can you inflict bleed damage on a swarm?

[ohako]

A swarm can't take precision damage, fine.

A swarm of really tiny critters doesn't usually take weapon damage, but the swarmbane clasp gets around that.

If you're wearing a swarmbane clasp, and you do something that would normally deal bleed damage (Splintering Weapon, Boar Style, Greater Rending Fury, etc.), then does the swarm take bleed damage?

[Dazz]

As far as I can tell by the description of the clasp, nothing RAW says they wouldn't.

Logically it would be hard to find any way for a bleeding swarm to make sense, since any "bleeding" individual would probably die first round. But then, magic items kind of break real-world logic, so I guess it could fly.

[Andreas Forster]

I agree, there's nothing in the swarm traits that would suggest they're immune to bleed, although I also agree it's a bit strange to imagine how it would look like.

[Oladon]

Bleed (Ex) wrote:

A creature with this ability causes wounds that continue to bleed, inflicting additional damage each round at the start of the affected creature’s turn.

Swarm Type wrote:

A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate)...

Bleed affects a single creature, so swarms are immune.

[Azten]

Andreas Forster wrote:

I agree, there's nothing in the swarm traits that would suggest they're immune to bleed, although I also agree it's a bit strange to imagine how it would look like.

Little wet spots on/hitting the ground.

[EvilPaladin]

Azten wrote:

Andreas Forster wrote:

I agree, there's nothing in the swarm traits that would suggest they're immune to bleed, although I also agree it's a bit strange to imagine how it would look like.

Little wet spots on/hitting the ground.

Or a bleeding spider dying and falling on top of a spider, killing it, and creating a cascading effect and making the swarm be "leaking spiders".

[blahpers]

Oladon wrote:

Bleed (Ex) wrote:

A creature with this ability causes wounds that continue to bleed, inflicting additional damage each round at the start of the affected creature’s turn.

Swarm Type wrote:

A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate)...

Bleed affects a single creature, so swarms are immune.

Swarms aren't immune to effects that affect a single creature; they're immune to effects that target a single creature. This matters.

Bleed on a swarm doesn't really make sense unless the cause was an area effect, but RAW it works. I suggest ignoring RAW.

[CommandoDude]

blahpers wrote:

Oladon wrote:

Bleed (Ex) wrote:

A creature with this ability causes wounds that continue to bleed, inflicting additional damage each round at the start of the affected creature’s turn.

Swarm Type wrote:

A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate)...

Bleed affects a single creature, so swarms are immune.

Swarms aren't immune to effects that affect a single creature; they're immune to effects that target a single creature. This matters.

Bleed on a swarm doesn't really make sense unless the cause was an area effect, but RAW it works. I suggest ignoring RAW.

Bat Swarm for instance has a Bleed attack, which totally makes sense that should work on a Swarm.

So I think GM should consider each source on a case by case basis. But it shouldn't be auto rejected.