[3.5] Streets Flooded with Zombies

[Toy Killer]

I made this thread in the general role play section, because I'm pretty aware that D&D doesn't deal with chase scenes very well, and that zombies are pretty well established through the genres, that I can't rightfully believe that no system has ever tried to incur this trope before.

Background stuff

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Hell is invading the prime material plane, one of the devil lords is using large mechanization that carry a giant flame, called beacons, that attract zombies to them (A continous greater rebuke undead ability, basically). Think something like a huge steamjack. there is a great wall that splits this area in two, and the great McGuffin is on the other side of the wall. The only way through the wall is to go through Gateshead. I already dropped the hint to the players that the Beacons have to walk through gates head as well. (Their previous adventure was stopping a gargantuan beast from breaking down the wall, because the devil lord wanted a new route to take).

So I want this city to be full of zombies that just couldn't keep up with the Beacons that are regularly making rounds. (Devils only come out at night, so they are more like shepherds right now.)

They have a location they need to get to initially in the town, a Temple of Palor, and then they will need to escape Gateshead.

It's a classic trope in zombie flicks. Characters need to get to point B, but zombies are flooding the street. They may be slow, but they are persistent and slowly shuffling in. The players need to run past them without getting pulled into the mob.

How, mechanically, do I do this with the same tension, without depacing the game and not making it a bunch of AoO opportunities?

[Berenger]

D20 Modern: Critical Locations has a template for Mobs (in the entry for the mall or the convention center, I believe). Unfortunately, I'm away from the book.

Perhaps this is helpful: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129179

[Slipperychicken]

DMG2 Mob Template to stat the zombie-hordes. If you're grabbed by one of those babies, you're done for.

Pathfinder has chase mechanics easily adapted to 3.5.

[AntiTrust]

Cityscape has a mob template as well, not sure if its different from DMG2

[Slipperychicken]

Cityscape has a mob template as well, not sure if its different from DMG2

As far as I can tell from reading them, they're the same. Maybe it was printed in Cityscape, then reprinted to DMGII.