Post/Author/DateTime	Post
RavenDrake 11-22-06, 08:06 AM	First and foremost, let me get this out of the way: YES they are vermin. NO they are not Mindless. NO they do not have(OR need) a Hivemind. NO they are not "supposed" to be magical beasts, abberations, or any other type of creature. Just because NEARLY ALL vermin are presented as mindless dosen't mean that they ALL have to be. These are supposed to reperesent the extraordinary, pushed beyond the realms of the normal, Wellsian, B-movie style, "Save us MacGuyver!" deadly intelligent ants. In terms of intellect, they'd probably have about the same intelligence as a 3 year old(give or take). That intellect, however, is in partnership with(not in place of) genetic instinct, which gives them quite an edge over normal vermin. There's ALOT of information there, I know, and if you only want to comment on the pure crunch of the stat block, feel free. I would appreciate any and all comments, questions, concearns, and thoughts on this project. Empire Ants Diminutive Vermin(Swarm) Hit Dice: 10d8+20 (65hp) Initiative: +3 Speed: 20ft, Climb 20ft AC: 17 (+4 Size, +3 Dex), Touch 17, Flatfooted 14 Base Attack/Grapple: +7 / - Attack: Swarm (2d6 plus 1d6 acid) Full Attack: Swarm (2d6 plus 1d6 acid) Face/Reach: 1ft / 0ft Special Attacks: Acid, Distraction Special Qualities: Swarm Traits, Vermin Traits, Immune to Weapon damage, Chemical Scent Saves: Fort +7, Ref +8, Wil +5 Abilities: Str 1, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 3, Wis 14, Cha 3 Skills: Climb +11, Spot +7, Survival +10, Swim +7 Feats: Fleet of Foot, Lightning Reflexes, Track, Run Environment: Any temperate or hot Organization: Solitary, Hive (5-10 swarms), or Column(20-100 swarms) Challenge Rating: 8 Treasure: None Alignment: Neutral Advancement: - Empire ants are a unique breed of vermin that have a mesurable, if indecipherable, intellect. The workers and soldier of the species, the vast majority of a swarm, are exceptionally large, up to two inches in length, with dull wine coloured carapace and a large mandibled head(the major difference between the two being the soldier's larger head and longer mandibles). Drones (which are only present in Hives and Columns) are slightly smaller with gently curved mandibles that cater to moving larvae and careing for the hive. They have a double pair of segmented wings which grants them a fly speed of 30ft(good). Queens are upwards of five inches long and nearly an inch across, but they are usually well secreted away in a hive (unless the ants are moving in a column). Empire Ants, named because they stake out a hive and viciously protect it from any other vermin or foe who would come near, demonstrate a marked degree of intellect, which sets them apart from other vermin species. They display tactics, strategy, and teamwork far beyond what pure instinct would allow them. While it's possible they could come to understand common, it has not yet been proven that any do. They do, however, have a complex language of thier own that invloves body language, movement, and aspects of pheremone signals. They do not share a hive mind, but can relay information between adjacent groups as quickly as a human could relay the same information to other humans. Combat Empire ants defend their hives from percieved threats, but can tell the difference between harmless interlopers(such as herbivorous mammals) and dangerous threats(like reptiles and other insectivores, as well as humans). They will attack en-masse, thier surprising bursts of speed allowing them to quicly overtake foes, biteing and gnawing with deadly intent. They can often recognise foes they've faced before, and will track down determined opponents(such as villagers who repeatedly come to burn them out) and attack them in preemptive strikes if they feel threatened by such foes. If encountered as a solo swarm, it's likely an expiditionary force sent out to lay waste to an opposing vermin's hive or attack a potential recurrent threat. In such a case the Empire ants may or may not attack initially, but will spring to thier own defense if threatened first. Distraction (Ex):Any living creature that begins its turn with an Empire Ant swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 17 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based. Acid(Ex): Any creature who suffers swarm damage from an Empire Ant swarm also suffers 1d6 points of acid damage from thier powerful bites and stings. Chemical Scent(Ex): Empire Ants can detect incomming enemies, search out hidden foes, and track by means of senses very like smell in mammals. This keen ability allows them to identify familiar oders in much the same way humans can identify familier sights or sounds. Vermin Traits: Empire Ants are not mindless and have an intelligence score. However, because they do not share a hivemind and thier normal way of thinking is so alien to most other creatures, they are not subject to mind affecting