Beastmasters all bond with creatures, this much is true. While most focus on the large and wondrous creatures, there are a select few who, through choice or circumstance, to bond with a swarm of miniscule creatures and share skills, and eventually minds and bodies with them.
Swarmlord is an archetype of Beastmaster
Circumstance (Ex)
At 1st level, the Swarmlord makes a choice between the four options listed below. Each choice determines what swarm the Swarmlord makes use of, as well as other features.
All swarms at first level share the following stat block. Unlike normal swarms, the Swarm takes normal damage and healing from single target effects. Swarms do not harm allies of the Swarmlord until explicitly commanded.
Swarm:
Size: Tiny
Str: 1 Dex: 15 Con: 10 Int: 2 Wis: 14 Cha: 6
Good Fort, Will, Medium Reflex (+2 Fort, +2 Will, +1 Reflex)
Speed - varies based on selection
Space - 10 feet
Swarm: 1d6 + Distraction
Distraction: A creature with this ability can nauseate the creatures that it damages. Any living creature that takes damage from a creature with the distraction ability is nauseated for 1 round; a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 creature’s HD + creature’s Con modifier) negates the effect.
Swarms gain feats and ability score increases in the same way as an animal companion, but do not gain tricks. The Swarm takes their turn on the same turn as the Swarmlord, and the pair share a mental link, granting them the ability to communicate on an instinctual level. The swarm cannot go more than 100 feet from the Swarmlord before the link is severed and the swarm panics, attacking the nearest target.
Swarm damage increases by 1d6 on each odd level of Swarmlord (2d6 at 3rd, 3d6 at 5th and so on).
Murder:
The Swarmlord gains control of a murder of crows. The stat block for the swarm at 1st level is adjusted as follows
Eye-Rake (Ex)
At 1st level, Any living creature damaged by a murder of crows must succeed on a DC 10 + ¼ Beastmaster Level + Swarm’s Con Mod Reflex save or be blinded as the swarm scratches and tears at the victim’s eyes. The blindness lasts for 1d4 rounds. This applies to the murder of crow’s Swarm damage
Speed: 5 feet, fly 40 feet (average)
Horror:
The Swarmlord gains control of a carpet of spiders. The stat block for the swarm at 1st level is adjusted as follows
Poison (Ex)
Swarm—injury; save Fort DC 10 + ¼ Beastmaster level + Swarm Con Mod; frequency 1/round for 2 rounds; effect 1d4 damage per die of swarm damage; cure 1 save. Saving renders the target immune for 1 hour.
Speed: 20 feet, climb 30 feet
Decay:
The Swarmlord gains control to a cloud of botflies. The stat block for the swarm at 1st level is adjusted as follows
Decay Zombie (Ex)
At 1st level, if the swarm’s damage kills a living creature, the cloud of botflies can possess the creature for 1 round per odd levels of Swarmlord (2 rounds at 3rd level). The Botflies cannot use any supernatural, spell-like abilities or class features, but can use any of the creature’s movement, natural attacks and EX racial abilities. If a creature does not have a natural attack, it gains a 1d4 slam attack, regardless of size.
Speed: 5 feet, fly 40 feet (average)
Beauty
The swarmlord gains control of a hive of butterflies. The stat block for the swarm at 1st level is adjusted as follows. Any mental condition inflicted by the Hive of Butterflies is a pattern effect for feats, resistances and anything else
Fascination (Ex)
At 1st level, Any living creature damaged by a hive of butterflies must succeed on a DC 10 + ¼ Beastmaster Level + Swarm’s Con Mod Will save or be fascinated as the swarm clouds their senses in beautiful displays. The fascination lasts for 1d4 rounds. This applies to the hive of butterflies’ Swarm damage. The hive of butterflies does not deal swarm damage to a fascinated target unless explicitly told to, and the creature is immune to the fascination effect for 1 hour if the fascination is broken by hostile action.
Speed: 5 feet, fly 40 feet (average)
Circumstance replaces Animal Companion, but functions as it for feats and other class features.
Homely Horde (Ex)
Swarmlords begin with their swarm as completely detached from their mortal forms, but this slowly changes as they grow more powerful. At 1st level, the Swarmlord can share a space with their swarm without suffering any damage, and gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC while sharing spaces. This bonus increases by +1 whenever the Swarmlord would normally gain an additional Menagerie space.
Homely Horde replaces all instances of Menagerie
Symbiosis (Ex)
At 2nd level, the swarm begins to adapt the Swarmlord’s body to it’s uses. The actual description of this will be left to GM and player to determine as not to force any possible phobias on people
Mechanically, the Swarmlord gains DR 1/- for every 2 levels of Swarmlord. In addition, the swarm can hide within the Swarmlord and go undetected. This DR is halved while not housing their swarm or sharing a space with it
Swarmlords are also considered to be flanking when attacking a target under the Distraction ability of their own swarm, and for any teamwork feats the Swarmlord has.
