Doctor Despair
2021-11-25, 10:49 PM
S W A R M S
Setting aside the possibility of using True Mind Switch on a hive mind or something similar, I wanted to revisit a question with the Playground: can a character use wild shape to acquire swarm traits?
First and foremost, we should settle whether or not a character can use wild shape to become a swarm. The RAI of it seems fairly settled with generic wild shape: wild shape lets you become a single creature, and swarms are, by the game's own admission, "dense masses of Fine, Diminutive, or Tiny creatures that would not be particularly dangerous in small groups, but can be terrible foes when gathered in sufficient numbers." However, the passage goes on to say:
For game purposes a swarm is defined as a single creature with a space of 10 feet—gigantic hordes are actually composed of dozens of swarms in close proximity. A swarm has a single pool of Hit Dice and hit points, a single initiative modifier, a single speed, and a single Armor Class. It makes saving throws as a single creature.
So for the purposes of the game, a swarm is a single large creature. Swarm is also a subtype, and there are absolutely animal swarms. An 8th level druid can turn into a large animal, so by RAW a rat or bat swarm should be a valid selection for the druid, right? Or, with Child of Winter (ECS) & Vermin Shape (ECS), a spider, centipede, or locust swarm?
Well, let's hold our swarms of miniature horses (KoK: Dangerous Denizens: The Monsters of Tellene). Apart from the RAI argument of whether a swarm should count as a single creature or not, there are other things that might imply a vanilla druid cannot do this. First and foremost: two other classes explicitly grant the ability to become swarms. The City-Shape Druid ACF (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a) changes a number of ways in which wild shape works:
The ability to transform into an animal is the hallmark of the druid, so much so that even many urban druids choose to retain it. Some, however, prefer the ability to blend and maneuver within the streets of the city, sacrificing size for a wider range of forms.
Class: Druid.
Level: 5th.
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain all the aspects of standard wild shape (except for the ability to wild shape into an elemental at high levels, which remains unchanged).
Benefit: At 5th level, the druid gains the ability to transform into an animal, as per the standard wild shape ability. She can do this once a day to start with, but the frequency of her wild shapes increases as per the standard druid advancement chart.
At 8th level, the druid does not gain the ability to transform into Large animals. Instead, she may transform into Small and Medium vermin, as well as animals.
At 11th level, the druid gains the ability to transform into Tiny animals and vermin.
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.
At 15th level, the druid does not gain the ability to transform into Huge animals. Instead, she gains the ability to transform into Large animals and vermin.
Special: The Natural Spell feat functions with city-shape just as it does standard wild shape.
At the 12th level, the City-Shape Druid gains the ability to transform into an animal or vermin-based swarm with no size restriction. If druids could do this normally, why would it be gated behind an ACF?
Of course, there were other changes to the ACF; notably, it enables the druid to wild shape into vermin. Perhaps the writers thought it would be thematic for the vermin-based ACF to achieve the ability to become a swarm four levels after the generic druid... The same argument can be made, however, based on the other source of wild shape-into-swarm: the Vermin Keeper (Underdark):
Vermin Form (Su): Beginning at 1st level, a vermin keeper can use his wild shape ability to assume a vermin form. Starting at 1st level, he can turn himself into any Small vermin. As he gains vermin keeper levels, the diversity of forms available to him increases. He can become a Tiny vermin at 2nd level, a Medium vermin at 4th level, a Diminutive vermin at 5th level, a Large vermin at 7th level, a Fine vermin at 8th level, and a Huge vermin at 9th level.
Swarm Form (Su): At 10th level, a vermin keeper can use his wild shape to assume the form of any vermin swarm (any swarm whose constituent creatures are of the vermin type).
