Pixie Swarm

[Revinor]

(from Worlds and Monsters)
Pixies are swarming, flying, tearing teeth, like flying piranhas, that can quickly reduce a hapless adventurer to a pile of picked-clean bones.

and this is my try at their stats. Entrance scene could be to describe some wounded animal (or human if you feel really cruel) running through the forest and a sound like thousand of butterflies flapping their wings chasing it. Pixie swarm appears, covers the animal and picks it clean in half a minute, leaving only bones behind. Then, small flying elves turn their innocent small eyes and bloodied mouths in direction of players...


Pixie Swarm
Level 2 Skirmisher
Medium Fey Humanoid (swarm)
XP 125


Initiative +8 Senses Perception +9
Aura 1: the pixie swarm makes a basic attack as a free action against each enemy that begins its turn in the aura
HP 36; Bloodied 18
AC 16; Fortitude 14, Reflex 17, Will 14
Resist: half damage from melee and ranged attacks
Vulnerable: 5 against close and area attacks
Speed 8 fly

Swarm of Teeth (standard; at-will)
+7 vs AC; 1d6+2 damage or 3d6+2 versus bloodied target

Scent of Blood (standard; encounter)
pixie swarm can charge a bloodied opponent; when doing so, it can perform a basic attack against any enemy in reach during the charge (one attack per target maximum); this action provokes attacks of opportunity as normal charge

Alignment: unaligned Languages: Elven
Str 14 (+3) Dex 20 (+6) Wis 14 (+3)
Con 12 (+2) Int 8 (0) Cha 12 (+2)

 

[Sporemine]

Cool, but kinda creepy. For scent of blood the basic attack only functions if an enemy's space is passed through, right?

I like it

-Sporemine

 

[Revinor]

Cool, but kinda creepy. For scent of blood the basic attack only functions if an enemy's space is passed through, right?

I planned to have it working withing every square in reach during charge (so kind of 3 square wide path). Remember this is a charge attack, so it has to be done through closest route If it would be just movement where you can go in any path, I would probably opt for attack only on path squares.

Do you think there is a better way of wording this ability to stress attacks 'around' you during charge ? I'm not a native speaker unfortunately.

And as far as creepy is concerned... this was the idea

 

[Mesh Hong]

I like it. Its unusual and a nasty suprise for the PCs.

I would consider reducing the HPs due to the half damage from melee and ranged, unless your group has access to close or area attacks. I have always found that swarms are a bit gruesome for PCs so becareful when planning the encounter.

I would probably reduce the HPs slighty to 30 HP, nothing major but in essence it is really a change of 12 HPs (counting the half damage)

However I think the Scent of Blood power is so cool it should be improved slightly to make it more memorable, especially as it is an encounter ability an thus only going to be seen once.

I would consider allowing it to move through people (like trample) during the charge part, simulating the flowing Pixie swarm whizzing past biting as it goes. It would still have to charge in a straight line, but it would be more likely that you could get straight through to the back row (which is probably the whole point of the power )