(DMs Only) Fighting with the Spawn...


Age of Worms Adventure Path


I'm looking for information on tactics on how Spawn of Kyuss fight:

Their worm-touch ability appears to leave the worm on the target for one round - during this time, the worm can be killed by damage (10 AC, 1 hp) or the touch of silver. The worm doesn't start burrowing until the spawn's next round.

Now, what are the rules for attacking a worm on yourself or another person? I'm currently playing by: Using a light weapon, then std. attack that hits damages the worm, but not the "host". Use a bigger weapon, and you will cause the target half of the damage rolled (a morning star or a dwarven waraxe isn't exactly designed for worm squishing).

The "touch of silver" maneuver is a std. action and will automatically work - no roll needed.

Thoughts on that?

Next, seeing that an individual spawn can only deploy a worm 1/round, my thought is that a group of spawn would attempt to concentrate attacks on one person - The trick is to keep as many worms on the target so they can't get all of them off until the next round.

Are they that smart?

(My initial encounter with the Spawn in EoBK was a little anti-climatic - The paladin was within 10' radius of the party, so they got the +4 bonus to fear and saved against all three spawn. At which point it was just hack, hack, hack - the fast-healing was definitely annoying the wizard: "I do 5 pts with the magic missle" "O look, the wound just was stiched up by worms!" "Dammit!")


I was rather pleased with how the encounter with the Spawn of Kyuss went in my own AoW campaign in the EaBK adventure. As the titular monsters in the adventure, and one of the final "low-level" encounters in the path, I went out of my way to make their introduction something terrifying.

In respect to that, I recommend playing the spawn as almost too cunning. Our party knew that there were three total in the basement. I had only the visible portions of the map accessible at all times to the party, and highlighted that they did not see anything below. The party creeped downstairs with palpable tension, even under the effects of hide from undead. The wizard stayed with magic missile readied on the staircase.

As they all moved into the kitchen, the spawn, who had been opening and closing doors prior, to try to get the party to come down to investigate, rounded the northwest corner...all but one. The fear got two out of three of the members. The remaining member panicked--even though none of the spawn made the save--and attacked, breaking the spell. The spawn went after the terrified PCs. The only cognicent PC below called for the wizard. The wizard was scared to leave the stairwell unguarded, lest the spawn escape. However, as he descended, he kept a mirror handy to see if any spawn were around the corners. He turned it one way. Nothing. Then the other, and BOO! Spawn of Kyuss!

The party had a rough struggle to beat the three spawn. What, I felt, helped to make them more memorable, was that I made two of the spawn two of several well-defined NPCs in the keep, whom the PCs had previously befriended. Their connection to the victims made the terror all that much more heartfelt.

It sounds like you're doing well with the gameplay mechanics of the spawn. As for attacking the spawn, I'd recommend that your infected party members try using either unarmed strikes or subdual. In my game, I allowed for the AC 10 to be made with a touch attack, that automatically squished the worm. The fact that it eats up an action is plenty penalty for me.

One thing to remember--that I always forget myself--is the Kyuss' Gift disease that the spawn can bestow. Roll the saves behind your screen, and write yourself a note as to when it takes effect. I always forget diseases! (Slow worms comes up with respect to this, as well.)


Hierophantasm wrote:

One thing to remember--that I always forget myself--is the Kyuss' Gift disease that the spawn can bestow. Roll the saves behind your screen, and write yourself a note as to when it takes effect. I always forget diseases! (Slow worms comes up with respect to this, as well.)

I had remembered that, but since the only person successfully HIT by the spawn was a paladin, well, the disease roll was unnecessary (Vulnerable to the worms, but not to Kyuss' Gift)


I was fortunate in this encounter that no one in the group was playing a paladin. Nothing takes the oomph out of a fear effect--and disease--like a boy scout with a holy greatsword. But, that's what makes them so darned useful, I guess.


Hmm. Does this mean I screwed up when using the worm burrow against my group's paladin? I had it burrow in, go for a little way and expire, figuring that his immunity to disease would protect him from it. Is that not the case?

I'm not too worried, as he's gone into Hunter of the Dead and if any PrC should be immune, it would be that one. But also, the group cleric is about to get Divine Health, so would be good to know.


ruined wrote:

Hmm. Does this mean I screwed up when using the worm burrow against my group's paladin? I had it burrow in, go for a little way and expire, figuring that his immunity to disease would protect him from it. Is that not the case?

I'm not too worried, as he's gone into Hunter of the Dead and if any PrC should be immune, it would be that one. But also, the group cleric is about to get Divine Health, so would be good to know.

The ruling in another thread is that the Paladin's (or anyone else's) immunity to disease does not apply to Kyuss worms (or I guess other worms)...

You'd have to look up the thread - I forget the reasoning myself, and I don't feel any real need to open that can of worms again (Bah-dum-dum-ksshhh!)

Liberty's Edge

Kyuss Worms and Paladin Divine Health, the original discussion

Consider the can opened.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Maps Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

My players use far more direct methods to combat worms. A single worm is squished - but once there are multiple worms transferred, the party uses fireburst (or fireball on occasion) on themselves.

Yes, the PC Mystic Theurge deliberately flames the party.

Fireburst is not so bad (2nd level, Spell Compendium) It is centred on the PC caster and radiates outwards in a 10 foot radius, doing 5d8 at my player's level (Reflex for half).

5d8 x.5 - or a mere 11 points on average is a far better result than being wormfood. With Energy Resistance (Fire) up - the damage is even less. The party takes the hit - regularly, usually doing some damage to nearby Spawn at the same time. The blast is sufficient to crisp every worm on the surface of a player character.

It is a very direct and effective means of protection. Actual worm contamination happened only the first time the party encountered the Spawn, After that - the party was quite insistent they would rather be cooked than eaten.

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