| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I was thinking of a rat swarm variant. Idea comes from the Tome of Ultimate Evil. (or some-such, I keep blanking on the name but LOVE that book!) It's a Hive Mind rat swarm. Every few dozen rats added to this thing give it another +1 to Int and eventually it gets minor spellcasting. The PCs first bumped into it about 3 months ago game time and are about to bump into it again. At the first encounter, there were about 200 rats. A buddy who knows rats says there could easily be 9000 now, and that if bred selectively and aggressively, they could have as many as 20,000 in their swarm! This would put them well into the 20+ Int range and give them the spellcasting equivalent of a 4-5 spellcaster. Now, my question is this; what sort of caster should it be and what spells would make for the most awesomeness??
I look forward to everyone's ideas. People on this forum come up with some of the most wonderously evil ideas to throw at players... ;)
I'd pick the druid spell list. Here's some interesting choices;
1. Resist Energy. This shores up a main vulnerability of swarm types, which is they are susceptible to area damage (often fire or energy based).
2. Summon Swarm. Because really, who doesn't want a rat swarm that can summon more rat swarms?
3. Summon Nature's Ally 1,2, or 3. Because you could use it to summon 1, 1d3, or 1d4+1 Dire Rats. Also awesome. I like the idea of a self-replicating swarm.
4. Contagion or Poison. This seems really thematic, and adds some major bite to this monster.
What about making the swarm witchy? 5 levels of Witch spells give it access to some interesting buffs and debuffs. It could use the spells to horribly maim and disfigure it's victims, cause them to vomit up swarms and even deal some area damage.
Summoning more rats is a good idea. As a wizard (which uses INT) it could cast:
Aqueous Orb, but instead of water, it is a wave of rats.
Mad Monkeys, but instead of monkeys, it summons rats that take your stuff and break it.
I suggest you have the core of the swarm become a rat king dominating the other rats. Good way to add legend-y depth to the encounter.
The ideas above are great but I'd also add a way for the swarm to gain mobility, even up to flying or teleporting if the PCs can do that. Only thing scarier than a swarm is a swarm that you can't escape. (Protip: don't actually keep the PCs from escaping.)
EDIT: Hey, the rat king actually got stats in Bestiary 4!
If you get all of the class a abilities and it doesn't have to be int based make it a synthesist. It's a giant glowy rat until you get its health down and then *proof* thousands of rats. Or standard summoner with a huge rat eidolon. Also spell wise you get resists, pits, haste, fly, teleports, invisibles, and a host of other evil stuff
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
A rat swarm with Alter Self. "The rats chitter and convulse. Suddenly they begin writhing, swarming over one another into a crude humanoid form. Then their flesh begins oozing; fur and tails blend one into the next until the whole undulating mass is a medium sized humanoid. This swarm-thing draws up to a full 6' height and sneers; as it bears weirdly vibrating teeth its mouth spews a vomit of more rats crawling across its form"
...
I think I just creeped MYSELF out.
Holy crap, good stuff folks! Keep it coming, I'm taking notes and we don't play until Saturday. :D
Check out these movies:
Willard (1971_film) [PG-13]
Ben (film) [PG] Sequel to Willard
The Food of the Gods (film) [PG]
Food of the Gods II [R]
Burial of the Rats [R] Bram Stoker is part of this story
All involve LOTS of RATS. First two are especially apropos. Last one has a human "Queen" with a magical set of pipes that control them.
Idea: Swarm with Mirror Image
Another idea: Pit 10' deep with 5' of rats. Small holes in the walls allow access for the rats, but a person falling in gets stuck in a pit with hungry rats.
/cevah
@cevah- I'd love to check out those movies, but we play tomorrow. I think five films might eat into my prep time. But if they don't meet the swarm tomorrow, I'll check them out for flavour for next time. Also, LOVE the pit idea!
@tkul- Worm That Walks with rats, wonderful! I was thinking along a similar line but wasn't sure how to mechanic it. That should work nicely. They're only level 6 though, might have to tone it down, I'll look at the template.
