Swarm of Insects
The swarms presented here aren't ordinary or benign assemblies of little creatures. They form as a result of some sinister or unwholesome influence. A vampire can summon swarms of bats & rats from the darkest corners of the night, while the very presence of a mummy lord can cause scarab beetles to boil up from the sand-filled depths of its tomb. A hag might have the power to turn swarms of ravens against her enemies, while a yuan-ti abomination might have swarms of poisonous snakes slithering in its wake. Even druids can't charm these swarms, & their aggressiveness is borderline unnatural.
Swarms in Ravenloft
Base creatures are among the first to respond to sinister forces at work in a land. As nefarious powers grip an area, populations of maggots, scarabs, & similar scavenging insects explode & become aggressive predators. Roll on the Swarm Behavior table to see how such swarms might manifest.
Statblocks
Monster Manual (5e)
Swarm of Beetles CR: 1/2
STR
3 -4
DEX
13 +1
CON
10 +0
INT
1 -5
WIS
7 -2
CHA
1 -5
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny insect. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Actions
Bites. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm's space. Hit: 10 (4d4) piercing damage, or 5 (2d4) piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.
Suggested Environments
Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill, Swamp, Underdark, Urban
Monster Manual (5e)
Swarm of Centipedes CR: 1/2
STR
3 -4
DEX
13 +1
CON
10 +0
INT
1 -5
WIS
7 -2
CHA
1 -5
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny insect. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Actions
Bites. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm's space. Hit: 10 (4d4) piercing damage, or 5 (2d4) piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.
A creature reduced to 0 hit points by a swarm of centipedes is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, & paralyzed while poisoned in this way.
Suggested Environments
Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill, Swamp, Underdark, Urban
Monster Manual (5e)
Swarm of Insects CR: 1/2
STR
3 -4
DEX
13 +1
CON
10 +0
INT
1 -5
WIS
7 -2
CHA
1 -5
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny insect. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Actions
Bites. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm's space. Hit: 10 (4d4) piercing damage, or 5 (2d4) piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.
Suggested Environments
Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill, Swamp, Underdark, Urban
Flee, Mortals! (5e)
Swarm of Insects (Flee, Mortals!) CR: 1/2
STR
3 -4
DEX
14 +2
CON
10 +0
INT
2 -4
WIS
9 -1
CHA
2 -4
Multitudinous. The swarm has advantage on opportunity attacks, and creatures provoke opportunity attacks from the swarm even if they take the Disengage action before leaving the swarm's reach.
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny insect. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm's space. Hit: 10 (4d4) piercing damage, or 5 (2d4) piercing damage if the swarm has half their hit points or fewer.
Distracting Buzz. If the swarm has at least half their hit points remaining, they emit an annoying drone, buzz, or skittering sound. Until the start of the swarm's next turn, creatures within 15 feet of the swarm who can hear them have disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than the swarm.
Suggested Environments
Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill, Swamp, Underdark, Urban
Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft (5e)
Swarm of Maggots CR: 2
STR
3 -4
DEX
12 +1
CON
10 +0
INT
1 -5
WIS
7 -2
CHA
1 -5
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny maggot. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Actions
Infestation. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm's space. Hit: 10 (4d4) piercing damage, or 5 (2d4) piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer. A creature damaged by the swarm must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or contract a disease.
Each time the diseased creature finishes a long rest, roll a d6 to determine the disease's effect:
- 1-2. The creature is blinded until it finishes a long rest.
- 3-4. The creature's hit point maximum decreases by 5 (2d4), and the reduction can't be removed until the disease ends. The creature dies if its hit point maximum drops to 0.
- 5-6. The creature has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls until it finishes its next long rest. The disease lasts until it's removed by magic or until the creature rolls the same random effect for the disease two long rests in a row.
Suggested Environments
Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill, Swamp, Underdark, Urban
Volo's Guide to Monsters (5e)
Swarm of Rot Grubs CR: 1/2
STR
2 -4
DEX
7 -2
CON
10 +0
INT
1 -5
WIS
1 -5
CHA
1 -5
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny maggot. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Actions
Bites. Melee Weapon Attack: +0 to hit, reach 0 ft., one creature in the swarm's space. Hit: The target is infested by 1d4 rot grubs. At the start of each of the target's turns, the target takes 1d6 piercing damage per rot grub infesting it. Applying fire to the bite wound before the end of the target's next turn deals 1 fire damage to the target and kills these rot grubs. After this time, these rot grubs are too far under the skin to be burned. If a target infested by rot grubs ends its turn with 0 hit points, it dies as the rot grubs burrow into its heart and kill it. Any effect that cures disease kills all rot grubs infesting the target.