effects(charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), but can still acrue skill points and feats. Skills: Empire ants have a +8 Racial bonus on climb checks. They can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened. They use thier Dexterity modifier for Climb checks. Empire Ant Society The Hive Empire Ant hives are a remarkable feat of engineering and archetecture for such small creatures, taking up large swathes of land both above and below ground. These hives are not chaotic or random, but are well designed and layed out according to a definite plan. The tunnels are regular and well maintained, and reinforced with more advanced architectural forms like struts and buttresses which support and shape the hive and it's tunnels. Most hives have only a single above-ground structure, a squat, blockly mound with squared sides approximately three to five feet high and 5ft in diamater at the base. This mound is terraced and rises in a rough but recognizable pyramid shape with entrances and exits on all levels, and ramps leading up and down at the four cardinal directions and corners. This shaped pyramid is surprisingly durable (Hardness 3, 5hp per inch) made up of an adobe like clay and reinforced with struts made from wood, plant stem, or bone and held in place with a cement made of clay, plant celulose, and gastric juices. There are gutters all the way around the structure to allow water to run off, and the surfaces are sloped to prevent water from getting inside the main structure. This structure houses a large collection of soldiers and workers(1 or 2 swarms worth) who make up the bulk of the work and defense of the hive. Workers bring food and liquid up from below to a central storehouse which functions as a messhall for the upper tier ants. There are stations of guardhouses, which act as lookouts for the hive, and several control rooms which have tunnels down into the hive. Drones monitor the workers and soldiers at the top and dispatch workers down the main tunnels into the hive to report to other drones and the queen inside. In hostile areas, with lots of other vermin, the central structure is usually surrounded by a moat/deadfall(approximately 1 food deep and as much as five feet across) which they routinely patroll the edges of. In especially dry climates, like deserts, they will build wind catchers (raised walls of earth with a vertical shaft that leads down to the cooler recesses of thier hive) as air blows across and down these tubes it cools, and any moisture trapped in it drips down into catch basins to support the hives. These tunnels narrow sharply in points and are patrolled by soldiers to prevent intrusion. In areas where the ants fear intrusion by larger foes there will often be deadfalls(made by burrowing out earth from underneath to create a sinkhole-like pitfall) that can trap tiny or small creatures, and may discourage or injure medium or larger foes. The next layers down contain sub-command stations that organize and route incomming workers with supplies and food to different storeage rooms and levels. There are also many empty rooms and dead-end tunnels that serve as a distractions and traps for invaders, and they can quickly be closed off to trap intruders inside. This segment of the hive can stretch five or more feet down into the earth below the main structure, and often branches off as much as 20 feet wide around it. Below these levels are the main storage and living areas for the main contingent of the ants. This includes galleries where food and water are layed out(water being held as droplets supported in bundles of leaf and plant material held together with adhesive secretions) as well as subcommand areas where drones organize and control the center of the hive. This is the largest area of the hive and can be 20 or more feet deep, with tunnels and galleries expanding outward from the central hub more than 100ft. Below this are the agracultural segments of the hive society. Here, depending on the climate the hive lives at, are the various means of support the hive maintains. Water, which collects naturally in temperate environments, or which is harvested by the wind catchers in the desert, or even brought up from narrow but deep wells from upper aquifer ground water sources collects in pools here. The water is used to support the hive: for the ants themselves, for architecture(to make the clay and adhesives that hold the hive together) and for farming. Other galleries are used to grow molds and fungi for food and defense(yellow mold, for example, is cultivated and then planted in the dead end tunnels at the top and left to germinate. There, if disturbed by an intruder, it will weaken or kill them making the ant's job easier. Phosphoresent Fungus is cultivated as well, and used, not as light, but as markers to help guide the colony). Other galleries include "herds" of animals kept for food such as aphids(which are fed edible molds and then milked for thier secretions). Additionally grubs