Question about templates and swarms

[Greenfield]

Our DM ran a series of Rat Swarms at us, enhanced with several templates.

I think he went with Half Troll, to give them healing/regeneration, Half dragon, and Wendigo.

That last one gave the things a Fly of 120, which is far faster than anyone in the party could move.

I'm not second guessing the DM, per se, in that we're talking about past events at this point, but I'm curious if there are any special rules for applying templates to swarms, or turning templated creatures into swarms?

They were a CR 8, by his calculation, but between the SR, elemental resistance/immunity, enhanced movements and Spellwarping, those things were a pain.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Our DM ran a series of Rat Swarms at us, enhanced with several templates.

I think he went with Half Troll, to give them healing/regeneration, Half dragon, and Wendigo.

That last one gave the things a Fly of 120, which is far faster than anyone in the party could move.

I'm not second guessing the DM, per se, in that we're talking about past events at this point, but I'm curious if there are any special rules for applying templates to swarms, or turning templated creatures into swarms?

They were a CR 8, by his calculation, but between the SR, elemental resistance/immunity, enhanced movements and Spellwarping, those things were a pain.

That's Hilarious.
And kinda wicked.

I think once you add Half-Dragon (by fluff), anything can end up breeding with anything....

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Every template tells you what kind of critters it can be applied to.

Of course, some templates change creature types, so might circumvent the limitations of other templates.

(I'd have gone with dire legendary winged feral multi-headed Learnean pyro rats myself...)

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Every template tells you what kind of critters it can be applied to.

Of course, some templates change creature types, so might circumvent the limitations of other templates.

If the template can affect the base individual creature it should be able to affect the entire swarm, since a swarm is just a bunch of individual creatures in a terrifying pile.

And so, you'd have to start with Rats...
Apply Half-Dragon Template, turning them to Dragons,
Apply Half-Troll Template, turning it into a Giant.
Apply Wendigo Template, turning them to Fay.

This would be from a rather desperate and frustrated Dragon turning affectionately towards a rat. Than, a rather freakish rat turning towards a troll. Then inbreeding to make a swarm. Then, an offspring getting bitten by a Wendigo and spreading the disease around.

Doable.

Or, Wendigo, than Half-Dragon, than Half-Troll. I think that works too. Making them A swarm of diminutive giants (Hilarious), but a bit harder to explain the breeding progression to get there.

Or a Half-Troll, than Wendigo, than Half Dragon. Also difficult to explain.

I think Wendigo really needs to go at the end, and it cannot affect a Dragon.

Interesting enough, none of these templates affect size. You'd think acquiring the Giant type would, but it appears not.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

This would be from a rather desperate and frustrated Dragon turning affectionately towards a rat.

It aaaallll started with a polymorphed Dragon selling "samples" to an alchemist to put himself through medical school...then a Mad Wizard did a little experiment.

 

[Drowbane]

What was the question here?

A wizard did it.

 

[Empirate]

It aaaallll started with a polymorphed Dragon selling "samples" to an alchemist to put himself through medical school...then a Mad Wizard did a little experiment.

Oh, how I'd love to XP you for this...

 

[Nezkrul]

remember the creature type hierarchy's though, Dragon trumps all of those so it doesn't matter what order you apply the templates it will stay as a dragon. If you added Half-Fiend instead of Wendigo then the swarm would become an Outsider over Dragon.

So to make this work, you would first start with the rat, then apply Half-Troll, then they get infected by a Wendigo, then the Wendigo Trollrat(s) breed(s) with a dragon and voila! But I think those offspring would lose Wendigo (it's not inherited right?)

 

[Drowbane]

Personally, I have never thought to template a swarm. Swarms are pretty nasty right out the gate...

Now... my players will have cause to hate you, [MENTION=6669384]Greenfield[/MENTION]

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Personally, I have never thought to template a swarm. Swarms are pretty nasty right out the gate...

Now... my players will have cause to hate you, [MENTION=6669384]Greenfield[/MENTION]

Credit where it is due- hate his DM, not him.