Creeping Doom

[maggot]

How do people run Creeping Doom? My reading of it is that you could cast it on a person and they would take up to 1000 damage without a save or spell resistance. Seems pretty harsh for a 7th level spell, considering that Finger of Death allows a save and spell resistance and is one level higher.

So how should it work?

 

[mikebr99]

The spell conjures 1000 bugs in a 400 sq.ft. area... that works out ot 2.5 bugs per sq.ft. or 62.5 bugs per 5x5 ft square.

IF the swarm appears, and you are in it (and taking up a 5x5 square), you would take 62 damage.

If you don't get out of there somehow, and the swarm moves at its max (10ft per round), you take another 2 squares worth of damage (125).

Each square that has dealt damage is erased from the area.

 

[Jeremy]

That's a rather limiting way to think of it.

The insects do not necessarily fill the entire area (unless the spellcaster instructs them to), and they most certainly are not even divided among it (again, unless the spellcaster instructs them to).

From the System Reference Document
When the character utters the spell of creeping doom, he or she calls forth a mass of 1,000 venomous, biting and stinging spiders, scorpions, beetles, and centipedes. This carpetlike mass swarms in a square 20 feet on a side. Upon the character's command, the swarm creeps forth at 10 feet per round toward any prey within 100 feet, moving in the direction the character commands. Each vermin in the creeping doom effect automatically bites a creature for 1 point of damage and then dies. Each creature takes enough damage to kill it, destroying that number of vermin in the process. Thus, a total of 1,000 points of damage can be inflicted on those in the creeping doom’s effect. These attacks are nonmagical attacks, so creatures with damage reduction, for example, are safe.

If there aren’t enough vermin to kill all the creatures in the spell’s effect, damage is distributed among the survivors equally.

If creeping doom travels more than 100 feet away from the character, it loses 50 of its number for each additional 10 feet it travels. For example, at 120 feet, its numbers have shrunk by 100. There are a number of ways to thwart or destroy the creatures forming the swarm. Anything that would deter or destroy normal insects is effective against these insects.

It looks to me like when the insects form, you can divide them among targets in the initial area as you see fit, afterwards, moving them becomes slightly more complex.

The fact that even nonmagical smoke can keep the insects from forming, the fact that the casting time is a full round, it's a 7th level druid spell (give them something! ), and it's close range so the druid has to be doing this casting within charging distance of her enemies... Well, it's powerful, it's always been powerful. But even lowly DR 1/silver makes it totally useless and there are many ways to circumvent it.

Of course I could be totally wrong. I've never had to adjucate this terror of a spell, though I have seen it used against us.

 

[Piratecat]

I adjudicate it the same way Mike does. I don't think that's correct rules-wise, but I do think it's fair.

 

[Jeremy]

Of course PirateCat knows very little about DM'ing high level spells. He rarely games at that munchkin level of play. And what does he know about DM'ing anyways...

Just because he keeps winning the best DM awards at GenCon doesn't mean anything except that he is licensing his Bump Script out to the people counting the votes.

Boo!! Down with Piratecat!

 

[Piratecat]

Heh.

Seriously, if I didn't adjudicate it by spreading the bugs around evenly, every time a NPC cast the spell it would be an auto-kill - no save, no escape. And how is that fun for the players? Using my theory of "house rules should only make the game more fun" theory, I decided that doing 60+ points of damage (and necessitating a massive damage save, incidentally) to lots of folks was a heck of a lot creepier and cooler than instantly wiping out a third of the heroes. It isn't technically correct, but it works well for me.

 

[Crothian]

Also remeber that DR makes this spell useless. Each bug does only 1 point of damage, so even DR 1/+1 will prevent all the damage from the bugs.

 

[Piratecat]

Also remeber that DR makes this spell useless. Each bug does only 1 point of damage, so even DR 1/+1 will prevent all the damage from the bugs.

Well, that saves the barbarians and the wizards with stone skin....

 

[dcollins]

Seems pretty harsh for a 7th level spell, considering that Finger of Death allows a save and spell resistance and is one level higher.

Of course, creeping doom is a full-round spell to cast. I suppose an argument could be made that if you encounter a 13th+ level druid, and stand within 50 feet of him for a full round while he casts a spell, then maybe someone deserves to get whacked.

 

[KarinsDad]

I adjudicate it the same way Mike does. I don't think that's correct rules-wise, but I do think it's fair.

I'm on the fence on that.

It's not as if high level Druids actually get a lot of offensive power.

The spell takes a round to cast. Any character with Spell Craft typically has a fair chance of noting which spell it is and informing fellow allies. There are a lot of ways to prevent the Druid from either getting the spell cast, or avoiding the damage in the first place.

Protection From Evil, Flying, Levitate, Damage Reduction, a readied Fireball or Wall of Fire or Flame Strike for the area the bugs appear in, Stoneskin, being a Barbarian, a nearby Paladin with a Holy sword, grappling the Druid, a Silence spell (maybe), etc.

Granted, against a few unprotected opponents in range, it is instant death. But, I do not necessarily see that as a bad thing. It'll teach players to not mess with higher level Druids and PC Druids finally get to contribute big time.