Hetfish (CR 5)
Tiny Magical Beast (Aquatic, Fire, and Swarm)
Alignment: Always neutral
Initiative: +9 (+5 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Senses: darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Listen +7, and Spot +10
AC: 18 (+2 size, +5 Dex, +1 natural), touch 17, flat-footed 13
Hit Dice: 10d10+10 (65 hp)
Fort +8, Ref +12, Will +3
Speed: Swim 80 ft.
Space: 10 ft./ 0 ft.
Base Attack +10; Grapple -2
Attack: Swarm
Full Attack: Swarm
Damage: Swarm (2d6 fire)
Special Attacks/Actions: Burn, distraction
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 1
Special Qualities: half damage from slashing and piercing, immune to fire, swarm traits, vulnerable to cold
Feats: Alertness; Combat Reflexes; Improved Initiative; Lightning Reflexes
Skills: Listen +7, Spot +10, and Swim +13
Advancement: None
Climate/Terrain: Warm aquatic
Organization: Solitary or school (2-12)
Treasure/Possessions: None
Source:
Dungeon #112
Burn (Su): Those damaged by a hetfish swarm must succeed on a Reflex save (DC 16) or catch on fire. The flames burn for 1d4 rounds, inflicting 1d6 points of fire damage per round. These flames are supernatural in nature, and as long as a creature remains in the same square as a hetfish swarm, they cannot be extinguished except by magic (such as by quench). A character who escapes a square occupied by a hetfish swarm can take a move action to put out the flame; if the character is underwater at the time the flames go out automatically. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a swarm in its square must succeed on a DC 16 Fortitude save or be nauseated for round.
Skills: Hetfish use their Dexterity to modify Swim checks. A hetfish swarm has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take io on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
Hetfish are attracted to motion in the water. When disturbed, they swarm to meet the intruder. A hetfish swarm deals no physical damage, but the fantastic heat can quickly burn to death an unprotected creature.
Aquatic Subtype
Creatures with the aquatic subtype always have swim speeds and thus can move in water without making Swim checks. An aquatic creature can breathe underwater. It cannot also breathe air unless it has the amphibious special quality.
Fire Subtype
A creature with the fire subtype has immunity to fire. It has vulnerability to cold, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from cold, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.
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.