Choosing themes for our Vermin query

[BOZ]

OK, to help break up the monsters list we have (with two different presentations):
http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=3165821&postcount=20
http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=3167157&postcount=28
we're trying to figure out what "themes" would be most appealing or useful. i came up with some ideas we could use for the basis of a Dragon article; you tell me which ones would work the best!

 

[Shade]

Of those options, I'd say extraplanar has the best shot.

Personally, I'd rather submit a list of vermin with unique abilities (other than the usual poison, web, etc.) BOZ, your "short list" works rather well in this regard.

I still maintain that whatever we query, we should offer a table/section of variants for the common themes (i.e, water spiders would just be a spider with the aquatic and amphibious subtypes).

 

[BOZ]

no problem.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

voted!

 

[Kafkonia]

All right, looks like we're fixing for some intelligent extraplanar swarms!

 

[Shades of Green]

I'd want to see cockroaches other than the PolyRoach. I've even had an idea for a Large wingless cockroach (looking like a ginat Madagascar Hissing Cockroach) with animal-level intelligence (1-3) serving as a mount.

Not to mention the things that could thrive in the sewers below a burgeoning Dwarven city - beware the Balroach!

 

[dhaga]

"Extraplanar vermin" is a nice idea, so it has my vote. And that added intelligence can make them even more nasty

 

[Angel Tarragon]

....(looking like a ginat Madagascar Hissing Cockroach)....

Thats one nasty bugger! I saw it on Ripley's once.

 

[Aspect of BOZ]

OK, i think i'm going to do the beetles query, even though it's not the most popular one. i can clean up the boring, rhinoceros, and water beetles from the original MM, and i could probably hit the slicer beetle from MM2 (if we do something like Augmented Crit ala tarrasque, and/or give it the Wounding quality, i suppose). other options remain for that, such as the stink beetle, whiz-bang beetles (if we don't do a swarm article), oil beetle, and aratha, plus a few other more niche creatures to consider.

i think to cover the ear seeker (and a few others as well), i'll go for the parasites article.

i also really want to do the gigantic vermin article, and it seems like i have some decent support there.

so, based on what you guys all seem to want to see, i'll choose the other two articles from among the extraplanar, intelligent, and swarms, depending on what each of those has going for them. (if we go with swarms, i'll toss the rot grubs in there!)