This replaces all instances of Pack Tactics.
Swarm Growth (Ex)
At 4th, 8th, 11th, and 16th, the Swarmlord’s chosen swarm grows, gaining greater abilities in addition to it’s normal progression
At 8th level, all swarms can split themselves into four separate 5 foot swarms. While in this state, the swarms share a HP pool, and deal half damage. If the swarm reaches 0 HP while in this state, the swarm immediately regroups on the Swarmlord’s space and drops. In addition, Swarms now have the full swarm traits, reducing damage from single target effects. Healing is not reduced
Murder:
At 4th level, the Murder of Crows can also inflict nauseated on their Eye-rake ability, on a separate Fortitude save using the same DC as the blinded condition, with the same duration
At 11th level, the Murder of Crows can understand and speak any language it hears, and translate for the Swarmlord
At 16th level, the Murder of Crows also inflict 1d4 bleeding damage for each die of Swarm damage.
Horror:
At 4th level, the Carpet of Spiders gain the Web ability, detailed below. In addition, the Swarmlord can utilise the spider’s climb speed to travel on webs.
Web (Ex)
Creatures with the web ability can use webs to support themselves and up to one additional creature of the same size. In addition, such creatures can throw a web up to eight times per day. This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against targets up to one size category larger than the swarmlord. An entangled creature can escape with a successful Escape Artist check or burst the web with a Strength check. Both are standard actions with a DC equal to 10 + 1/2 the creature’s HD + the creature’s Con modifier. Attempts to burst a web by those caught in it take a –4 penalty.
Webspinners can create sheets of sticky webbing up to three times their size. They usually position these sheets to snare flying creatures but can also try to trap prey on the ground. Approaching creatures must succeed on a DC 20 Perception check to notice a web; otherwise they stumble into it and become trapped as though by a successful web attack. Attempts to escape or burst the webbing gain a +5 bonus if the trapped creature has something to walk on or grab while pulling free. Each 5-foot-square section of web has a number of hit points equal to the Hit Dice of the creature that created it and DR 5/—.
A creature can move across its own web at its climb speed and can pinpoint the location of any creature touching its web.
Web (Dex to hit ranged, DC 10 + ¼ Beastmaster level + Swarm’s Con Mod, 5 HP per odd level of Beastmaster)
At 11th level, any creature attached to the web that the Swarmlord does not consider friendly must make a save against the spider swarm’s poison each round, regardless of immunity.
At 16th level, the Carpet of Spiders also gains the Entrap ability, as detailed below.
Entrap (Ex or Su)
The creature has an ability that restricts another creature’s movement, usually with a physical attack such as ice, mud, lava, or webs. The target of an entrap attack must make a Fortitude save or become entangled for the listed duration. If a target is already entangled by this ability, a second entrap attack means the target must make a Fortitude save or become helpless for the listed duration. The save DCs are Constitution-based. A target made helpless by this ability is conscious but can take no physical actions (except attempting to break free) until the entrapping material is removed. The target can use spells with only verbal components or spell-like abilities if it can make a DC 20 concentration check. An entangled creature can make a Strength check (at the same DC as the entrap saving throw DC) as a full-round action to break free; the DC for a helpless creature is +5 Greater than the saving throw DC. Destroying the entrapping material frees the creature.
Entrap (DC 10 + ¼ beastmaster level + Swarm con mod, 1d10 minutes, Hardness 5, HP 10)
Decay:
At 4th level, the Cloud of Botflies can detonate any corpse under their control. The burst deals swarm damage to all within 10 feet, with a reflex save to half damage, as a standard action for the swarm.
At 11th level, the Cloud of Botflies can control one corpse per separated part of the swarm, or control one corpse as one swarm for twice as long
At 16th level, the AC bonus from Homely Horde applies to any corpses controlled by the Cloud of Botflies
Beauty:
At 4th level, the Hive of Butterflies can inflict Charmed for 1d2 rounds instead of fascinated, and a target is immune after being affected once.
At 11th level, the Hive of Butterflies can inflict either Charmed or Fascinated as a standard action at a range of 30 feet, using the same DC as their starting Fascination effect.
At 16th level, the Hive of Butterflies can give one target a compulsion as a standard action, using the same DC as their starting fascination effect. The compulsion can either be “Let yourself be eaten” or “Run”. The compulsion lasts for 1d6 rounds, and is broken by damage from any source that isn’t the swarm.
Swarm Growth replaces Go Fetch, Emulate, Call and Master Menagerie
