Swarm

Abyssal Ant Swarm

Abyssal ants are the infernal version of army ants: 8-inch-long bodies of red and black chitin, glowing blue multifaceted eyes, and purple mandibles dripping with acidic slime. They swarm over the Lower Planes and, when summoned forth by an evil wizard or demon, can infest the Material Plane as well, leaving half-dissolved wreckage in their wake.

Abyssal ants do not speak, but they understand Abyssal.

Combat

Like plague ants, abyssal ants exhibit little interest in tactics. As a swarm, they do possess a modicum of intelligence and have been known to retreat from unsuccessful attacks.

The swarm attack of an abyssal ant swarm is treated as a magic weapon for purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

Acid (Ex): The swarm attack of an abyssal ant swarm deals acid damage in addition to the normal damage of the creatures’ bites and stings. Also, a swarm of abyssal ants can produce a shower of acidic spittle that works as a grenadelike weapon, dealing 2d8 points of damage on a direct hit and 1d4 points of splash damage to creatures within 5 feet of the target. Creatures directly hit by the acid take an additional 1d8 points of damage 1 round after being hit. Producing a shower of acidic spittle is a standard action for the swarm, but it can still take a move action in the same round and inflict damage on creatures within its area at the end of its move.

Hive Mind (Ex): An abyssal ant swarm has a hive mind, which makes it susceptible to mind-affecting spells. For purposes of such spells, the swarm is a single creature of the aberration type.

Skills: Abyssal ant swarms have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

Source: Fiend Folio, page 166. Changes applied as per the D&D^® v.3.5 Accessory Update. Removed the penetration special attack as damage reduction bypasses are more commonly mentioned in the combat block header in D&D 3.5.

Ant Swarm, Plague

Plague ants are large and particularly nasty relatives of mundane army or harvester ants. They are 4 inches long, with bloated white bodies and bright orange eyes. Their mandibles are as long as their heads and have an orange hue on the inside (cutting) edge.

As mindless creatures, plague ants do not speak or understand any language.

Combat

Plague ants are a mindless force of nature and swarm over everything in their path. They operate based on sophisticated instinct, with ants in the forefront of the swarm’s approach carrying large chunks of food (preferably bloody meat) back to the queen, who is protected in the swarm’s bivouac by a shelter formed from living ants.

Disease (Ex): Any creature that takes damage from a plague ant swarm must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 17) or contract red ache. The incubation period is 1d3 days, and the disease deals 1d6 points of Strength damage.

Wounding (Ex): A wound resulting from a plague ant swarm attack bleeds for an additional 1 point of damage per round thereafter. Multiple wounds from such attacks result in cumulative bleeding loss (two wounds for 2 points of damage per round, and so on). The bleeding can be stopped only by a successful Heal check (DC 10) or the application of any cure spell or other healing spell (heal, healing circle, or the like).

Skills: Plague ant swarms have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

Source: Fiend Folio, page 167. Changes applied as per the D&D^® v.3.5 Accessory Update.

Cranium Rat Swarm

Like ten thousand eyes and ears dispatched to gather secrets for some dark deity of knowledge, cranium rats are everywhere—seeing, hearing, and sharing what they learn in a bizarre hive mind.

An individual cranium rat is almost indistinguishable from a normal rodent, except that a portion of its large brain is exposed and pulses with a soft glow. Singly, the creatures are also virtually identical to normal rats, but they are never encountered singly. A pack of cranium rats has a group mind⁠—​and the more rats, the more intelligent the group mind.

Combat

While dangerous and unpleasant, cranium rats are not aggressive creatures. They avoid open attacks in favor of flight or ambushes. Cranium rats use their spells and mind blast ability to soften or incapacitate victims before swarming over them, then they drain their victims’ blood through a hundred tiny wounds.

Hive Mind (Ex): A cranium rat swarm has a hive mind, which makes it susceptible to mind-affecting spells. For purposes of such spells, the swarm is a single creature of the magical beast type.

Merge Swarms (Ex): Two lesser cranium rat packs can move into the same space and merge into a single swarm, becoming an average pack. Likewise, two average packs can merge together into a greater pack. Merging in this fashion is a full-round action

Swarm Degeneration (Ex): When a greater cranium rat pack is reduced to 0 hit points, it does not scatter. Instead, it becomes an average pack. Likewise, when an average pack is reduced to 0 hp, it becomes a lesser pack. When a lesser pack is reduced to 0 hp, it is destroyed. This transformation is instantaneous.

Skills: Cranium rat swarms have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

The statistics block below contains details for more than one size of cranium rat swarm. Use the horizontal scrollbar below it to display the desired one or select from the links below that.

Cranium Rats: Lesser Pack • Average Pack • Greater Pack

Lesser Pack ⬆️

A lesser pack of cranium rats consists of about 75 rats.

