Swarm of Ravens
Medium Swarm of Tiny Beasts · · CR 1/4
- Swarm of Tiny Beasts
- Medium
- Tier 1
CR 1/4 medium swarm of tiny beasts, unaligned — that's Swarm of Ravens. Native to forest, hill, swamp, and urban. Sourced from Monster Manual (5e 2014) and Monster Manual (5.5e 2024).
Stat Block
- Challenge Rating
- 1/4
- Type
- Swarm of Tiny Beasts
- Size
- Medium
- Alignment
- —
- Speed
- —
- Habitats
- Forest, Hill, Swamp, Urban
- Sources
- Monster Manual (5e 2014), Monster Manual (5.5e 2024)
Ecology
Ravens are exceptionally intelligent corvids that range across temperate and arctic biomes. A swarm, more accurately called a 'conspiracy' in folk speech, gathers around carrion or seasonal food bonanzas. They cache food, recognize individual humans across years, and pass learned behaviors to offspring. Wolves and ravens have a long symbiotic relationship; ravens lead wolves to prey in exchange for scraps. Their populations indicate ecosystem health and corpse availability with eerie precision.
Behaviour
Ravens hold grudges. A swarm attacked by a single human will follow that human across a region, marking them with calls that other ravens recognize. They mate for life and grieve dead companions visibly, sometimes refusing food for days. They mimic speech, including specific names and phrases overheard. A clever raven can be trained as a messenger; a foolish raven still outsmarts most house pets.
Origin
Many cultures consider ravens psychopomps, escorting souls to the afterlife. Norse-inspired traditions credit the first ravens to a battle-god's pets, while elven lore describes them as fragments of a primordial moon-spirit. Hags often keep raven swarms as familiars, claiming the birds knew the world before light. Whatever the truth, ravens persist as both omen and predator, valued and feared across cultures equally.
Related Monsters
Frequently Asked Questions about Swarm of Ravens
- What is the challenge rating of Swarm of Ravens?
- Swarm of Ravens has a challenge rating of 1/4. It fits a tier-1 party (levels 1-4).
- What type of creature is Swarm of Ravens?
- The bestiary type for Swarm of Ravens is swarm of tiny beasts, medium size.
- Where does Swarm of Ravens live?
- The published habitats for Swarm of Ravens: Forest, Hill, Swamp, Urban.