If having the ability to wild shape into a large vermin form were sufficient to become a vermin swarm, then why would the Vermin Keeper's capstone ability allow it to do something it supposedly had already been able to do from level 7? I suppose there is technically a different functionality. If we willfully ignore the game definition of a swarm as a large creature, then the capstone should remove that size limitation (letting you become a swarm of NI size, where NI is equal to the size of the plane on which you currently reside). Setting aside that dysfunctional reading, it seems like at least some of the writers were convinced that wild shape wasn't capable of transforming creatures into swarms without specific text allowing you to do so.
I suppose that leads us to posit our first question:
1. In your opinion, can a character with the ability to wild shape into large animals and/or large vermin use that ability to wild shape into a swarm?
With that said, there are certainly at least two unassailable ways to use wild shape to become a swarm. That leaves us with an uncomfortable situation though: neither of these abilities, to my eye, confer swarm traits (i.e., the entire reason to be a swarm). Consider the text of wild shape:
Wild Shape (Su)
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.
Any gear worn or carried by the druid melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. When the druid reverts to her true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on her body that they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items worn in the assumed form fall off and land at the druid's feet.
The form chosen must be that of an animal the druid is familiar with.
A druid loses her ability to speak while in animal form because she is limited to the sounds that a normal, untrained animal can make, but she can communicate normally with other animals of the same general grouping as her new form. (The normal sound a wild parrot makes is a squawk, so changing to this form does not permit speech.)
A druid can use this ability more times per day at 6th, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level, as noted on Table: The Druid. In addition, she gains the ability to take the shape of a Large animal at 8th level, a Tiny animal at 11th level, and a Huge animal at 15th level.
The new form’s Hit Dice can’t exceed the character’s druid level.
At 12th level, a druid becomes able to use wild shape to change into a plant creature with the same size restrictions as for animal forms. (A druid can’t use this ability to take the form of a plant that isn’t a creature.)
At 16th level, a druid becomes able to use wild shape to change into a Small, Medium, or Large elemental (air, earth, fire, or water) once per day. These elemental forms are in addition to her normal wild shape usage. In addition to the normal effects of wild shape, the druid gains all the elemental’s extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities. She also gains the elemental’s feats for as long as she maintains the wild shape, but she retains her own creature type.
At 18th level, a druid becomes able to assume elemental form twice per day, and at 20th level she can do so three times per day. At 20th level, a druid may use this wild shape ability to change into a Huge elemental.
Wild shape lasts for 1 hour/druid level.
Using it requires you to have sufficient HD and familiarity to master the new form.
Using or ending wild shape is a standard action that does not provoke AOOs.
When you use it, your gear melds into your new form.
When you use it, your HP recovers as if you had rested for the night.
When you use it, you lose the ability to speak and gain the ability to communicate with creatures of your "grouping."
Apart from the above (for our purposes), it works as alternate form.
So we refer to Alternate Form...
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. This ability works much like the polymorph spell, except that the creature is limited to the forms specified, and does not regain any hit points for changing its form. 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.
The creature loses the natural weapons, natural armor, and movement modes of its original form, as well as any extraordinary special attacks of its original form not derived from class levels (such as the barbarian’s rage class feature) movement modes, and extraordinary special attacks of its original form.
The creature gains the natural weapons, natural armor, movement modes, and extraordinary special attacks of its new form.
The creature retains the special qualities of its original form. It does not gain any special qualities of its new form.
The creature retains the spell-like abilities and supernatural attacks of its old form (except for breath weapons and gaze attacks). It does not gain the spell-like abilities or supernatural attacks of its new form.
The creature gains the physical ability scores (Str, Dex, Con) of its new form. It retains the mental ability scores (Int, Wis, Cha) of its original form. Apply any changed physical ability score modifiers in all appropriate areas with one exception: the creature retains the hit points of its original form despite any change to its Constitution.
Except as described elsewhere, the creature retains all other game statistics of its original form, including (but not necessarily limited to) HD, hit points, skill ranks, feats, base attack bonus, and base save bonuses. The creature retains its hit points and save bonuses, although its save modifiers may change due to a change in ability scores.