Combat

While more limited than the larger packs in what they can do, lesser packs still set up effective ambushes and utilize their mind blast ability to great advantage.

Mind Blast (Su): This attack is a 60-foot cone. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed on a Will save (DC 14) or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. A lesser cranium rat pack can use this power every 2 rounds.

Average Pack ⬆️

An average pack of cranium rats consists of about 150 rats.

Cranium rats do not speak, but average packs can communicate telepathically.

Combat

Mind Blast (Su): This attack is a 60-foot cone. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed on a Will save (DC 17) or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. An average pack can use this ability at will.

Spells: An average pack can cast arcane spells as a 4th-level sorcerer (spells/day 6/7/3; spells known 6/3/1; save DC 11 + spell level). A typical spells known list: 0⁠—​daze, detect magic, flare, mage hand, open/close, prestidigitation; 1st⁠—​charm person, expeditious retreat, magic missile; 2nd⁠—​mirror image.

Greater Pack ⬆️

An greater pack of cranium rats consists of about 300 rats.

Cranium rats do not speak, but greater packs can communicate telepathically.

Combat

Mind Blast (Su): This attack is a 60-foot cone. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed on a Will save (DC 23) or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. A greater pack can use this ability at will.

Spells: A greater pack can cast arcane spells as a 10th-level sorcerer (spells/day 6/7/7/7/6/3; spells known 9/5/4/3/2/1; save DC 14 + spell level). A typical spells known list: 0⁠—​dancing lights, daze, detect magic, flare, ghost sound, mage hand, open/close, prestidigitation, read magic; 1st⁠—​charm person, expeditious retreat, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement, shocking grasp; 2nd⁠—​blur, knock, mirror image, see invisibility; 3rd⁠—​fireball, lightning bolt, slow; 4th⁠—​contagion, fire shield; 5th⁠—​hold monster.

Cranium Rats and the Expanded Psionics Handbook

If you’re using the Expanded Psionics Handbook, an average or greater cranium rat pack should manifest powers as a psion rather than cast spells as a sorcerer. Since Intelligence is their best ability, they typically choose Metacreativity as their primary discipline. They gain the Combat Manifestation feat instead of Combat Casting, Power Penetration and Greater Power Penetration instead of the Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration feats, and Psionic Focus (Metacreativity) and Greater Psionic Focus (Metacreativity) instead ofthe Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats.

Source: Fiend Folio, page 167. Changes applied as per the D&D^® v.3.5 Accessory Update. The entire creature description was reorganized to be more readable. The special quality “swarm regeneration” was renamed to “swarm degeneration” to reflect what actually happens to damaged cranium rat swarms.

Locust Swarm, Bloodfiend

Whereas the common locust poses a menace only to plants and crops, deadlier strains, influenced by magic or fiendish will, attempt to tear the flesh from any creature they encounter. These creatures, although too small individually to pose a threat to most creatures, can quickly engulf and devour unprepared victims.

Created to carry the horrors of the Abyss to other planes, bloodfiend locusts feast not only on the flesh of their victims, but on their very life force as well. As a swarm of bloodfiend locusts moves through a region, those who fall prey to the creatures rise again in twisted undead forms and are tainted not only by the forces of undeath, but also by the evil of the Abyss itself.

Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by a bloodfiend locust swarm gain one negative level. If the negative level has not been removed (with a spell such as restoration) before one day has passed, the afflicted opponent must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 19) to remove it. Failure causes loss of that level.

Reanimate (Su): A humanoid or monstrous humanoid killed by the energy drain attack of a bloodfiend locust swarm rises 2d6 hours later as a fiendish vampire spawn.

Source: Fiend Folio, page 170. Changes applied as per the D&D^® v.3.5 Accessory Update.

Locust Swarm, Rapture

Normally harmless, locusts occasionally rise in devastating forms. A locust swarm contains approximately 10,000 individual creatures, although the swarm fights and reacts as one creature during combat. Seen from a distance, the swarm looks like a dark black cloud, although most onlookers quickly note the roiling motion of the insects that make up the swarm.

The greatest threat that locust swarms pose is their sheer size. Often covering hundreds ofacres, locust swarms are usually encountered in great numbers, and even powerful creatures can succumb to wave after wave of swarming locusts.

Combat

Multihued wings and scintillating exoskeletons make these deceptively beautiful creatures as fascinating as they are dangerous. Whereas many vermin swarms are easy to avoid, even the most mobile creatures often fall prey to the hypnotic colors produced by a swarm of rapture locusts. Victims stand motionless as they are overcome by euphoria while the voracious locusts feast on their bodies.

Hypnotic Pattern: Anyone looking a a swarm of rapture locusts is affected as if by a hypnotic pattern spell cast by a 6th-level sorcerer. Creatures can make a Will saving throw (DC 15) to resist this effect. This is a mind-affecting ability.

