Demonic Spiders/Tabletop Games: Difference between revisions

* Spider Swarms in ''[[Dungeons and Dragons|D&D]] 3.5'' are TERRIFYING for low-end characters: They automatically hit any enemies they're touching for non-trivial damage, are resistant or immune to most normal weapon damage, stack poison on top of that THEN there's a chance that a character [http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#nauseated can't actually run away] because he's COVERED WITH SPIDERS THAT ARE BITING HIM TO DEATH.

** Warlocks get the option call such swarms AT WILL, right at the first level if they want.

** Spider swarms? Pshaw. Try ''leech'' swarms.

** In ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' fourth edition, Needlefang Drake swarms are Demonic Spiders to low-level characters. They have the ability to knock down characters, and then deal extra damage to characters who are knocked down in addition to the standard swarm ability of attacking all adjacent enemies at the beginning of their turn. Additionally, they take half damage from most attacks, and it is likely only one character in any given party has a reusable attack which deals decent damage to them at the very low levels you fight them at. One is dangerous, but managable; two is likely to result in player death. Three or more are very likely to kill the entire party. While trivial later on due to being low-level enemies, to level 1-3 characters they're nightmarishly deadly.

** Incorporeal undead in third edition, as they are immune to nonmagical attacks and have a 50% chance to avoid most magical attacks, but special mention goes to the Allip. Its Challenge Rating is 3, which means a level 3 party can be expected to run into one, probably before most of the party has magic weapons. With its Turn Resistance, a level 3 Cleric is unlikely to be able to turn it. Its attacks deal ability drain, which can kill much faster than normal HP damage and which a level 3 party is unable to heal, and each hit increases the Allip's current HP. Finally, its mere presence has a good chance of mesmerizing half the party for about half a minute.

** Rust Monsters. They don't do much damage, and are easy enough to kill, but will go directly for whomever has the most metal - usually your plate wearer - and try to dissolve it all with a touch attack, something that's usually quite effective against plate wearers. And hitting them with something metal will cause ''that'' to dissolve too. Even magical items can be effected.

** Ornithopter. Useless on its own, but with an Unholy Strength or Rancor, we're talking about two damage ''every turn''. Played on the first turn.

** Squee, Goblin Nabob. Not to attack, mind. Squee works differently. Squee can be discarded or played and sacrificed. Then he returns to your hand. And he's a goblin, so all those "Sacrifice a goblin..." cards qualify.