The creature retains any spellcasting ability it had in its original form, although it must be able to speak intelligibly to cast spells with verbal components and it must have humanlike hands to cast spells with somatic components.
The creature is effectively camouflaged as a creature of its new form, and it gains a +10 bonus on Disguise checks if it uses this ability to create a disguise.
Any gear worn or carried by the creature that can’t be worn or carried in its new form instead falls to the ground in its space. If the creature changes size, any gear it wears or carries that can be worn or carried in its new form changes size to match the new size. (Nonhumanoid-shaped creatures can’t wear armor designed for humanoid-shaped creatures, and viceversa.) Gear returns to normal size if dropped.*
*This last part is in disagreement with Wild Shape, so is obviated.
Most notably for us:
The creature retains its type and subtype, and does not gain that of the form it is wild shaping into (with the exception of aquatic creatures' subtype).
The creature gains the extraordinary special attacks of the new form (e.g. disease, poison, wounding, distraction).
The creature retains the special qualities of its original form. It does not gain any special qualities of its new form.
Now, swarm traits are listed among the special qualities for swarms. If you don't gain the special qualities of your new form, and you don't gain the subtypes of your new form, it would stand to reason that you wouldn't gain swarm traits. However, in terms of in-game logic, it seems entirely ridiculous to me that you could become a swarming horde of creatures, yet not inherit any of the physical properties of being a swarm. I'd imagine an adventurer with a sword moving to make a normal weapon attack against a wild shaped rat swarm (which a normal swarm would be immune to) and just somehow managing to skewer dozens of the things into a makeshift shish kabob every time... Swarm traits seem like they really ought to have been made a natural ability, and yet they were designated as a special quality (which, as far as I'm aware, shoehorns them into being extraordinary, spell-like, or supernatural). This leads me to my second question:
2a. In your opinion, does a character who uses a game-legal method to wild shape into a swarm (such as, but not necessarily limited to, Vermin Keeper or City-Shape Druid) gain the swarm traits?
With that said, it's quite possible the RAW is just not on the side of the would-be wild-shapers. Fortunately for them, there are some means a character can use to circumvent the normal mechanics of wild shaping: Enhance Wild Shape (Spell Compendium), and Master of Many Forms (Complete Adventurer).
(Spell Compendium, p. 82)
Transmutation
Level: Druid 4,
Components: V, S,
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 hour/level
You call upon the primordial energies of nature to fill you with the raw power of nature. A feral feeling grows within you, seeking release.
This spell infuses your wild shape ability with magical energy, magnifying and enhancing its power. The type of enhancement must be chosen at the time the spell is cast and cannot be changed once the spell is in effect. The next time you activate your wild shape ability (during the duration of enhance wild shape), this spell enhances your new form in the way you selected. The enhancement to your wild shape remains as long as you stay in that form (or until the spell's duration expires) but does not apply to your next wild shape form. If you do not activate your wild shape ability during the duration of enhance wild shape, the spell has no effect.
You select one of the following enhancements when you cast this spell.
Assume the form of a plant with your next wild shape.
Gain the extraordinary abilities of the new form.
The new form assumed is stronger than normal and gains a +2 bonus to Strength.
The new form assumed is more agile than normal and gains a +2 bonus to Dexterity.
The new form assumed is healthier than normal and gains a +2 bonus to Constitution.
A druid can be affected by more than one enhance wild shape spell at a time, but a different wild shape enhancement must be chosen each time.
Extraordinary Wild Shape (Ex): Starting at 7th level, a master of many forms gains the extraordinary special qualities of any form she assumes with wild shape.
Both of these methods independently allow a wild shape-user to take on the extraordinary qualities of their wild shape form. Again, I feel like swarm traits should be natural abilities, yet they are listed under special qualities (suggesting they are ex), and they are gained by merit of a subtype, leaving things all kinds of confusing. This leads me to my third question:
2b. In your opinion, would either Extraordinary Wild Shape or Enhance Wild Shape allow a character to use wild shape to gain swarm traits?