Rapture (Su): Any nonmindless creature that takes damage from a rapture locust swarm must succeed on a Will save (DC 18) or take no action for 1 full round. Creatures so affected stand motionless. This is a mind-affecting ability. Enraptured creatures are not distracted by the swarm’s attack, since they do not even realize they are being harmed, but creatures that succeed on a save against the swarm’s rapture are subject to its distraction.

Source: Fiend Folio, page 170. Changes applied as per the D&D^® v.3.5 Accessory Update.

Scarab Beetle Swarm

Usually found in the depths of underground crypts, scarab beetles exist in huge numbers. They consume flesh and organic material with blinding speed) making them ideal guardians of tombs, mausoleums, temples, and treasuries. Unless it is sealed in an airtight sarcophagus, scarab beetles will consume the body that they were meant to protect.

Scarab beetles are beautiful to look at, with shiny black carapaces highlighted in turquoise, red, and yellow. Scarab beetles have keen, powerful pincers that can slice through flesh and bone with ease. Scarab beetles dig holes and tunnels near piles of offal and decomposing organic material. Through their consumption of carrion and the like, scarab beetles speed the reintroduction of decaying organic material into the environment.

Fortunately, scarab beetles are not very fond of sunlight or intense heat, and they do not venture out onto the sweeping sands for long. At most, they attack any animal unfortunate to stumble across their lair before retreating back into the cool shadows.

Combat

Scarab beetles are usually passive, and they generally remain dormant or crawl slowly about in search of food. However, they become extremely agitated in the presence of a living creature and devour anything that gets between them and that creature. Watching a huge swarm of scarab beetles run down and devour a victim without stopping is a terrifying sight.

Because they can burrow through sand and dirt as quickly as they can move on the surface, scarab beetles commonly hide in the walls or flooring of tombs and spill out onto unsuspecting victims.

Desiccate (Ex): Scarab beetles can reduce a victim to nothing in mere seconds. Any living opponent damaged by a scarab beetle swarm must make a Fortitude save (DC 21) or take 1d6 points of Constitution damage. A creature reduced to 0 Constitution by the swarm is consumed completely, leaving behind items that are not organic.

Superior Swarm (Ex): Scarab beetle swarms are exceptionally dangerous and deal more swarm damage than their Hit Dice would otherwise indicate.

Source: Fiend Folio, page 171. Changes applied as per the D&D^® v.3.5 Accessory Update.

Viper Swarm

A single snake no more than a foot long is rarely a threat to seasoned adventurers, no matter how virulent its venom. More than a hundred such snakes writhing together in a single mass, however, is a waking nightmare.

The individual snakes that make up a viper swarm are 8 to 12 inches long, with black scales marked by red, orange, or yellow bands, lines, or arrowlike markings. As a swarm, they form aliving carpet of wriggling snakes and crawl over one another and anything in their path, biting and injecting their deadly poison.

Combat

A single Diminutive viper’s poison is painful but not deadly; several doses of it, however, can bring down an elephant. Viper swarms overwhelm their prey with poison, then feast on its still-warm flesh.

A viper swarm can be summoned using a summon nature’s ally VI spell.

Poison (Ex): A viper swarm delivers its poison (Fort DC 13 negates) with each swarm attack. Initial and secondary damage are the same (1d4 Con).

Hive Mind (Ex): A viper swarm has a hive mind, making it susceptible to mind-affecting spells. For purposes of such spells, the swarm is a single creature of the animal type.

Skills: Viper swarms have a +4 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, and Spot checks, and a +8 racial bonus on Balance checks. They use their Dexterity modifier for Climb checks and have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

Source: Fiend Folio, page 172. Changes applied as per the D&D^® v.3.5 Accessory Update.

Wasp Swarm

Wasps sometimes gather together in swarms and build enormous nests that hang on trees, under the eaves of buildings, and even in holes in the ground. Because wasps are rather surly and irritable insects, swarms of wasps can be extremely dangerous.

Despite their maligned reputation, wasps are valuable parts of the ecosystem, since they eat an enormous amount of otherwise harmful insects.

Combat

Wasp swarms are often passive unless roused by loud noises or violent motion. A character can move through a passive swarm safely if he makes a Move Silently check (DC 20). This works only if the character does not attack the swarm, moves at half speed, and does not make any sudden movements (such as spellcasting).

When roused, wasps have an extremely painful bite as well as a poisonous barb.

Poison (Ex): A wasp swarm delivers poison equivalent to that of a Medium giant wasp (Fort DC 18 negates) with each swarm attack. Initial and secondary damage are the same (1d6 Dex).

Source: Fiend Folio, page 172. Changes applied as per the D&D^® v.3.5 Accessory Update.