demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
I've been reading the 1e Fiend Folio again. And I can't help but feel sorry for the C.I.F.A.L. (Colonial Insect-Form Artificial Life). Sure, it's a stupid, stupid monster, but the basic idea of a hivemind of insects banding from a swarm to a more corporeal form was a good one. So I gave it my own revisionist spin. Enjoy!
Cifal
A lump of reddish earth approaches you, sculpted by unknown force into a vaguely man-like shape. Its head is little more than a lump, its arms and legs skinny and ending in broad fists and feet. From within emanates a constant buzzing drone, and tiny metallic turquoise shapes writhe along its body.
Cifal CR 8
Usually N Medium Aberration
Init +3; Senses Listen +6, Spot +6, tremorsense 120 ft
Defense
AC 24, touch 9, flat-footed 24
(-1 Dex, +15 natural)
hp 75 (10d8+30); fast healing 2
Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +9
DR 10/bludgeoning
Defensive Abilities discorporate, vermin form; Immune critical hits, sneak attacks; Resist acid 10, electricity 10, fire 10; Vulnerability cold, vermin form
Offense
Spd 20ft
Melee 2 slams +15 (1d12+7 plus distraction)
Space 5ft; Reach 5ft
Special Attacks acid burst, command vermin, distracting attack
Tactics
Before Combat A cifal expecting trouble uses its command vermin ability to gather an army of chitinous minions, then hides.
During Combat Cifals prefer not to fight, but if pressed focus their attacks on spellcasters, especially ones that cast cold spells. They direct their commanded vermin to flank and aid their attacks. If surrounded, they use their acid burst.
Morale If a cifal is reduced to less than 20 hit points, it will discorporate, hoping to escape and build a new body.
Statistics
Str 24, Dex 9, Con 17, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 14
Feats Endurance, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (slam)
Skills Hide +0*, Listen +6, Spot +6, Survival +6
Languages Cifal-tongue
SQ discorporate, hivemind, locate cifal swarm
Ecology
Environment Warm plains and deserts
Organization Solitary, retinue (1 plus 40 HD of vermin) or super-colony (1-6 plus 40 HD of vermin per cifal)
Treasure No coins, double goods (gems only), no items
Advancement 11-15 HD (Medium), 16-25 HD (Large), 26-28 HD (Huge), 29-30 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment—
Special Abilities
Acid Burst (Ex) Once per hour, a cifal may create a 10 foot radius burst of acid centered on itself. Reflex DC 18 half, 5d8 acid damage. The save DC is Constitution based.
Command Vermin (Su) A cifal can command vermin as an evil cleric rebukes or commands the undead, except that any vermin rebuked are instead commanded. A cifal can control four times its Hit Dice worth of vermin at any one time (or 40 HD for the average specimen).
Discorporate (Ex) As a full-round action, a cifal can allow its insects to escape, freeing five cifal swarms (q.v.) in adjacent squares and leaving behind a man-shaped lump of earth. If all five cifal swarms are adjacent to an empty cifal shell, they can animate it as a full round action. If a cifal without a hivemind cannot discorporate.
Distracting Attack (Ex) A cifal bombards its opponents with dozens of biting insects on every slam attack. A creature hit by a cifal’s slam attack must succeed a DC 18 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. Regardless of the success of this save, anyone attempting to cast a spell within 1 round of being hit by a cifal’s slam attack must succeed a Concentration check (DC 10 + spell level) or lose the spell. The save DC is Constitution based.
Hivemind (Ex) Any cifal with at least 1 hit point per Hit Die (or 10 hit points, for a standard cifal) forms a hive mind, giving it an Intelligence of 6. When a cifal is reduced below this hit point threshold, it becomes mindless, losing its access to feats, skills and the command vermin, discorporate and locate cifal swarm abilities.
Locate Cifal Swarm (Su) A cifal always knows the location of any cifal swarm within 1 mile.
Vermin Body (Ex) Due to the vermin composing a cifal, certain spells affect them differently. A giant vermin spell causes a cifal to increase by one size category (see MM for rules on increasing size). A repel vermin spell deals 1d8 points of damage per caster level to the cifal (no save) and prevents the use of its fast healing ability while it remains in the area. In addition, the compacted earth comprising a cifal’s body is treated as ceramic for the purposes of the shatter spell.
