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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wofano Wotanto" data-source="post: 9666603" data-attributes="member: 7044704">It's covered in the writeup.  They start with HD equal to the number appearing-1 (so you'll never meet just one, NA is 3-6) and have this cute trick:AC starts at 4, movement at 12.  So you get the following possibilities:3 appearing, each with 2HD and 2d8 hit points.  Let's say for convenience thy have 8 hp each originally. <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">First one dies, the two survivors each gain 4 hp, one HD each, and go to AC3 and Mv15.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Second one dies, lone survivor gains another 12 hp (8 from #2 plus the 4 it got when #1 died) leaving it at 24 hp (including its own 8 plus 4 from #1 dying) minus any damage it took itself, counts as a 6HD creature, has AC2 and move 18.</li> </ul>The number of attacks a group generate decreases with casualties, but their total group hp remain the same until you get to the final one, their (fewer) attack are more accurate, saves are better, and both AC and move increase steadily.  Pretty scary, and it gets way worse the more there are.  To whit:With the max 6 appearing, each starts with 5D and 5d8 hp (let's say 20 in this case, so 120 in the group).  <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">First drops, the other five all gain 4 hp and  go to 6HD, AC3, Mv15.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Second drops, other four gain 6hp and go to either two with 8HD and two with 7HD or maybe all with 7HD if you round down that split (let's go with rounding down for simplicity), and AC2 Mv18 either way.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Third drops, the three 7HD survivors all gain 10hp, gain 2HD leaving them at 9HD, and wind up at AC1 Mv21.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Fourth drops, two survivors gain 20hp each, "only" get to 13HD thanks to rounding, and have AC0 Mv24.  Fifth drops and all you have to deal with is a lone survivor with a bonus 30hp (so 120 hp - personal damage so far), 19HD, AC-1 Mv27.  Easy peasy, right?</li> </ul>And that's assuming they get HD increases rounded off rather than split by whole numbers, which would make them even stronger.These things are hilariously overcomplicated (albeit not actually difficult) even for their era, and far, far more powerful than they first look.  You effectively have to chew through the whole group's hp twice, with the AC protecting those hp increasing as you do so along with attack accuracy, saves, and movement - but they do throw fewer attacks and their two-handed swords don't actually hit harder as casualties mount.  The "monstermark" ratings appear to show that the creator knew what he'd done:I also note this bit of commentary at the end of the article:Gee, do you think?Even if FF hadn't been published already, this mess wasn't getting in it.  You can find a very similar theme in one of teh nentir Vale monsters - a spectral legion or something like that where killing one boosted the hp of others.  The mechnaic was much tamer and more playable, but still absurdly dangerous in large numbers.</blockquote>

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