Maggot Swarm (3.5e Monster)

Author: Kassupernova (talk) Date Created: April 28, 2018 Status: Complete. Editing: Clarity edits only please

Rate this article Your rating for this article: Favor Like Neutral Dislike Oppose Submit | Cancel Discuss this article

Maggot Swarm

CR 6

	Lawful Neutral Diminutive Vermin
Init/Senses	+4/Darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +4, Spot +4
AC	18, touch 18, flat-footed 14
hp	24 (4d8+2 HD)
Fort/Ref/Will	+6/+6/+3
Speed	20 ft. (4 squares), burrow 10 ft., climb 20 ft.
Space/Reach	10 ft./0 ft.
Base Atk/Grp	+4/-
Atk Options	Swarm (1d6)
Special Actions	Distraction, inhabit
Abilities	Str 1, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 10
SQ	darkvision 60 ft., hive mind, immune to weapon damage, vermin traits, swarm traits, telepathic
Feats	Alertness
Skills	Climb +10, Hide +16, Listen +6, Spot +6
Advancement	—

Some Worms that possessed powerful mages in the past may now possess their own hive mind and communicate with other beings telepathically; allowing them to occupy inanimate objects. In any case, self-preservation, self-interest and Hive expansion are almost always at the top of the list.

Combat

They place protection of the hive above all else. They will attempt to flee, using the corpse to escape but will quickly counterattack if stopped. A swarm deals 1d6 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move. The swarm can take over the bodies of its corpse and other dead, using them as horrible, unliving puppets to deal unsettling blows to a party's bodies and/or minds. The first victim to encounter the Worms' wrath would be engulfed, hopefully deterring others from pursuing the corpse and the hive within. If the host of the hive is destroyed, the worms will attempt to carry the hive to safety. If the hive is destroyed, they will discorporate, carrying pieces of the corpse in various directions. Some Worms can be reasoned with.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a maggot swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 14 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Inhabit (Ex): A maggot swarm can enter the body of a helpless or dead creature by crawling into its mouth and other orifices. Inhabiting requires 1 minute, and the victim must be Small, Medium, or Large (although four swarms working together can inhabit a Huge creature). The swarm can abandon the body at any time, although doing this takes 1 full round. Any attack against the host deals half damage to the maggot swarm as well.

If a maggot swarm inhabits a dead body, it can restore animation to the creature and control its movements, effectively transforming it into a zombie of the appropriate size for as long as the swarm remains inside. The maggots quickly consume a living victim, dealing 2d4 points of Constitution damage per hour they inhabit a body. A body reduced to Constitution 0 is dead.

A maggot-inhabited creature is relatively easy to spot, since its skin crawls with the forms of insects inside. The swarm is intelligent enough to attempt to hide beneath loose clothing or a large cloak to keep its presence from being detected. The swarm can attempt a Disguise check to conceal its inhabitation of a host, with a –4 penalty if currently inhabiting a Small host.

A remove disease or heal spell cast on an inhabited victim forces the swarm to abandon its host.

Hive Mind (Ex): Any maggot swarm with at least 1 hit point per Hit Die (or 4 hit points, for a standard maggot swarm) forms a hive mind, giving it an Intelligence of 6. When a maggot swarm is reduced below this hit point threshold, it becomes mindless. Mindless swarms immediately attempt to return directly to their hive, regardless of any attacks of opportunity they may incur while moving.

Telepathy (Su): Any maggot swarm with a hive mind can communicate with any creature within 120 ft. They communicate directly with the mind and do not require knowledge of any languages or literacy. The swarms can communicate with other maggot swarms over any distance.

Regeneration (Ex): Fire and Acid deal lethal damage to a maggot swarm corpse, which cannot be regenerated. Damage dealt to the corpse is treated as nonlethal damage. The corpse automatically heals 1 nonlethal damage per round. A regenerating creature that has been rendered unconscious through nonlethal damage can be killed with a Fire or Acid coup de grace. A corpse that loses a limb or body part can reattach it by holding the severed member to the stump. Reattachment takes 1 minute. Attack forms that don’t deal hit point damage ignore regeneration. The Hive can regenerate swarm HP if they're in the Hive itself. A Swarm is required in the corpse or Hive for the corpse to regenerate. Swarms cannot regenerate outside of the hive. Each swarm in the hive and the corpse each regenerate 1 damage per turn.

A swarm can last for 3 days without returning to its hive as long as it consumes its daily food. On the 4th day, the swarm is compelled to make its way to the hive. If it cannot return by the 5th day, the swarm dies. The hive must regenerate 1d8 of Worms before the swarm can be used again. The Hive has a maximum capacity in correlation with the Host's HD and it keeps vacancies for Worms that leave until they can no longer return.

The maggots pick a location inside of the corpse for their hive. The hive is the true weakpoint to the maggot swarm. This hive works like a Bag of Holding specifically for the sleeping and/or regenerating swarms. If the hive is destroyed, a single swarm and a full day's action are required to build a new hive. If the corpse is completely destroyed beyond repair or otherwise lost forever, a swarm may make a new hive. This action requires a new corpse or object to build it in, and a full day's action uninterrupted. If the hive is destroyed or unable to produce new worms without being supplied with food from swarms and all swarms are dead, the creature is officially considered dead for all intents and purposes.

See Worm that Walks Variant (3.5e Race) for additional hive corpse options and Engulf ability]]

This Monster may be used in variation for the Worm that Walks Variant swarms.

---

Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Monsters