Power-walking Granny Herd

[Kesnit]

A conversation between me, my wife, and a friend turned to senior citizens who walk laps in malls prior to the stores opening. One of us jokingly referred to them as "power-walking granny herds." Just after that, my wife began to wonder how that would be built as a D&D encounter. After thinking about it, I decided the best option would be to turn to the Playground for help.

I thought of using swarm rules, but individual grannies would work as well. The only requirement is that the encounter be a high level one.

[Uncle Pine]

DMGII has rules for mobs, specifically providing stats for a mob of Commoners. They're CR 6 or 8 iirc.

[Elkad]

Do far-eastern mobs get a morale bonus to Trample if there is a public transit vehicle within 100'? Because they clearly should.

I get a +4 size bonus and several points of str vs an 80lb grandmother. Yet if I attempt to hold my spot in the queue to board the bus, I end up under the bus and sporting both bleeding shins and tire tracks from her little shopping trolley.

[Kesnit]

DMGII has rules for mobs, specifically providing stats for a mob of Commoners. They're CR 6 or 8 iirc.

I was hoping for something with a higher CR, closer to 15-17 or so.


Do far-eastern mobs get a morale bonus to Trample if there is a public transit vehicle within 100'? Because they clearly should.

I get a +4 size bonus and several points of str vs an 80lb grandmother. Yet if I attempt to hold my spot in the queue to board the bus, I end up under the bus and sporting both bleeding shins and tire tracks from her little shopping trolley.

LOL! A bonus to trample is a good idea, although the senior citizens I'm thinking of don't use walkers. They speed walk in large groups, usually wearing jogging suits and carrying small barbells.

[Elkad]

LOL! A bonus to trample is a good idea, although the senior citizens I'm thinking of don't use walkers. They speed walk in large groups, usually wearing jogging suits and carrying small barbells.

These don't have walkers either. They have those little folding 2-wheel carts they put their groceries in. Or maybe just a couple bags, or an umbrella when rain isn't predicted for the next 3 days.

[Zombulian]

I was hoping for something with a higher CR, closer to 15-17 or so.


This is... fairly unreasonable.

[Segev]

I'd go with adapting the stats of elephants or another creature with a trample attack, and cosmetically replace it with a swarm of medium creatures by adding the Swarm subtype and changing the description and space/reach appropriately. Make it oblivious and just keep moving in a herd no matter what, doing trample damage to any creature whose space it passes over.

[Kesnit]

This is... fairly unreasonable.

There are monsters what that kind of CR.

If you mean "getting something with swarm rules to CR 15 is unreasonable," I can accept that. I've not worked with swarm rules, so am not familiar with what the base CR is and what can be done to raise it.

Grannies do not have to be Commoners. I had them pictured as "wise women," so casters (especially with age bonuses to mentals).


I'd go with adapting the stats of elephants or another creature with a trample attack, and cosmetically replace it with a swarm of medium creatures by adding the Swarm subtype and changing the description and space/reach appropriately. Make it oblivious and just keep moving in a herd no matter what, doing trample damage to any creature whose space it passes over.

Ooo... :smallbiggrin:

[Feantar]

This is... fairly unreasonable.

It is, but imagine a swarm of grannies taking down an Old White Dragon using the fabled Dragon Bane Walkers of A'arp, and tell me I'm wrong for wanting this to happen. One can dream.

[Zombulian]

There are monsters what that kind of CR.

If you mean "getting something with swarm rules to CR 15 is unreasonable," I can accept that. I've not worked with swarm rules, so am not familiar with what the base CR is and what can be done to raise it.

Grannies do not have to be Commoners. I had them pictured as "wise women," so casters (especially with age bonuses to mentals).

Obviously there are monsters with that CR. But I was pointing out that CR 15-17 was unreasonable for your original description of grannies in jogging suits carrying dumbbells*. If you want to change it to a mob of casters, ok, but that's not what you led with.

Edit: Hey if we want evil casting old ladies, maybe apply the mob template to a bunch of Hags (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/hag.htm)?

[Segev]

Edit: Hey if we want evil casting old ladies, maybe apply the mob template to a bunch of Hags (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/hag.htm)?

That is terrifying.

And yet leads me to the hilarious mental image of a group of hag coveys getting together just to walk around the local city market, chatting and gossiping together. Most don't realize what they are (thanks to disguise magic), and those who do are too petrified by the sheer number to risk provoking them, since they know they just monopolize the market every Saturnday morning and then leave peacefully as long as nobody is rude to them.

[Nifft]

It is, but imagine a swarm of grannies taking down an Old White Dragon using the fabled Dragon Bane Walkers of A'arp, and tell me I'm wrong for wanting this to happen. One can dream.

That sounds more like grannies who are power manifesting, or at least power attacking, rather than merely power walking.


https://i.imgur.com/R6pd7aA.jpg

[Alabenson]

It is, but imagine a swarm of grannies taking down an Old White Dragon using the fabled Dragon Bane Walkers of A'arp, and tell me I'm wrong for wanting this to happen. One can dream.

Better yet, what if the grannies in question were Old White Dragons?

[Malroth]

Use the book of vile darkness hivemind rules to give the old ladies sorcerer casting.

[Jay R]

Two old women, walking along quietly. If you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.

Their names are Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg.