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Old 05-17-2022, 07:54 AM   #5
naloth
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Default Re: Approximating Swarm NPC attacks for players

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shuckster View Post
On p. DF5:9 The insect swarm allies innate attack gets listed with the following modifiers:
(Area Effect, 1 yard, +25%; Contact Agent, +150%; Cosmic,
No die roll required, No active defense allowed, +400%;
Melee Attack, C, No Parry, -35%) for +540% total.
They don't really need Cosmic NDD. Area attacks can only deviate up to half the distance to the target (B414), so a 0 distance attack can't deviate at all.

Emanation is more appropriate than Melee (which would allows AoA for attacking twice) which isn't usually legal for Area attacks.

I'd also drop No Active Defense as Area attacks usually can't be blocked (area means surrounded where as cone and explosion are directional) and certainly can't be parried. Really you're just eliminating the ability to dodge out of the area (arguable) and any "Power" defenses (warping away, putting up a personal force field, etc) which again arguably should work.

If you don't take Contact Agent, Area makes this a large injury attack that treats effective DR as the avg of the highest and lowest DR. I find that large area injury avg highly unrealistic so I'd require some sort of DR mitigating modifier.

I'd add Selective Area (swarms can attack who they want). This leaves you with:
Area, 1 yd +25%; Contact Agent +150%; Emanation -20%; Selective Area +20% = +175%, where the area was whichever hex it inhabits. I'd play contact agent like normal rather than using "DR protects for 2/5 sec" since exposed flesh should be fair game.

I wouldn't use Aura because you don't get hurt by hitting a swarm or by it just a casual touch. That's more appropriate for fire, electricity, or acid. Swarms actively chooses to attack, and you only get hurt when it attacks.
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