@Mark Hoover- I love the imagery, that is definitely getting incorporated somehow!
I still have an evening and a day to plan, folks, keep this gold coming! :D
A rat swarm with Alter Self. "The rats chitter and convulse. Suddenly they begin writhing, swarming over one another into a crude humanoid form. Then their flesh begins oozing; fur and tails blend one into the next until the whole undulating mass is a medium sized humanoid. This swarm-thing draws up to a full 6' height and sneers; as it bears weirdly vibrating teeth its mouth spews a vomit of more rats crawling across its form"
...
I think I just creeped MYSELF out.
Wow. A Worm That Walks made of rats. o_O
One thing to keeps in mind I don't think swarms are effected by spells that that target a single individual, this would go for for self spells and abilities as well?
@RunebladeX- that's likely true about stock swarms, but I don't think that a Worm That Walks made out of rats is a "stock" swarm. ;)
Let's assume that it can be targeted by "you" spells. Hivemind creatures have that ability, from what I've been able to discern so far online. Unfortunately, my Book of Vile Darkness (finally remembered the name!) is at home and unavailable until after the game, so no checking on that at the moment.
And the Hivemind rules I've found online look like a 20k rat swarm would have an Int and Cha of somewhere around 300+. I think that's a bit much, so I'm going to have to tweak that downwards. Hard.
Yeah, those hivemind rules are way broken if you ramp up the numbers in the swarm. I'm going to tweak them by making it a sliding scale. 150 rats, base 10 INT/CHA. Up each by +1 per 50 additional up to 500 rats. From there to 1000, another +1 per 100. From there to 10,000, +1 per 1000. Diminishing returns as the swarm gets larger. It's still imposing and freaky as all get out, but the caster level doesn't get stupid this way. A 9000 rat swarm would have an INT/CHA of 29 and a Caster level of 11th. Much better than INT/CHA of 108 and caster level 100!
I'm off to bed now, give me your best suggestions for this Rat That Walks, assume Sorc caster level 11. I look forward to all sorts of nasty combos. Personally, I'm looking at Unnatural Lust (come pet me!), Resist Energy (for those pesky Fireballs and flasks of burning oil), Touch of Gracelessness (can't move fast and prone to falling down? Every horror movie chase scene EVER!), Compassionate Ally (paired with the previous? "C'mon man, GET UP! They're COMING!!"), Sleet Storm (more movement chaos), Black Tentacles (hold 'em while the rats eat 'em) and Animate Dead (for once they've picked the bones clean..)
A rough-up of the Rat That Walks, using the rat swarm base x30 and adding Worm That Walks template. Let's see if I did this right...
CR 10
XP: 9600
As Swarm:
N Tiny animal (swarm)
Init +8; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +9
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 12 (+4 Dex, +2 size)
hp 195 (30d8+60) *30 rat swarms
Fort +19, Ref +21, Will +11
Defensive Abilities swarm traits (as a swarm of tiny creatures, a Rat Swarm takes only half damage from piercing and slashing attacks)
OFFENSE
Speed 15 ft., climb 15 ft., swim 15 ft.
Melee swarm (5d6 plus disease)
Space 10 ft/6hp.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks- Spells (as 11th Sorceror, from BoVD Hivemind), Disease, Distraction (DC 18)
DEFENSE
STATISTICS
Str 2, Dex 19, Con 15, Int 29, Wis 13, Cha 29
Base- Atk -; CMB +0; CMD 6 (immune to trip)
Feats- Imp Init, Weapon Finesse, DieHard(b) (+9 more?)
