Bloodswarm (CR 6)
Tiny Outsider (Chaotic, Evil, Extraplanar, and Swarm)
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Initiative: +9 (+5 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Senses: darkvision 60 ft., scent goodness, Listen +13, and Spot +13
Languages: Abyssal, Common
AC: 17 (+5 Dex, +2 natural) touch 15, flat-footed 12
Hit Dice: 8d8 (68 hp); DR: 5/cold iron or good
Fort +10, Ref +13, Will +8
Speed: 40 ft.
Space: 10 ft./0 ft.
Base Attack +8; Grapple -
Attack: Swarm
Full Attack: Swarm
Damage: Swarm 2d6 plus daze and stitching
Special Attacks/Actions: call night hag
Attack Options: distraction (DC 18, does not affect night hags)
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 20, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 13
Special Qualities: swarm traits, half damage from slashing and piercing weapons, SR 12, Aura: daze (30 ft. radius, Will DC 15)
Feats: Improved Initiative; Lightning Reflexes;Nimble Fingers
Skills: Climb +11, Disable Device +13, Hide +24, Jump +19, Listen +13, Move Silently +16, Open Lock +18, and Spot +13
Advancement: -
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Swarm
Treasure/Possessions: None
Source:
Fiendish Codex I
Call Night Hag (Sp): Once per day, a broodswarm can call the night hag that created it. This ability takes 1 minute (uninterrupted) to perform, so the broodswarm typically waits until it has captured a victim to use this ability. There's a 25% chance that the night hag refuses to answer the call for whatever reason, in which case the ability is wasted. The night hag called by the broodswarm appears in a blast of noxious smoke in one of the swarm's squares and can remain indefinitely. If this night hag that created the broodswarm is killed, the broodswarm cannot use this ability. This is a conjuration (calling) effect (CL 6th).
Daze Aura (Su): At the end of a broodswarm's turn, creatures within 30 feet of it must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or be dazed for 1 round. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by that same broodswarm's daze aura for 24 hours. A broodswarm can suppress or activate this ability as a free action. Chaotic evil outsiders are immune to the aura. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Scent Goodness (Su): A broodswarm has the scent ability, but only against creatures with a good alignment. Any effect that suppresses odor or alignment masks a good creature from a broodswarm's ability to scent them.
Stitching (Su): Broodswarms can manifest lengths of coarse black thread from their silvery hook hands as a free action. They use these threads to stitch victims up and prevent their escape. Whenever a broodswarm deals swarm damage to a creature, they begin stitching body parts together. This gives the victim a -2 penalty to its Dexterity score; multiple rounds of stitching incur multiple cumulative penalties to Dexterity. This is neither ability damage nor ability drain and cannot be healed with magic such as restoration. When a creature's effective Dexterity is reduced to 0 by this effect, it becomes helpless, mute, and blind. Damage reduction can provide immunity to stitching as long as the silver hooks do not bypass it.
A creature can attempt to break free of its stitching (even if helpless as a result of the stitching) by making a DC 20 Strength check. Each attempt (successful or not) deals 2d6 points of damage to the victim. Another creature can cut the stitching loose with a DC 10 Heal check and 1 minute of work.
Skills: A broodswarm's feeble wings can assist in making leaps, granting it a +8 racial bonus on Jump checks.
Chaotic Subtype
A subtype usually applied only to outsiders native to the chaotic-aligned Outer Planes. Most creatures that have this subtype also have chaotic alignments; however, if their alignments change they still retain the subtype. Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has a chaotic alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment. A creature with the chaotic subtype overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons and any weapons it wields were chaotic-aligned (see Damage Reduction).
Evil Subtype
A subtype usually applied only to outsiders native to the evil-aligned Outer Planes. Evil outsiders are also called fiends. Most creatures that have this subtype also have evil alignments; however, if their alignments change, they still retain the subtype. Any effect that depends on alignment affects a creature with this subtype as if the creature has an evil alignment, no matter what its alignment actually is. The creature also suffers effects according to its actual alignment. A creature with the evil subtype overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons and any weapons it wields were evil-aligned (see Damage Reduction).
Extraplanar Subtype
A subtype applied to any creature when it is on a plane other than its native plane. A creature that travels the planes can gain or lose this subtype as it goes from plane to plane. This book assumes that encounters with creatures take place on the Material Plane, and every creature whose native plane is not the Material Plane has the extraplanar subtype (but would not have when on its home plane). An extraplanar creatures usually has a home plane mentioned in its description. These home planes are taken from the Great Wheel cosmology of the D&D game (see Chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). If your campaign uses a different cosmology, you will need to assign different home planes to extraplanar creatures.
