Is there a time-limit to posting or something? I just lost a complete post I had typed up *sigh*. [NB Nope, I just can't seem to post stuff through normal means. This is a quick reply, hope that works]
Personally I don't think the swarms as discussed above are to strong. There are lots of things you could do to make it all work out:
- Give them low HD, just like any low-level druid animal companion. 1HD might suffice;
- Any area spell is enough to scatter your 1HD swarm, things like Gust of Wind, Burning Hands or Sound Burst. Possibly even swinging a torch wildly would work;
- You could rule that deflection bonuses to AC negate the swarms automatic hits. Look at spells like Mage Armor and Shield of Faith;
Lots of other stuff you can come up with and it even adds to that special flavour that you're looking for. Just make sure you don't nerf the stuff that's actually cool about this swarm companion.
ARandomGod:
That's not my PrC, I would definitely do it differently, although for a PrC the ritual is a very nice touch. The evil alignment is something that really doesn't suit my tastes, but then again, I often have trouble with this black-white distinction (unless you intentionally use it to create a specific effect which can sometimes work really well. E.g. even though the 3.5 paladin is often thought of as a relatively weak class they still get played very often). Some ideas:
A regular druid, but one without any qualms about humanity. This one would aim to free nature from the curse of civilisation by destroying it. It just isn't evil per sé. Imagine a druid with a (swarm of) rats, possibly spreading a plague in a city. A locust swarm destroying a remote village's crops. Overly aggressive (and possibly enlarged) fauna attacking villagers in broad daylight. Immensely accelerated growth of plants destroying a lumberjack outpost. You name it.
- A swarm or other vermin companion as above;
- venom immunity possibly switched with a lower level class ability. Disease immunity might be useful too;
- wild shape into vermin (like giants wasps) instead of the normal wild shape abilities;
- some spell effects might be changed to reflect the casters' affinity with vermin, the easiest example ofcourse being summon nature's ally. Other examples might be blindness/deafness (smothering by insects, but this might also be a companion ability);
- some specific new vermin spells, for example "scorpion sting" like the level three spell "poison" but lower level and less powerful. A mass distraction spell, called "Noise" or some
thing, consisting of the noise a huge insect swarm makes;
- Another nice one might be including "fear" and possibly "darkness" (although this is another possible high-level swarm power for anybody who's ever seen a locust swarm). Clearly the druid should lose some spells too, if you're gone give it things from other lists;
Any ideas?
