Swarmnester (3.5e Template)

Swarmnester

A creature who's body contains a nest of insects that serve that creature.

A swarmnester is a disgusting creature that works as a nature's growth platform: the body of a swarmnester has become a safe haven and a nest for a type of animal or vermin. Swarmnesters are bulkier and more durable than other specimens of their race, and are hideously deformed, what with nest entrances and bulges riddling their bodies. For example, a bee swarmnester has hexagonal bee nest entrances on his back, shoulders and neck, and a mass of bees continually buzz around the nester. Undead swarmnesters are especially frightening: an animated dead husk, inhabited by rats, spiders or even fouler creatures.

Sample Swarmnesters

	Human Commoner Bee Swarmnester
Size/Type:	Medium Humanoid (Human)
Hit Dice:	1d4+2 (5 hp)
Initiative:	+1
Speed:	30 ft.
Armor Class:	12 (+1 Dex, +1 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple:	+0/+2
Attack:	Spear +2 melee reach (1d8+3 plus 1d6 plus poison/×3)
Full Attack:	Spear +2 melee reach (1d8+3 plus 1d6 plus poison/×3)
Space/Reach:	5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks:	Swarm damage, poison
Special Qualities:	Pest features
Saves:	Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +2
Abilities:	Str 14, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 9
Skills:	Listen +4, Spot +4
Feats:	Iron Will
Environment:	Any
Organization:	Solitary or gang (2–4).
Challenge Rating:	1
Treasure:	Standard
Alignment:	Any
Advancement:	By character class.
Level Adjustment:	+2

The farmers that toil away at the hundreds of bee nests in the field have acted strangely to you: they keep staring at you until you look at them, at which point they turn away. Finally, one of them approaches you. He smells ever so slightly of honey, and judging from his fairly rugged appearance has been stung hundreds of times - or has he? You could swear the buzz of the bees gets louder with each step he takes closer to you.

Swarm Damage (Ex): A bee swarmnester gains a 1d6 swarm damage bonus to attacks. All of the nester's melee attacks, whether natural or with manufactured weapons, deal this special swarm damage as the tiny insects dwelling within the nester bite, sting and bash the foe. If the nester misses with a melee attack, if the attack roll nonetheless equaled or exceeded the target's touch AC, swarm damage (and poison) is dealt anyway. A swarmnester can suppress or resume this ability as a free action by calling or expunging the pests from its body.

Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 12, initial and secondary damage 1d3 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Pest Features: A bee swarmnester takes a −­8 penalty to Move Silently checks and enemies damaged by its swarm damage that fail on a DC 12 Fortitude check are nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

	Storm Giant Centipede Swarmnester
Size/Type:	Huge Giant
Hit Dice:	19d8+114 (237 hp)
Initiative:	+2
Speed:	35 ft. (7 squares), swim 30 ft. (6 squares) in breastplate; base speed 50 ft., swim 40 ft.
Armor Class:	28 (-2 size, +2 Dex, +13 natural, +5 breastplate), touch 10, flat-footed 26
Base Attack/Grapple:	+14/+36
Attack:	Greatsword +26 melee (4d6+21 plus 2d6 plus poison/19-20) or slam +26 melee (1d6+14 plus 2d6 plus poison) or composite longbow (+14 Str bonus) +14 ranged (3d6+14/×3)
Full Attack:	Greatsword +26/+21/+16 melee (4d6+21/19-20 plus 2d6 plus poison) or 2 slams +26 melee (1d6+14 plus 2d6 plus poison) or composite longbow (+14 Str bonus) +14/+9/+4 ranged (3d6+14/×3)
Space/Reach:	15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks:	Spell-like abilities, swarm damage, poison, insect cloud, create swarm
Special Qualities:	Freedom of movement, immunity to electricity, low-light vision, rock catching, water breathing, pest features, tremorsense 30 ft.
Saves:	Fort +19, Ref +8, Will +13
Abilities:	Str 39, Dex 14, Con 27, Int 16, Wis 20, Cha 15
Skills:	Climb +20, Concentration +28, Craft (any one) +13, Diplomacy +4, Intimidate +12, Jump +24, Listen +15, Perform (sing) +12, Sense Motive +15, Spot +25, Swim +18*
Feats:	Awesome Blow, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Power Attack
Environment:	Warm mountains
Organization:	Solitary or gang (2–4).
Challenge Rating:	16
Treasure:	Standard coins; double goods; standard items
Alignment:	Often chaotic good
Advancement:	By character class.
Level Adjustment:	—

Being attack by a storm giant in the middle of a thunderstorm is trouble enough as is, but this one isn't a normal specimen of its race: the giant is riddled with abscessed holes, in and out of which crawl grotesquely large centipedes with carapaces of a metallic blue hue. You back away in disgust when you notice the same centipedes crawling towards you on the ground, attacking you on behalf of the giant. It smiles a wicked smile, then vomits a stream of bloodhungry centipedes your way.

Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day—call lightning (DC 15), chain lightning (DC 18). Caster level 15th. 2/day—control weather, levitate. Caster level 20th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Freedom of Movement (Su): Storm giants have a continuous freedom of movement ability as the spell (caster level 20th). The effect can be dispelled, but the storm giant can create it again on its next turn as a free action.