Thank you so much for any thoughts or clarification you can offer!
Setting aside the possibility of using True Mind Switch on a hive mind or something similar, I wanted to revisit a question with the Playground: can a character use wild shape to acquire swarm traits?
First and foremost, we should settle whether or not a character can use wild shape to become a swarm. The RAI of it seems fairly settled with generic wild shape: wild shape lets you become a single creature, and swarms are, by the game's own admission, "dense masses of Fine, Diminutive, or Tiny creatures that would not be particularly dangerous in small groups, but can be terrible foes when gathered in sufficient numbers." However, the passage goes on to say:
For game purposes a swarm is defined as a single creature with a space of 10 feet—gigantic hordes are actually composed of dozens of swarms in close proximity. A swarm has a single pool of Hit Dice and hit points, a single initiative modifier, a single speed, and a single Armor Class. It makes saving throws as a single creature.
So for the purposes of the game, a swarm is a single large creature. Swarm is also a subtype, and there are absolutely animal swarms. An 8th level druid can turn into a large animal, so by RAW a rat or bat swarm should be a valid selection for the druid, right? Or, with Child of Winter (ECS) & Vermin Shape (ECS), a spider, centipede, or locust swarm?
Well, let's hold our swarms of miniature horses (KoK: Dangerous Denizens: The Monsters of Tellene). Apart from the RAI argument of whether a swarm should count as a single creature or not, there are other things that might imply a vanilla druid cannot do this. First and foremost: two other classes explicitly grant the ability to become swarms. The City-Shape Druid ACF (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a) changes a number of ways in which wild shape works:
The ability to transform into an animal is the hallmark of the druid, so much so that even many urban druids choose to retain it. Some, however, prefer the ability to blend and maneuver within the streets of the city, sacrificing size for a wider range of forms.
Class: Druid.
Level: 5th.
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain all the aspects of standard wild shape (except for the ability to wild shape into an elemental at high levels, which remains unchanged).
Benefit: At 5th level, the druid gains the ability to transform into an animal, as per the standard wild shape ability. She can do this once a day to start with, but the frequency of her wild shapes increases as per the standard druid advancement chart.
At 8th level, the druid does not gain the ability to transform into Large animals. Instead, she may transform into Small and Medium vermin, as well as animals.
At 11th level, the druid gains the ability to transform into Tiny animals and vermin.
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.
At 15th level, the druid does not gain the ability to transform into Huge animals. Instead, she gains the ability to transform into Large animals and vermin.
Special: The Natural Spell feat functions with city-shape just as it does standard wild shape.
At the 12th level, the City-Shape Druid gains the ability to transform into an animal or vermin-based swarm with no size restriction. If druids could do this normally, why would it be gated behind an ACF?
Of course, there were other changes to the ACF; notably, it enables the druid to wild shape into vermin. Perhaps the writers thought it would be thematic for the vermin-based ACF to achieve the ability to become a swarm four levels after the generic druid... The same argument can be made, however, based on the other source of wild shape-into-swarm: the Vermin Keeper (Underdark):
Vermin Form (Su): Beginning at 1st level, a vermin keeper can use his wild shape ability to assume a vermin form. Starting at 1st level, he can turn himself into any Small vermin. As he gains vermin keeper levels, the diversity of forms available to him increases. He can become a Tiny vermin at 2nd level, a Medium vermin at 4th level, a Diminutive vermin at 5th level, a Large vermin at 7th level, a Fine vermin at 8th level, and a Huge vermin at 9th level.
Swarm Form (Su): At 10th level, a vermin keeper can use his wild shape to assume the form of any vermin swarm (any swarm whose constituent creatures are of the vermin type).
If having the ability to wild shape into a large vermin form were sufficient to become a vermin swarm, then why would the Vermin Keeper's capstone ability allow it to do something it supposedly had already been able to do from level 7? I suppose there is technically a different functionality. If we willfully ignore the game definition of a swarm as a large creature, then the capstone should remove that size limitation (letting you become a swarm of NI size, where NI is equal to the size of the plane on which you currently reside). Setting aside that dysfunctional reading, it seems like at least some of the writers were convinced that wild shape wasn't capable of transforming creatures into swarms without specific text allowing you to do so.
