Eel Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 I want to build a swarm, but based on what I'm seeing in the rules they're really no more than a nuisance for the average adventuring hero. For example, a swarm of rats or bats would be pretty gross in real life, but assuming my understanding of the rules is correct, the attack would mean nothing to someone with even just a couple of points of armor. How do you make a swarm of small critters actually threatening? Also, is there a rule of thumb for converting a single critter into a swarm? I don't see a template in the book, and there isn't a single small insect or piranha entry for me to compare them singly vs. swarmly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vestnik Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Re: Making a Swarm Effective Let them crawl under armor. NND HKA Does Body. Link it to a DEX and/or Running drain or Change Environment (target struggling with little beasties all over him/her). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Re: Making a Swarm Effective Agreed. One of the limitations of "real armour" is that things can get in/under it. That said, different swarms do different things. A swarm of rats might be gross, but they probably could not harm somone in a full plate harness: the gaps are not big enough to get in through (unless it's the kind with an open groin). But bees could. Imagine a helmet full of bees - you couldn't hit them without opening your helmet or taking it off Having a wasp up your nose and stinging repeatedly can't be much fun either. Or having flies cram themselves up your nostrils or down your throat. Basically, get creative: NND, darkness, small RKA where the armour isn't. All of these things are fair game. cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordGhee Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Re: Making a Swarm Effective In my Mycenene game the player got on a boat to travel and saw in the distance a black cloud which grew to a very large flock of crows. as the birds got over them the players relized that each bird had a fist sized rock. now you do not think that a rock could do much until you relise that you are using hit tables. yep players in the drink with the birds on the boat(pricless look on my players) (it was hard carrying those rocks for the gods.) Luckly it was a mild day and a player drop the sail before taking the dive. bees sting face (cant see ect) rats have clinging climb over you and by special effect things like cbt luck would not work. animal go for the throat, belly, ham string. Lord Ghee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vestnik Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Re: Making a Swarm Effective Swarms are one of those things that are usually written up (from what I've seen) in a way totally unlike what they are like in real life. Another is 6D6 NND (Removal of Oxygen). I am sorry, if you remove the oxygen from around someone they start to slowly suffocate, they do not take a big blast of damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale A. Ward Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Re: Making a Swarm Effective You guys are missing the point about swarms. When you see someone attacked by a swarm of creatures, what is it that they ALWAYS do first? They run... wildly and haphazardly, usually with their heads down and their arms flapping in the air. It seems obvious that swarms have a very powerful PRE attack... one that causes the victim to damage himself by tripping or running headfirst into a tree (or worse). The actual physical damage that a swarm can do to you is usually quite small, unless you happen to have a vulnerability to their particular attack (i.e. an allergy to bee venom). It's the fear element that is the real danger. That's why nobody ever thinks of a huge number of butterflies as a swarm... they're just not scary enough. You wanna make your swarms an effective attack... provide plenty of sharp, pointy obstacles to dodge while running from them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erkenfresh Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Re: Making a Swarm Effective Make sure your swarms have Desolid (affected by area of effects). This simulates the fact that they are difficult to stop without blasting an entire area with fire or poison gas or what have you. Your swarm could be poisonous (Drain CON/STR/etc. with gradual effect and a return rate of 5 per hour), or diseased (Drain CON/STR/etc. with a large delayed effect and a slow return rate like 5 per day). Others have made good recommendations too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Re: Making a Swarm Effective if you need examples of Swarms in Hero see: Hero System Bestiary p183-184 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Re: Making a Swarm Effective Turn them against unarmored innocent bystanders or friends of the PCs. Even if the heroes can ignore a swarm of rats, less durable targets make for great distractions or threats to force the heroes to comply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thia Halmades Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Re: Making a Swarm Effective Also depends largely on the feel you want. Sure, a swarm of bats means zippy to most people. A swarm of flies that has: Darkness Change Environment, -DEX NND Choke (defense is a rigid face covering to keep flies from crawling in nose/mouth) PRE attack (OMG, it's a giant swarm of flies making faces of evil and symbols of Beelzebub! RUN!!) Swarm o'flies. Nothin' quite like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eel Posted August 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Re: Making a Swarm Effective Thank you very much for all of the feedback. I'm especially taken with the idea of making the swarm have a high presence attack. I think I shall incorporate that into the swarm I'm creating and see what mayhem can be had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thia Halmades Posted August 26, 2006 Report Share Posted August 26, 2006 Re: Making a Swarm Effective Don't forget Change Environment. Nothing really reprsents a Swarm better than the effect they have on the Landscape. You can replace 'Darkness' with CE: -X Per Rolls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Obvious Posted August 26, 2006 Report Share Posted August 26, 2006 Re: Making a Swarm Effective Swarms are one of those things that are usually written up (from what I've seen) in a way totally unlike what they are like in real life. Another is 6D6 NND (Removal of Oxygen). I am sorry, if you remove the oxygen from around someone they start to slowly suffocate, they do not take a big blast of damage. Actually, if there's NO oxygen in the air around someone, the oxygen in their blood diffuses out into the air fairly quickly. What kills people in most suffocation scenarios is the buildup of carbon dioxide in the air, to the point where it won't diffuse from the blood anymore. There may still be plenty of oxygen, but the CO2 won't free up the hemoglobin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavanne Posted August 27, 2006 Report Share Posted August 27, 2006 Re: Making a Swarm Effective Wasps are worse than bees. Not just that they can sting over and over and over, but also they BITE!! Cue whimpering from memory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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