[RPG] What are small or tiny creatures that paralyze

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In Adventurers League, there is a new option to submit modules for conventions that can become Adventurers League “certified.” One requirement is that only existing creatures can be used.

We have an adventure that calls for a small scorpion sized creature that paralyzes but now need to find a substitute because Monster Manual scorpions have poison without paralyzing effects.

What are viable current Adventurers League legal creatures that are small or tiny (such that a sleep spell could knock out a dozen of them) but that also paralyze?

Addendum:
Per a question below, yes, falling unconscious would actually functionally work as well.

Best Answer

While not paralysis the Sprite can knock people out and only has 1d4 of health.

Their shortbows read:

Hit:1 piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 minute. If its saving throw result is 5 or lower, the target falls unconscious for the same duration, or until it takes damage or another creature takes and action to shake it awake.

The Pseudodragon has a similar poison lasting 1 hour but has more health at 2d4+2.

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[RPG] Tiny Creatures sharing a square

D&D 5e doesn't have a specific rule on this because the fifth edition of the D&D ruleset doesn't make use of 5' squares when determining positioning of creatures -- it relies more heavily on an abstraction of what is happening mechanically in the game to determine this. Note that there are variant rules in the DMG for using a grid where 1" square = 5' square.

That being said, what we do have is a general idea of what space a creature of a given size "controls":

Size       Space
Tiny       2½   by  2½  ft.
Small       5   by  5   ft.
Medium      5   by  5   ft.
Large      10   by  10  ft.
Huge       15   by  15  ft.
Gargantuan 20   by  20  ft. or  larger

Source: 5e SRD pg 92

And just below that, in the SRD:

A creature’s space is the area in feet that it effectively controls in combat, not an expression of its physical dimensions. A typical Medium creature isn’t 5 feet wide, for example, but it does control a space that wide. If a Medium hobgoblin stands in a 5-foot-wide doorway, other creatures can’t get through unless the hobgoblin lets them.

A creature’s space also reflects the area it needs to fight effectively. For that reason, there’s a limit to the number of creatures that can surround another creature in combat. Assuming Medium combatants, eight creatures can fit in a 5-foot radius around another one.

Because larger creatures take up more space, fewer of them can surround a creature. If five Large creatures crowd around a Medium or smaller one, there’s little room for anyone else. In contrast, as many as twenty Medium creatures can surround a Gargantuan one.

Based on the amount of space a tiny creature takes up (2.5 x 2.5, or 1/4 of a 5 foot square) I think it's safe to say that the breakdown is the same as in previous editions -- you could fit four 2.5' squares inside a single 5' square, so you could fit 4 2.5' tiny creatures in the space occupied by a creature who occupies a single 5' area.

However, I think it's important to remember that things are not often so neatly organized into 5' squares, and that's one of the reasons grid-based combat in 5e is a rule variant and not the base assumption. Allowing combat and positioning to occur more organically might be a bit more work than using a grid system but in my experience it has allowed for much greater creative freedom from players.

[RPG] How small can a “Tiny” object be

By RAW Tiny is anything from bottle/lock size and downwards

Going by RAW, the smallest you can get for a 5e object is Tiny, even if it's smaller than a bottle or lock. A blade of grass or strand of hair has the same stats and does the same damage as a bottle or ball bearing.

There are currently no sources for 5e which support any classification for objects smaller than the examples listed in the PHB.

Best Answer

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[RPG] Tiny Creatures sharing a square

[RPG] How small can a “Tiny” object be

By RAW Tiny is anything from bottle/lock size and downwards

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