Assassin Bug Swarm

Description

A dark, swirling cloud moves in sudden, swirling waves above the ground, emitting only a faint clattering sound whenever they change direction

The assassin bug is a fiendish vermin, forged through dark magic and given life by demonic power. It has a long, slender body, with a tough exoskeleton, two pairs of transparent wings, a stinger at the end of the thorax, and a rock-hard, tapered proboscis. The mature assassin bug is about a half foot in length, and it always travels and attacks in groups. The exoskeleton is a light gray hue, making it difficult to spot against a lit sky.

Assassin bug swarms are only to be found on certain evil-aligned planes, and on the prison plane, where they are not uncommon.

Combat

When they find a living victim, assassin bugs dive down from above and pierce the target with their proboscis. The bug deals 2d8 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies.

If the victim survives the attack, it can become infected by a disease called arcanitis. Arcanitis will drain arcane magical energies from the body, and will hinder the casting of arcane spells.

The assassin bug swarm attack is treated as an evil-aligned weapon and a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with an assassin bug swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 17 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Disease (Ex): Arcanitis―bite, Fortitude DC 17, incubation period 3 days, damage 1d3 Con and +5% arcane spell failure chance penalty for each point of Constitution lost to the disease. The save DC is Constitution-based. This disease has magic resistance 14. The arcane spell failure chance is reduced by 5% for each point of lost Constitution that is recovered.

Skills: An assassin bug swarm has a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.

Also in this section of the source

Ghost Swarm

Author: Robert J. Hall.

An eerie mass of palely glowing forms moves silently across the ground. Individual apparitions of horrific appearance can be briefly glimpsed within the cloud of shapes, and the mass as a whole has a most disturbing, unnatural aspect.

This mass of undead spirits is drawn together through the effect of a powerful curse or other potent effect. They are bound into a cloud of nearly indistinguishable forms that move almost as one. From a distance they resemble a pool of eerie pale light floating in the air, with the interior in constant motion. Only when the mass draws much closer can the individual members of the swarm be perceived.

As the majority of the swarm members are Medium or Small in size, they occupy and overlay each other within the cloud, forming a compact mass that can do little more than grapple.

Unless attacked ethereally, a ghost swarm is immune to damage from a lit torch or lantern.

Combat

The ghost swarm is drawn toward any nearby life force, and will seek the strongest source. They are perhaps unaware of the effect of their interest, but nonetheless they can have a devastating result.

Living creatures that are killed by a ghost swarm are cursed to have their spirit rise and merge into the mass.

Sense Life (Su): A ghost swarm automatically senses the presence and approximate location of any living creature within 60 feet.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 18 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Draining Touch (Su): A ghost swarm that hits a living target with its incorporeal touch attack drains 1d4 points each from Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. On each such successful attack, the ghost swarm heals 5 points of damage to itself. Against ethereal opponents, it adds its Strength modifier to attack rolls only. Against non-ethereal opponents, it adds its Dexterity modifier to attack rolls only.

Horrific Appearance (Su): Any living creature within 60 feet that views a ghost swarm must succeed on a DC 22 Fortitude save or immediately take 1d4 points of Strength damage, 1d4 points of Dexterity damage, and 1d4 points of Constitution damage. A creature that successfully saves against this effect cannot be affected by the same ghost swarm’s horrific appearance for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Manifestation (Su): A ghost swarm dwells on the Ethereal Plane and, as an ethereal creature, it cannot affect or be affected by anything in the material world. When a ghost swarm manifests, it partly enters the Material Plane and becomes visible but incorporeal on the Material Plane. A manifested ghost swarm can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons, or spells, with a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source.

A manifested ghost swarm can pass through solid objects at will, and its own attacks pass through armor. A manifested ghost swarm always moves silently. A manifested ghost swarm can strike with its touch attack. A manifested ghost swarm remains partially on the Ethereal Plane, where is it not incorporeal. A manifested ghost swarm can be attacked by opponents on either the Material Plane or the Ethereal Plane. The ghost swarm’s incorporeality helps protect it from foes on the Material Plane, but not from foes on the Ethereal Plane.

Rejuvenation (Su): In most cases, it’s difficult to destroy a ghost swarm through simple combat: the “destroyed” spirits will often restore themselves in 2d4 days. Even the most powerful spells are usually only temporary solutions. A ghost swarm that would otherwise be destroyed automatically returns to its old haunts. As a rule, the only certain method to get rid of a ghost swarm is to determine the reason for its existence and set right whatever prevents the swarm from resting in peace. The exact means varies with each swarm and may require research.

Skills: A ghost swarm has a +8 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Search, and Spot checks.

Gloom Fly Swarm

Author: Robert J. Hall.

A cloud of deep gloom shifts and moves with a life of its own. From the interior can be heard a steady, low-pitched humming sound.

This flying insect resembles a cross between a beetle and a dragonfly. It has a dark, glistening carapace patterned with hues of deep purple and forest green. The insect is about two inches long, with four semi-transparent veined wings and a long, segmented abdomen.

The gloom fly commonly lingers over the scat of enchanted creatures, especially those that dwell in cool, underground caverns and tunnels. They form flying swarms that circle about in a dancing, shifting cloud.

When the gloom fly takes to the air it creates a low, humming sound with its rapidly beating wings. However it is more notable for the dark appendage at the end of its tail which it uses to form a magical volume of gloom. This appendage is able to absorb much of the light and warmth from the surrounding air, then emit the absorbed energy in pulses that can be seen by creatures with darkvision. These flashes are invisible to the unaided human eye, so all a person might see of the swarm is a shifting, amorphous cloud of gloomy darkness. Normal sight within this cloud is limited to only a few feet, and the air feels unusually chill and hums with a steady drone.

Combat

The gloom fly is comparatively harmless, although it can deliver a stinging bite if grabbed. The swarm will only attack when it is aggravated, such as when creatures move rapidly through their midst. Creatures that move slowly or lay still do not receive bites, and are not subject to distraction.

The gloom fly swarm can cloak the presence of other creatures in their midst, concealed within the poor lighting and low humming sound. Crafty creatures will sometimes linger in the darkness waiting for prey to wander into their reach.

Gloom (Su): The gloom fly swarm radiates shadowy illumination within the volume they occupy. The gloom obscures normal sight, including low-light vision. All creatures within the gloom have concealment (20% miss chance) unless an opponent has darkvision. This ability is constant and can not be dispelled.

Normal lights (torches, candles, lanterns, and so forth) are incapable of brightening the area, as are light spells of less than 2nd level. The gloom effect can not be magically dispelled. However, higher level light spells (such as daylight) are not affected by the gloom.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a gloom fly swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Skills: Gloom fly swarms have a +4 racial bonus on Spot checks.

Skeleton Swarm

Author: Robert J. Hall.

An irregular, tumultuous mass of gleaming yellowish-white bones advance across the ground with a horrid clattering noise. The bones come in all shapes and sizes, and are drawn from the corpses of a multitude of creatures.

By themselves, tiny animated skeletal remains do not normally pose a significant threat. However, when animated in a conglomeration of this form, they can be as deadly as much larger skeletons. Typically such swarms are created from the bodies of multiple animals that are magically drawn together by a necromancer or evil cleric. The sight of such a horrid swarm of corpses can send a chill into the heart of even the most hardened warrior.

Combat

A skeleton swarm will obey the instructions of its creator regarding what actions to take. However it is typically only effective at overrunning and tearing apart other beings.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a skeleton swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.