I suppose that leads us to posit our first question:
1. In your opinion, can a character with the ability to wild shape into large animals and/or large vermin use that ability to wild shape into a swarm?
With that said, there are certainly at least two unassailable ways to use wild shape to become a swarm. That leaves us with an uncomfortable situation though: neither of these abilities, to my eye, confer swarm traits (i.e., the entire reason to be a swarm). Consider the text of wild shape:
Wild Shape (Su)
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.
Any gear worn or carried by the druid melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. When the druid reverts to her true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on her body that they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items worn in the assumed form fall off and land at the druid's feet.
The form chosen must be that of an animal the druid is familiar with.
A druid loses her ability to speak while in animal form because she is limited to the sounds that a normal, untrained animal can make, but she can communicate normally with other animals of the same general grouping as her new form. (The normal sound a wild parrot makes is a squawk, so changing to this form does not permit speech.)
A druid can use this ability more times per day at 6th, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level, as noted on Table: The Druid. In addition, she gains the ability to take the shape of a Large animal at 8th level, a Tiny animal at 11th level, and a Huge animal at 15th level.
The new form’s Hit Dice can’t exceed the character’s druid level.
At 12th level, a druid becomes able to use wild shape to change into a plant creature with the same size restrictions as for animal forms. (A druid can’t use this ability to take the form of a plant that isn’t a creature.)
At 16th level, a druid becomes able to use wild shape to change into a Small, Medium, or Large elemental (air, earth, fire, or water) once per day. These elemental forms are in addition to her normal wild shape usage. In addition to the normal effects of wild shape, the druid gains all the elemental’s extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities. She also gains the elemental’s feats for as long as she maintains the wild shape, but she retains her own creature type.
At 18th level, a druid becomes able to assume elemental form twice per day, and at 20th level she can do so three times per day. At 20th level, a druid may use this wild shape ability to change into a Huge elemental.
Wild shape lasts for 1 hour/druid level.
Using it requires you to have sufficient HD and familiarity to master the new form.
Using or ending wild shape is a standard action that does not provoke AOOs.
When you use it, your gear melds into your new form.
When you use it, your HP recovers as if you had rested for the night.
When you use it, you lose the ability to speak and gain the ability to communicate with creatures of your "grouping."
Apart from the above (for our purposes), it works as alternate form.
So we refer to Alternate Form...
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. This ability works much like the polymorph spell, except that the creature is limited to the forms specified, and does not regain any hit points for changing its form. 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.
The creature loses the natural weapons, natural armor, and movement modes of its original form, as well as any extraordinary special attacks of its original form not derived from class levels (such as the barbarian’s rage class feature) movement modes, and extraordinary special attacks of its original form.
The creature gains the natural weapons, natural armor, movement modes, and extraordinary special attacks of its new form.
The creature retains the special qualities of its original form. It does not gain any special qualities of its new form.
The creature retains the spell-like abilities and supernatural attacks of its old form (except for breath weapons and gaze attacks). It does not gain the spell-like abilities or supernatural attacks of its new form.
The creature gains the physical ability scores (Str, Dex, Con) of its new form. It retains the mental ability scores (Int, Wis, Cha) of its original form. Apply any changed physical ability score modifiers in all appropriate areas with one exception: the creature retains the hit points of its original form despite any change to its Constitution.
Except as described elsewhere, the creature retains all other game statistics of its original form, including (but not necessarily limited to) HD, hit points, skill ranks, feats, base attack bonus, and base save bonuses. The creature retains its hit points and save bonuses, although its save modifiers may change due to a change in ability scores.
The creature retains any spellcasting ability it had in its original form, although it must be able to speak intelligibly to cast spells with verbal components and it must have humanlike hands to cast spells with somatic components.
