Wasp Swarm as an animal companion

[Nareau]

I'm getting ready to play a 1st level druid, and I'd like to have a swarm of wasps as my animal companion. These stats are heavily based on the spider swarm. If you were a DM, would you allow this? What problems do you foresee (besides the fact that the swarm will only know 1 trick)?

The Scratch
WASP SWARM
Diminutive Vermin (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 2d8 (9 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 10 ft. (4 squares), fly 30 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (+4 size, +3 Dex), touch 17, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/—
Attack: Swarm (1d6 plus poison)
Full Attack: Swarm (1d6 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction, poison
Special Qualities: Immune to weapon damage, swarm traits, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +0
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 17, Con 10, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: Climb +11, Perceive +4, Sneak +7
Challenge Rating: 1
Alignment: Neutral

Combat
A wasp swarm seeks to surround and attack any living prey it encounters. A swarm deals 1d6 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a wasp swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 11 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 11, initial and secondary damage 1d3 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Skills: A wasp swarm has a +4 racial bonus on Sneak checks and a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. It uses its Dexterity modifier instead of its Strength modifier for Climb checks. It can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.

 

[Goolpsy]

its worth more than challenge rating 1...

it got poison, distraction, the apparently free damage dealing, immune to weapons and all the cool vermin and swarm traits, Its AC is fairly good for a CR 1 monster too...

i'dd make it a challenge rating 2 or even 3..

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Problems..

Using the RAW...

The companion must be of Animal type and is too small for a low level druid.

From the player POV...
Only one trick
What do you feed it?
Where do you leave it when you go into town?
How many cure poisen spells will you need for the party?
{the damage is if they occupy the same square, no attack roll needed... leads to 'Druid, get theses Damn wasps off of me! }


And.. the CR is a little low. I thought I saw a wasp swarm published somewhere, perhpas in Wildscape.. but I am away from my books for the week.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

A wasp swarm would be cool but you need to up the CR.

 

[Snowy]

check out the wizards of the coast website there a set of rules for vermin druids there, not sure where, think its in retired articles now.

very cool concept, very flavourful, and they include a wildshape to insects bit as well.

 

[Snowy]

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20040705a

theres the link to the article its got the druid level for various insects and swarms and the progression for the bonus' as you level up. You got me thinking about my idea for a druid with a riding scorpion and mounted combat

 

[Weenog]

Cool, my character has one to, One of his hands is practically useless though seeing as it serves as a nest for the insects. (can't hold any items in that hand, The Dm may chose to give penalty's on tasks that require two hands, also...swimming might not be a good idea (anyone seen Ninja Scroll ).

But it does allows him to make a touch attack at close range that deals the 1d6 plus Poison damage the wasps deal)

Also...being telepathicly bond into some sort of hive mind with the wasps
The druid choses where they go, so they don't attack other players and the like, this would simply be well... annoying.

These are the stats i use, they are similar, only slight differences.

WASP SWARM
Diminutive Vermin (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 2d8 (9 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 5 ft. (1 Squares) fly 40 ft. <----(Should be similar to that of hellwasps. They should definatly be faster then Locust while in the air. and be be realy slow on the ground)
Armor Class: 18 (+4 size, +4 Dex), touch 17, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/—
Attack: Swarm (1d6 plus poison)
Full Attack: Swarm (1d6 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction, poison
Special Qualitiesarkvision 60ft. Immune to weapon damage, swarm traits, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +0
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 18, Con 10, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: Climb +12, Listen +4, Spot+4, Hide+16, Move Silently+4
Challenge Rating: 2
Alignment: Neutral

Combat
A swarm deals 1d6 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a wasp swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 11 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 11, initial and secondary damage 1d3 Dex. The save DC is Constitution-based. (Should damage dexterity, similar to the poison of a giant wasp in the monster manual)

Skills: A wasp swarm has a +12 size bonus on Hide checks and a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. It uses its Dexterity modifier instead of its Strength modifier for Climb checks. It can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.[/QUOTE]

 

[DarkelvenSFi]

A bit much..

As a DM, I wouldn't allow it. Especially not for a level 1 character. Something like this would be allowed as a spell for a higher level character that had a selected number of rounds of operation. But as a constant effect, it's too powerful. The damage, distraction, resultant inability to cast spells, poison, and restraints in attacking them are too much.

You could quite happily hide somewhere and let your swarm attack a hoard of low level goblins and rack up your exp..

One thing missing from your explanation is how much space they occupy; I've assumed it's a 5ft square. [edit; you did specify this 10ft square = dealing damage to 4 creatures a round; 4d6 damage for a level 1 character.. none I know of can do that]

But this is the main reason I wouldn't have the companion(s); It would be very easy to destroy them. Any area of effect damaging spell would kill them. A fireball doesn't deal (eg) 6d6 damage to the 1 creature, it deals 6d6 damage to each creature in the effect (all 200 of them).

Then you're left wanting to spread them out, and to use them as scouts over wide areas. If part of the swarm dies, contingencies have to be made for how much damage they then deal with reduced numbers, how quickly they regenerate (provided there is a queen).

Not to mention you being able to use touch spells and similar through the companion; which always hit.

A great idea in theory, but in practice, it's going to be a nightmare.


An option you have to counter these problems is to have a hive queen as your companion. Over time you can have the queen build up a number of workers who can fly off to fight, but die from stress/fatigue after X many attacks. This way, you can keep the best parts of your companion without making the system skew in your favour. The damage dealt and number of attacks you get before needing them to rest can also increase over the life of your character.

Hope this helps.

 

[Celebrim]

Well, I wouldn't allow druids at all, but...

Assuming I was fine with the concept of a druid, having a swarm as an animal companion is very cool, very flavorful, and quite interesting.

But its also completely overpowered for a first level character, and it represents a potentially significant upgrade in power.

The biggest problems here is 'Immunity to Weapon Damage'. This gives you virtual immunity to all low CR monsters. At low levels, the animal companion is nearly invincible.

I would allow it, but require two feats.

'Vermin Friend', to let you have a vermin as your animal companion. This would not represent a significant upgrade in power, and so would probably come with some other bonus, like for example the ability to treat vermin as animals for any power that specifically referenced 'animals'. So you could use 'animal handling' on vermin, and cast 'animal messenger' on a tiny vermin. The only prerequisite would be 'Aminal Companion'.

'Swarm Companion', to let you take a swarm as an animal companion. This represents a pretty big boost in power at low levels, but much less so at high levels. I think it stands faily well on its own, although perhaps it would come to a save bonus to avoid being nausaeted within a swarm as well (to make up for some of the power drop off at higher levels). The prerequisites would be animal companion and the ability to cast 'summon swarm'. This would mean that 3rd level would normally be the first time you could take a swarm as animal companion, which would reduce the abusiability of this at low levels of play.

 

[Drowbane]

Without significant nerfage, I would mark this "animal companion" as on the -4 list. Its badass, but its nothing compared to say... a Fleshraker (arguably the best of the expanded -4 list).

I immediately thought of Ninja Scroll when I saw the thread subject.