Pipes of the Sewers Question - When do the Rats Arrive?

[silentbob1]

Hello,

1. How long does it take for the rats to arrive when the pipes of the sewers are played?

Here is the relevant language:

The pipes have 3 Charges. If you play the pipes as an action, you can use a Bonus Action to expend 1 to 3 Charges, calling forth one Swarm of Rats (see the Monster Manual for statistics) with each expended charge, provided that enough rats are within half a mile of you to be called in this fashion (as determined by the DM). If there aren't enough rats to form a swarm, the charge is wasted. Called swarms move toward the music by the shortest available route but aren't under your control otherwise. The pipes regain 1d3 expended Charges daily at dawn.

 

[DEFCON 1]

My ruling is they arrive immediately with the use of the bonus action. If it was meant to take longer and arrive in a later round, it would say so.

Yes, the "fluff" of the spell would make it seem like it should take longer because these rats are gathering and coming to the pipe player (rather than being summoned or conjured with a spell)... but the rule itself seems clear. It says bonus action and the swarms arrive with no delay written into the directions.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

It's pretty clear that the pipe summons actual rats from the environment that have to make their way to the piper, so the DM will have to rule how long it takes them to arrive depending on the situation. If the piper is playing inside an actual sewer I'd have the rat swarms appear right away, on the other hand if the party is on the top floor of a fancy mansion then it will probably take the local rats at least a few minutes to get there.

 

[DEFCON 1]

You both make valid points-- a DM's call based upon the environment would make the most sense. I think my main focus was to nix the idea someone might have had that'd it be impossible for at least one swarm of rats to arrive immediately. Depending on the environment of where the pipes were played, I think swarms could definitely arrive immediately if they were in the proper area (like a sewer as SA pointed out.)