As the adventurers pressed forward, a faint grinding sound filled the air—a haunting melody that sent shivers down their spines. Suddenly, from the shadows emerged a swarm of skull bats, their ghastly forms taking flight on bony wings. Glowing with an eerie radiance, the skulls locked their empty eye sockets onto the intruders.
Without warning, the skulls unleashed a cacophony of bone-chilling shrieks. The adventurers’ hearts raced as the sonic assault reverberated through the cavern, disorienting their senses. The air seemed to vibrate with the haunting sound, enveloping them in an otherworldly symphony of dread.
Table of Contents
Skull Bat Swarm 5e Description
The Skull Bats are eerie creatures that embody the macabre fusion of skeletal remains and bat-like features. Their forms consist of animated skulls, adorned with sharp fangs and ethereal wings that allow them to glide through the darkness. These haunting entities emit an ominous aura, their hollow eye sockets emanating a dim, otherworldly glow. While their origins remain shrouded in mystery, their presence is often associated with ancient burial grounds, catacombs, and dark, foreboding caves.
This is a homebrew creature inspired by Avenged Sevenfold’s logo.
Skull Bat Swarm Behavior
Skull Bats exhibit both solitary and swarm behaviors, depending on their numbers and the circumstances they find themselves in. When encountered individually, they are known to be territorial and fiercely defend their nesting grounds. They are attracted to sources of death and decay, often drawn to places of great suffering or tragedy. In large numbers, Skull Bats form swarms, enveloping their prey in a flurry of wings and relentless shrieking, overwhelming their victims with sheer numbers and sonic assault.
Skull Shriek
The Skull Bats possess a bone-chilling ability known as the Skull Shriek. With a resonating screech that pierces through the air, they emit a wave of sonic energy that disorients and harms their foes. Within a 30-foot radius, creatures must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or suffer 21 (6d6) thunder damage and become deafened until the end of their next turn. Those who succeed on the save take half damage and avoid the deafening effect.
Undead Fortitude
Like many undead creatures, the Skull Bats possess an innate resilience known as Undead Fortitude. When reduced to 0 hit points, they have a chance to defy death itself. They must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken. If successful, the Skull Bats drop to 1 hit point instead, persisting with an unyielding determination to protect their territory.
Skull Bat Swarm 5e Stats
- Size: Medium swarm of Tiny creatures
- AC: 12 (Natural Armor)
- HP: 22 (5d8)
- Speed: 10 ft., fly 30 ft.
| Ability | Score | Modifier |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | 6 | -2 |
| Dexterity | 14 | +2 |
| Constitution | 10 | +0 |
| Intelligence | 2 | -4 |
| Wisdom | 12 | +1 |
| Charisma | 5 | -3 |
- Skills: Perception +3
- Damage Resistances: piercing, slashing
- Damage Immunities: Poison
- Condition Immunities: charmed, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, restrained, stunned
- Senses: blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 13
- Languages: understands Common and the languages it knew in life but can’t speak
- Challenge: 1/2 (100 XP)
Skull Bat 5e Abilities
Skull Shriek (Recharge 5-6)
The swarm of skull bats emits a piercing shriek, assaulting the hearing of creatures within 10 feet. Each creature within range must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 12) or take 2d4 thunder damage. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage. Creatures that are deafened are unaffected by this ability.
Undead Fortitude
If damage reduces the skull bat swarm to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the skull bat swarm drops to 1 hit point instead.
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 bat. The swarm can’t regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Skull Bat 5e Attacks
Bites: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 0 ft., one creature 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.
Skull Shriek: The swarm of skull bats emits a piercing shriek, assaulting the hearing of creatures within 10 feet. Each creature within range must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 12) or take 2d4 thunder damage. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage. Creatures that are deafened are unaffected by this ability.
Skull Bat Swarm 5e Campaign Ideas
Skull Bat Swarms make for great encounters in underground areas like the Underdark. They can easily swoop down and ambush their prey.
Another good use of Swarm Bats is as traps or as minions/pets for Necromancers.
They make for a good encounter to help players think outside of the box. The Skull Bat Swarm’s shriek abilities only affect those that can hear it. Casting a Silence spell will make the encounter easier and hopefully demonstrate to players that not everything needs to be handled with brute force.
Before starting GameCows with his wife Kendra, he used to teach English Language Arts in the US. He combined his love of gaming with education to create fun game-based learning lessons until he eventually decided to run GameCows with Kendra full-time. He’s known for pouring over rulebooks in his spare time, being the rule master during game night, and as the perma DM in his DnD group. Bryan loves board games, writing, traveling, and above all his wife and partner in crime, Kendra.