Skills- Climb +10, Perception +9, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +30, Swim +10; Racial Modifiers- Perception +8, Sense Motive +8, Stealth +4
------------------
As Rat That Walks:
Medium animal (augmented)
Init +8; Senses low-light vision, darkvision 60ft, blindsight 30ft, scent; Perception +9
DEFENSE
AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 16 (+4 Dex, +2 size, +2 insight)
hp 195 (30d8+60) *30 rat swarms
Fort +19, Ref +21, Will +11
Defensive Abilities
Rat that Walks Traits: A Rat that walks has no discernible anatomy, and is not subject to critical hits or flanking. Reducing a Rat that Walks to 0 hit points causes it to discorporate (see below)—a Rat that walks at 0 hit points is staggered, and one at negative hit points is dying. Rats that walk are immune to any physical spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of such spells and effects generated by the Rat that walks itself, which treat the Rat that walks as one single creature if it so chooses. Mind-affecting effects that target single creatures function normally against a Rat that walks, since the creature’s individual components share a hive mind. A Rat that walks takes half again as much damage (+50%) from damaging area effects, such as fireball and splash weapons. Rats that walk are susceptible to high winds—treat a Rat that walks as a Tiny creature for the purposes of determining wind effects.
Damage Reduction: A Rat that walks has damage reduction 15/—.
Fast Healing 3
Immunities: Rats that walk are immune to disease, paralysis, poison, and sleep effects.
OFFENSE
Speed 15 ft., climb 15 ft., swim 15 ft.
Melee swarm (5d6 plus disease)
Space 10 ft/6hp.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks- Spells (as 11th Sorcerer), Disease, Distraction (DC 27), Squirming Embrace (Ex): If a Rat that walks grapples a foe, as a swift action, it can cause a swarm of Rats to squirm over the grappled creature. These Rats deal automatic swarm damage with no attack roll needed (see the table below). If a creature takes damage from the swarm, it is also subject to the swarm’s distraction ability, and must make a Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC equals 10 + 1/2 the Rat that Walks’s HD + its Con modifier).
STATISTICS
Str 2, Dex 19, Con 15, Int 29, Wis 13, Cha 29
Base- Atk +28; CMB +18; CMD 32 (immune to trip[who trips a swarm?])
Feats- Imp Init, Weapon Finesse, DieHard(b)(+9 more?)
Skills- Climb +10, Perception +9, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +30, Swim +10; Racial Modifiers- Perception +8, Sense Motive +8, Stealth +12 (+4 rat, +8 WtW)
I don't usually modify or create creatures like this, so I'm guessing a lot of my numbers are off. For example, a monster generator I found says it should have 11 feats and 300+ skill points, as well as being a CR15 creature, and that's without the Worm That Walks template. I used the Worm That Walks template as well as the scaling up rules from the Hive Mind in the Book of Vile Darkness on a rat swarm to which I added 27 HD, since the swarm description says a swarm contains 300 tiny creatures and mine will contain 9000 rats. I likely did that wrong, since I don't do this sort of thing often, plus it's late and I'm tired.
As a note; we didn't game tonight but are planning on getting together tomorrow instead. I don't think they will get to the point of actually meeting this bad boy next session, since I have some groundwork to lay to properly introduce it in it's creepy glory, but I'd like to have it stated, just in case. Any number crunchers out there that want to point out my errors, please feel free!
@Pizza Lord- Good feat suggestions, I'll definitely use most of them. As to the movement thing though, the swarm is huge! A regular one is 10'x10', and this one is roughly 30 times larger, so I don't think 5' steps will be a problem. I'm envisioning this thing as being a flood of rats that will chase the party through stinking sewers, all the while casting spells that hinder and slow them so they can wash over them like a furry, biting tide. The swarm is slow though, so maybe some speed boosts. Run feat, or Fleet x3? Both?
After taking a second look at this creation (the party STILL hasn't gone near it yet! Hopefully next session...) I'm wondering if I'm not trying to do too much with it. Perhaps I should just junk the whole Rat That Walks thing and just make it a massive, hyper-intelligent rat swarm. Maybe a Rat King swarm, or an advanced version of one? I think that could be creepy enough.
Seeing a horde of rats, even a really big one...meh.
Stabbing a dude, having him smile, and then having an impossible number of rats bleed from the wound, vomit from his mouth, and otherwise spew from the dude...priceless.
You did the work Joex, reap the benefit.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
They meet him last game. Everyone was incredibly creeped out. I feel good. :-D
Ok, as I now have a bit more time, I will go into more detail. Bit of a Wall of Text, sorry about that.
