D&D 5E Wandering Monsters: Creepy and Crawly—Simultaneously!

[steeldragons]

??? Huh. That is strange. I dont know why/how that would happen...unless someone's changed the coding for the quiz...It let me enter numbers for each and only when they were filled in could I "submit."

Maybe they're working on/changing something on it?

 

[Weather Report]

??? Huh. That is strange. I dont know why/how that would happen...unless someone's changed the coding for the quiz...It let me enter numbers for each and only when they were filled in could I "submit."

Maybe they're working on/changing something on it?

I have tried several times since yesterday evening, incredibly annoying, as was the one with the poor Opinicus (which they fixed).

Was is with WotC and anything e-related...?

Remember the 1st Playtest packet, they made it so difficult to download it.

 

[steeldragons]

Ive had no problem with the quizzes since starting this new format (other than when they insist on making you answer something you have n desire or accurate answer to make). And I just saw the article/took this particular quiz this afternoon.

I really can't say if your difficulties might be generically internet/connection/browser/anything e-related or WotC site-related for your computer...etc...I just don't know/have any way of knowing. Sorry.

 

[Szatany]

Why oh why my favorite spider is not in this article

http://www.headinjurytheater.com/dnd spider horse.jpg

 

[JamesonCourage]

Spiders that count as monsters cover the whole range of creature sizes in D&D, from Tiny (in sufficient numbers) to Gargantuan.

Swarms are Tiny-sized? Isn't that still about cat-sized (as opposed to Diminutive being about rat-sized), or have they changed sizes? Because a swarm of cat-sized spiders isn't how I'd envision most spider swarms (though I could for even more dangerous swarms). I know that 3.5 lists Tiny as the lowest spider, but the spider swarm is explicitly Diminutive-sized. Surely a swarm counts as "in sufficient numbers?"

Hairy Spider: This swarm of Tiny spiders is deadly in numbers. Individual hairy spiders can also serve as familiars for drow wizards. These creatures are also known as a spider swarm (3rd Edition)... Individually, they are low level, but at medium level, they act as a swarm.

They've grown to about 4-8 times as large, too, from the looks of it. Well, I could probably adjust to this, but I'm not sure I like it. It means that, in an actual swarm, there are a lot less than if they were Diminutive-sized, which makes the standard swarm rules (half damage, or whatever they use) less likely to apply. In 3.5, for example, you could have 1,500 Diminutive-sized creatures in a swarm, or 300 Tiny-sized creatures. In the spider swarm (4 squares), that's 75 cat-sized creatures per square (Tiny), or 350 rat-sized creatures per square (Diminutive).

I think both those numbers could be cut pretty dramatically (or the size expanded), but regardless, how many Tiny-sized creatures should fit per square? If they're Diminutive, you could say probably reasonably abstract "you could hit a few with one attack, but there's too many to do that before they overrun you" when compared to Tiny-sized creatures (since there'd be considerably less per square at that point).

I'm inclined to say that the single giant scorpion of 1st Edition is sufficient. Do we need a swarm of scorpions?

More sizes (whether it's by "here's how you scale" or they're in the book) is desirable; I've used giant scorpions up to about Huge-sized. Do we need a swarm of scorpions? Well, why not? I can definitely envision it when I try to, and it's an unsettling sight. I could definitely see using that in a campaign.

Of those, I'm most interested in wasps (which can absorb bees and hornets, as far as I'm concerned)

If you mean "we'll do wasps instead of the other two" then I guess that's a direction you can go. If you mean "they're all about the same, and you an refluff as you want" then I'm going to disagree. They're not the same in the way they attack (paralysis vs. death after a sting vs. biting), their motivations, etc., and that should be reflected by the monster. Mechanics matching the fiction, and all that.

Anyways, it wasn't a bad article overall, but there are some stuff that definitely had be scratching my head, or wanting clarifications (like the wasp bit). I certainly don't think we need hornets in the first MM, nor giant termites, etc. As always, play what you like

 

[Orius]

I absolutely agree. Giant wasps = paralyze you for life and lay eggs in you. Giant bees = (Mostly) sting and die, but have royal jelly and special honey. Giant hornets = bite you and tear you up.

I'm fine with the giant wasp or hornet absorbing the spider eater as a specific type of giant wasp/hornet, though.

I think it's fine if giant wasps, hornets, and bees have the same general stats, with some notes on things like laying eggs in prey, or honey as notes to differentiate them in the game. They all come from the same order of insects anyway, and I don't see why stinger damage, flight speed, general stats, etc. would need to be radically different.

 

[Klaus]

I think it's fine if giant wasps, hornets, and bees have the same general stats, with some notes on things like laying eggs in prey, or honey as notes to differentiate them in the game. They all come from the same order of insects anyway, and I don't see why stinger damage, flight speed, general stats, etc. would need to be radically different.

This. We don't need separate stats for three very similar creatures (compare with how DDN is handling the crocodile in the Giant Lizard entry).

As for spiders and scorpions, I don't think we need every. single. size. I'm fine with three basic sizes: small enough to be a normal-sized familiar (and a part of a swam at higher levels), big enough to be a companion/guard dog/attack critter (so, around Medium), and large enough to serve as mounts (could Large, could be Huge, like those scorpions from the Clash of the Titans remake).

 

[GX.Sigma]

Swarms are Tiny-sized? Isn't that still about cat-sized (as opposed to Diminutive being about rat-sized), or have they changed sizes? Because a swarm of cat-sized spiders isn't how I'd envision most spider swarms (though I could for even more dangerous swarms). I know that 3.5 lists Tiny as the lowest spider, but the spider swarm is explicitly Diminutive-sized. Surely a swarm counts as "in sufficient numbers?"

They've grown to about 4-8 times as large, too, from the looks of it. Well, I could probably adjust to this, but I'm not sure I like it. It means that, in an actual swarm, there are a lot less than if they were Diminutive-sized, which makes the standard swarm rules (half damage, or whatever they use) less likely to apply. In 3.5, for example, you could have 1,500 Diminutive-sized creatures in a swarm, or 300 Tiny-sized creatures. In the spider swarm (4 squares), that's 75 cat-sized creatures per square (Tiny), or 350 rat-sized creatures per square (Diminutive).

Tiny is the smallest size in the playtest rules (there's no explicit definition, but it seems to represent cat-sized and smaller).

 

[JamesonCourage]

Tiny is the smallest size in the playtest rules (there's no explicit definition, but it seems to represent cat-sized and smaller).

XP'd you, but since it's not showing up yet, I said "Thanks for letting me know "

 

[Hussar]

I think it's fine if giant wasps, hornets, and bees have the same general stats, with some notes on things like laying eggs in prey, or honey as notes to differentiate them in the game. They all come from the same order of insects anyway, and I don't see why stinger damage, flight speed, general stats, etc. would need to be radically different.

No, you just don't get it. All monsters, no matter how similar, MUST have unique stat blocks. Even if the only difference between one and another is a single point of damage, we must replicate entire monster entries for each individual monster.

Any deviation from this must be fought with all our might.

/sarcasm off.