Darn kids [MitP]

[DragonTounge]

MitP II is done voting.

Blood-Burning Swarm
Tiny magical beast (swarm)
Hit Dice: 7d10+17 (55hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 25ft. (5 squares), Swim 20ft.
AC: 19 (+5 nat, +2 dex, +2 size)
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+3
Attack: Swarm (2d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (2d6)
Space/Reach: 10ft./0ft.
Special Attacks: breath weapon, wound
Special Qualities: Adhisive, immune to weapon damage, low-light vision, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +2
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 3, Wis 10, Cha 8
Skills: Hide +10, Move Silently +6, Spot +3, Swim +13
Feats: Improved natural armor, Toughness
Climate/terrain: underwater or on beaches
Organization: Solitary or Hatching ground (1-2 blood-burning swarms and 4-24 blood-burning crabs)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: 50% coins
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: none

Blood-burning swarms are made up of about 100 blood-burning crab hatchlings that are between 1-6 months old. In order to protect them selves the hatchlings gather in swarms. They generaly don't stray far from there hatching grounds but they occasinaly get split from the group. Each crab is about 1ft. long and 8in. tall.

Combat

When under attack, blood-burning swarms use simple tactics. They attempt to swamp enemies, injure them, and hit them with therir breath weapon.

Adhesive: Every round your in the same area as the blood-burning crab you must make a DC 15 reflex save. The first time you fail the crabs climb on you, and stick on to your skin because of an adhesive. This deals deals 2 points of dexterity damage as long as the crabs are on you. The next time you fail even more crabs climb on you, making it incredibly heavy, affecting you like a slow spell and giving you a 5% arcane spell failure chance. The next time you fail you become immobile and can't move from your current spot and can't attack. The only action you can take is trying to get the crabs off. Each time crabs climb on you the blood-burning swarm takes 1 damage. You can pull the crabs off with a DC 18 strength check however the amount of crabs goes down only one level in the adhesive progression.

Breath Weapon: The crabs in the swarm shoot salt in every direction, creating a 25ft. radius starting at the center of the swarm. The breath weapon deals 6d4 non-lethal damage and be blinded for 1 round. To negate the blindness and to take half-damage you must make a reflex save equal to half of the lethal hit points you have lost. It can fire a breath weapon every 1d4 rounds and the save DC can't go higher then 19.

Distraction: Any living creature that begins its turn with the blood-burning crab in its space must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is constitution based.

Wound: Any living creature damaged by a blood-burning crab continues to bleed, losing 1 hit point every round thereafter. Multiple wounds don't result in more hit point loss. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 10 heal check or a cure spell.

Don't know much about swarms so tell me if the challenge ratings off.

This is this monsters counter part Blood burning crab

[Poppatomus]

I love synergy


MitP vote: Yes

[Icewalker]

Erm.

This seems a little funky.

The breath weapon makes sense, but needs to be rephrased. The wording is really confusing. You said 'half the hit points the enemy has lost.' That means half the damage rolled on the 6d4 right? I'd try to rewrite that.

Every time they climb on you they take damage? I don't think I understand that, unless it is just the swarm getting smaller.

[DragonTounge]

Man, I knew I did something wrong. What I mean about the breath weapon is... Lets say the crabs do 6 damage to you. You divide 6 by 2 which is 3. That means that the reflex save is 13. By half the damage taken I mean lethal damage done before the breath weapon is fired. Sorry if this is confusing, I tried my best.

Also, the swarm takes 1 damage because as crabs climb on you, the swarm becomes smaller. Once again I'm sorry if its confusing.

[Mr. Moogle]

Nice, although you should make the adhesive ability a little stronger.

[deadfalcon]

I like, would agree about making the adhisive stronger and also why are there 2 speeds?

[Poppatomus]

I think it is meant to be land and swimming speeds respectivly, though i could be wrong.

[adanedhel9]

[nitpick]

Average HP should be 55.

You'll want to specify the type of the second speed listed; it's also not standard to list the number of squares for anything other than the normal movement type.

AC should be 18; you should also specify touch (14) and flat-footed (16).

What does the Wound ability do? It's listed in the stat block but never described.

Reflex save should be +7.

It should have another feat; plus it shouldn't have Cleave unless it also has Power Attack (which it can't qualify for). Monsters follow all the same rules for feats as regular characters, except you can give them arbitrary bonus feats. But any bonus feats should be marked as such (with a superscript B afterwords, or on the boards with (B)) and don't replace the regular feats. Besides, what's a swarm going to do with Cleave in the first place? It doesn't make regular attacks to cleave from.

You should specify the type of each special ability: extraordinary (Ex), supernatural (Su), or Spell-like (Sp).

[/nitpick]

When you've got crabs stuck on you, and you make your DC 18 Strength check, do all the crabs come off? Or do you just go up one step in the Adhesive progression?

Adhesive probably shouldn't deal Dex damage, since you can get rid of the crabs (and presumably the difficuly of having crabs attached to you). Make it a Dex penalty instead.

I would probably simplify the Adhesive to just being entangled. But I like simple and reuse of existing rules; your preference may vary.

Save DC's nearly always follow the 10 + 1/2 HD + modifier rule; is there a reason the breath weapon is so different?

[Lord Iames Osari]

Make the save DC for the breath weapon ability-based, instead (I recommend Con, personally). The damage thing is too confusing.

[Anxe]

A few of typos in the Adhesive thing as well. You only need to say "deals" once. You also spelled incredibly as increebly. <- That one's kind funny actually.
I'll give it a Mitp: Yes

[Lord Iames Osari]

*Iames bumps the thread*

[DracoDei]

MitP Vote: Yes
And I think having the DC based on the damage previously sustained is logical and clearly stated.

[deadfalcon]

good work

Mitp vote: Yes