D&D 5E Urgent, for tonight's game: Making a Swarm
the Jester
Legend
Okay, how do these look?
Twig Blight Swarm
Large swarm of small plants, neutral evil
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 78 (12d10+12)
Speed 20 ft.
STR 14 (+2), DEX 13 (+1), CON 12 (+1), INT 4 (-3), WIS 8 (-1), CHA 3 (-4)
Skills Stealth +4
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Condition Immunities blinded, deafened
Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 9
Languages understands Common but can't speak
Challenge 5 (1,800 xp)
False Appearance. While the swarm remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from an area of dead shrubbery.
Shed Blights. When the swarm is reduced to half its hit points or fewer, and again when it is reduced to 0 hit points, four twig blights appear in unoccupied spaces adjacent to the swarm. If there are no unoccupied spaces adjacent to the swarm, they instead appear in the swarm's space.
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Small twig blight. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The swarm makes one attack against each creature in its space, plus one attack against one other creature in its reach.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (4d8+1) piercing damage, or 10 (2d8+1) piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.
Needle Blight Swarm
Huge swarm of medium plants, neutral evil
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 97 (13d12+13)
Speed 30 ft.
STR 17 (+3), DEX 12 (+1), CON 13 (+1), INT 4 (-3), WIS 8 (-1), CHA 3 (-4)
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Condition Immunities blinded, deafened
Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 9
Languages understands Common but can't speak
Challenge 5 (1,800 xp)
Shed Blights. When the swarm is reduced to half its hit points or fewer, and again when it is reduced to 0 hit points, four needle blights appear in unoccupied spaces adjacent to the swarm. If there are no unoccupied spaces adjacent to the swarm, they instead appear in the swarm's space.
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Medium needle blight. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The swarm makes one claw attack against each creature in its space, plus one claw attack against one other creature in its reach. Alternatively, it can make up to four needle attacks.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (4d8+3) piercing damage, or 12 (2d8+3) piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.
Needles. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (4d6+1) piercing damage, or 8 (2d6+1) piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.
Vine Blight Swarm
Huge swarm of medium plants, neutral evil
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 119 (14d12+28)
Speed 10 ft.
STR 18 (+4), DEX 8 (-1), CON 14 (+2), INT 5 (-3), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 3 (-4)
Skills Stealth +2
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Condition Immunities blinded, deafened
Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 9
Languages understands Common but can't speak
Challenge 6 (2,300 xp)
False Appearance. While the swarm remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a tangle of vines.
Shed Blights. When the swarm is reduced to half its hit points or fewer, and again when it is reduced to 0 hit points, four vine blights appear in unoccupied spaces adjacent to the swarm. If there are no unoccupied spaces adjacent to the swarm, they instead appear in the swarm's space.
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Medium vine blight. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The swarm makes one attack against each creature in its space, plus up to one attack against another creature in its reach.
Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (4d10+4) bludgeoning damage, or 15 (2d10+4) bludgeoning damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer. In addition, each Large or smaller creature hit and each Huge target hit in its space is grappled (escape DC 15). While grappled in this way, the target is restrained, and it moves with the swarm.
Entangling Plants. Grasping roots and vines sprout in the swarm's space and in the area within 20' of the swarm, extending around corners. These vines wither away after 1 minute. For that duration, the area is difficult terrain for nonplant creatures, and each creature of the swarm's choice within the areea when the plants appear must succeed on a DC 15 Str save or become restrained. A creature can use its action to make a DC 15 Str check, freeing itself or another creature restrained by the vines within reach on a success.
Twig Blight Swarm
Large swarm of small plants, neutral evil
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 78 (12d10+12)
Speed 20 ft.
STR 14 (+2), DEX 13 (+1), CON 12 (+1), INT 4 (-3), WIS 8 (-1), CHA 3 (-4)
Skills Stealth +4
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Condition Immunities blinded, deafened
Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 9
Languages understands Common but can't speak
Challenge 5 (1,800 xp)
False Appearance. While the swarm remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from an area of dead shrubbery.
Shed Blights. When the swarm is reduced to half its hit points or fewer, and again when it is reduced to 0 hit points, four twig blights appear in unoccupied spaces adjacent to the swarm. If there are no unoccupied spaces adjacent to the swarm, they instead appear in the swarm's space.
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Small twig blight. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The swarm makes one attack against each creature in its space, plus one attack against one other creature in its reach.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (4d8+1) piercing damage, or 10 (2d8+1) piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.
Needle Blight Swarm
Huge swarm of medium plants, neutral evil
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 97 (13d12+13)
Speed 30 ft.
