Optimizing Swarm Dmage

[Ruethgar]

Swarm damage obviously fits into the category of natural attack, so you have everything there(wallop, improved natural attack etc.). It is an AoE so limited charge spells like Chill Touch would be less than ideal, but flat damage boosts on attacks would be good like Blade of Blood, Burning Blade and Punishing Stance. Anything else?

[holywhippet]

How exactly are you generating the swarm damage though? If you are using a summon spell then feats that boost summoning could help.

[Ruethgar]

Anthropomorphic Murder of Crows as the race.

[Benthesquid]

Important question- does a swarm's immunity to spells that target a specific number of creatures apply to buff spells? I suspect it may.

[Ruethgar]

So we would need SLAs, Powers or SU abilities instead of spells.

[WinWin]

Important question- does a swarm's immunity to spells that target a specific number of creatures apply to buff spells? I suspect it may.

Share Spells will get around [type] limitations, but is probably only relevant to the likes of Druids and Vermin Lords, not the subject of the OP.

[avr]

Battlefield control to stop people moving about is another part of the answer.

If the swarm is one character self-buffing spells should work if they're range Personal, though almost anything else is out.

A binder should work too. If the murder of crows binds Aym then it would do +1d6 fire damage for example.

[peacenlove]

Ghost, Wraith or Umbral template.
Nothing says unkillable like immunity to weapon damage AND incorporeality.
And corrupting touch or strength damage is relevant at most levels.

If you are intelligent you can choose to be affected by spell you would otherwise be immune to, if they are [harmless].

[Ruethgar]

Aym requires touch attacks to deal the extra damage which I am not making. A crusader could get thicket of blades and just keep them in the swarm, spirit lion wolf totem dashing step barbarian could charge, pounce, and trip them with only a 2 level investment. Two martial chaos monk could take care of some of the extra AoE damage I take with the boost to saves and the evasion plus the wisdom to AC doesn't hurt. But if I want caster at all, that's 5 levels lost.

Immunity to weapon damage only comes with the smaller base forms of the swarm, I will keep the incorporeality in mind though.

Share spells is also relevant to anyone with a swarm improved familiar which expands that list far beyond just two classes.

[limejuicepowder]

Aym requires touch attacks to deal the extra damage which I am not making.

IIRC anything that uses a touch attack can be changed to a regular attack, thus combining it with an unarmed strike/natural attack. The penalty is you don't get to strike at touch armor, but in the case of swarms that doesn't matter.

Bards with inspire courage OP/dragonfire inspiration would work. It affects every ally within 60 ft, so I don't see a problem there.

[Ruethgar]

IIRC that is only for spells and potentially psionics with transparency.