Ways to get a non-druid to turn into a Murder of Crows? (ToM)

[ILM]

For flavour, I'd like a Blackguard to be able to turn into a Murder of Crows, the Tiny Animal swarm in ToM. Wildshape would let me do it, but at the cost of 11 Druid levels. Since that's the only form I need, and only for short durations (a few rounds at a time would suffice), do I have any other options? Preferably not involving custom items of Polymorph.

[Heliomance]

Divine Minion/MoMF?

[Necroticplague]

Divine Minion/MoMF?

Doesn't work. Basic Divine Minion only gives access to certain animal forms, MoMF doesn't give access to more animal forms, and none of those lists include Murder of Crows.

That being said, being a were-murder is entirely possible if you're a Small creature.

[sleepyphoenixx]

You can't shift into a swarm with Wild Shape - it's based on Alternate Form which doesn't grant any subtypes beside aquatic.

Vermin Keeper (Und) allows you to take vermin swarm forms at 10th level.
Master of Flies (SS) also gets vermin swarm forms, but at 2nd level.
The Swarm-Shifter template (LM) lets you take several forms of undead swarms - bats, scorpions, maggots... no ravens though. You also need to be undead.
Murder of Crows is also a legal creature for the Lycanthrope template, but you'd have to be a small humanoid.

[Necroticplague]

You can't shift into a swarm with Wild Shape - it's based on Alternate Form which doesn't grant any subtypes beside aquatic.

Murder of Crows is also a legal creature for the Lycanthrope template, but you'd have to be a small humanoid.

A:even if it wouldn't grant the [swarm] subtype, that wouldn't prevent you from turning into one, it would just make you turn into a swarm without the [swarm] subtype.
B:this isn't a self-consistent veiwpoint between these two, as -thropes (I hate the name 'lycanthrope' because it strongly implies wolves right there in the name) use the Alternate Form ability to assume their other shapes.

[fishyfishyfishy]

I suggest you homebrew a blackguard only spell for this purpose.

[ShurikVch]

You can't shift into a swarm with Wild Shape - it's based on Alternate Form which doesn't grant any subtypes beside aquatic. Excuse me, but City-Shape (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a) ACF says:
At 12th level, the druid does not gain the ability to transform into plant creatures. Instead, she may transform into an animal- or vermin-based swarm, so long as it fits within her standard wild shaping Hit Die limits. Will druid with City-Shape at 12 level turn into swarm without gaining (swarm) subtype? :smallconfused:

[sleepyphoenixx]

Excuse me, but City-Shape (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a) ACF says: Will druid with City-Shape at 12 level turn into swarm without gaining (swarm) subtype? :smallconfused:

Specific trumps general. And a swarm isn't a swarm without the subtype, that's pretty much the whole point. So you'd get the subtype with this ACF.

[Necroticplague]

Excuse me, but City-Shape (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a) ACF says: Will druid with City-Shape at 12 level turn into swarm without gaining (swarm) subtype? :smallconfused:

Yes. That ability is also mostly redundant/unnecessary, as the standard Wild Shape allows for swarms already. The best I can see that doing is letting you turn into Fine or Diminuitive as well as Tiny swarms.

Relevant text citations:


At 5th level, a druid gains the ability to turn herself into any Small or Medium animal and back again once per day. Her options for new forms include all creatures with the animal type. This ability functions like the alternate form special ability, except as noted here. The effect lasts for 1 hour per druid level, or until she changes back. Changing form (to animal or back) is a standard action and doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. Each time you use wild shape, you regain lost hit points as if you had rested for a night.


A creature with this special quality has the ability to assume one or more specific alternate forms. A true seeing spell or ability reveals the creature’s natural form. A creature using alternate form reverts to its natural form when killed, but separated body parts retain their shape. A creature cannot use alternate form to take the form of a creature with a template. Assuming an alternate form results in the following changes to the creature:

The creature retains the type and subtype of its original form. It gains the size of its new form. If the new form has the aquatic subtype, the creature gains that subtype as well.

[ShurikVch]

For flavour, I'd like a Blackguard to be able to turn into a Murder of Crows, the Tiny Animal swarm in ToM. Wildshape would let me do it, but at the cost of 11 Druid levels. Since that's the only form I need, and only for short durations (a few rounds at a time would suffice), do I have any other options? Preferably not involving custom items of Polymorph. You can try to take one level dip in Contemplative (http://dndtools.eu/classes/contemplative/), and select the Alteration domain from Dragonlance. It have Polymorph at 4th level.
(Honestly, it's Mystic-only domain, but maybe it still can work?)

[Extra Anchovies]

As an aside, where is this Divine Minion that grants wild shape? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

[ShurikVch]

As an aside, where is this Divine Minion that grants wild shape? I can't seem to find it anywhere. In the article "Hate of the Cobra (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20050209a)".

[Ruethgar]

You could be a Dragonwrought Kobold and take the Arcane Dragon alteration which would give you the ability to 3/day Alternate Form into any medium or smaller animal. Like with wildshape you wouldn't get the swarm subtype, however there is that tricky little bit that you retain some of the subtype effects listed. Similar to how an Awakened tree retains the Construct Traits as a hold-over from the Animated Object it was based on(since it only removes the type not the special qualities). So anything listed in the entry you keep(assuming the method of transformation allows access), however anything not listed in the entry that is part of the [swarm] subtype you would lose.

[Darrin]

As an aside, where is this Divine Minion that grants wild shape? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

Try:

http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20050209a