Creatures not labeled as extraplanar are natives of the Material Plane, and they gain the extraplanar subtype if they leave the Material Plane. No creature has the extraplanar subtype when it is on a transitive plane; the transitive planes in the D&D cosmology are the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Plane, and the Plane of Shadow.
Swarm Subtype
A swarm is a collection of Fine, Diminutive, or Tiny creatures that acts as a single creature. A swarm has the characteristics of its type, except as noted here. A swarm has a single pool of Hit Dice and hit points, a single initiative modifier, a single speed, and a single Armor Class. A swarm makes saving throws as a single creature.
A single swarm occupies a square (if it is made up of nonflying creatures) or a cube (of flying creatures) 10 feet on a side, but its reach is 0 feet, like its component creatures. In order to attack, it moves into an opponent's space, which provokes attacks of opportunity. It can occupy the same space as a creature of any size, since it crawls all over its prey. A swarm can move through squares occupied by enemies and vice versa without impediment, although the swarm provokes attacks of opportunity if it does so. A swarm can move through cracks or holes large enough for its component creatures.
A swarm of Tiny creatures consists of 300 nonflying creatures or 1,000 flying creatures. A swarm of Diminutive creatures consists of 1,500 nonflying creatures or 5,000 flying creatures. A swarm of Fine creatures consists of 10,000 creatures, whether they are flying or not. Swarms of nonflying creatures include many more creatures than could normally fit in a 10-foot square based on their normal space, because creatures in a swarm are packed tightly together and generally crawl over each other and their prey when moving or attacking. Larger swarms are represented by multiples of single swarms. (A swarm of 15,000 centipedes is ten centipede swarms, each swarm occupying a 10-foot square.) The area occupied by a large swarm is completely shapeable, though the swarm usually remains in contiguous squares.
Traits: A swarm has no clear front or back and no discernible anatomy, so it is not subject to critical hits or flanking. A swarm made up of Tiny creatures takes half damage from slashing and piercing weapons. A swarm composed of Fine or Diminutive creatures is immune to all weapon damage.
Reducing a swarm to 0 hit points or lower causes it to break up, though damage taken until that point does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. Swarms are never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage. Also, they cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed, and they cannot grapple an opponent.
A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mind-affecting spells and abilities (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects) if the swarm has an Intelligence score and a hive mind. A swarm takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash weapons and many evocation spells.
Swarms made up of Diminutive or Fine creatures are susceptible to high winds such as that created by a gust of wind spell. For purposes of determining the effects of wind on a swarm, treat the swarm as a creature of the same size as its constituent creatures (see Winds, page 95 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). For example, a swarm of locusts (a swarm of Diminutive creatures) can be blown away by a severe wind. Wind effects deal 1d6 points of nonlethal damage to a swarm per spell level (or Hit Dice of the originating creature, in the case of effects such as an air elemental's whirlwind). A swarm rendered unconscious by means of nonlethal damage becomes disorganized and dispersed, and does not re-form until its hit points exceed its nonlethal damage.
Swarm Attack: Creatures with the swarm subtype don't make standard melee attacks. Instead, they deal automatic damage to any creature whose space they occupy at the end of their move, with no attack roll needed. Swarm attacks are not subject to a miss chance for concealment or cover. A swarm's statistics block has "swarm" in the Attack and Full Attack entries, with no attack bonus given. The amount of damage a swarm deals is based on its Hit Dice, as shown below.
| Swarm HD | Swarm Base Damage |
| 1-5 | 1d6 |
| 6-10 | 2d6 |
| 11-15 | 3d6 |
| 16-20 | 4d6 |
| 21 or more | 5d6 |
A swarm's attacks are nonmagical, unless the swarm's description states otherwise. Damage reduction sufficient to reduce a swarm attack's damage to 0, being incorporeal, and other special abilities usually give a creature immunity (or at least resistance) to damage from a swarm. Some swarms also have acid, poison, blood drain, or other special attacks in addition to normal damage.
Swarms do not threaten creatures in their square, and do not make attacks of opportunity with their swarm attack. However, they distract foes whose squares they occupy, as described below.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature vulnerable to a swarms damage that begins its turn with a swarm in its square is nauseated for 1 round; a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 swarm's HD + swarm's Con modifier; the exact DC is given in a swarm's description) negates the effect. Spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Concentration check.