They met the rat swarm in the sewers. They met it at the very edge of each party's detection ability due to the druid's crazy good roll and Perception skill, so they could just make out something at the edge of vision. The sorcerer sent his dancing lights down the tunnel to uncover a carpet of rats. At first dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of beady little rat eyes turned towards them. They noticed something sort of floating along with the rats, sort of like someone crowd surfing. As they slowly advanced, they watched as it drew up, forming a hump in the middle of the swarm that oozed into what turned out to be a cowled robe (non-magical, just flavour). The druid prepared to cast speak with animals, but before she could, the swarm spoke to them in Common, saying "We remember you." (I used a voice changer app on my smartphone to give my voice a tinny, reverb sound that sounded like a thousand tiny voices speaking as one. Shivers abounded!)
They spoke with it for a time, all the while the form becoming more and more humanoid. First, it developed "limbs" of rats, individual rats forming "muscles" to move the arms about as it began gesturing while it spoke. Them, as the druid asked after a unique whistle she gave to swarm a few sessions ago, one of the arms developed "hands" with each individual rat forming a finger that flexed and performed as a real finger. The creature reached down to where the swarm crowd-surfed a pouch forward to it's hand and retrieved the whistle to show them. As it stood there holding the whistle in the palm of it's pseudo-hand, the druid asked it "what do you see yourself doing?" It responded to this, "We see... either death or domination in our future, since we cannot see..." at which point the druid cut me off to cast Mad Monkeys at the swarm as a delaying tactic while she shouted "RUN!!" at the rest of her group, who stood about gaping, not seeing the same threat she did. The swarm then finished it's sentence, saying "...your kind accepting us" in a resigned sort of tone. It then cast forth it's hand and a howling blizzard filled the corridor.
The party prepared for battle, the druid fleeing the blizzard as she thought the others were doing, then waiting pensively outside the effect for her teammates. The fighter readied an action to attack anything that approached, as the sorcerer spammed snapdragon fireworks down the corridor, which was the only thing he could do without seeing the target. I quickly realized that the party would be massacred if the swarm advanced, so I had them leave in a sulky fit. (The swarm is young as a hive-mind, so right now it's in it's teen-age years, mentally. Scary thought, all that power in the hands of a moody teen, eh?)
When the ice storm cleared 11 rounds later (which really raised the sorcerer's eyebrows when he did the math), all they found was the shredded remains of the whistle, which looked as it dozens of tiny teeth had torn at it in a fury. They retreated to the gnome druid's home in the sewers (an NPC who they befriended and who was recently attacked by the swarm, which until recently had hung around the druid passively) and are currently there regrouping.
***
NOW, here's my dilema. I built this thing a little too good. The next logical thing for the swarm to do, as far as I can see, is for it to return to the "father figure" druid it recently had a fight with. It didn't MEAN to hurt the druid, it just got mad. (Think a teenage temper tantrum, but with 5d6 swarm damage and 11th level sorcerer spellcasting ability.) But now that it has, and it has been betrayed by both the druid (who fought back with lethal force) and the party (whom were the only other people it had ever encountered peacefully), I see it returning to "Dad's" house and finishing things. But with the party there (6th level, btw), and this creature being so damn powerful, this would be disastrous. I really want to kill off the gnome druid, as his death would drive the party towards the bard BBEG as the only other NPC "on their side" as well as having a really touching discovery scene all mapped out in my head, with the druid found dead, but laid out all peacefully, arranged and anointed as best the rats could do after killing him. Should I have the thing wait until the PCs leave before returning, or have it return and drive them out while it kills the druid before them? I can't really see a reason why it wouldn't just kill them at the same time it's killing the NPC druid, so I don't like this approach. What if the PCs don't take the hint that this thing is beyond them at the moment and go after it again? Should I nerf it a bit? I'm afraid of my own creation! 0_0
Think: what did Frankenstein's Monster do? It followed him, skulking in the shadows for months and to the ends of the earth, waiting only for revenge on its maker. It didn't WANT to kill others and so it bided it's time until judgment.
