I'd be inclined to allow it.

I think there were criticisms of the mob template though- and improved homebrew versions.

For an example:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129179