Water Breathing (Ex): Storm giants can breathe underwater indefinitely and can freely use their spell-like abilities while submerged.

Skills: A storm giant has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line. Storm giants ignore all weight penalties for gear carried when swimming.

Swarm Damage (Ex): A centipede swarmnester gains a 2d6 swarm damage bonus to attacks. All of the nester's melee attacks, whether natural or with manufactured weapons, deal this special swarm damage as the tiny insects dwelling within the nester bite, sting and bash the foe. If the nester misses with a melee attack, if the attack roll nonetheless equaled or exceeded the target's touch AC, swarm damage (and poison) is dealt anyway. A centipede swarmnester can suppress or resume this ability as a free action by calling or expunging the pests from its body.

Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 27, initial and secondary damage 1d4 Dex. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Insect Cloud (Ex): Any enemy that begins its turn within 30 ft. of a centipede swarmnester takes 2d6 swarm damage (and poison). A centipede swarmnester can suppress or resume this ability as a free action by calling or expunging the pests from its body.

Create Swarm (Ex): Once per day, a centipede swarmnester can summon 1d3 centipede swarms as a standard action. The swarms appear adjacent to the nester, even on squares currently occupied.

Pest Features: A centipede swarmnester has tremorsense 30 ft.

Creating a swarmnester

“Swarmnester” is an acquired template that can be added to any giant, humanoid, monstrous humanoid or undead that has a corporeal, roughly humanoid form (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

A swarmnester uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type

The base creature’s type and size do not change. The swarmnester has a nest of a type of insect, vermin or pest living within him (referred to hereafter as the base pest).

A nester's swarm consists of Fine, Diminutive or Tiny animals or vermin dwelling within the host's body. The host's insects have to be three size categories smaller than the nester itself (Small nesters can only have Fine insects, Medium nesters can only have Fine or Diminutive insects etc.)

Armor Class

Natural armor bonus increased by 1.

Attack

A swarmnester retains all the attacks of the base creature, which deal normal damage plus swarm damage according to size (see below).

Special Attacks

A swarmnester retains all the special attacks of the base creature. If the base pest had a poison or disease attack, the nester's melee attacks (both natural and with manufactured weapons) have that special quality. A swarmnester also gains the special attacks described below. The save DC against a special attack is equal to 10 + 1/2 swarmnester’s HD + swarmnester’s Con modifier unless otherwise noted.

Swarm Damage (Ex): A swarmnester gains a swarm damage bonus to attacks according to its size. All of the nester's melee attacks, whether natural or with manufactured weapons, deal this special swarm damage as the tiny insects dwelling within the nester bite, sting and bash the foe. If the nester misses with a melee attack, if the attack roll nonetheless equaled or exceeded the target's touch AC, swarm damage is dealt anyway. A swarmnester can suppress or resume this ability as a free action by calling or expunging the pests from its body.

Insect Cloud (Ex): Any enemy that begins its turn within 30 ft. of a Large or larger swarmnester takes swarm damage according to the nester's size as the insects attack nearby foes. In addition, if the pests dwelling within the swarmnester are capable of flight, all enemies within this range take a −­2 penalty to all attack rolls, skill checks and saves. A swarmnester can suppress or resume this ability as a free action by calling or expunging the pests from its body.

Create Swarm (Ex): Once per day, a Huge or larger swarmnester can summon 1d3 swarms of the kind of insect dwelling within it as a standard action. The swarms appear adjacent to the nester, even on squares currently occupied.

Size	Swarm Damage
Small	1d4
Medium	1d6
Large	1d8
Huge	2d6
Gargantuan	3d6
Colossal	4d6

Special Qualities

A swarmnester loses fire immunity and all resistance to fire, and also gains the following quality.

Pest Features (Ex): A swarmnester takes on some of the qualities of the pests that dwell within it.

• Bat Swarm: The swarmnester gains blindsense 30 ft.
• Centipede Swarm: The swarmnester gains tremorsense 30 ft.
• Locust Swarm: The swarmnester takes a −­8 penalty to Move Silently checks and enemies damaged by its swarm damage that fail on a Fortitude check (DC 10 + ½ HD + Con modifier) are nauseated for 1 round.
• Spider Swarm: 1/day—­web. Caster level 3rd. The save DC is Charisma-based.
• Toad Swarm: 1 bonus hit point per hit dice.
• Rat Swarm: +5 Bonus to hide and stealth checks.
• Leech Swarm: Blood extraction with swarm attack damage, once swarms are recalled half the damage is converted to temporary hit points.
• Flea Nest: +5 to jump and acrobatics checks. If user is to spread disease, or use poison, +10 to that check. This nest is completely unnoticeable, unless made obvious by the host.

It is up to the Dungeon Master to represent bonuses granted by other types of pests than those listed here.

Abilities

Same as the base creature, except its Constitution score increases by +4 unless it's Undead.

Environment

Any, often as base creature.

Organization

Solitary or gang (2–4).

Challenge Rating

Size Medium or smaller, as base creature +1; Size Large, as base creature +2; Size Huge or larger, as base creature +3

Alignment

Any.

Advancement

By character class.

Level Adjustment

Same as the base creature +2.

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