and other larvae are often captured and keep in pens and corals, then slaughtered and used as food. This is especially common in dry, desert climes where there is often not enought water to maintain large fungus gardens. These usually expand 10-15 feet further down in depth, and galleries can extend 30 or more feet out around the central hub. Below that, in a guarded bunker, lies the queen's chamber and the birthing rooms. These galleries are well protected, with no tunnels leading directly to the queen from upper galleries. All passage in and out of this area goes through several galleries where soldiers stand guard. The birthing chambers are full of developting Empire Ant larvae. The Queens chamber is usually domed and expands approximately 3ft in diameter and up to 5 feet high. From here the Queen dispatches drones with commands and generally oversees the operations of the hive. The Queen in most hives has an advanced intellect(Int 5) but this does not statistically change a swarms abilities, merely it's tactics (if the queen relays instructions advanced tactics such as retreats and feints, traps and ambushes will often come into play, especially against more intelligent foes, like humanoids. More on this below). These chambers are fairly small, comparatively, and only extend for about 20ft from the central hub but can be as much as 30ft below the agricultural section of the hive. Most queens live for 10 or more years, an amazing lifespan for such creatures. Generally, when a queen nears her 6th year, however, she begins preparing special royal jelly that can be used to raise a new queen. Should the living queen die, this royal jelly can be fed to the larva of a worker to being the process of turning it into a new queen. Most queens, when they reach thier 8th season, will create a new queen anyway. They dispatch this fledgeling queen along with a full swarm(and some drones carying new larvae) to create a new hive. Combat and War When something attacks the hive directly, the Empire Ants spring into action to combat the menace. In case of an attack on the hive, they can rouse thier entire combat force in seconds. Each round a full swarm can exit from the hive structure at the top and will immediately seek out a specified foe(if there is more than one target). Generally one swarm will remain behind to protect the queen. They will co-ordinate attacks to overlap where necessary. If the foes are not putting up a signifigant fight, they will instead move to surround the foes on as many sides as possible so that thier enemy cannot move far enough to leave the area of a swarm. Many times the outer swarms will ready actions to move to intercept a foe who might attempt to flee. If they do escape, and the targets were humanoid, it's likely that one or more small groups will track them back to where they encamped, then relay that information to the hive. If the queen feels another attack is immenant, the Empire Ants will launch a preemptive strike, often surrounding the foes at night and then attacking while they sleep. Empire Ants will often orgainze attacks against other vermin hives, especially other ants, bees, wasps, hornets, and termites. These attacks are swift and brutal, usually without warning, and a swarm of empire ants can quickly overwhlem almost any normal vermin, and many magical or extraordinary ones. When they raid they destory any and all members of the opposing hive, tearing opponent insects to shreds. Thier goals in these attacks are typically defense(usually preemptive, to keep them from attacking the Empire Ants at a later stage), and protecting and gathering resources(not only to keep that hive from stealing resources the empire ants would use, but to harvest their larvae or other resources, like honey, to support the Empire Ants hive). Most of the time, if two more more empire ant hives share the same area(usually a 5 square mile radius from each other's hive) they will co-operate and form a united colony, working together for thier own greater good. Colonies usually grow if left unchecked, and will often wind up with 8 or more hives in close proximity. This can lead to shortages of natural resources, and crowded conditions. In such instances, rather than declare war on each other, Empire Ants band together and create Columns(see below). Against intelligent foes, Empire Ants are just as dangerous. Empire ants are capable of strategy and planning, and are rarely unprepared for most situations. They will band together to ford water, forming long living chains of ants to allow the swarms to bypass it. They are not stymied by bonfires or walls, and will move to circumvent such obstacles with whatever means are necessary. Even if dispursed by means of strongly flowing water or high winds they can usually reform within 1d4+1 minutes(but take 1d8 points of damage for each minute it takes them to reform). If within 1 mile of thier home it is likely they are still in contact with thier queen via flying