Swarm Creatures

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DustyHead
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Swarm Creatures

Postby DustyHead » Mon Sep 24, 2012 4:54 pm

Pg. 109 of the GM Companion offers an example of alternate swarm statistics for a creature (a blood monkey, in this case), but I haven't been able to dig up any official guidelines for such a conversion. The changes don't seem very drastic, but they're not explained at all. Am I overlooking these guidelines somewhere?

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slayride
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Re: Swarm Creatures

Postby slayride » Mon Sep 24, 2012 10:17 pm

Making swarm creatures:

The swarm has the same number of Standard Actions

The swarm can attack 1-3 characters in its area. If it attacks one character add 6 to its standard Damage step. If it attacks two characters add 3 to its standard Damage step. If it attacks 3 characters it remains unchanged.

Swarms cannot be Wounded or Knocked Down. Individual Wounds or Knocked Down creatures do not slow the swarm down. they simply crawl over the poor sucker and keep coming.

They gain the Swarm Attack ability for their area.

They gain Unconscious. The swarm's Unconscious Rating is equal to the creature's Normal Death Rating.

They gain Vulnerability to area attacks. The area attack must affect the entire area. It does double damage to the swarm, as its able to hit multiple creatures, after armor is applied.

Swarm of Snakes
DEX 6
STR 5
TOU 4
PER 3
WIL 4
CHA 4
Initiative 6
Physical Defense 9
Spell Defense 4
Social Defense 6
Attack 2: 8
Damage
one target Bite (9): 14 Poison SD 11/ Step 11 damage for 7 rounds (This is a simulation of three snakes successfully hitting the character)
two targets Bite (6): 11 Poison SD 8/Step 8 damage for 6 rounds (This is a simulation of two snakes successfully hitting the character)
three targets Bite (3): 8 Poison SD 5/Step 5 damage for 5 rounds
KO 28 (Disperses)
Recovery Tests 2
Movement 5
Powers: Climbing 8, Enhanced Senses 5, Heat Sight, Silent Walk 8
Swarm Attack: Swarm of Snakes covers a center origin hex and all surrounding hexes. It can make one attack against one target, two attacks against two targets in its area, or three attacks against three targets in its area. Targets in the swarm are Harried.
Unconsciousness: A Swarm of Snakes at its Unconscious Rating disperses, with at least one snake likely dead.
Vulnerability to Area Attacks: Attacks that cover the whole area do double damage, such as a Fireball aimed at the center, but also do damage to anyone in the swarm as well.
Legend Award First Circle (Group), Second Circle (1 per 2 PC), Third Circle

Since this has three attacks, it is generally the match for at least three characters at First Circle and possibly the whole group. two characters at Second Circle, one character at Third Circle. And generally not a threat at Fourth Circle or higher.

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Re: Swarm Creatures

Postby DustyHead » Wed Sep 26, 2012 2:33 pm

Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for! A couple of follow-ups for clarification:
1) I'm assuming this means the Blood Monkey Swarm on pg. 109 of the GMC should actually offer a Legend Award of Fifth Circle (Group)?
2) Is the increase in poison duration factored into your example above another piece of the standard swarm template (i.e., 2 targets = +1 round, 1 target = +2 rounds)?

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Re: Swarm Creatures

Postby slayride » Sat Sep 29, 2012 11:23 am

1) Yes it should be Fifth Circle (Group)
2) Nope, looking at it looks like the duration should probably stay 5 rounds, because the progression is pretty brutal (Step 11 x 7 = 77 damage, versus 5 x 5 =25 base, so even 3 snakes should be 25 x 3= 75 at best, means that the one target bite should be slightly less potent, maybe 6 rounds). The damage increase seems fine, but the duration increases seems a bit overkill looking at it again.

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kosmit
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Re: Swarm Creatures

Postby kosmit » Sat Sep 29, 2012 4:26 pm

How would look swarm of Cedaver Men?

Their increased number of attacks after receiving a Wound is the key for this question. Could you help me to make Swarm of Cedaver Men?
Duvvelsheyss

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slayride
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Re: Swarm Creatures

Postby slayride » Sun Sep 30, 2012 2:25 pm

Since their abilities are highly individually centralized, they don't make good swarm creatures. For example they each need to be kept track of for Wounds and Frenzied/Rage state. Still anything is possible.

Swarm of Cadaver Men
A swarm of 7 cadaver men
DEX 4
STR 6
TOU 7
PER 4
WIL 6
CHA 4
Init 4
PhD/SpD 6
SoD 11
Actions 1
Attacks (3): 7
Damage (9): 15 versus one target, (6): 12 versus two targets, (3): 7 versus one target
DR: 357 (Cadaver Men do not disperse like other swarms, they fight to the death 51x7)
Critical: 11
Recovery Tests 3
Movement 5
Legend Award: Third Circle (Group), Fourth Circle (1:2 PC), Fifth Circle
Whenever the Swarm takes a critical hit, remove one cadaver from the swarm and it is automatically Knocked Down, it becomes a frenzied Cadaver Man and acts alone against the target that wounded it (The Swarm loses 51 death rating, the frenzied Cadaver Man has one wound and the number of Damage Points equal to the last hit on the swarm). If the swarm is reduced to less than 4 members it can no longer fight as a swarm.
Swarm Attack: Swarm of Cadaver Men covers a center origin hex and all surrounding hexes. It can make one attack against one target, two attacks against two targets in its area, or three attacks against three targets in its area. Targets in the swarm are Harried.
Vulnerability to Area Attacks: Attacks that cover the whole area do double damage, such as a Fireball aimed at the center, but also do damage to anyone in the swarm as well.

A frenzied cadaver man no longer fights with the group, so cannot be part of the swarm, allowing the swarm to frenzy when a single member is wounded be overpowered. If you want the swarm to be able to Frenzy, the critical would have to be something like 33 or so to be balanced (With at least 3 members wounded that way). Still its really unwieldy, better as individual characters really.

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kosmit
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Re: Swarm Creatures

Postby kosmit » Mon Oct 01, 2012 9:12 am

It's great :D But I think you are right with the whole individual thing, so when I will need a Horde of Undeads I will use ghouls or something :)
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kosmit
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Re: Swarm Creatures

Postby kosmit » Mon Oct 01, 2012 2:25 pm

And to the Snakes Swarms I would add that a rule that if you are holding a torch or some source of fire, the swarm won't attack you.
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slayride
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Re: Swarm Creatures

Postby slayride » Mon Oct 01, 2012 8:59 pm

You can add Vulnerability to Fire if you would like, for example, the Blood Wasp Swarm has that trait. Or a Willpower-based Test for the swarm to attack anyone wielding fire.


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