Hope they enjoy it. :smallsmile:
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Hope they enjoy it. :smallsmile:
Quick question: When it talks about the bonus evolution points a swarmlord gets, it says it is 1/3rd of their total points. Is this just a remnant of swarmlord having bonus points from Cha in the past, or is it some other value besides the one in the table?
No, it's just a third of the ones in the table. xD
Hey guys!
I turned The Swarm Arrives into a pdf a few weeks back. Thought I would place a link here in case anyone found it useful.
[LINK]
Internets be unto him, for he makes readable, aesthetically appealing PDFs.
Thank you, sir.
In truth, it's pretty easy when you have high quality material to work with. The PDF practically generates itself. ;)
In going over this class with my DM we've noticed a few problems, mainly in the editing:
•For example, breath weapons: How big is it? Does it go by the dragon size category chart in the DMG? Is it a line or cone? Do I pick that upon usage like a DFA, or is it permanent?
WHoops!
It's based on HD. Thanks for pointing that out.
Hey, I noticed that with humanoid type/Bonus HD you could get swarmlord levels. Was that intentional? (Seems like it was based on the flavor text for the class, but I'm never sure)
Yes for swarmlings!
...not for swarmlords. They shouldn't be able to just grab more levels. ._.
How would a swarmlord even take that? Get a template with LA?
...I don't understand your question. They'd spend points on it?
...oh hey I've already put in things to stop that being abused.
What's the ECL for a swarmling?
Is there anything preventing a swarmlord from assimilating or embracing itself?
Then if nothing prevents the swarmlord from being assimilated (which is a cool hidden capstone) what does prevent him from expending its points in gaining more HD? :smallredface:
Oh, you replied about swarmlings, but what about infested? Same reply?
Regarding the swarmlord levels, I mean.
:smallsmile:Quote:
Infested, Assimilated, and Embraced may only take this evolution if their HD is less than their ECL, and HD gained from it do not count towards their ECL.
I'm sorry for being so dense... but doesn't the template give LA and thus increase their ECL without raising their HD and make their HD less than their ECL?
For the matter if the HD gained by it don't count for their HD, wouldn't that make them not count for the purpose of calculating their HD and comparing it to their ECL and thus create a loop?
The HD still do matter for the purpose of calculating HD things, just not ECL. So if you bought a level of HD, it wouldn't raise your ECl, but it would raise your amount of HD until the two are eventually equal. Thus, the loop is not a problem. And yes, the part about applying templates raising their ECL is true, but it's just like acquiring any other template in the middle of a game (instead of at chargen, where you have it as part of your ECL).
I can't think of any more edits to point out, but I'd just like to say I'm liking this class. It's unique, not quite trying to tackle any of the things other homebrews are trying to get at, if that makes sense. I'd also love to see some PrCs for this guy!
One thing I would like to see as a prc and I might do it at some point if I get time is a "theurge" prc with Oslecamo's Machine Mistress to create the borg.
That'd end up interesting. xD
How many evolution points would you say one of Draken's evolutions is worth?
Edit: Thinking of brewing up some ACF that uses those evolutions instead if I have the time.
Uh. Which ones?
In general. Still limited by the usual limits on his.
In GENERAL, I have no idea what you're talking about. :smalltongue:
In general. Still limited by the usual limits on his, assuming a mutator level equal to Swarmlord levels+1/2 any other levels.
Edit: Oops, double posted. I mean the ones in his evolutionist class.
Oh god not the evolutionist
It should be a triple theurge that includes Gramarist.
/me runs screaming into horizon
My friend kept on trying to get a dual progression evolutionist/gramarist. It was amusing,
It's pretty easy to over-optimise in gestalt, which is the main place I play, so whenever I see it it's a herald of Str 50 abominations that overshadow anything.
I do hear it's balanced well for normal games, though.
I hear that theory, too. The only swarmlord character I managed to get into a game, though is gestalted with an old attempt at a base class trying to capture Prototype's mutation system, which at the time of creation I was unaware of the synergy. I'm currently in a boxing max with several githyanki warships at level 15 still unsure of whether or not I can actually die.
So remember kids, friends don't let friends gestalt swarmlord.
I'm pretty sure she was talking about evolutionist, not swarmlord. Though both do run into the fact that by selecting options to augment yourself, they are perfect for gestalt to use to plug up any holes. "Let's see, at this level, I need flight, at this, I should have invisibility, I would like to have a ranged attack at this level".
Almost the same for me - it's not an automatic leave, but it's certainly a strike.
If it's "no homebrew because I really don't have the time to integrate one new class per player to the point that I can balance things for them," that's one thing.
If it's "no homebrew because WotC stuff is all better-balanced", that's another thing entirely.
And then there's "no homebrew because this game is centered on a specific mechanical challenge," also known as "let's make a party with a CW Samurai, a Truenamer, and a Healer," in which case I'm really not sure what to think and the fact that I thought of it at all just shows that I should probably be in bed.
Eh, at 20th level Swarmlord can net a +24 bonus to strength, without embracing/assimilating themselves, etc.
Edit: And that includes a nifty con bonus too. And being really really big.
Why wouldn't you embrace yourself and grant yourself more HD once you hit the level cap? :smalltongue:
Yeah, that too. And then apply Enlarge Person and wear something of bull's strength.
