Needlefang Drake Swarm Too Powerful?

[frankthedm]

The players in our group have gone up against them a few times. We did alright, but people definitely raised an eyebrow at that damage.

Guard drakes did the same to us when my group was playing 4E.

Well, since drakes sound so effective, here is a counter sheet to make DMs and fans of Final Fantasy, Golden Axe, Wizardry, King of Dragons & Shining Force {i think] happy. Extra drake mounts are included in the hopes of the PCs wind up riding them.


img392.imageshack.us/img392/2697/drakesuc4.png.

This is also coming up soon in our KotS campaign. I blinked a few times when i saw that damage capacity. The players will balk when they get hit like that, and it does seem somewhat unfair. I'll tone it down.

I'd say try out +1d6 instead of the flat +6. Maybe drop the bite die one step since the blasted things are small.

 

[Obryn]

The players in our group have gone up against them a few times. We did alright, but people definitely raised an eyebrow at that damage.

Yep, when facing guard drakes, it's all about (1) Forced Movement, (2) Killing Minions, and (3) Fighter lockdown.

There's some pretty cool strategy to fighting them, but if you don't do it well, you're screwed.

In my game, our resident Gnome Ranger decided to try and hop on one's back and ride him a bit away from the fight. I set the DCs around 15-20, one to jump accurately and one to control the drake. He succeeded on every roll, and it turned out to be one of the more memorable moments in the campaign so far.

-O

 

[Mr. Teapot]

I wonder if making the Pull Down attack their basic attack would help balance the Drake Swarm. It would mean that their aura and their OAs didn't do any real damage, but instead just knock enemies prone. Which is an interesting strategic twist for the OAs and halves the damage output of the swarm as far as the aura goes.