Circle of the Swarm
Swarmkeeper
Starting at 2nd level, you gain the ability to command a swarm through the use of pheromones and magic. The swarm resides within a staff, a special gourd, the folds of your clothing, or another appropriate location, and to summon it requires you to expend one use of your Wild Shape, and you may do so as a bonus action. As a bonus action you can command the swarm to move and attack or issue other simple commands like guard, follow or stay. If no command is given, the swarm follows the last command to the best of its ability or sits idle unless attacked, whereas it will defend itself. The size, HP, and of your swarm depends on your druid level as shown in the Swarm Size table below. Follow the rules for swarm of insects (MM pg. 338) adjusting slightly to fit the provided swarm stats in this document. The swarm adds your proficiency bonus to hit and saving throws. Additionally, you choose a type of insect your swarm consists of, you may only do so once.
Choose one of the following:
- Bees: Your swarm has a flight speed equal to its movement speed, and you have advantage on all herbalism checks involving living plants while your swarm is active.
- Beetles: Your swarm adds your proficiency bonus to its AC, and its burrowing speed is doubled.
- Ants: Your swarm doubles its climbing speed, and its strength becomes 15, and your swarm has the Powerful Build trait.
Swarm Stats table
| Druid Level | Swarm Size | HP | Damage dice(Full HP) | Damage dice(Half HP) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | Small | 10 | 2 | 1 |
| 6th | Medium | 20 | 2d4 | 1d4 |
| 10th | Large | 30 | 2d4 | 1d4 |
| 14th | Huge | 40 | 3d4 | 2d4 |
| 18th | Gargantuan | 50 | 4d4 | 2d4 |
If your swarm is harmed, lost or destroyed you can heal or regain it by again expending a use of your Wild Shape ability. Additionally you receive the following benefits from Swarmkeeper:
- Nonmagical insects or swarms of insects do not regard you as hostile unless provoked. They disregard you unless you attack them.
- You are immune to the infestation and insect plague spells.
- You may double your proficiency bonus for any skill checks related to interacting with insects or other bugs.
Insect Swarm
Swarm of tiny creatures, unaligned
- Armor Class 12
- Hit Points 13
- Speed 30ft, Climb 30 ft
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 3 (-4) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) 1 (-5) 7 (-2) 1 (-5)
- Saving Throws saving_throws
- Damage Resistances Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing
- Condition Immunities Charmed, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Prone, Restrained, Stunned
- Senses Blindsight 10ft, Passive Perception 8
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny insect. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Actions
Bite/Stinger (swarm has more than half HP). Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm's space. Hit: (2d4) piercing damage.
Bite/Stinger (swarm has half HP or less). Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm's space. Hit: (1d4) piercing damage.
Blood Swarm
At 6th level, you can channel magic into your swarm them even deadlier. As an action you can expend a spell slot of any level, to magically bestow one of the following traits. You can only have one Blood Swarm effect active at a time. While a counter-spell spell can’t stop the expenditure of the spell slot, a dispel magic spell can be cast on the swarm to dispel the above effect. The spell slot level used for the effect, counts as the level spell for determining the difficulty for the dispel magic spell.
Killer Instincts.
The drive to kill sharpens into a frenzy, lasting up to 1 minute, and granting the following benefits:
- Increase movement speeds by 10 ft
- When the swarm attacks it does so with advantage, attacks made against the swarm also gain advantage.
- Your swarm counts as magical for overcoming and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Parasite Layers.
Your swarm lays parasitic eggs within the creature. On a successful melee attack the creature must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a fail, 1d6 per spell slot level of eggs are laid inside of creature. After 3 rounds the eggs hatch into parasites that do 2 points of slashing damage per egg, unless a cure disease was performed on the creature within the 3 rounds. After the damage is dealt, the parasite(s) die. This effect can only lay eggs once, per expended spell slot. A Wisdom (Medicine) check against your spell save DC recognizes the parasitic eggs inside the creature.
Skin Burrowers.
Your swarm begins to dig beneath the of the creature inflicting damage. On a successful attack, the creature must make a Dexterity saving against your spell save DC. On a fail, some of swarm burrow into the creature causing piercing damage per spell slot level. For next 3 the creature takes the spell slot level + your modifier in piercing damage, unless a cure is performed on the creature during one of those. After the 3 rounds the burrowed insect dislodge the creature after gorging themselves. This effect only have the swarm burrow once, per expended slot. Wisdom (Medicine) check against your spell save recognizes the burrowed insects inside the creature.
Necrotic Flesh.
The swarm’s bites and sting become extremely poisonous, causing the flesh to rot away and die. On a successful melee attack, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a fail, they take 1d4 poison damage per spell slot level used and suffer half this damage as necrotic damage for the next 3 rounds, unless a cure wounds or other healing or remove poison ability is during that time. On a success, they receive half of the poison damage and no necrotic damage. This effect can only have the swarm poison once, per expended spell slot. This feature effects last for a number of rounds equal to the spell slot expended + your Wisdom modifier or if stated, once per expended spell slot.
Swarm Arcana
Also at 6th level, your swarm may be the target of druidic spells you cast that would require a living animal as a target, such as Beast Messenger. Additionally, when you summon your swarm using Wild Shape, you may treat the swarm as if it is under the effects of Find Familiar When you do so, you may not change the swarm’s form, or dismiss it into a pocket dimension, but otherwise you may treat your Swarm as a Familiar.
At 10th level, you may cast spells other than those with a range of touch, through your swarm. Additionally, when you cast a Spell that requires Concentration and that create a cylinder, sphere, or other persistent area of effect, you may instead choose to channel the spell through your swarm. The spells effects persist in the area your swarm occupies, and follows your swarm as it moves. The swarm is immune to any effects of the spell.
Swarm Archetype
At 14th level, your influence and connection to the swarm has caused the Swarm to take on new traits. You may choose one of the following:
- Devourer: When your swarm reduces an enemy’s hit points to 0, You and your swarm gain temporary hit points equal to your Druid Level. Neither you nor the swarm may gain more than your Druid Level in Temp HP using this method. Once Used, you can't use this feature again until you complete a long rest.
- Mana Eater: Your swarm has developed the taste for magic. As a bonus action, you may have your swarm target an ongoing magical effect or spell, and attempt to dispel it as with Dispel Magic, cast at 3 levels lower than your highest level spell slot. If you succeed, your swarm gains temporary HP equal to the level of spell cast, and you regain spell slots whose combined level is equal to the level of the spell that was dispelled. Once used, you must complete a Long Rest before you use this ability again.