Skills A cifal gains a +8 bonus to any Hide checks made in warm plains or desert terrain.
Cifal Swarm
A glittering torrent of metallic turquoise insects takes flight.
Cifal Swarm CR 2
Usually N Diminutive Aberration
Init +7; Senses Listen +4, Spot +4
Defense
AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 14
(+4 size, +3 Dex)
hp 11 (2d8+2)
Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +5
Defensive Abilities immune to weapon damage, swarm traits
Vulnerable cold, swarm traits, vermin form
Offense
Spd 20ft, fly 50ft (good)
Melee swarm (1d6)
Space 10ft; Reach 0ft
Special Attacks command vermin, distraction
Tactics
Before Combat Cifal swarms flee from most humanoids
During Combat Cifal swarms engulf and devour opposition, using commanded vermin as distractions.
Morale A cifal swarm flees from any serious offense.
Statistics
Str 1, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 14
Feats Improved Initiative
Skills Listen +4, Spot +4, Survival +3
Languages Cifal-tongue
SQ create cifal shell, hivemind, locate cifal swarm
Ecology
Environment Warm plains and desert
Organization Solitary, retinue (1 plus 8 HD of vermin) or construction team (5-8 plus 8 HD of vermin per cifal)
Treasure No coins, double goods (gems only), no items
Advancement—
Level Adjustment—
Command Vermin (Su) As a cifal, except a cifal swarm can only control 8 HD of vermin at a time.
Distraction (Ex) Any living creature that begins its turn with a cifal swarm in its square must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Hivemind (Ex) As a cifal, except a cifal swarm maintains its mind until reduced to 4 hit points.
Locate Cifal Swarm (Su) As a cifal.
Vermin Body (Ex) As a cifal.
Strange conglomerate organisms created by the cooperative action of multiple sentient swarms, the creatures known as cifals are in fact mounds of earth with a strong affinity for vermin. A cifal stands approximately 6 feet tall and is nearly as wide, and weighs several tons. Each individual insect in a cifal swarm resembles a large termite, about ½ inch long.
Ecology
Cifals are peaceful shepherds of the desert, trundling along the parched earth and gathering to them vermin of all sizes and shapes. Larger vermin are commanded by some magical compulsion and serve the cifals are guards and a constant supply of food—the carnivorous individuals compromising a cifal evacuate their shell to feed on magically docile vermin. Smaller vermin are not even consciously compelled by the cifal. Wherever a cifal treads, mundane vermin are drawn to it and climb into its shell, willfully giving their lives to repair the shell’s damage and sustain the colonial organisms inside.
Cifals are innocuous towards most vertebrate life, although large desert predators such as dragons attack them for sport or food. They collect gems, admiring their shine, which often brings them into conflict with adventurers. Adventurers may also come into conflict with cifals through their flocks. Hungry vermin controlled by the cifals are not likely to differentiate between adventurers and other sources of protein, and cifals do not take lightly to their retinues being attacked.
Cifal swarms, on the other hand, are closer to the bottom of the food chain. They maintain small herds of monstrous vermin, but they and their flocks both are more vulnerable to the depredations of dragons, adventurers, and mundane insectivores. As such, cifal swarms seek to band together whenever possible to build themselves a cifal.
Habitat and Society
Cifal swarms are composed of about ten thousand individuals possessing a single consciousness. Unlike mundane termites, there is no dominant individual in a cifal swarm—all individuals are equal, and cooperate with each other willingly. These swarms sometimes live separately, but prefer to band together in groups of five swarms to build themselves a shell for defense and to amplify their ability to control vermin. Cifals, in swarm form or within their shells, can communicate with each other in their own buzzing language. Cifals must be careful, for their intelligence is dependant upon the health of the colony. If it takes too much damage, a cifal is rendered a mindless brute. Because of this weakness, cifal swarms do not have any compunction with flight, abandoning a cifal, escaping in their individual swarms, then reconvening at a later time to build a new shell to animate.
This cooperative spirit extends beyond an individual cifal shell. A lone cifal swarm will be “adopted” by a cifal, and when the component creatures of their swarms reproduce, a new cifal shell will be built to house the newcomers and their offspring. Multiple cifal colonies will band together in a super-colony, herding ever-larger groups of vermin. A cifal super-colony may even collaborate to build ever-larger cifal shells to harbor themselves and their offspring.
