Expanded Swarms

[FreakyCheeseMan]

I've been thinking a lot about the swarm creature type, and sort of wanted to do some more things with it.

Just for reference, here's the SRD ( http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/swarm.htm )

The two things I most wanted to try would be to make a playable swarm creature type (Closest I found was this PRC from Savage Species, that was just a PRC focused on normal creatures who can turn *into* swarms), and to make a functional, fight able race of swarms- I'm thinking they'd exist somewhere in the under dark, and maybe have had little or no contact with intelligent non-swarm entities until the players come across them.

For the "Race of Swarms" idea, I was thinking more than just a single, massive swarm- there would be individuals within this society, although they might have the ability to share their individual components for casting or combat- maybe even merge (temporarily?).

Anyone have any ideas what sort of problems/opportunities this will present, or any ideas of how to make it work?

[Tvtyrant]

Dungeonscape has a template that allows you to combine a swarm with a construct or undead. Hellwasp Swarm allows a swarm to occupy a body. Not sure about actually becoming solid.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

The big thing I'm wondering about (beyond just nifty ideas for the swarm race), is a handful of things that seem like they *would* be influenced by being a swarm, but aren't specifically mentioned.

For instance, what happens if you have a spellcaster swarm? How are concentration checks handled? What happens to a swarm split in half, if a wall or something is created or moved through it? How do swarms regain HP? What happens to swarms targeted by spells that effect a single creature (disintegrate, for instance).

I'm sort of trying to avoid having a "They become solid" button to solve issues, at least until I absolutely have to.

[sengmeng]

How about an incorporeal race that possesses vermin to interact with the physical world? Charisma would determine how large of a swarm/how powerful of creatures they can control... they upgrade their swarm by adding new creatures to it, they can abandon it and look for new ones... they can temporarily possess humanoids, but non-mindless creatures tend to fight them off... lots of possibilities.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

How about an incorporeal race that possesses vermin to interact with the physical world? Charisma would determine how large of a swarm/how powerful of creatures they can control... they upgrade their swarm by adding new creatures to it, they can abandon it and look for new ones... they can temporarily possess humanoids, but non-mindless creatures tend to fight them off... lots of possibilities.

I like this... hmm..

Ok, now I'm thinking a symbiote race- the swarms are composed of mindless insects, maybe even specially-made constructs; the actual individuals are incorporeal beings that are specifically wired to possess and control the swarms.

[Coidzor]

Hmm, maybe something like the fluff that the unbodied (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/unbodied.htm)have...

[sengmeng]

A swarm of psi-crystals, basically?

[LordBlades]

Technically, some swarms (such as rat or bat) are animals, and therefore are a valid target for the animal side of the Lycanthrope template.

Might not be exactly what you need, but thought it's worth mentioning.