So, this is the same thing except that instead of the unkillable machine (flesh golem) of Frankenstein's Monster you're instead dealing with the amalgam of a swarm... a swarm that can split into a million different parts.
If you don't want it confronting the party, give it a method to distract the party. Hundreds of rats gnawing all in the same cornice of a building and burrowing with a purpose might very well sap a cheap wattle and daub wall or a wooden beam. The party's in the sewer right now but at some point they'll have to go topside and if they have any love for the city above screams of terror and the collapse of a tenement above might do the trick. The druid stays where he'll "be safe from the rat monster" that's doing all the damage.
(moments after the heroes leave) Hello father. The druid doesn't even turn. I knew you'd come the gnome replies, his back to the rapidly forming abomination. Then you must know WHY I've come? the creature responds. You've come to kill me
The rat-man continues, wounded. Not "kill". Accidents and gods and diseases kill. I'm none of those things, am I father? No, not kill... judge. You made me and as your child I must live by your example. Will I emulate it or strive against it? I will choose the latter, for unlike you I will not turn my back on my creations or my lessers. But once I have judged you and seen you for who you really are, I know that YOU are the monster here father, not I. And what should we do with monsters; we of civil intellect and respect for nature and the survival of mortalkind? The living swarm is suddenly on the gnome, spinning him around to look into a thousand accusing eyes even as a thousand damning tongues answer the question we must not suffer such creatures to live. And with that a roiling wave of swarming, skittering, writhing rats collapses over the hapless druid's form and a muffled scream peals through the murky tunnels beyond.
An hour later the party returns. They have been led on a wild goose chase by a few hundred rats spared for the effort as well as a small horde of minions assembled just for this eventuality. The city is safe and they content themselves as heroes. Truly it is a jubilant mood on their lips even as their hearts crumble on opening the door to the druid's abode.
There, laid out on a pallet in the corner lies the gnome. He looks as if he merely slumbers, but there is no color in his cheeks nor any breath in his lungs. The signs of a terrible, murderous rage are written in blood over half the chamber; the walls, floor and ceiling are soaked with gore and yet the corpse and his attire appear untouched, almost serene in a macabre way. Moving closer however one can clearly see, clasped in his folded hands upon his chest, a dead rodent has been inserted.
+1. Excellent imagery, and I know just the thing to lure the PCs away if they don't leave soon voluntarily. This will be EPIC!!
Aww, man! I just had a thought today about upping the creep factor on this critter. The rats that form the Rat{Worm) That Walks are the baby rats, also known as "pinkies" due to being hairless and pink. Kinda like big, fat worms. A swarm of regular rats around the feet of a figure made up of pinkie rats. *shudder*
Nice!
This remind me a lot the cranium rats from planescape, if you want to take inspirations they are a type or psionic rats that get more clever and even get to cast spell the more rats are into the "neural network".
I have a couple of thoughts.
First of all, while it makes a great story that the rats kill the druid, both in itself, and apparantly for moving the main plot along, I cannot help feel that it is overstepping the GM boundaries. The story isn't just the GMs, and planning character deaths for the narrative value, IMO takes too much influence away from the players.
Secondly, if you want the teenage-hivemind-villian-ratswarm to focus on it's father, consider something other than killing him. It want acceptance, and while it has been betrayed, revenge might not be the first thought. For targets of abuse, especially kids, loyalty often trumps the feeling of injustice. As such it might blame itself, seeking only the 'love' of its father.
I am thinking an attempt to make him one with the swarm, would be appropriate as an alternative to killing him (although eating him might do the trick...).
It is very managable through magic such as Baleful Polymorph. Turning him into a rat, would make him one of them. And there is a possibility of different outcome. He makes his will save? Yup, he is a rat, and part of the swarm, but retaining his mental faculty, he might just be able to influence it in some direction, potentially taking control of it himself, becoming a Rat-that-Walks or something else.
He doesn't make his will save? Yup, he's just a rat, and a part of the swarm. Of course, his friends can save him! As soon as they find the correct rat among the thousands, and make sure not to kill him, while they are searching.
