Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 TomCosta Mar 26, 2015 18:37:41	Here's a druid archetype we don't have yet. Comments welcome.   Circle of the Hivemaster   Spells of the Hivemaster Your mystical connection to bugs (arthropods, including arachnids such as scorpions and spiders, crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters, and insects such as beetles, centipedes, and wasps) infuses you with the ability to cast certain spells. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to spells of the hivemaster. Once you gain access to a spell of the hivemaster, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that doesn’t appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless a druid spell for you. Some of the spells are known by a different name to you and have a corresponding change in their description as noted in parentheses following the spell. These descriptive differences have no effect on the spells mechanics unless noted.   Druid Level Spell of the Hivemaster 3rd barkskin (“chitin”), web 5th fly (“wings of the dragonfly”), hivemaster 7th blight (“locusts ”), giant insect 9th  insect plague, Rary’s telepathic bond (“hivemind”)   Swarm Form The rites of your circle grant you the ability to transform into a swarm of bugs. Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Wild Shape to transform into a swarm of arthropods (you ignore the Limitations column on the Beast Shapes table, but must abide by the Max. CR column). In this form, you maintain a singular mind or hivemind.   Wall Crawler Starting at 6th level, you gain the spider climb, web sense, and web walker abilities.  Spider Climb. You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.  Web Sense. While in contact with a web, you know the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.  Web Walker. You ignore movement restrictions caused by webbing.   Blindsight Starting at 10th level, you gain the ability to perceive your surroundings without relying on sight within 10 ft. You are aware of the location of any hidden or invisible creatures within that range.  At 14th level, the range of your blindsight increases to 20 ft.   Swarm King/Queen At 10th level, when you cast spells on or at a swarm, you can treat each swarm as if it were a single creature, eliminating the swarm’s immunities to being charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, prone, restrained, or stunned by your spells.  In addition, your near constant contact with bugs has made you immune to disease, poison, and being frightened.   Improved Swarm Form Starting at 14th level, when you Wild Shape into a swarm form you gain several additional abilities, including: • You cannot be flanked or grappled, are immune to the grappled condition, and have advantage on saving throws to avoid being shoved or pushed. • Your hivemind grants you advantage on saving throws against illusions, blindness, deafness, and unconsciousness. • You gain the ability to distract your enemies. When you share a space with a target and as long as you do so, you force the target to make a concentration check (DC 10 Constitution saving throw) each round they are concentrating , the target has disadvantage on all checks and attack rolls, and the space counts as difficult terrain.   New Spell Hivemaster 3rd-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 ft. Components: V, S, M (a piece of a bug’s home, such as honeycomb, anthill sand, or wasp paper) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour You summon nearby bugs (arthropods, including arachnids such as scorpions and spiders, crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters, and insects such as beetles, centipedes, and wasps) that come together in unoccupied spaces that you can see within range. Choose one of the following options for what appears: • One arthropod swarm of challenge rating 1 or lower • Two arthropod swarms of challenge rating ½ or lower • Four arthropod swarms of challenge rating ¼ or lower The DM has the creatures’ statistics. The summoned swarms are not only friendly to you and your companions, but will sacrifice themselves for you in trying to protect your or if ordered to do so. Roll initiative for the summoned swarms as a group, which has its own turns. They obey any verbal commands that you issue to them (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any commands to them, they defend themselves from hostile creatures, but otherwise take no actions. Alternately, you may have a swarm cover you or a willing ally to form an armor of sorts. A Small or Medium creature can be covered by one swarm. While covered you gain the swarm’s Armor Class if it is higher than your own and the swarm’s resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. Any damage you take affects both you and the swarm (which retains its own damage resistance). Once the swarm loses half its hit points, it can no longer serve as armor. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using certain higher-level spell slots, you choose one of the summoning options above, and more creatures appear: twice as many with a 5th-level slot, three times as many with a 7th-level slot, and four times as many with a 9th-level slot .
#2 MacEochaid Mar 29, 2015 15:08:36	Hmmm, I'm kind of wondering if this should go in a totally different direction. Something like the beastmaster/necromancer. Have not done a lot of thinking about balance, just a basic concept.   2nd: Hivemaster: You can spend an action to summon a swarm of insects of any variant type. You can have only one swarm at a time. The swarm takes turns on your your initiative. It moves it's speed and you can use your action to command it to take the Attack, Disengage, Dodge, or Help Action. You must take a short rest before you can use this ability again.  Hivemagic: Your wild shape allows you to take the form of a swarm of insects as long as it obeys the other limitations. Any spells that conjure beasts can also conjure Insect Swarms. Your spells ignore all swarms condition immunities.   6th: Greater Hivemaster: Your hivemaster trait summons two swarms at a time, the swarms may be different variant types. When you use your action both swarms can take an action of your choice. In addition when you summon swarms with your hivemaster trait you can add your level to their hit points and your proficency bonus to their damage. If you have used wildshape to turn you into either an identical swarm, or a giant version of the insect swarm (Giant Spider for Spider variant, Giant Centipede for Centipede variant, Giant Fire Beetle for Beetle Variant, Giant Wasp for Wasp Variant) when you take an attack action an identical swarm can also take an attack action.    10th: Chittering Doom: When you summon an insect swarm you are able to apply one of the following traits to the swarm: - Potent Poisons: When your insects attack the opponent must make a constitution saving throw using your druid spell DC, on a failed save the opponent is poisoned until it's next turn. - Massive Swarm: Your insects double their hitpoints and the swarm is size large. - Fearsome Buzzing: Enemies in the swarms space are deafened and have disadvantage on saving throws
#3 Thoughts_My_Aim Mar 29, 2015 16:21:45	Interesting side note. Is there actually any RAW prohibiting Druids from adopting Swarm shapes? Is it simply that a swarm is a "Swarm of Beasts" and not a "Beast".
#4 TomCosta Mar 29, 2015 17:45:53	Interesting idea MacEochaid. Not the direction I want to go, but I'd be interested to see you flesh it out.   And Thoughts My Aim, I think you are correct. The implicit rule is that you become a single beast and a swarm is multiple beasts with multiple individual minds.