Swarms and reach of 0

[AttilatheYeon]

So there are a lot of monsters with a reach of zero especially swarms. When a swarm occupies your space to attack you does it get an OA if you leave it's space?

[Segev]

Yes. You left its reach.

[Avonar]

Yes they would. I do sometimes tend to rule that you can't move away from certain swarms without a disengage action, since how do you run away from spiders crawling on your legs?

[AttilatheYeon]

Yes. You left its reach.


Yes they would. I do sometimes tend to rule that you can't move away from certain swarms without a disengage action, since how do you run away from spiders crawling on your legs?

Thanks guys, I wanted to make sure.

[Hytheter]

Yes they would. I do sometimes tend to rule that you can't move away from certain swarms without a disengage action, since how do you run away from spiders crawling on your legs?

I guess you'd be running from the swarm as a whole, and the spiders that remain stuck on your legs are just not enough to meaningfully harm you.

[Unoriginal]

A swarm with a Sentinel type effect would be pretty scary.

Now I'm imagining PCs being attacked by a swarm of animated toy soldiers.

[Imbalance]

Yes they would. I do sometimes tend to rule that you can't move away from certain swarms without a disengage action, since how do you run away from spiders crawling on your legs?

I like this. I would allow them to move, but have the swarm "hitch a ride" on the moving character unless they spend their action to "getitoff!getitoff!getitoff!!!" I think some of them are like that, RAW? I'm recalling Despotellis from HeroClix, might be infecting my memory for D&D monsters.

[Segev]

Yes they would. I do sometimes tend to rule that you can't move away from certain swarms without a disengage action, since how do you run away from spiders crawling on your legs?


I like this. I would allow them to move, but have the swarm "hitch a ride" on the moving character unless they spend their action to "getitoff!getitoff!getitoff!!!" I think some of them are like that, RAW? I'm recalling Despotellis from HeroClix, might be infecting my memory for D&D monsters.

If it weren't for the fact that the rules as written model it poorly for this circumstance, I'd run this using the DMG's "climbing on a larger creature" rules. Or maybe grappling rules, just with the swarm compelling the target to grapple them.

Maybe the swarm can use Dexterity in place of Strength for this.