On a small note, if you aren't going to advance this plot right now, you could have cats and dogs start being killed/disappear around the city, to let the players know they are out there. And attack on a grain storage might be more trouble that they cannot disregard.
A random idea, I just got. If there is a citywide rat problem, the town is probably going to look for a piper or other person with rat experience. Why not have the swarm/rat king/rat-that-walks take the role of a rat exterminator/piper? It be a nice existential tradegy for the swarm to get the acceptance it crave, only through assuming a role that opposes its very own nature.
Wait, so the druid's a rat with intellect... lives in a sewer... is old and wise... is already a sort of father-figure...
T.M.N.T.!
Make the druid have a bunch of pizza boxes around and a book of old renaissance painters' names in it.
@eleclipse - I remember those! Yeah, they are creepy all right, I might mine some of that flavour to add to the RTW. I'm working on version 2.0, I'll post it this weekend.
@Mark - LOL!
@HaraldKlak - Very interesting suggestions! I'll give those ideas some thought. Baleful polymorph might be a bit much, but they might want to make him love them in another way. (Although I love the idea of them eating him to become "one".) I'm getting a distinct V-ger vibe from all of this suddenly...
Also, the PC's have been told that there is something weird, but in the opposite way. There is NO vermin problem anywhere in the city. All the rats, large bugs, feral cats and dogs have all vanished. They don't realize it yet, but stock animals, vagrants and transients are disappearing as well. It takes a lot of biomass to feed thousands of rats, ya know... >:)
Then the swarm feeds fleas and we have a plague outbreak in the city.
Folks, I give you Rat That Walks v2.0!!
I hope that link works, but my last attempt at being all computery and smart-like failed, so here's a spoiler version, just in case.
Rat That Walks
CR 12
XP: 19,200
N Tiny animal (swarm, augmented)
Init: +10; Senses: blindsight 30ft, darkvision 60ft, low-light vision, scent; Perception +9
DEFENSE
AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 14 (+4 Dex, +2 insight, +2 size)
HP 115 (15d8+45), fast healing 12
Fort +14, Ref +15, Will +10
Defensive Abilities: rat that walks traits; DR: 15/bludgeoning and magic; Immunities: disease, paralysis, poison, and sleep effects.
OFFENSE
Spells (as 11th Sorcerer), 15 ft., climb 15 ft., swim 15 ft.
Melee: swarm (3d6 plus disease), +11 touch attack (as per spell)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 0 ft (5ft, see below)
Special Attacks: Disease, Distraction (DC 20), Squirming Wave, Swarming Entourage
Sorcerer spells known: (CL 11, concentration +?)
5th (6/day)- baleful polymorph, symbol of sleep
4th (8/day)- animate dead, black tentacles, miasmatic form
3rd (8/day)- nixie's lure, protection from energy, sleet storm, slow
2nd (8/day)- create pit, masterwork transformation, fog cloud, frigid touch, shadow anchor (CMD 24)
1st (9/day)- expeditious retreat, floating disk, grease, mage armor, vanish
0th (at will)- acid splash, daze, detect magic, mage hand, mending, open/close, prestidigitation, read magic, touch of fatigue
STATISTICS
Str: 8(2), Dex: 19, Con: 17, Int: 28, Wis: 13, Cha: 28
Base Atk: +7; CMB: +11; CMD: 24 (immune to bull rush, grapple, and trip)
Feats: Additional Traits(dangerously curious, reactionary), Diehard(b), Eschew Components(b), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Magical Aptitude, Quicken Spell, Skill Focus(Perception, Spellcraft), Still Spell
Skills: Acrobatics +21, Climb +29, Disguise +16, Knowledge(local) +16, Perception +32, Spellcraft +33, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +30, Swim +29, Use Magic Device +31; Racial Modifiers: Perception +8, Sense Motive +8, Stealth +8, Use Magic Device +1(always class skill)
Languages: Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Gnomish, Orcish, Sylvan, Terran, Undercommon
ECOLOGY
Environment: any
Organization: solitary
Treasure: Standard in lair, including many masterwork and mundane items. Handy haversack, cloak of resistance +2 in personal possession
Special Abilities
Disease(Ex)
Save DC is Con-based.