Cifal
A lump of reddish earth approaches you, sculpted by unknown force into a vaguely man-like shape. Its head is little more than a lump, its arms and legs skinny and ending in broad fists and feet. From within emanates a constant buzzing drone, and tiny metallic turquoise shapes writhe along its body.
Cifal CR 8
Usually N Medium Aberration
Init +3; Senses Listen +6, Spot +6, tremorsense 120 ft
Defense
AC 24, touch 9, flat-footed 24
(-1 Dex, +15 natural)
hp 75 (10d8+30); fast healing 2
Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +9
DR 10/bludgeoning
Defensive Abilities discorporate, vermin form; Immune critical hits, sneak attacks; Resist acid 10, electricity 10, fire 10; Vulnerability cold, vermin form
Offense
Spd 20ft
Melee 2 slams +15 (1d12+7 plus distraction)
Space 5ft; Reach 5ft
Special Attacks acid burst, command vermin, distracting attack
Tactics
Before Combat A cifal expecting trouble uses its command vermin ability to gather an army of chitinous minions, then hides.
During Combat Cifals prefer not to fight, but if pressed focus their attacks on spellcasters, especially ones that cast cold spells. They direct their commanded vermin to flank and aid their attacks. If surrounded, they use their acid burst.
Morale If a cifal is reduced to less than 20 hit points, it will discorporate, hoping to escape and build a new body.
Statistics
Str 24, Dex 9, Con 17, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 14
Feats Endurance, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (slam)
Skills Hide +0*, Listen +6, Spot +6, Survival +6
Languages Cifal-tongue
SQ discorporate, hivemind, locate cifal swarm
Ecology
Environment Warm plains and deserts
Organization Solitary, retinue (1 plus 40 HD of vermin) or super-colony (1-6 plus 40 HD of vermin per cifal)
Treasure No coins, double goods (gems only), no items
Advancement 11-15 HD (Medium), 16-25 HD (Large), 26-28 HD (Huge), 29-30 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment—
Special Abilities
Acid Burst (Ex) Once per hour, a cifal may create a 10 foot radius burst of acid centered on itself. Reflex DC 18 half, 5d8 acid damage. The save DC is Constitution based.
Command Vermin (Su) A cifal can command vermin as an evil cleric rebukes or commands the undead, except that any vermin rebuked are instead commanded. A cifal can control four times its Hit Dice worth of vermin at any one time (or 40 HD for the average specimen).
Discorporate (Ex) As a full-round action, a cifal can allow its insects to escape, freeing five cifal swarms (q.v.) in adjacent squares and leaving behind a man-shaped lump of earth. If all five cifal swarms are adjacent to an empty cifal shell, they can animate it as a full round action. If a cifal without a hivemind cannot discorporate.
Distracting Attack (Ex) A cifal bombards its opponents with dozens of biting insects on every slam attack. A creature hit by a cifal’s slam attack must succeed a DC 18 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. Regardless of the success of this save, anyone attempting to cast a spell within 1 round of being hit by a cifal’s slam attack must succeed a Concentration check (DC 10 + spell level) or lose the spell. The save DC is Constitution based.
Hivemind (Ex) Any cifal with at least 1 hit point per Hit Die (or 10 hit points, for a standard cifal) forms a hive mind, giving it an Intelligence of 6. When a cifal is reduced below this hit point threshold, it becomes mindless, losing its access to feats, skills and the command vermin, discorporate and locate cifal swarm abilities.
Locate Cifal Swarm (Su) A cifal always knows the location of any cifal swarm within 1 mile.
Vermin Body (Ex) Due to the vermin composing a cifal, certain spells affect them differently. A giant vermin spell causes a cifal to increase by one size category (see MM for rules on increasing size). A repel vermin spell deals 1d8 points of damage per caster level to the cifal (no save) and prevents the use of its fast healing ability while it remains in the area. In addition, the compacted earth comprising a cifal’s body is treated as ceramic for the purposes of the shatter spell.
Skills A cifal gains a +8 bonus to any Hide checks made in warm plains or desert terrain.
