9th Level Cleric access to Intensified Meteor Swarm?!

['o Skoteinos]

I was preparing an evil Cleric with the Dark Speech feat from BoVD and wondered how I could use the Dark Unity part of that feat. So, I turn to Insect Plague, the 5th level Cleric spell which summons a locust swarm / 3 levels.

According to MM 3.5 a locust swarm consists of 5000 locusts. Using the Dark Unity part of the Dark Speech feat to form a Hivemind, I get a swarm with 107 Intelligence, 94 Charisma and 87 Sorcerer levels.

Since the Insect Plague takes one round to cast, it comes into effect just before your initiative, so no enemy has a chance to destroy it. Then, in your turn, you use Dark Unity (which seems to be a standard action; the only one with a full-round action is mentioned specifically) and then the Hiveminded swarm acts. There is no way an enemy can prevent you from forming the Hivemind... Caster level 87th, 280 feats, and 280 skill points, there's virtually no limit on the amount of sick things you can do with it...

At least, that's what I think. First question is of course: is there anything I've missed? Second: obviously this is grossly overpowered, is there any way, with regards to the 3.5 swarm rules, to keep this within reasonable limits? Perhaps require 500 creatures, instead of 50, to gain a point of intelligence after 10th? Of course, if you somehow manage to summon a swarm consisting of Tiny creatures, you still get insane results (since there are 10000 creatures in such a swarm).

 

[argo]

[QUOTE='o Skoteinos]At least, that's what I think. First question is of course: is there anything I've missed?
[/QUOTE]
The most obvious thing of all. Ask yourself, if you were a hivemind swarm with a 107 Int, 94 Cha and 87 caster levels (and presumably of an Evil alingment since you were made with a vile feat) what in the nine hells could possibly persuade you to do the bidding of/concern yourself with the wishes of a 5th level cleric?

This is one of those situations where the over-eager aprentice calls forth something he can't control and probably gets eaten for his trouble (if he's lucky). Like calling up a Pit Fiend or something without checking you summoning circle for holes first.

Hope that helps.

 

['o Skoteinos]

Yeah, except they take 1 command from the user of the Dark Unity ability. After that, you could just toss a Flamestrike on it (21 hp = quickly gone).

 

[Saeviomagy]

[QUOTE='o Skoteinos]Yeah, except they take 1 command from the user of the Dark Unity ability. After that, you could just toss a Flamestrike on it (21 hp = quickly gone).[/QUOTE]

Although it would be possible for them to twist your wishes and kill you while executing the command.

Awesome ability though.

 

[Taloras]

Nasty, nasty nasty....but oh so nice to throw against a world....

 

[Cheiromancer]

Dark Unity: The words of the Dark Speech can create a hivemind. Up to one hundred vermin or animals (none of which can have more than 1 HD) form an evil hivemind, as described in the Hivemind section below....

Emphasis added.

A 100 member hivemind will have an intelligence of 7. No intelligence bonus, so no feats or skill points. Certainly no sorcerer levels.

 

[rangerjohn]

Well it just went from all powerful, to useless. Unless theres something else about the property, that hasn't been mentioned.