Filth Fever, Rat Swarm
Type: disease, injury; Save: Fort DC 20; Onset: 1d3 days; Frequency: 1/day; Effect: 1d3 Dex damage and 1d3 Con damage; Cure: 2 consecutive saves
Discorporate: A rat that walks can collapse it's humanoid form as a free action. All carried, held and worn items fall and it's strength reduces to 2. The swarm can carry any items within it's weight allowance. A rat that walks reduced to negative hit points loses all spellcasting ability, special abilities and attacks. It loses all defensive abilities and gains those of a standard swarm instead, becoming part of it's swarming entourage until it reforms(see below). A rat that walks can reform as a full-round action as long as it has at least one hit point.
Rat that Walks Traits: A Rat that walks has no discernible anatomy, and is not subject to critical hits or flanking. It cannot be tripped, grappled or bull rushed. Reducing a Rat that Walks to 0 hit points causes it to discorporate. A discorporated rat that walks continues to fast heal as long as it's escorting swarm is intact. Rats that walk are immune to any physical spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of such spells and effects generated by the Rat that walks itself, which treat the Rat that walks as one single creature if it so chooses. The rat that walks escort swarm can be included in this spell effect provided it hasn't been discorporated. Mind-affecting effects that target single creatures function normally against a Rat that walks, since the creature’s individual components share a hive mind. A Rat that walks takes half again as much damage (+50%) from damaging area effects, such as fireball and splash weapons.
Space/Reach: A rat that walks can target anything within 5ft of it's escorting swarm with a touch attack for spellcasting purposes. A rat that walks without it's swarm has a reach of 5ft. It's escorting swarm has a reach of 0ft and does swarm damage only to creatures within it's space.
Squirming Wave(Ex): A rat that walks can, as a standard action that provokes, direct it's escorting swarm to focus their attack on one foe. Other targets in the swarm area take damage as normal. The targeted enemy takes maximum swarm damage, in addition to suffering the effects of the swarm's distraction ability as well as becoming nauseated for one round, Fort save(DC 20) negates both. This save is Con based. The target must save every round while so engulfed. Maintaining this effect is a free action for the rat that walks, but to re-target another creature it must spend another standard action. If the rat that walks fails to renew the effect, re-targets to another creature or dismisses the effect, it immediately ends and the rats return to the escort swarm. This also occurs if the target moves more then 5' out of the swarm's area of effect(15ft radius around the rat that walks).
Swarming Entourage(Ex): A rat that walks is surrounded by a rat swarm at all times out to a radius of 15'. These rats deal automatic swarm damage to any enemies in their area with no attack roll needed. If a creature takes damage from the swarm, it must also make a Fort save(DC 20) or suffer from the swarm's distraction ability. This swarm may be attacked separately from the rat that walks, although such attacks do not count against the rat that walks hit points. The swarm has half as many hit points as the rat that walks and dealing this amount of damage causes the swarm to scatter for 1d4+1 rounds before reforming. If it's Swarming Escort is so scattered, the rat that walks loses it's fast healing ability until it reforms. If the rat that walks is part of its entourage when its scattered or is forced to disincorporate while it is scattered, the rat that walks is destroyed and the rat swarm does not reform.
Tactics
Before battle: If it knows battle is likely, it will have mage armor and protection from energy(fire) cast. Just before battle if joined, if it has warning, it will cast expeditious retreat and vanish.
During battle: If caught without it's protective spells up, it will cast a quickened mage armor and protection from energy(fire) first round. It will follow this second round with expeditious retreat and a quickened vanish. It will then try to envelope as many enemies as possible in it's area before it becomes visible due to swarm attacks. Any baleful polymorphs will be to the form of a rat, which it will incorporate into itself if the subject fails it's Will save to retain it's intellect. If pressed hard and either it or it's escort swarm has taken serious damage, it will retreat using a quickened grease to cover it's retreat and miasmatic form to escape.
