Quote from Merkvah >>

When swarms first came out, in 3.x, they were immune to slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning.  The only way to kill them was with fire or acid or AE damage.  

That makes sense since it's not one creature but dozens of little ones.

So when my players hit them with, say, burning hands, how do I rule that the whole swarm takes 3d6 damage, rather than each individual rat taking 3d6 damage and the swarm dying immediately?

Eagerly await your response.

 

 For purposes of spell damage, the swarm is considered a single entity. So 3d6 damage from burning hands would simply do 3d6 damage to the swarm. If the swarm had less than the damage rolled, they would die as a whole. If you're using the default hit points for the swarm though, they start at a base of 24 if you're not rolling randomly for the hit points in the first place, which means it's warm would be damaged but not dead. Basically nothing different from burning hands any other creature, except that the swarm does half damage once it's been reduced below half of its hit points. 

mmm cheese

I gave my players this item, and they used it to torture a bad guy... #traumatized

Aw Rats!

In my games, I think of the swarm as tons of tiny little rats (20+), but I rule it as one creature when doing damage and hp. 

rat

Can you blind a swarm? Not a single creature buuuut.

How many are there, in A SWARM of rats? :)

1 0 r a t s

rats rats we are the rats

I GOT 1,885 OF THESE GUYS IN A GAME AN THEY ALLL CONSIDERED ME KING! ✨😂

Quote from Merkvah >>

When swarms first came out, in 3.x, they were immune to slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning.  The only way to kill them was with fire or acid or AE damage.  

That makes sense since it's not one creature but dozens of little ones.

So when my players hit them with, say, burning hands, how do I rule that the whole swarm takes 3d6 damage, rather than each individual rat taking 3d6 damage and the swarm dying immediately?

Eagerly await your response.

 

 Considering it's a swarm of creatures, I think you can just describe that the outer rats are the ones that get the most crispt, leaving the inside ones relatively unharmed. The nature of a swarm is that the swarm takes damage, not that individuals of the swarm take damage.