drones. In such a case the queen can direct the swarms, and will often orchestrate more elaborate plans like attacking and retreating to draw foes into an ambush, attacking wagons and other services to cut off supplies to thier foes, and herding dangerous animals and creatures into thier foes home areas or causing stampedes and riots. The Column When resources are stretched too thin and the hives are unable to support themsleves, rather than battle each other the queens will commune and may decide to form a Column. A Column is a communal megaswarm made up of the entirety of five or more hives who's queens have banded together to find new locations to settle. Columns are made up of a mass of empire ants approximately 50ft across and anwhere from 40 to 200ft in length. The queens are at the center of this Column and direct it, moving to find new homes. Drones pick up the larvae, which they attach to their backs with adhesive secretions and carry them along with them until they can find new locations to create hives. A Column does not operate by the same composed and rational rules that the hive usually does. In a Column queens secret hormones that drive the workers and soldiers into a frenzy. This emboldened army marches over everything in it's path, scouring it like a scourge. Plants are stripped bare and animals and humanoids caught in thier wake are picked to the bone. While in a Column Empire ants gain the following special ability: Frenzy(Ex): Empire ants in a column attack anything they touch with vicious and uncontroled Frenzy. If a swarm of Empire Ants travels over a square occupied by another creature, or a creature moves through a square occupied by a swarm of Empire Ants, that creature takes 1d6 points of swarm damage and 1d4 points of acid damage. They take this damage only once per swarm, no matter how many occupied squares are involved. A Column usually travels for 20 or more miles before the first few swarms break off and begin work on their new hive. They first dig a deep tunnel and begin re-establishing the birthing chambers and queen's gallery. Gorged as they are from their march the can work tirelessly for up to a week. The stress of the Column, and the work setting up the new hive, usually kills any soldiers and workers to traveled in the Column, but, by that time the birthing chambers are set up and producing new workers and soldiers to replace the now dead and dying ants from the Column. A simple, basic hive is usually created in a month, with the large, complex hive described above being completed in less than 6 months. Generally a Column will travel for 20 or more miles between each further seperation. Depending on the terrain features this can leave a barren scar over a hundred miles long, picked clean of all life. It's one of the most dangerous aspects of the Empire ants, and the reason they are feared by most sentient beings.
RavenDrake 11-24-06, 12:54 AM	Bump.
RavenDrake 11-26-06, 10:26 PM	Bump for comments, ANY comments....
pirate01 11-26-06, 10:43 PM	I really like the Idea, but why not make the ants larger? make each big enoug to be an indevidual danger, and use mob rules for swarms. I don't mean to insult your concept, but those would be my ideas on dangerous conquering ants
Lord Otaku 11-26-06, 10:53 PM	An interesting suggestion, but I don't know... something about the idea of something so small being so deadly adds a creep vib I like. This is an excellent write up. I can't think of any suggestions.
TheCrawlingSpleen 11-26-06, 11:07 PM	It's definitely a beautiful homage to Wells's story (I'm glad you didn't go for the cheesy movie adaptation as a source for stats). Lord Otaku definitely raises a good point, and I think one of the great things about the original story is that the ants are deceptive: they look like standard insects but can out-think would-be exterminators (to a degree at least). I do have a question, though. The next layers down contain sub-command stations that organize and route incomming workers with supplies and food to different storeage rooms and levels. There are also many empty rooms and dead-end tunnels that serve as a distractions and traps for invaders, and they can quickly be closed off to trap intruders inside. How big are these tunnels? I mean, the ants are only about two inches long, so is a tunnel only big enough to accomodate your finger, or are they built two or three feet wide? That'd actually be rather creepy, come to think of it, forcing you to crawl through, with the ants closing in...:devil:
Lord_Canius 11-26-06, 11:07 PM	I cant think of anything either. Great job. Oh, I would prefer them to remain at the same size as well. Adds an interesting factor that these tiny, non-magical ants could be so dangerous a foe, even to humans. Quite a lot of intrigue. And besides, the giant intelligent ant niche is already filled, so making yours bigger would ruin the originality of the concept. Keep up the good work, can't wait to see more from ya mate!
