Half Dragons...Swarm.

[SoD]

As the MM states, the half dragon template can be applied to any living, corporeal creature, but increases the CR by 2. So if we added it to a bat, it would have a CR of 2 and a tenth. A bat swarm consists of roughly 1000 bats. A bat swarm has a CR of 2, which is not (I beleive) the equivilent of 1000 1/10 CRs. But, to get to the point: a half dragon has a breath weapon, usable 1/day, 6d8 damage, ref half...imagine that in a swarm where 1000 creatures have a breath weapon of 6d8...even one of 3d8, when multiplied by 1000 creatures 1/day...that's gonna pack one helluva punch. What do we think of this?

[Jimp]

I think the swarm as a whole would get the 6d8 breath weapon, not each individual bat.

[Azerian Kelimon]

And that would have to be a very...athletic dragon to mate with enough bats to produce an amount of offspring high enough for a swarm in little time.

[kpenguin]

Don't template swarms. It's not worth the trouble.

[Green Bean]

And that would have to be a very...athletic dragon to mate with enough bats to produce an amount of offspring high enough for a swarm in little time.

Aw jeez. Now you got me thinking of the mechanics! Who was the female? :smalleek:

[Azerian Kelimon]

Unless we're speaking of a plan a coven of many dragons has to flood the world with millions of little half dragons.

[Aquaseafoam]

It could be really interesting though.

[Azerian Kelimon]

I think I got it. From the planar shepherd thread:

10 turns in a round? Lets not forget what happens if you allow the planar shepherd out of Eberron...
And someplace where the far realm exists...

For the 10 rounds to 1 thing, for the dream plane. I want to do a planar shepherd that has that, even if only for a game, with high charisma as well - for role playing reasons...
"Am I not the woman of your dreams? I should be at least ten times the woman than them.*activates planar bubble*".

Those dragons MUST be planar shepherds.

[Glyphic]

I'm starting to think some human and a dragon had a contest to see who can mate with the most creature types.

[Azerian Kelimon]

And they lost to Planar Shepherd outsiders.

[SadisticFishing]

Don't template swarms. It's not worth the trouble.

Quoted for truth.

[Reinboom]

Dragons win by far for the breeding race.
Though, I'm starting to wonder about other creature types in swarms now... like half-minotaur, half-illithid, or... half-nymph bats.

(Azerian Kelimon: and I changed my avatar back to the blue kitty just to change it, though... I keep getting compliments on this one o_o;)

[Lord Tataraus]

Don't template swarms. It's not worth the trouble.

Right, use the mob template in cityscape to template any creature into swarms :smalltongue:
Seriously, I love that book just for that. So, you can get a bunch of half-dragon humans and make them a mob (read: swarm).

[Chronos]

Aw jeez. Now you got me thinking of the mechanics! Who was the female?Ever see Bat Boy: The Musical? It turns out that Bat Boy (yes, the recurring Weekly World News character, and yes, they made a musical about his life) came from a human mother and a swarm of bats as the father.

[Azerian Kelimon]

That's possibly more screwed up than a glitter boy without a boom gun. And I thought South Park had messed it up big time with Mrs. Cartman.


Sweetrein, about the avatar, it just caught my attention. Switching avatars is not that common from my experience, so it drew my attention.

[Green Bean]

Ever see Bat Boy: The Musical? It turns out that Bat Boy (yes, the recurring Weekly World News character, and yes, they made a musical about his life) came from a human mother and a swarm of bats as the father.

There are like, eight different things biologically wrong with that. :smalleek:

[Fax Celestis]

Dragons win by far for the breeding race.
Though, I'm starting to wonder about other creature types in swarms now... like half-minotaur, half-illithid, or... half-nymph bats.

Half-illithid bats? What, do they feast upon rat brains, or do they swarm you and then proceed to suck your brain out your ear?

[MCerberus]

I believe that the best answer is one of the 2 simple explanations for these things:

1. It just happened. Don't try to imagine how or you'll have to be committed.
2. A wizard did it. Looking at you Owlbears.

[Mewtarthio]

Right, use the mob template in cityscape to template any creature into swarms :smalltongue:
Seriously, I love that book just for that. So, you can get a bunch of half-dragon humans and make them a mob (read: swarm).

...Intriguing. What's the CR of a mob of Tarrasques?

[Lord Tataraus]

...Intriguing. What's the CR of a mob of Tarrasques?

Unfortunately I did not bring that book with me to college, so my friend has it. I don't remember the formula, all I remember was it gave an example of a mob of human commoners and a mob of children then talked about building a mob of centaurs and pixies and other things like that. I have a feeling its something simple like twice the CR of the base creature. Remeber that in swarms, they act as a whole so all abilities are bumped up to account for the large numbers, but not directly (so a mob of 20 half-dragons don't actually do 120d8 damage breath weapon damage, but a scaled up version from 6d8).

[AslanCross]

... half-nymph bats.


X_x Don't nymphs require males of other (humanoid) species to reproduce, though? IIRC they're all female.

[Fax Celestis]

Oh. Oh my. I need to make a half-medusa beholder now.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Half-illithid bats? What, do they feast upon rat brains, or do they swarm you and then proceed to suck your brain out your ear?
Cranium rat swarms.

