Needlefang Drake Swarm Revisited

[Korgoth]

I don't know if this has been answered, but now that some people have their books I'm curious to see if the actual rules text sheds any light on the Needlefang Drake Swarm that caused a stir a while back.

The issue is that although a single Needlefang Drake Swarm (NDS) is merely a tough monster, a group of NDSs can, completely within the XP budget, skeletonize a party of PCs right quick... at least, it appears that they can do so. Their knockdowns hit more than 50% of the time and are Minor, and they do massive damage to prone foes. Like, a pair of NDSs can easily move up and mulch the Dragonborn Paladin from KoTS in 1 round, before he even gets to act.

I say that it "appears" that they can do so because there multiple possible readings of the Drakes' killer ability: Swarm Attack. The two main issues are:

1. Do Auras stack? In other words, does the free attack happen only once period, or is it once per Swarm?
2. What is the timing? Specifically, does the "its" in the power description refer to the victim, or to the NDS?

Here is the text:

Swarm Attack aura 1; the needlefang drake swarm makes a basic attack as a free action against each enemy that begins its turn in the aura.

Question 1:
A hapless character is adjacent to 2 swarms. Do they each get to use their Swarm Attack on him, or is it limited to 1 attack only regardless of how many surround him?

Question 1b:
Does the NDS get an attack on everybody in its aura, or only one enemy?

Question 2:
Which is the correct reading of "its"... :
Either
"Swarm Attack aura 1; the needlefang drake swarm makes a basic attack as a free action against each enemy that begins that enemy's turn in the aura."
Or
Swarm Attack aura 1; the needlefang drake swarm makes a basic attack as a free action against each enemy that begins the Needlefang Drake Swarm's turn in the aura.
?

 

[VannATLC]

Aura is possessive, and therefore each swarm has a seperate instance of an Aura.

Which also means that each swarm gets its free base attack against any creature in which the Aura overlaps.

Which means; NOTE to DM. Be careful of their usage.

 

[Cadfan]

Which means that four of them can skeletonize a PC in an instant, if they bury him in the middle of the swarm... I still think this monster is overpowered.

 

[keterys]

While damaging auras (like the kruthik and pit fiend) don't stack, every drake swarm would get an attack when the PC starts it's turn.

It's still broken.

It still does more damage than a level 13 hill giant brute

 

[Korgoth]

Well, the Needlefangs are somewhat less broken if the "its" in their attack refers to the NDS itself, rather than the foe.

If "its" refers to the foe, then the Drakes pull you down and you get disintegrated by multiple 2d10+4 attacks before you can even get up.

If "its" refers to the NDS then you have a chance to get up and run away before the attacks go off... the drakes would get a free attack on everybody adjacent, but only those who have chosen to stand in the aura are affected and the free attacks will not usually be against downed foes (they sometimes will, when Swarms act in concert, but it won't be quite as bad).

 

[OakwoodDM]

That's not even possible, outside of deliberately reading the sentence wrong. The its refers to the enemy, no 2 ways about it.

Of course that makes this creature (and all swarms, really) a real sod, and very difficult to avoid damage from. Gotta hope you have a very healy leader if you come across swarms, it seems.

 

[keterys]

Well, the Needlefangs are somewhat less broken if the "its" in their attack refers to the NDS itself, rather than the foe.

Somewhat, but that'd still give them a 3d10 + 8 burst on a defender trying to tank them, or on someone they knocked down who wanted to take any kind of action at all on its turn (like a wizard who missed with thunderwave). At least with the way it works now you might have a chance for a leader to heal someone who got hit by the 2d10 + 4 before his turn came around to get hit again.

Either way, that would be a house rule and I don't think you should change the way all swarms work just because one is broken.

Change the damage to 1d6 + 2, 2d6 + 2 on prone. Done.