The creature is effectively camouflaged as a creature of its new form, and it gains a +10 bonus on Disguise checks if it uses this ability to create a disguise.
Any gear worn or carried by the creature that can’t be worn or carried in its new form instead falls to the ground in its space. If the creature changes size, any gear it wears or carries that can be worn or carried in its new form changes size to match the new size. (Nonhumanoid-shaped creatures can’t wear armor designed for humanoid-shaped creatures, and viceversa.) Gear returns to normal size if dropped.*
*This last part is in disagreement with Wild Shape, so is obviated.
Most notably for us:
The creature retains its type and subtype, and does not gain that of the form it is wild shaping into (with the exception of aquatic creatures' subtype).
The creature gains the extraordinary special attacks of the new form (e.g. disease, poison, wounding, distraction).
The creature retains the special qualities of its original form. It does not gain any special qualities of its new form.
Now, swarm traits are listed among the special qualities for swarms. If you don't gain the special qualities of your new form, and you don't gain the subtypes of your new form, it would stand to reason that you wouldn't gain swarm traits. However, in terms of in-game logic, it seems entirely ridiculous to me that you could become a swarming horde of creatures, yet not inherit any of the physical properties of being a swarm. I'd imagine an adventurer with a sword moving to make a normal weapon attack against a wild shaped rat swarm (which a normal swarm would be immune to) and just somehow managing to skewer dozens of the things into a makeshift shish kabob every time... Swarm traits seem like they really ought to have been made a natural ability, and yet they were designated as a special quality (which, as far as I'm aware, shoehorns them into being extraordinary, spell-like, or supernatural). This leads me to my second question:
2a. In your opinion, does a character who uses a game-legal method to wild shape into a swarm (such as, but not necessarily limited to, Vermin Keeper or City-Shape Druid) gain the swarm traits?
With that said, it's quite possible the RAW is just not on the side of the would-be wild-shapers. Fortunately for them, there are some means a character can use to circumvent the normal mechanics of wild shaping: Enhance Wild Shape (Spell Compendium), and Master of Many Forms (Complete Adventurer).
(Spell Compendium, p. 82)
Transmutation
Level: Druid 4,
Components: V, S,
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 hour/level
You call upon the primordial energies of nature to fill you with the raw power of nature. A feral feeling grows within you, seeking release.
This spell infuses your wild shape ability with magical energy, magnifying and enhancing its power. The type of enhancement must be chosen at the time the spell is cast and cannot be changed once the spell is in effect. The next time you activate your wild shape ability (during the duration of enhance wild shape), this spell enhances your new form in the way you selected. The enhancement to your wild shape remains as long as you stay in that form (or until the spell's duration expires) but does not apply to your next wild shape form. If you do not activate your wild shape ability during the duration of enhance wild shape, the spell has no effect.
You select one of the following enhancements when you cast this spell.
Assume the form of a plant with your next wild shape.
Gain the extraordinary abilities of the new form.
The new form assumed is stronger than normal and gains a +2 bonus to Strength.
The new form assumed is more agile than normal and gains a +2 bonus to Dexterity.
The new form assumed is healthier than normal and gains a +2 bonus to Constitution.
A druid can be affected by more than one enhance wild shape spell at a time, but a different wild shape enhancement must be chosen each time.
Extraordinary Wild Shape (Ex): Starting at 7th level, a master of many forms gains the extraordinary special qualities of any form she assumes with wild shape.
Both of these methods independently allow a wild shape-user to take on the extraordinary qualities of their wild shape form. Again, I feel like swarm traits should be natural abilities, yet they are listed under special qualities (suggesting they are ex), and they are gained by merit of a subtype, leaving things all kinds of confusing. This leads me to my third question:
2b. In your opinion, would either Extraordinary Wild Shape or Enhance Wild Shape allow a character to use wild shape to gain swarm traits?
Thank you so much for any thoughts or clarification you can offer!