It doesn't. Many of the fumble results specifically exempt ....
And here, Celebrim takes a joke/amusing image, and beats it to death with a trout.

It doesn't. Many of the fumble results specifically exempt ....
And here, Celebrim takes a joke/amusing image, and beats it to death with a trout.![]()
Exactly. If spotted in time, Burning Hands, or a favorite area spell would clear out the pack. But if a player is ambushed, they could get in trouble.
"Played smartly" should be "played with appropriate animal behavior". A group of stirges ought to stay away from any noisy group. I'm thinking of how a group of bats would behave. Tiny, vulnerable creatures ought to look for low risk opportunities. I'd think they would avoid any strong activity, going for a lone, quiet target or group of targets, say, targeting a PC on watch while the party slumbered. Or, better, targeting a sleeping PC.
This seems to be a good model: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_vampire_bat, which has:
Using this sort of behavior would present stirges differently than they are commonly presented (alas). A group which disturbs a nest should see the stirges fly away. Hunting packs should be out during quiet, dark times. Or perhaps seeking opportunities during other encounters, drawn perhaps by the scent of blood.
Thx!
TomB
I appreciate any other thoughts or ideas on how to play this encounter.