Post/Author/DateTime	Post
korgan99 01-11-04, 05:27 PM	How big should a formian hive be? As a DM and a Player, I would like to know. thanks a lot for the help.
Edymnion 01-11-04, 06:08 PM	100-400 workers 11-40 warriors 4-7 taskmasters with 1 dominated creature each 5-8 myrmarchs 1 queen Its right there in the Monster Manual entry for the Formian Queen.
krichaiushii 01-11-04, 07:09 PM	What creatures work best as dominated slaves of taskmasters? And why?
(Psi)SeveredHead 01-11-04, 09:30 PM	4th-level barbarians, just because :) Seriously, I have no idea. There aren't that many creatures who aren[t formians on Mechanus. Do they slave raid on other planes? Sounds like they won't have that many slaves, then. Inevitables are supposed to be common, but they can't be dominated.
Edymnion 01-11-04, 09:47 PM	Well, they can Dominate up to Large sized monsters and have a save DC of 19 on it, and is not limited by type. Some good things to do would be Trolls, Ettins, Giants, or ooh, a Gray Render!
Shemeska the Marauder 01-12-04, 04:13 AM	Originally posted by (Psi)SeveredHead Seriously, I have no idea. There aren't that many creatures who aren[t formians on Mechanus. Besides the Formians there's the Modrons which are actually the true native exemplars of LN on Mechanus. The Formians are just transplants from Arcadia that were brought along with the lower layer of that plane when it slid into Machanus. While the Formians may have a large number of cogs colonized they're by no means the important or central cogs of the plane. Those are the cogs centered in and around Regulus. Despite the impression the MotP gave regarding the Formians' numbers and important within Mechanus, they're not true natives. Eventually they're going to overstay their welcome on the plane as they expand and come into conflict with the Modrons.
Primus, the One and Prime 01-12-04, 04:29 AM	Not much on Mechanus besides Formians, indeed! In any case, modrons do not make good captured slaves, they tend to self destruct when told to violate orders. Most of a formian hive's slaves would come from a Prime plane and not Mechanus, as the lawful beings there are mostly not useful as slave labor. Moignos, Gear spirits, Inevitables, Modrons, Parai, none seem particularly useful for manual labor that involves being ordered around by anyone not their direct superior. Grunt laborers such as humans, trolls, and demihumans would be common as they are sturdy and intelligent enough to listen to orders. The formians, while stern taskmasters, would not be overly harsh to their slaves.
Mr.Waesel 01-13-04, 10:32 AM	You can bet that as soon as a creature susceptible to mind-influencing attacks enters mechanus it has to make a lot of will saves...
(Psi)SeveredHead 01-13-04, 07:48 PM	There aren't a lot of taskmasters in a hive, and the slaves are supposed to be CR 4 ... so I guess no trolls. Apparently inevitables are the most common thing there, but they can't be controlled.
Primus, the One and Prime 01-13-04, 07:53 PM	::Twitch.:: Modrons. Modrons are the most common things there. They cannot be controlled either, but that's not the point. Modrons.
Shemeska the Marauder 01-13-04, 08:09 PM	*joins in with the twitching* Repeat after us, Modrons are the true exemplars of Mechanus and have the largest numbers and control the most important cogs of the entire plane. Modrons. Formians are refugees from Arcadia that have been slowly twisted away from their original LN/LG nature to a more expansionist LN. *twitch*
(Psi)SeveredHead 01-14-04, 03:56 PM	Well, I was just repeating the MotP. :) Sorry, I wasn't into Planescapes.