STR 17 (+3), DEX 12 (+1), CON 13 (+1), INT 4 (-3), WIS 8 (-1), CHA 3 (-4)
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Condition Immunities blinded, deafened
Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 9
Languages understands Common but can't speak
Challenge 5 (1,800 xp)
Shed Blights. When the swarm is reduced to half its hit points or fewer, and again when it is reduced to 0 hit points, four needle blights appear in unoccupied spaces adjacent to the swarm. If there are no unoccupied spaces adjacent to the swarm, they instead appear in the swarm's space.
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Medium needle blight. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The swarm makes one claw attack against each creature in its space, plus one claw attack against one other creature in its reach. Alternatively, it can make up to four needle attacks.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (4d8+3) piercing damage, or 12 (2d8+3) piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.
Needles. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (4d6+1) piercing damage, or 8 (2d6+1) piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.
Vine Blight Swarm
Huge swarm of medium plants, neutral evil
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 119 (14d12+28)
Speed 10 ft.
STR 18 (+4), DEX 8 (-1), CON 14 (+2), INT 5 (-3), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 3 (-4)
Skills Stealth +2
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Condition Immunities blinded, deafened
Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 9
Languages understands Common but can't speak
Challenge 6 (2,300 xp)
False Appearance. While the swarm remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a tangle of vines.
Shed Blights. When the swarm is reduced to half its hit points or fewer, and again when it is reduced to 0 hit points, four vine blights appear in unoccupied spaces adjacent to the swarm. If there are no unoccupied spaces adjacent to the swarm, they instead appear in the swarm's space.
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Medium vine blight. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The swarm makes one attack against each creature in its space, plus up to one attack against another creature in its reach.
Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (4d10+4) bludgeoning damage, or 15 (2d10+4) bludgeoning damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer. In addition, each Large or smaller creature hit and each Huge target hit in its space is grappled (escape DC 15). While grappled in this way, the target is restrained, and it moves with the swarm.
Entangling Plants. Grasping roots and vines sprout in the swarm's space and in the area within 20' of the swarm, extending around corners. These vines wither away after 1 minute. For that duration, the area is difficult terrain for nonplant creatures, and each creature of the swarm's choice within the areea when the plants appear must succeed on a DC 15 Str save or become restrained. A creature can use its action to make a DC 15 Str check, freeing itself or another creature restrained by the vines within reach on a success.
Those look great! Thank you so much!
the Jester
Legend
My pleasure. I hope they work well for you in play.
The whole "drop a few base creatures when bloodied and killed mechanic" has worked really well for me in modeling that these swarms are actually made of those creatures. My players have seemed to enjoy the little twist it throws into a fight, too.
Harzel
Adventurer
First, generally I think these were great answers; so really I am just nitpicking here.
But.
As a matter of verisimilitude, I would only give bludgeoning, piercing, slashing resistance if the base creature is tiny, or, perhaps, small. But maybe I'm missing something.
Not sure I understand the strength increase unless the creatures are intelligent enough and predisposed by temperament to act in a concerted fashion. (Although the swarm should just be flat immune to grappling, shoving, etc.)
Harzel
Adventurer
Another possibility would be to multiply the base creature damage. Off the top of my head, maybe 4x for tiny base creatures, 3x for small, and 2x for medium.
Harzel
Adventurer
Another idea: for tiny or small base creatures, you could create a megaswarm by increasing the size and hit dice. And as it lost HP, it could break apart into smaller swarms. Obviously some details to be worked out, which I would do, but a little pressed for time atm.
the Jester
Legend
My reasoning is based on the existing examples of swarms. They all have these resistances, even though the base creatures (e.g. a poisonous snake or rat) don't. I take this to mean that those resistances are less about the base creatures' size and more about the fact that it's a swarm containing a bunch of said creatures.
It's the same basic argument- swarms of poisonous snakes, quippers, and rats have Str scores of 8, 13, and 9, while the individual base monsters have Str scores of 2 each. I don't think that a swarm of snakes or rats are intelligent enough or predisposed to act in a concerted fashion. Therefore, I applied the principle that the swarm is stronger by virtue of being a swarm.
Harzel
Adventurer
Ok, interesting. I had not noticed that.
Flamestrike
Legend
Do we really need swarms/ mobs?
It's not a bad idea, but even of upwards of a dozen creatures, they already all share the same initiative count, and you're basically rolling 1d20 and adding a number around +5 to it.
You could resolve all 12 of those creatures turns in under a minute, even using miniatures (possible move, roll attack, turn ends, repeat).
It's not a bad idea, but even of upwards of a dozen creatures, they already all share the same initiative count, and you're basically rolling 1d20 and adding a number around +5 to it.
You could resolve all 12 of those creatures turns in under a minute, even using miniatures (possible move, roll attack, turn ends, repeat).
