Has anyone ever done an awakened swarm?

[Uryse]

Has anyone ever tried this?

I am thinking about a druid screwing up this spell and creating a villainous hive mind that I may add levels of psion to.

Seems like a low level villain that I haven't seen a million times.

[Threadnaught]

Actually the 3.0 version of Dark Speech from BoVD has the option of creating a Hive Mind that may have Sorcerer Casting, up to about 90th level. Among other things.


There's always the option to Awaken Animals/Vermin and have them gather together into a Swarm of like minded Animals/Vermin.


Oh yeah that 90th level Sorcerer? CR is same as base Swarm.

[Blackhawk748]

Oh god Hive Minds, i have used one once and i fought one once, the reaction was the same.


"OH DEAR GOD THE RATS ARE CASTING!!"
"WE ARE SO BONED!!"


me:*Wings of Flurry* *Wings of Flurry* *Wings of Flurry* "WHY DOESNT IT DIE?!?!?!"

but seriously those things are friggin scary if you know what they can do, though i recommend not abusing the hell out of the Casting thing, it can be really annoying

[Uryse]

Interesting.

I was actually thinking that it wouldn't be a swarm of psions so much as the swarm as a total made one psion. Like the individual creatures in the swarm wouldn't be intelligent if they separated. Maybe even lose some intelligence if the swarm took damage and got smaller.

I'd half talked myself into making a PC of it and trying to slide it into my buddy's game (he has always had an easy style when it comes to homebrews and trying new stuff)

[Falcon X]

You guys played Planescape: Torment?

They totally have a hive mind of Cranium Rat spellcasters named Many-As-One. Those things are deadly.

[Dr. Cliché]

You guys played Planescape: Torment?

They totally have a hive mind of Cranium Rat spellcasters named Many-As-One. Those things are deadly.

Yes, I remember that thing.

Was it possible to kill it? I seem to recall trying, but not doing well as it had hundreds of rats to throw at me. :smalltongue:

[Brookshw]

Yes, I remember that thing.

Was it possible to kill it? I seem to recall trying, but not doing well as it had hundreds of rats to throw at me. :smalltongue:

I'm trying to recall, you could "win" the fight but I think it surrenders sorta. Been a while since I played. Cranium rats were updated in the fiend folio.

[Threadnaught]

Interesting.

I was actually thinking that it wouldn't be a swarm of psions so much as the swarm as a total made one psion. Like the individual creatures in the swarm wouldn't be intelligent if they separated. Maybe even lose some intelligence if the swarm took damage and got smaller.

I'd half talked myself into making a PC of it and trying to slide it into my buddy's game (he has always had an easy style when it comes to homebrews and trying new stuff)

The 3.0 version of Dark Speech from BoVD can...

No seriously, the Hive Mind only works when there are other Hive Mind creatures nearby, Swarm stops being a Swarm and goodbye ultimate CR2 Sorcerer. It loses power as it loses creatures, but it benefit from Swarms far too much to matter.

Maybe trade out Sorcerer for Psion. :smallamused:

[Grollub]

Yes, I remember that thing.

Was it possible to kill it? I seem to recall trying, but not doing well as it had hundreds of rats to throw at me. :smalltongue:

not really.. when it engages a group/ enemy it would always leave some rats far away from the fight, so you could never slay them all.

[Falcon X]

I'm trying to recall, you could "win" the fight but I think it surrenders sorta. Been a while since I played. Cranium rats were updated in the fiend folio.

They weren't impossible to defeat. But they were very difficult, nearly impossible at the level you find them.
And I believe they just surrender.

Here are the stats I found on the internet:
Many-As-One
HP: 32000/32000
XP: 2000

ARMOR CLASS RESISTANCES
Base 6 Fire 100 Cold 100
Crushing 0 Missile 0 Electricity 100 Acid 100
Piercing 0 Slashing 0 Magic 100
Magical fire 100 Magical cold 100
THAC0 5 Crushing 100 Missile 100
Number of attacks 1 Piercing 100 Slashing 100

SAVING THROWS
Death 4 Wands 6 Poly 5 Breath 4 Spells 7

Race Cranium rat
Gender Neither
Alignment Neutral Evil
Faction None
Class No Class Level 16

ABILITIES
Str 18 Int 18
Dex 18 Wis 18
Con 18 Cha 18
Lore 0 Luck 0


WEAPONS/SPECIAL ABILITIES
Invisible Dagger: 1-4 Piercing

ITEMS
Random Treasure (Poor)
I'm pretty sure that's end-game boss level.

[Zaydos]

I ran a swarm of cranium rats twice. First time a player had wandered off alone and would have died if I didn't have another player who was looking for them (in the middle of Sigil so looking for a needle in a haystack) find them in time to save them. The rats worked as a low level psion.

The second time it was all of the cranium rats, all of them, washing across Gehenna and scouring it clean of 'loths. They had to ally with the 'loths, release a sealed away archfiend (Moloch), and the rat swarm wasn't fought directly (being several Lv 20+ psions). Since their mission was to push Gehenna back towards Lawful Evil these acts helped them, but that's another story.