Overlapping Swarms?

[the Jester]

If I somehow control 2 swarms, can I move them into the same space?

Swarms, after all, can occupy creature's spaces.

What if I control ten swarms? Can I get you with all of them at once (overlapping all of them into the same set of squares)?

 

[KarinsDad]

If I somehow control 2 swarms, can I move them into the same space?

Swarms, after all, can occupy creature's spaces.

What if I control ten swarms? Can I get you with all of them at once (overlapping all of them into the same set of squares)?

Yes, but you cannot control who they attack (without some form of compulsion), so they end up killing each other in short order.

 

[Wikid Klown]

They wouldn't kill each other, look under swarm traits. They aren't affected by physical damage, it'd be negated unless they were elemental or magical swarms.

 

[Peter Gibbons]

They wouldn't kill each other, look under swarm traits. They aren't affected by physical damage, it'd be negated unless they were elemental or magical swarms.

No, some swarms are immune to weapon damage. It would be eminently reasonable for a DM to rule that the automatic damage inflicted by swarms is not "weapon damage," if only to avoid the "million swarms in a 10-ft square" problem.

 

[MadScientist]

They wouldn't kill each other, look under swarm traits. They aren't affected by physical damage, it'd be negated unless they were elemental or magical swarms.

I'm not sure this is the case. Is the "swarm" attack actually a "weapon" (most swarms are immune to "weapon damage")? My initial inclination is no.

 

[Brain]

This thread scares me.

 

[the Jester]

This thread scares me.

You only say that because you play in my games.

But what's your opinion?

 

[ForceUser]

Hmm. I'm of two minds on this. On the one hand, it seems reasonable that multiple swarms of the same type can overlap without attacking one another. Overlapping swarms of different types would probably apply damage to each other in addition to any characters in the affected squares.

How many swarms can effectively overlap in a single square? I'd probably houserule no more than two. Or I could just keep it simple and say that swarms can't overlap one another, because if the DM can do it, the players can do it as well. So as a DM, I ask myself, "Self, do you want your players to be able to overlap summon swarm or insect plague spells?"

Probably not.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Hmm. I'm of two minds on this. On the one hand, it seems reasonable that multiple swarms of the same type can overlap without attacking one another.

Given that big swarms are really just multiple little swarms, I'd think if two swarms of the same type come adjacent, they'd form one big swarm (taking up a larger space) until they separate.

-Hyp.

 

[ForceUser]

Given that big swarms are really just multiple little swarms, I'd think if two swarms of the same type come adjacent, they'd form one big swarm (taking up a larger space) until they separate.

-Hyp.

Makes sense thematically, although the MM specifically suggests that one compose a larger swarm of multiple smaller swarms--so a 20X20 swarm is actually two 10X10s. I can see why they suggest this--technically, were two swarms to merge like that, you'd be effectively advancing the HD and CR of the swarm on the fly. What a pain that would be.