TheCrawlingSpleen 11-26-06, 11:11 PM	And besides, the giant intelligent ant niche is already filled, so making yours bigger would ruin the originality of the concept. There are giant, intelligent ants? What book could I find those in?
Lord_Canius 11-26-06, 11:38 PM	MM1, page 108, the Formians.
TheCrawlingSpleen 11-26-06, 11:44 PM	MM1, page 108, the Formians. Oh, right. :doh:
Lord_Canius 11-27-06, 12:38 AM	Yeah, a lot of people forget those guys. They kinda slip the mind, just not given very good placement in the book for such interesting encouter-makers.
RavenDrake 11-27-06, 08:39 AM	How big are these tunnels? I mean, the ants are only about two inches long, so is a tunnel only big enough to accomodate your finger, or are they built two or three feet wide? That'd actually be rather creepy, come to think of it, forcing you to crawl through, with the ants closing in...:devil: Thanks for the comments all. As for the size of the tunnels, they're not that large(certainly not large enough for a human to travel down in). The largest central shafts are probably about five, mayby six inches across with most of the rest being about 3 inches wide(enough so that empire ants can pass in parallel in either direction). The "intruders" I was speaking of are mainly other vermin, such as Wasps, ants, or termites, who regularly raid other vermin hives. Also, these "trap" rooms also function as gravity wells to catch things like Liquids(or heavier than air gasses such as chemical smoke or even a Cloudkill spell) and the inner hive can be closed off quickly to keep such dangers from penetrateing deeply. The "galleries" I'm speaking of are usually 2 to three feet square, though most are rectangular in shape, and some (like the pools) are round. It wasn't really meant for characters to enter the tunnels, they're really not that large, but considering that a normal hive has five to ten swarms of combatants(and almost an equal number of non-combatant drones and workers) thier galleries will stretch out quite far underground, essentially become an underground city scaled to the ant's diminutive size. Although I wouldn't be averse to, say, a Superhive(a combined mashup of 4 or 5 hives) who's central tunnels might be large enough to squeeze through... though I wouldn't like to try. Mainly the information was to give an idea of thier orginizational skills and intellect, showing that they can take aspects of the instinctual side of ants(such as the leafcutter ants, who use plants to reinforce thier hives, or any of several species of ants and termites who do actually use aphids as "herd" animals) and combine it with basic inteligence to make it that much more dangerous. Though the hive structure might come into play if a group of adventurers faces off again and again against swarms of these creatures and finally defeats the hive digs it up, then some basic lore and knowledge checks, say Knowledge (Nature) DC 10 or Bardic Knowledge DC 15 would tell them that these are clearly not normal vermin, and are acting at a level of intellect that normal vermin cannot muster. Plus, I'd love to see a group of upper-mid level adventurers try and defend a town from a Column of these guys. Also, I could see the Formians being able to communicate with the Empire Ants(being ant-like themselves they could understand the Empire Ant's "language") and possible become quite effective allies...
Lord_Canius 11-27-06, 10:33 AM	Also, I could see the Formians being able to communicate with the Empire Ants(being ant-like themselves they could understand the Empire Ant's "language") and possible become quite effective allies... You have reached a level of evilness that I dared not dreamed existed. I like you! :D I think the Superhive idea is also great.
RavenDrake 11-29-06, 12:12 AM	You have reached a level of evilness that I dared not dreamed existed. I like you! :D I think the Superhive idea is also great. Hehe.. you should hear my Bugwars mini-campaign. A tribe of Formians, backed up by 2 or 3 hundred swarms worth of Empire Ants is at war with a hive of lawful Evil Abiels backed by 2 or 3 hundred swarms of Hellwasps with numerous innocent human villiages(and, of course, the PC's) caught in the crossfire.