D&D 5E 5e needs swarm rules!

[sidonunspa]

5e needs swarm rules....

I ran a combat this weekend where the heroes kicked up a next of rats (I used the stats from the play-test and tweaked the numbers to be more inline with the monsters from the box set) and the combat felt bogged down, also it lacked the "scaryness" of just being swarmed by rats biting at your skin...

swarm rules

please let them be in the final rules

 

[Evenglare]

5e needs swarm rules....

I ran a combat this weekend where the heroes kicked up a next of rats (I used the stats from the play-test and tweaked the numbers to be more inline with the monsters from the box set) and the combat felt bogged down, also it lacked the "scaryness" of just being swarmed by rats biting at your skin...

swarm rules

please let them be in the final rules

Make some of your own and share!

 

[Li Shenron]

May not be "swarm" exactly as in previous editions, but something like simple rules for running multiple monsters at once was said to be included in the DMG.

 

[Tormyr]

I had to make an Acid Beetle Swarm for my Age of Worms campaign. I poured through the playtest bestiaries for older adventures. Based on a swarm I found in one of those old playtests, I made this trait:

Swarm Form: Whenever the swarm takes piercing or slashing damage, it takes the minimum possible damage. The swarm can move through gaps that are at least 1 inch wide, and it is not considered to be squeezing when it does so. Any living creature that begins its turn with a swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 11 CON save or be incapacitated for 1 round.

Obviously the 1 inch gap would need to be changed for larger creatures like rats.

On the flip side, when I ran Legacy of the Crystal Shard basic rats were one of the most deadly enemies in the adventure. The party was rescuing the mayor from a group of wererats and thugs. The head wererat dropped a smoke bomb, and the rats came in and climbed up the legs of the party members. Each player had to decide how to deal with the rat in their pants while fighting everyone else. The rats rolled really well. The half-orc fighter went down after two crits by his rat. The dwarf wizard did a shocking grasp to himself. The half-orc barbarian fished his out and squeezed it until its head popped off. Good times.

 

[sidonunspa]

I think I have a bit of an idea...

once I get a chance to work them up, I'll post it up

 

[Steely Dan]

You can pretty much port them over with a few easy adjustments, like much of 3rd Ed to 5th Ed.

One of the big selling points of 5th ed for me is conversions (I have converted races, classes and monsters with relative ease), so easy.

 

[Reynard]

On my blog (see sig) I am doing some monster variants and came up with brief swarm rules to cover a mob of commoners:

Commoner, Mob



The simple folk of small towns and villages that dot the landscape are generally well meaning, if somewhat suspicious of strangers. Occasionally though, commoners will turn from genial regular folk into an unruly, and ultimately deadly, mob. Sometimes, fear or jingoism are used to created a Commoner Mob, while other times it is the work of more sinister and magical forces. In any case, once a mob has formed and set itself against the party, it can be very dangerous indeed.

Game Rules: A Commoner Mob is considered a swarm — a group of like creatures acting as a single entity. Huge in size, the mob may overwhelm a victim by occupying is space and dragging the victim to the ground or tearing him limb from limb. A Commoner Mob makes a grapple attack against any character in its space with a total bonus of +6. If it succeeds, the victim is grappled. An incensed mob may cause 2d6 damage to a victim that starts its turn grappled in this manner. Commoner Mobs are considered 9 HD creatures and have 45 hit points. They take only half damage from non area of effect attacks. If a mob is reduced to less than half its maximum hit points, it disperses and no longer poses a threat (though individual commoners may,at the DM’s discretion). A Commoner Mob is a CR 1 (200 XP) “creature.”

 

[zoroaster100]

Do we have any reason to think there won't be any swarm rules/swarms in the Monster Manual (or in Basic D&D for that matter)?

 

[sidonunspa]

Do we have any reason to think there won't be any swarm rules/swarms in the Monster Manual (or in Basic D&D for that matter)?

because, I think, they were never introduced to the playtest.

 

[Sir Brennen]

Obviously the 1 inch gap would need to be changed for larger creatures like rats.

Actually, it wouldn't:

http://www.mercurynews.com/animal-life/ci_24614989/morris-big-creatures-fit-through-tiny-openings