The ones who specialize in insects specialize in plant destructive, food producing, pest-killing, annoying, or humanoid killing insects. It is pretty obvious which are accepted by the world.
The ones who specialize in arachnids specialize in spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, harvestmen, or horseshoe crab. None except horseshoe crab are truly accepted by society.
The ones who specialize in crustaceans specialize in either crabs, lobster, shrimp, krill, and chitin.
Food-Producing Insect Arthromancer:
In times of famine, many men were called upon to create food. Not the least of which was the F-PIA. They summoned huge swarms of bees and meal worms for the people to eat.
Normally these men summon huge swarms of bumblebee and honeybee swarms.
They are among the most common of the arthromancers and are among the most loved. The bees often have more potent poison than the usual bee.
Shrimp Arthromancer:
During those times of famine, these guys brought in the shrimp and prawn for food.
Normally they summon huge amounts of shrimp and prawn, as long as there is a body of water around.
They seem like they have no real battle power, right? THINK AGAIN!!! They can summon a mantis Shrimp, the creature with the strongest punch in the world! Oftentimes they are severely underestimated.
They can also summon a giant mantis shrimp. That will give them a run for their money!!
They are hated by farmers, druids, doctors, clerics, bishops, priests, and even other arthromancers. They create locust swarms and aphid harvesters.
Aphid harvesters: Giant aphids capable of sucking the life out of trees, bushes, elephants, and even trolls. They are feared the world over.
Their locust swarms wipe out forests and fields in a matter of seconds
Chitin arthromancers:
These guys summon a kind of animal called a chitin. The animals have a really hard shell highly valued for creating armor.
Anyone planning to have the armorsmith occupation should get levels in the chitin arthromancer class and the miner occupation.
Shamans live in tribes, and druids live alone. The evil types of arthromancers live in cults. They rarely ever get along with each other. The good kinds live in cities as food providers, normally where there animals breed best. They have better people skills than druids or shamans as they actually have a reason to do what they do. They never have trouble getting food. They are in much higher demand than druids or shamans. They are the famine-enders or bringers. Anyone planning to be a druid or summoner should try to get some levels in this.
I'm with Olandew in this. Who are you to tell me that my druid can't be the life of the party, or that my shaman can't be a loner with a tragic past?
"Reason to do what they do?"
Maybe in your campaign world, but in mine, druids and shaman are active parts of society. Granted, druids tend to shy away from human and dwarven cities, but they get along famously with elves and eladrin. All elvish and fey races (excepting drow...) love the craftsmanship of living wood that only a druid artisan can produce.
As for shaman not having fantastic people skills.... shaman are frequently the leaders of a tribe, if not the second-in-command. Show me a leader without people skills and I'll show you a person not long for his career.
Now, just because I disagree with your comments about druids, shaman, and the place of the arthromancer in the party does NOT mean you shouldn't go ahead and write her up. It will be interesting to see what powers and class abilities you come up with.
These men were also looked toward to end famines.
Their summon is the king crab, spider crab, coconut crab, and fiddler crab
King Crab: 20 foot tall crab with pincers powerful enough to rid a giant of his head. Wears a crown and speaks many languages. Very good diplomat. The meat of one of these animals is a delicacy
Spider crab: 40 foot tall crab with pincers and spinnerets.
Coconut crab: 6o foot tall crab bigger than the king crab, will eat anything, even a Marlboro. Much more powerful than a king crab but much harder to control. There is a coconut tree growing out of its back as well as barnacles.
Fiddler crab: The minstrel of the crabs. Plays the violin. About 5 feet tall. Shape-shifter. Their musical prowess is all the more surprising given the fact that they have pincers for hands. This is the only one of the crabs that is a player character race. At least they have a firm handshake.
I'm with Olandew in this. Who are you to tell me that my druid can't be the life of the party, or that my shaman can't be a loner with a tragic past?
"Reason to do what they do?"
Maybe in your campaign world, but in mine, druids and shaman are active parts of society. Granted, druids tend to shy away from human and dwarven cities, but they get along famously with elves and eladrin. All elvish and fey races (excepting drow...) love the craftsmanship of living wood that only a druid artisan can produce.
As for shaman not having fantastic people skills.... shaman are frequently the leaders of a tribe, if not the second-in-command. Show me a leader without people skills and I'll show you a person not long for his career.
Now, just because I disagree with your comments about druids, shaman, and the place of the arthromancer in the party does NOT mean you shouldn't go ahead and write her up. It will be interesting to see what powers and class abilities you come up with.