[Chronos]

X_x Don't nymphs require males of other (humanoid) species to reproduce, though? IIRC they're all female.It's not clear how they reproduce. They might be pure manifestations of nature, in which case one just sort of appears wherever there's particularly beautify scenery. They might be the same species as satyrs, and there's just an unusually large sexual dimorphism between them. They might get pregnant by themselves, without need of any male. There's nothing that says that they have to mate with humans (though if any nymphs want to try, I'm available).

[Lemur]

Dragons win by far for the breeding race.

That won't stop humans from trying :smallamused:


It's not clear how they reproduce. They might be pure manifestations of nature, in which case one just sort of appears wherever there's particularly beautify scenery. They might be the same species as satyrs, and there's just an unusually large sexual dimorphism between them. They might get pregnant by themselves, without need of any male. There's nothing that says that they have to mate with humans (though if any nymphs want to try, I'm available).

Fey are strange. Many of them seem to be one sex or the other, and where exactly they come from is really up to the DM. Some mythologies have fey kidnapping children who then turn into fey, some have them seducing or entrancing adults into reproducing, and sometimes they're just spirits born of nature.

Also, you can die from just looking at a naked nymph. I can't imagine what would happen if you tried anything more than that...

[EL HUEVADOR]

X_x Don't nymphs require males of other (humanoid) species to reproduce, though? IIRC they're all female.

I can see it in the maternity ward now...

"Well miss congratulations, it looks like its a--"
EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE!
"Oh Jesus!"
EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE!
"Oh Jesus!"
EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE!
"They're biting!"
EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE!
"Oh Jesus, they're biting!"
EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE!

[dyslexicfaser]

I can see it in the maternity ward now...

"Well miss congratulations, it looks like its a--"
EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE!
"Oh Jesus!"
EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE!
"Oh Jesus!"
EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE!
"They're biting!"
EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE!
"Oh Jesus, they're biting!"
EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE! EEE!

And now you have ME imagining it.

And for the record, medusae sex would be just about the most AWKWARD sex ever. You would have to manage to boink her without actually looking at her, or you instantly turn to stone.

...

Which wouldn't actually inconvenience the gorgon that much... ick.

[Rowanomicon]

I would do one of two things:

Take a single creature -> Add the template of choice -> add the template that makes it a swarm

or

Take the swarm -> Add the template of choice to the swarm as though the swarm were one singular creature

Those are the only two ways that I can think of that make sense to me mechanically. It doesn't really matter that these two ways will likely end in different results. Choose whichever fits better in the encounter, or whichever seems to make more sense to you.

[Chronos]

Also, you can die from just looking at a naked nymph. I can't imagine what would happen if you tried anything more than that...Ah, another old-timer, I see. As of 3.0, nymphs could use that ability regardless of attire (or lack thereof), but it was voluntary, so if she's willing, she presumably wouldn't kill you. And in 3.5, their beauty doesn't kill at all, though it does still blind (but again, she can suppress it if she chooses).

[EL HUEVADOR]

And now you have ME imagining it.

And for the record, medusae sex would be just about the most AWKWARD sex ever. You would have to manage to boink her without actually looking at her, or you instantly turn to stone.

...

Which wouldn't actually inconvenience the gorgon that much... ick.

God help me, I'm making a pun involving the phrase "rock hard".

[Rowanomicon]

Does anyone have a link to that (or any) template that makes creatures a mob/swarm?

[Mewtarthio]

And for the record, medusae sex would be just about the most AWKWARD sex ever. You would have to manage to boink her without actually looking at her, or you instantly turn to stone.

Alternatively, you could be immune to polymorph effects. You could be wearing a Chain Shirt of Proof Against Polymorph! That would totally get rid of the awkwardness!

Ooh, or you could be an Ooze, Construct, Plant, or Undead!

[Lord Tataraus]

Does anyone have a link to that (or any) template that makes creatures a mob/swarm?

Its in cityscape which can't really be found anywhere online, crystalkeep doesn't have it. You'll have to get the actual book. As far as other templates go, I doubt there is one...

[Reel On, Love]

And for the record, medusae sex would be just about the most AWKWARD sex ever. You would have to manage to boink her without actually looking at her, or you instantly turn to stone.

...

Which wouldn't actually inconvenience the gorgon that much... ick.

No, you just have to not look into her eyes. Blindfolds can make things hotter.

Or you could do her from behind, with her face pressed into a pillow. That's fun in and of itself, and here it counts as "safe sex" too.

[dyslexicfaser]

Alternatively, you could be immune to polymorph effects. You could be wearing a Chain Shirt of Proof Against Polymorph! That would totally get rid of the awkwardness!

Ooh, or you could be an Ooze, Construct, Plant, or Undead!

Being an ooze, a construct, a plant, or an corpse during sex would make things LESS awkward?

Because I'm just not seeing it.

[Rowanomicon]

Haha, that gives a whole new meaning to the term "Safe Sex."

Too bad about that template.
The reason I mentioned any others is that I seem to remember reading one, but I'm quite sure that I've never read cityscape.