Swarm

Swarm

There are many of these creatures, but they act as one.

• Swarms count as 2 monsters for purposes of encounter size, XP award, and treasure.
• Swarms have twice as many hit points as monsters with the same CR.
• Swarms get a -2 adjustment to their initiative.
• Swarms inflict the same damage with their attacks as a monster with no Role of the same CR.
• Swarms get 0 action point(s).

• (Swarm Role) Hardened (½ damage): slashing (physical, common), piercing (physical, common)
• (Swarm Role) Immune (no effect): Critical Hits and Flanking
• (Swarm Role) Immune (no effect): Any attack that targets Maneuver Defense
• (Swarm Role) Immune (no effect): Any spell that targets a specific number of creatures, except mind-affecting spells (if this creature has an Int score).

• (Swarm Role) Vulnerable (1.5x damage) to area of effect spells (including Channel Divinity)
• Swarms have the following special abilities:

Darken the Sky (Ex; Swarm Role) Standard Action

As a standard action, the horde hurls a volley of projectiles into a 20' cubic area (4x4x4 squares) within 60 feet of their space. Creatures within the affected area must make a reflex save, DC 14, or take 1d4 points of bludgeoning (physical, common) damage from the savage strikes of this deadly rain. Those who succeed on the save take only half damage.

Sum of the Parts (Ex; Swarm Role) Always On

Swarms, troops, and hordes follow the squeezing rules based on their component creature size, NOT the size of the swarm, troop, or horde as a whole. This means these groups of creatures can easily move through doorways that are sized appropriately to their component creature sizes. They can even stop in such spaces without suffering squeezing penalties. In such cases, the swarm's shape is unaffected, except that its space excludes any blocked spaces. That is, its space doesn't deform into a non-square shape, it's just treated as not occupying any blocked spaces within its space. This means it cannot threaten through blocked spaces, since it isn't technically occupying them. Multiple swarms, troops, and hordes can share the same squares without squeezing or movement penalties. They can move through, and even stop on top of (or within) the spaces of other swarms, troops, or hordes. Swarms, troops, and hordes can also move over, through, and into spaces occupied by enemy creatures without provoking attacks of opportunity, even if they pass through or leave a threatened square. Furthermore, creatures inside the space of a swarm, troop, or horde are treated as flanked while they remain in that space (though this doesn't usually matter much, since swarms, troops, and hordes automatically hit with their attacks). Finally, a maximum of two swarms, troops, or hordes can attack a single given creature in a round, even if more than two swarms, troops, or hordes are threatening that creature. There simply isn't enough surface area of the enemy creature for more attacks to be inflicted.