I am not saying that they all have bad people skills. My two druids were the life of the party for the 9 and 15 turns they were alive for respectively. And that was with the concept of extra lives. They were the life of the party. Especially when they died.
When I said people skills, I meant specificlly with people living in cities. As for shamans, they are looked down upon in cities. Druids don't live in cities. I was a druid twice and never could get allies.
... what? Make nicer druids then? I'm not sure.
Besides, I'd make friends with a druid quicker than I would with a shrimp controller. ;)
Now if my cat would stop sticking her butt in the way of the monitor that would be appreciated.
In the meantime, you can use the stats for the druid class if you wish, just increase the attack or magic and decrease defense.
Oh. Alright.
Though, I would prefer if you would help me.
I was looking over these class ideas after meandering through your post on trogs, and I had the idea for a trogrogroll shrimp arthromancer based off of a certain character from Forrest Gump...
That would be hilarious.
This is one of my original classes. This class can summon insects, arachnids, and crustaceans. They are one of my favorite classes. Each one usually specializes in one kind of arthropod.
The ones who specialize in insects specialize in plant destructive, food producing, pest-killing, annoying, or humanoid killing insects. It is pretty obvious which are accepted by the world.
The ones who specialize in arachnids specialize in spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, harvestmen, or horseshoe crab. None except horseshoe crab are truly accepted by society.
The ones who specialize in crustaceans specialize in either crabs, lobster, shrimp, krill, and chitin.
BOB: Hark, fine peasants! I hear you are troubled by monsters!
PEASANT 1: Aye! Ogres! Ogres be troubling us!
PEASANT 2: Aye! Ogres!
BOB: I shall save you! For I am an arthromancer!
PEASANT 1: Art Romancer? Ye're wasting yer time!
PEASANT 2: Aye! Art's already married! He lives over yonder!
BOB: No, no, an arthromancer.
PEASANT 1: Oh, aye - one of them bug men!
PEASANT 2: We don't like bug men!
PEASANT 1: Dirty things! Summoning spiders, scorpions, ticks...
PEASANT 2: ... harvestmen.
PEASANT 1: Steady on! I'm a harvestman!
PEASANT 2: No, I didn't mean you!
PEASANT 1: So's Art! Just harvested yesterday, he did!
PEASANT 2: I think it's a type of spider.
PEASANT 1: No, he grows corn.
PEASANT 2: Anyway, we don't want none of them arthromancers what summons spiders around here.
PEASANT 1: Unless you do horseshoe crabs?
PEASANT 2: Aye, horseshoe crabs ain't too bad.
PEASANT 1: I could go a good horseshoe crab.
BOB: No, good peasants! My speciality is... shrimp!
PEASANT 1 & 2 : Ooo-err!
BOB: Now, tell me, where are these ogres?
PEASANT 1: Up on yon mountain!
PEASANT 2: Aye!
BOB: Err... there wouldn't be a stream that flows to that mountain would there?
PEASANT 1: Nope.
BOB: It's just that shrimp live in water, see.
PEASANT 1: They could crawl out on their little legs.
BOB: ... they really couldn't.
PEASANT 2: Well, there's no stream.
BOB: What about some manner of lake?
PEASANT 2: (shakes head)
BOB: A tidal inlet?
PEASANT 1: Nope.
BOB: Subterranean bore? Hot spring?
PEASANT 2: Sometimes when my bladder gets full I take a leak up there.
BOB: That's not a hot spring.
PEASANT 2: Aye, well, it's clear you've never seen me take a leak!
BOB: So what you're saying is there's no water access to these ogres of any kind?
PEASANT 1: That's what we're saying.
BOB: Well, this presents a problem. Sorry, good peasants! I, Bob the Arthromancer, will leave you to your ogres and seek out a village with more... maritime... problems.
PEASANT 1: Fair enough.
PEASANT 2: ... I was looking forward to horseshoe crabs. I could go a good horseshoe crab.
And then Bob left, and lo did such monsters as were located near streams, lakes, and tidal inlets fall before the dread might of his shrimp-related powers.
And then Bob left, and lo did such monsters as were located near streams, lakes, and tidal inlets fall before the dread might of his shrimp-related powers.
Oh ye of little imagination...the shrimp arthromancers do not limit themselves with mere run-of-the-mill Carideans. They hold power over magic shrimp, dire shrimp, devastation shrimp, astral shrimp, fey shrimp, flying shrimp, warforged shrimp, undead shrimp, half-shrimp, fell shrimp, ghost shrimp, chaos shrimp, infernal shrimp, diabolic shrimp, colossal shrimp, popcorn shrimp, shrimp deities, abyssal shrimp, shrimpdragons, shrimplings, clockwork shrimp, wereshrimp, shrimp swarms....that's about it.