Suggested Environments
Swamp, Underdark
Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft (5e)
Swarm of Scarabs CR: 3
STR
3 -4
DEX
14 +2
CON
13 +1
INT
1 -5
WIS
12 +1
CHA
1 -5
Skeletonize. If the swarm starts its turn in the same space as a dead creature that is Large or smaller, the corpse is destroyed, leaving behind only equipment and bones (or exoskeleton).
Spider Climb. The swarm can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny scarab. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Actions
Ravenous Bites. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm's space. Hit: 14 (4d6) piercing damage, or 7 (2d6) piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer. If the target is a creature, scarabs burrow into its body, and the creature takes 3 (1d6) piercing damage at the start of each of its turns. Any creature can use an action to kill or remove the scarabs with fire or a weapon that deals piercing damage, causing 1 damage of the appropriate type to the target. A creature reduced to 0 hit points by the swarm's piercing damage dies.
Suggested Environments
Desert, Underdark, Urban
Monster Manual (5e)
Swarm of Spiders CR: 1/2
STR
3 -4
DEX
13 +1
CON
10 +0
INT
1 -5
WIS
7 -2
CHA
1 -5
Spider Climb. The swarm can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny insect. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Web Sense. While in contact with a web, the swarm knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.
Web Walker. The swarm ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.
Actions
Bites. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm's space. Hit: 10 (4d4) piercing damage, or 5 (2d4) piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.
Suggested Environments
Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill, Swamp, Underdark, Urban
Flee, Mortals! (5e)
Swarm of Spiders (Flee, Mortals!) CR: 1/2
STR
3 -4
DEX
14 +2
CON
10 +0
INT
2 -4
WIS
9 -1
CHA
2 -4
Spider Climb. The swarm can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny spider. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Web Walker. The swarm ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm's space. Hit: 5 (2d4) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) poison damage, or 2 (1d4) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) poison damage if the swarm has half their hit points or fewer.
Too Many Legs. The swarm mobs a creature in their space and attaches to them. When the swarm takes damage other than psychic damage, the attached creature also takes half as much damage. The attached creature has disadvantage on attacks against creatures other than the swarm, and attacks against the attached creature have advantage.
While attached, the swarm can't attack another target. The attached creature or another creature who can reach them can shake off the swarm and detach them as an action. The swarm can detach by spending 5 feet of their movement.
Suggested Environments
Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill, Swamp, Underdark, Urban
Monster Manual (5e)
Swarm of Wasps CR: 1/2
STR
3 -4
DEX
13 +1
CON
10 +0
INT
1 -5
WIS
7 -2
CHA
1 -5
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny insect. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Actions
Stings. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm's space. Hit: 10 (4d4) piercing damage, or 5 (2d4) piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.
Suggested Environments
Desert, Forest, Grassland, Hill, Swamp, Underdark, Urban
Sources
Flee, Mortals! (5e), p 41-42
Monster Manual (5e), p 338
Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft (5e), p 247
Volo's Guide to Monsters (5e), p 208
Contents
- Swarms in Ravenloft
- Statblocks
- Swarm of Beetles
- Swarm of Centipedes
- Swarm of Insects
- Swarm of Insects (Flee, Mortals!)
- Swarm of Maggots
- Swarm of Rot Grubs
- Swarm of Scarabs
- Swarm of Spiders
- Swarm of Spiders (Flee, Mortals!)
- Swarm of Wasps
Dread Domains
There are very few domains where creepy, crawly bugs can not be found. Whether in an abandoned tomb deep underground, a tropical rainforest, or an urban jungle, all manner of insects & other bugs will be there to feed on detritus & refuse.
Dark Powers
Putrid Bride (II). Under normal circumstances, most insects assist in the natural process of decomposition. As a result, bugs can trigger a visceral reaction for those that fear decay, disease, & poison, let alone of pestilence itself.
Ravenous Spider (VIII). Aside from swarms of spiders being a very common fear, any environment where one may feel that they are surrounded or trapped by thousands of insects can help to feed this entity.
Swarm Behavior
| d4 | Behavior |
|---|---|
| 1 | Crawls on walls in a vaguely bipedal shape |
| 2 | Makes skittering noises that sound like whispered chanting |
| 3 | Skeletal visages, giant eyes, or the faces of nearby creatures appear in relief amid its mass |
| 4 | Occupies and animates a corpse or other debris as if it were alive |
Comments