Cifal Swarm
A glittering torrent of metallic turquoise insects takes flight.
Cifal Swarm CR 2
Usually N Diminutive Aberration
Init +7; Senses Listen +4, Spot +4
Defense
AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 14
(+4 size, +3 Dex)
hp 11 (2d8+2)
Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +5
Defensive Abilities immune to weapon damage, swarm traits
Vulnerable cold, swarm traits, vermin form
Offense
Spd 20ft, fly 50ft (good)
Melee swarm (1d6)
Space 10ft; Reach 0ft
Special Attacks command vermin, distraction
Tactics
Before Combat Cifal swarms flee from most humanoids
During Combat Cifal swarms engulf and devour opposition, using commanded vermin as distractions.
Morale A cifal swarm flees from any serious offense.
Statistics
Str 1, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 14
Feats Improved Initiative
Skills Listen +4, Spot +4, Survival +3
Languages Cifal-tongue
SQ create cifal shell, hivemind, locate cifal swarm
Ecology
Environment Warm plains and desert
Organization Solitary, retinue (1 plus 8 HD of vermin) or construction team (5-8 plus 8 HD of vermin per cifal)
Treasure No coins, double goods (gems only), no items
Advancement—
Level Adjustment—
Command Vermin (Su) As a cifal, except a cifal swarm can only control 8 HD of vermin at a time.
Distraction (Ex) Any living creature that begins its turn with a cifal swarm in its square must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Hivemind (Ex) As a cifal, except a cifal swarm maintains its mind until reduced to 4 hit points.
Locate Cifal Swarm (Su) As a cifal.
Vermin Body (Ex) As a cifal.
Strange conglomerate organisms created by the cooperative action of multiple sentient swarms, the creatures known as cifals are in fact mounds of earth with a strong affinity for vermin. A cifal stands approximately 6 feet tall and is nearly as wide, and weighs several tons. Each individual insect in a cifal swarm resembles a large termite, about ½ inch long.
Ecology
Cifals are peaceful shepherds of the desert, trundling along the parched earth and gathering to them vermin of all sizes and shapes. Larger vermin are commanded by some magical compulsion and serve the cifals are guards and a constant supply of food—the carnivorous individuals compromising a cifal evacuate their shell to feed on magically docile vermin. Smaller vermin are not even consciously compelled by the cifal. Wherever a cifal treads, mundane vermin are drawn to it and climb into its shell, willfully giving their lives to repair the shell’s damage and sustain the colonial organisms inside.
Cifals are innocuous towards most vertebrate life, although large desert predators such as dragons attack them for sport or food. They collect gems, admiring their shine, which often brings them into conflict with adventurers. Adventurers may also come into conflict with cifals through their flocks. Hungry vermin controlled by the cifals are not likely to differentiate between adventurers and other sources of protein, and cifals do not take lightly to their retinues being attacked.
Cifal swarms, on the other hand, are closer to the bottom of the food chain. They maintain small herds of monstrous vermin, but they and their flocks both are more vulnerable to the depredations of dragons, adventurers, and mundane insectivores. As such, cifal swarms seek to band together whenever possible to build themselves a cifal.
Habitat and Society
Cifal swarms are composed of about ten thousand individuals possessing a single consciousness. Unlike mundane termites, there is no dominant individual in a cifal swarm—all individuals are equal, and cooperate with each other willingly. These swarms sometimes live separately, but prefer to band together in groups of five swarms to build themselves a shell for defense and to amplify their ability to control vermin. Cifals, in swarm form or within their shells, can communicate with each other in their own buzzing language. Cifals must be careful, for their intelligence is dependant upon the health of the colony. If it takes too much damage, a cifal is rendered a mindless brute. Because of this weakness, cifal swarms do not have any compunction with flight, abandoning a cifal, escaping in their individual swarms, then reconvening at a later time to build a new shell to animate.
This cooperative spirit extends beyond an individual cifal shell. A lone cifal swarm will be “adopted” by a cifal, and when the component creatures of their swarms reproduce, a new cifal shell will be built to house the newcomers and their offspring. Multiple cifal colonies will band together in a super-colony, herding ever-larger groups of vermin. A cifal super-colony may even collaborate to build ever-larger cifal shells to harbor themselves and their offspring.
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