Stats for a Butterfly?

[KerlanRayne]

How about this:

Distracting (Ex): Whenever an attack is made from a space the swarm occupies, the target is considered to have concealment.

KerlanRayne

 

[Schayde]

The latest Dragon Magazine has an article about having a Swarm as a Familiar (requiring the Improved Familiar feat).

It does warn the DM's that allow this, however, of the problems allowing a Swarm as a Familiar.

 

[IamTheTest]

Thanks for all the input guys. Its good to know that my idea isnt too farfetched or even bad. I will be sure to post our final solution. Any more ideas are greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Perun]

BUTTERFLY SWARM
Diminutive Vermin (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 2d8–2 (7 hp)

I'd make it 1 HD (1d8-1) Fine Vermin (Swarm). Fine is 0 to 6 inches in body length, and I don't think there are any butterflies larger than that. Besides, butterflies are incredibly fragile, and I think 2 HD is too much, even for a swarm.

However, I'd be really careful with swarm familiars, not because they might be unbalancing, but because swarms take +50% damage from area effects. This, combined with the generally low wizard/sorcerer's hit points (and familiars get only one-half of that) means they're quite likely to die.

A 10th-level wizard with Con 18 has an average of 66 hp (min. 53, max. 80), which means his familiar will have an 33 hp (min. 26, max. 40). A fireball cast at 10th level deals 10 to 60 points of damage (avg. 35), half than on a successful save. That means 15 to 90 (avg. 52, half on a successful save).

That's pretty harsh, IMO.

 

[Snowy]

If you have a look on the wotc coast website in retired articles theyve got one on vermin druids where they talk about having swarms as animal companions and the relevant levels that you can get them (as well as having rules for scorpions and other cool vermin as an animal companion as well). They've also got a bit that suggests ways of dealing with the fact that they have no intelligence score and how you manage them without expanding handle animal to do vermin as well. All about empathic links and stuff.


(when my party eventually gets to the desert they're gonna have some issues with the barbarian/druid desert orc tribes that tame and ride desert scorpions, it just conjures up all the right pictures in my head for how i want it to be!)

 

[cmanos]

Druid casts Enlarge Vermin.

MOTHRA

"Give us back our egg!"

 

[punkorange]

I think the idea of a butterfly swarm familiar is unique, interesting, and pretty darn cool. I might give it to an npc

 

[IcyCool]

www.planewalker.com has an entry on a Modron druid who has a swarm of spire butterflies as an animal companion. I don't remeber if it gives stats though.

 

[UltimaGabe]

However, I'd be really careful with swarm familiars, not because they might be unbalancing, but because swarms take +50% damage from area effects. This, combined with the generally low wizard/sorcerer's hit points (and familiars get only one-half of that) means they're quite likely to die.

A 10th-level wizard with Con 18 has an average of 66 hp (min. 53, max. 80), which means his familiar will have an 33 hp (min. 26, max. 40). A fireball cast at 10th level deals 10 to 60 points of damage (avg. 35), half than on a successful save. That means 15 to 90 (avg. 52, half on a successful save).

That's very true, and is one reason a lot of people see their familiars killed early on. However, one very important point you're missing is that all Familiars and Animal Companions (well, Animal Companions do in 3.5, they didn't in 3e) have Improved Evasion. So even on a failed save, they're taking half damage (or, rather, 3/4 damage, since it's +50%), and on a successful save they take no damage.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

I don't have the whole stats for a butterfly ready, only some of the salient points:

SA: Chaos Theory (Ex): By beating its wings, a butterfly can create a heavy storm, as the storm of vengeance spell, except that the range is global. They use this as defense against predators and just to annoy people.

There you go