Swarms

[groshnik]

I ran a 'last-minute' mini adventure last weekend, and decided to have the adventurers go into the tunnels beneath some ruins. What would be a good (and believable) bad guy to encounter? How about a swarm of rats! I used the Swarm rules from Thunder River. What threw me off (having read it just before game play) was the attack bonus. I figured the swarm had to hit, then do damage. And then reduce by AR. So the swarm didn't seem too potent as a threat. After reading it more carefully, this is what I came up with...

Swarm moves into an area, (AoO on the way in). If they occupy an area at the end of the turn, anyone in that area takes damage (1d6 for Rats) with no AR reduction.

Is that correct? Makes swarms a bit more nasty in the long run. Not sure what the attack bonus is for in that case, but I'm OK with that

Thanks!

 

[Hervé]

I don't know the answer, but I also plan to use swarms very soon, so I 'm using your post to ask around if anyone has stats for a Scarab Swarm?
Thanks

 

[Cimmerian Bard]

I seem to remember that particular rat-swarm giving a certain Cimmerian barbarian-thief a run for his proverbial money, even with a DR of 4. Two Fortitude saves per round too, to boot; one for nausea, I believe, and the other for all-out disease.

Cynwulf is now thinking twice -- three times even, by Crom -- before going back into that Shemitish hell. Even with the rumors of opals the size of man's fist. ;-)

But, yeah, back on point: swarms can be, and should be, rather nasty, and any game rules supporting that grim reality I'll heartily embrace. Heroes are indeed heroes, but in order to become so, they must also face the gritty challenges that make other "mortals" shutter, and gods willing, come out victorious from those dark meetings...

...even it means an automatic 1d6 damage, which finesses by armor/DR, and two saving throws a round. =)

 

[thulsa]

After reading it more carefully, this is what I came up with...

Swarm moves into an area, (AoO on the way in). If they occupy an area at the end of the turn, anyone in that area takes damage (1d6 for Rats) with no AR reduction.

Is that correct? Makes swarms a bit more nasty in the long run. Not sure what the attack bonus is for in that case, but I'm OK with that

As far as I know, that is how the rules are intended to work. Swarms simply move in, provoke an AoO*, and deal automatic damage to any target within its squares at the end of their turn. I do not allow the target any Damage Reduction, whether natural or from armor.

* Even though the opponent gets an AoO, this is pretty much pointless since the swarms are immune to most forms of physical damage anyway (except for torches, lanterns, etc. -- so you could allow an adventurer with a sword in one hand and a ready torch in the other hand to make a swing at the swarm, dealing 1d3 points of damage on a successful hit).

See http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/swarm.htm for details.

By the way, we recently had a game session (part of the forthcoming module "City of the Spider-God" by yours truly...), where two swarms of spiders (2HD each) dealt more damage to the PCs (average level 10) than a bunch of temple guards! (Although the saving throws are easily made by high-level characters.)

- thulsa

 

[Voltumna]

where two swarms of spiders (2HD each) dealt more damage to the PCs (average level 10) than a bunch of temple guards! (Although the saving throws are easily made by high-level characters.)

I guess the spider damage is from poison. I think that regardless of making it on a save vs poison or drugs, there should be some effect albeit brieff if you will.