I have a request this time: Upgrades for the burrow speed. As written you can't burrow through anything but dirt. Any chance for upgrades by putting more points in that to allow for stone burrowing, and maybe eventually stoneswim?
Edit: And now something more along the lines of feedback. The amount of information shared between the infected, swarmlord and hive is sort of unclear. I mean, does the swarmlord have telepathy extending to anyone in range within the hive? (Speaking of which, a way to gain telepathy with outsiders would be a good addition)
I just discovered this, and I'm pretty sure I want to play one next time I'm in a 3.5 game. But I had a couple questions.
1. How does changing creature type work when you're not starting from the Magical Beast type? Are the evolution point costs any different? I want to know for reasons that may or may not have anything to do with goo girls.
2. What happens to members of your swarm when they are outside of your Hive Mind range? I assume that they keep some intelligence, but to what degree? Could I send out Infested raiding parties and trust them to be competent, or would I need Assimilated lieutenants to keep them in order?
And, as a sub-question, what happens when a member of the swarm without their own mind first emerges from their cocoon when the Swarmlord isn't around?
3. What would it cost, evolution point wise, to gain additional manipulators/limbs? Or is that folded into "additional natural attacks?"
1. The initial type change from becoming a swarm member doesn't cost anything, type change is if you want to make the creature change further.
2. Generally up to DM descretion, my DM that's tolerating my swarm has them act within the mental capacity they have when they're not connected. Take a look at the Hive Node evolution, which removes the range issue on a swarm member and even allows them to act as an extension of the hive mind range (I personally just throw the basic hive node on everything for simplicity's sake).
For the sub-question, it's probably up to the DM how it acts but it's still something you would want to avoid, especially if it starts mutating itself randomly and using up its personal pool without your input.
3. Extra limbs aren't listed in the evolutions, and extra natural attacks in certain forms might be allowed as extra extensions depending on your DM, but don't expect them to be at the same functional capacity as your original limbs.
Well yes, I realize that. The further change cost is what I'm curious about, since it only specifies the cost when starting as the Magical Beast type. What I'm asking is if a Swarmlord wanted to become an Ooze (or whatever else), is the cost the same as turning a Swarmling into an Ooze, even though the relative gains will be different?
Yeah, that did start to look pretty appealing to me too, though evolution points are scarce when you're low level. I've never passed level 10 in a d&d game, so I try to look at classes from a low-level perspective.Quote:
2. Generally up to DM descretion, my DM that's tolerating my swarm has them act within the mental capacity they have when they're not connected. Take a look at the Hive Node evolution, which removes the range issue on a swarm member and even allows them to act as an extension of the hive mind range (I personally just throw the basic hive node on everything for simplicity's sake).
For the sub-question, it's probably up to the DM how it acts but it's still something you would want to avoid, especially if it starts mutating itself randomly and using up its personal pool without your input.
At any rate, this answer at least makes for some interesting problems. Now I'm just picturing a Swarmlord who goes around turning wild animals into more dangerous wild animals for kicks.
Hmm. I was hoping to perhaps inspire the creation of a new thing to put evolution points into. Extra limbs seems perfectly in line with things that you could do with swarm evolution, whether it be an extra pair of arms or a prehensile tail or oodles of dextrous tentacles. Perhaps a new fine manipulator for every 2 points put into it?Quote:
3. Extra limbs aren't listed in the evolutions, and extra natural attacks in certain forms might be allowed as extra extensions depending on your DM, but don't expect them to be at the same functional capacity as your original limbs.
I don't have internet properly at the moment, but I'll happily upgrade burrow when I do.
Everything within the hive mind has telepathy to everything within the hive mind.
Enhancing it is a good idea.
1. it costs the same, mainly because I don't want to write an entire table of different values. (Also, goo girls are the BEST reason and may you have much cuddly squishy fun)
2. They use their own intelligence. For basic infested, this is Int 2 - animal intelligence.
3. I guess it'd be a subset of natural attacks. I'll add that in when I have home net.
I just realized: do Infested lose class levels? Seems like they should from phrasing, but it never says they do.
if they go down to Int 2, yes
New PDF's out. Updated the breath weapons entry and made some minor formatting changes.
lix my friend loves this class and loves dnd now and in our campaign he is on his way to becoming a king where all his subjects are his zerg infested followers. he says that this is now his favorite class
I know I just posted a new version of the PDF the other day, but after taking a second look at it, I just couldn't let it stand as it was. I fixed some additional minor formatting stuff (mostly punctuation type stuff), but that wasn't what had bothered me at all!
What had bothered me was the freaking black chapter headers and page numbers which could hardly be seen on the dark background (they also looked really ugly and out of place). So today I went back and removed them.
The PDF now has proper page numbers displayed in a nice white Starcraft font on top of the Overmind's eye (as any good Zerg themed material should display page numbers).
It may not sound like a lot, but I'm super excited about it. It came together pretty well (it really is the small things). I got worked up enough to write a blog post about it.
TLDR: \nerd new pdf that's pretty much the same as the old one.
Hey guys!
Just popped in to say that the url for The Swarm Arrives has changed during the site update. You can find the new one here, or in my signature.
As always: happy homebrewing!