Monster Boot Camp Series: Swarms

[Dimthar]

From the movies, my favorite swarm is the "Flesh Eating Scarabs" from the Mummy (the one with Brendan Fraser).

I don't see the party surviving one of those without the Wizard casting a Fireball right in the middle.

How do you use Swarms in your encounters?

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[wbrandel]

Very few swarms i will use. my favorite swarms are rat, ant, and stirges, and I don't use them very often and usually in conjunction with some other creature or obstacle

[ignimbrite]

From the movies, my favorite swarm is the "Flesh Eating Scarabs" from the Mummy (the one with Brendan Fraser).

I don't see the party surviving one of those without the Wizard casting a Fireball right in the middle.

How do you use Swarms in your encounters?

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I try to use at least one swarm per story arc - they are great for messing up well laid battle plans and forcing the group to think on their toes.

I *love* the flesh eating scarab swarms - just used them in the last tomb complex that the party is in. Oh yeah and they also released the Pestilence Horsemen whilst they were there (it came out with the scarabs).
It was pretty funny - open the elevator shaft, out pours the beetles followed by a translucent elf on a horse shouting 'freedom' in elven before making a mad dash for the exit of the tomb, and thus The Crimson Tears released Pestilence in the world. lol they got a good chuckle about the whole braveheart reference.

[Maelstrom]

http://www.penandpapergames.com/foru...39&postcount=3

The 4e Needlefang Drake swarms here were quite effective... their main special ability is to knock prone opponents. This combined with a room filling with lava, made it a very hairy situation for the PCs. Not only do the Drakes get to attack any player next to them at the start of the turn, they do extra damage to prone targets, and PCs knocked prone were affected worse by the rising lava.

[Arch Lich Thoth-Amon]

Here's a swarm story for you: 2 of our players were being attacked my a swarm of black widow spiders. I, as a DM, asked them if they were actually going to ignore said swarm, and their response was classic-stupid. They both said, "I have a high armor class so they cant bite me... oh and if one does, i will make the save." I couldnt believe it, and neither could they when i told them that they fell off the wall and to their deaths.

Another story in which i died, btw. We were playing B1: In Search of the Unknown, the first week it was released(yep, i am old), and i got killed by a bunch of rot grubs. I'm not sure if it constitutes a swarm, but my character sure thought so.

Swarms are great as long as you remember not to pull any punches with your players.

Thoth-Amon

[Arch Lich Thoth-Amon]

From the movies, my favorite swarm is the "Flesh Eating Scarabs" from the Mummy (the one with Brendan Fraser).

I don't see the party surviving one of those without the Wizard casting a Fireball right in the middle.

How do you use Swarms in your encounters?

.

Yep. I am going to have to agree with you on this one. About the only way one would escape this swarm is by the intervention of a wizard.

Thoth-Amon

[agoraderek]

man, i hate swarms. my warforged character in an eberron campaign got no end of grief when he threw alchemists fire at a fallen comrade infested with some bee swarm thingy.

[Oedipussy Rex]

Kobolds. Oh my god, the kobolds! Mommy!! Make them stop!! Make Them STOP!!!

[Tamerath]

In 3.5 I ran the "Whispers of the Vampire's Blade" Ebberon module and I liked using the bat swarms that would nausetate (I think that was their power) the party. They made a great distraction for his "get-away" scenes.