Well now that my dream about pure one-handed weapons has sunk into the void of space, I'm starting to doubt the usefulness of the one-handed skill.
Well if you wear a shield you lose some accuracy and initiative ( maybe speed also... I forgot... ), so your chance to hit are decreased, and your chance to hit first also ( right? ).
But you win some armor, and you can block blows... and you have an additional equipement piece where you can put charms.
If you only use a one-handed weapon, you keep your accuracy and initiative ( without shield ), but you do not win additional charms slots, armor, and you can't stop blows.
About the mobs that keeps bugging your death knights, I didn't find a way to taunt the mobs succesfully...
Maybe it's because the mobs saw your Death Knights first and attacked him on sight. So you just make him run, let the hero take a couple of blows on the mobs, until the mobs focus on your hero. Works pretty well, but a bit annoying in dungeons...
Can't find any other way...