EDIT: And in a pinch, they can work with prawns (Dendrobrachiata).
...shrimpdragons...
I was wondering where they'd go after chromatic dragons and gemstone dragons.
Draconomicon 4: Arthropodic Dragons.
You have way too many builds. Pare it down to 2 or 3. Generalize. Allow the players to have some leeway with fluff.
Oh ye of little imagination...the shrimp arthromancers do not limit themselves with mere run-of-the-mill Carideans. They hold power over magic shrimp, dire shrimp, devastation shrimp, astral shrimp, fey shrimp, flying shrimp, warforged shrimp, undead shrimp, half-shrimp, fell shrimp, ghost shrimp, chaos shrimp, infernal shrimp, diabolic shrimp, colossal shrimp, popcorn shrimp, shrimp deities, abyssal shrimp, shrimpdragons, shrimplings, clockwork shrimp, wereshrimp, shrimp swarms....that's about it.
EDIT: And in a pinch, they can work with prawns (Dendrobrachiata).
Don't forget pure shrimp. They also make a mean shrimp scampi. Popcorn shrimp go: KAAAAAAAAAAAAABBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Chaos shrimp have absored so much chaos energy, on the other hand. They are only available as a summon after my cataclysm. Devastation shrimp can do Hellfire Inferno(Say that like a demon would.) It deals gobs of Hellfire damage to all in its path.
Never stick anything in a lobster's claw that you aren't prepared to lose.
Their summons include Spiny lobster, Rock lobster, Nord lobster, Lobster spawn, and Crayfish.
Spiny lobster, Has many swords sticking out of it's back. They are part of him, not stabbed in him.
Rock lobster: Lobster made of boulders. Eats boulders too.
Nord lobster: Largest of them. Blue normally, but turns red when cooked.
Lobster spawn: Children of Lobsters and Humans(Don't ask!).
Crayfish: Giant Crayfish. Make huge burrows.
These guys often work at restaurants.
Is anyone else hungry?
"Onwards, my shrimp! To victory! For glory! FOR DELICIOUS CHEDDAR BISCUITS."
Intelligence is a stat these guys rely on.
I just like lobster. That's why I was hungry.
These Guys will suck the life out of all in their path!
(At this point in the Intro, "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" starts playing.)
They summon deer ticks, Rat ticks, Blood ticks, chaos ticks, Wereticks, Hellticks, demon ticks, Diabolic tick, Tickspwan,
Tickspawn:The children of ticks and mites.
They have many other summons.
Scorpion Arthromancer:
One of the Two Most Feared of all of the Arthromancers.
The Scorpion tall and deadly. With it's mighty stinger of death. The pain these guys would bring. They would summon hundreds of scorpions and eliminate entire towns overnight. They would leave but one survivor and would train him in the art of scorpion summoning. They had hundreds of different summons.
It was thought that the last of them were executed years ago. They hate spider arthromancers and Would actually eat them like their scorpions would eat the spiders.
Tick Arthromancer:
These Guys will suck the life out of all in their path!
(At this point in the Intro, "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" starts playing.)
They summon deer ticks, Rat ticks, Blood ticks, chaos ticks, Wereticks
Top this off with some shrimp-themed rituals to handle a lot of the out-of-combat stuff, and I think you'll be on the right course.
They create huge swarms of krill. These have great uses in feeding whales. Not much other use other than getting environmentalist allies. Or so it seems.
I seriously need help with this one and the harvestman one. Okay?
Lobster arthromancer:
Never stick anything in a lobster's claw that you aren't prepared to lose.
Their summons include Spiny lobster, Rock lobster, Nord lobster, Lobster spawn, and Crayfish.
Ah yes, the famous Rock Lobster. Its fear of its most dangerous predator, thePaper Tiger, is rivaled only by its voracious appetite for its favorite prey, the Scissors Lizard.
In other words, this joke was done *way* better by M:tG.
Can you read my thing about dworcs.
Didn't know about that one. I was fcreating many animals by messing with real names. Like you do. Before I read yours.
Well, both Rock Lobsters and Paper Tigers (that is, things that appear to be threats, but, when tested, prove to only possess illusory power) are both real things, Scissors Lizard was just kinda necessary, to complete the set.