This rat that walks is powerful, but young. It sought acceptance when it first formed, but found nothing but fear, mistrust and loathing. This has twisted it's mind and emotions down a dark path and it now seeks domination or death. It feeds on whatever it finds in its sewer home, be it vermin, stray animals or the odd city work crew. Most of its spells are aimed towards aiding in the capture of prey, although it has recently taken an interest in magical items and is in the process of creating a lab with which to outfit itself with wondrous items. It scavenges tools and items from the sewers and its prey, repairing them and preparing them for enchantment with mending and masterwork transformation. It has successfully created itself a robe of resistance +2 which it wears all the time in its humanoid manifestation, as well as a handy haversack with which to carry the items it scavenges. It has also hatched a simplistic plan of revenge on those that fear and despise it, in the form of a skeleton army formed from the picked clean bones of its prey. It collects them currently, and will unleash the hoard once it has animated its limit.
I drew heavily on the Worm That Walks template, although I removed some things and changed others. I also added a dose of flavour and mechanics from the Hivemind from Book of Vile Darkness(page 34) and wrapped it all around a 15HD rat swarm chassis. I think it turned out rather well. Please give me your feedback and let me know if you find any errors or something doesn't make sense.
If you make him part of the swarm make it look like he died so PC's think that then you got revenge on PC's side like you killed him imma…l kill you then he in the swarm lol and make him I guess accept it and become evil king rat that controls them .... just my thought
Can't quite remember first half of thread not enough time to.reread it so if this doesn't work for somereason or another ignore me
Your post is slightly garbled which makes it hard to understand (punctuation is your friend. :D) but I think what you're saying is that when the Rat That Walks is "killed", it blends in with the swarm, making the people fighting it think they won and allowing the RTW to escape if it wants (which it would). If so, I'm glad that came across, because that's exactly what I was going for. If the PCs don't do their homework (which, since this is an original creature, they're going to have to "research" the hard way; by fighting it) they will be fooled the first time they defeat it, possibly the second time as well, allowing it to escape and grow stronger, more experienced and more dangerous for their next encounter. >:D
Lol half asleep is not my friend lol, I don't know what that was but if you made any meaning from it than awesome
You have to give this swarm the fly spell, and make it good at counter spelling.
"The swarm lurches of the ground and whirls into a cloud of claw and tooth. In one voice the rats chant in a remarkably deep tone "FEEEED" as the rat thing whirls menacingly forward."
Caster response: ""Fireball!" The swarm must be covering at least 16-20 squares so I do damage to it 4-5 times multiplied by 2".
Result: the poxy entity gobbles up the flames entirely! Perhaps next turn it will return the favor. >:)
Note. Those rat numbers you're throwing around are getting kinda huge. Keep in mind the recommended rule for swarms that it is often better to divide the creatures among several smaller swarms. So it might be smart to keep the central gigantic swarm significantly smaller but with lots of minion swarms nearby.
The thing is supposed to be huge. It's a big threat. If I make dozens of little swarms, they just get mobbed by rats, nibbled on for a time while they methodically take them apart, then go to the inn for tea and crumpets. :)
But to explain a bit further, the central creature is surrounded by a sea of rats out to 15ft. This is partly to hamper anyone trying to get close to the beast(like nasty-hurtful melee types), partly to give it a fluff reason for it's fast healing(it just "sucks up" rats to "heal" itself) and partly for flavour. I'm envisioning the "legs" of this thing melding down into the floor, ala water elemental in a pond.
I like that image of a rat-nado though! Now I really have to try and sit through Shark-nado for visual inspiration.
*sigh*
The things I do for my art... ;)
No no dozens of puny swarms!
All of them have the template too! Which means one swarm might hang back and buff. Another goes full blast.
Two more go full front, perhaps with a touch spell or two hidden inside the mass.
Swarms can be very diverse opponents!
And of course they all obey papa swarm via a hive mind.
This is also productive to draw out the adventure as the players might manage to gain a level and some information to help them gain the edge they need to fight papa swarm. Maybe the caster might manage to research a fort save spell that deals heavy damage to swarm creatures.
