Swarm-that-walks

Thugs surround a lone merchant on the road. The fool was

probably too stingy to hire guards, it will be his last mistake.
Confident, they approach the traveler. But something feels
weird. He should be affraid, running for his life of imploring
the bandits to be spared. But that's not the case, instead he
simply look at them with a grim smile before raising his
toward the pillagers' leader. A brief moment of
incomprehension seizes the thug before seeing dozens of
flying insects coming from under the merchant's cloak. They
don't have time to flee, they are already engulfed in a torrent
of flesh-eating locusts. They try to run, but just a few minutes
are enough to leave only steel and bones where de bandits
were standing. With a simple mind command, the traveler
calls back the swarm, who returns hiding under his cloak,
already waiting eagerly the next meal.
Living hives
Once mortal, the walking swarms are now something else,
something merged with insects, arachnids or critters by some
dark magic. Contrary to druids, you bend the forces of nature
to your will and use it to serve your designs, whatever they
are. Living alone far from any civilization in secluded caves or
in an abandoned house in the middle of a big city, Swarms
find new way to hide their powers to those who would
consider them unholy or heretic. In rare cases, multiple
Swarms may live at the same place, but it usually do not last
long as they tend to devour everything in their way when they
are unleashed.
Masters of millions
Swarms command a multitude of tiny and deadly animals to
control the battlefield, make their ennemies bend under the
number or to spy one peole without unwanted attention.
 (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
Leather armor, thieves tools (if proficient), a light
The Swarm-that-walks crossbow and a quiver of 30 bolts
Proficiency Swarm Linked animal
Level Bonus Features number
1st +2 Linked animal, Invasion 1
At 1st level, you choose which type of animal you have tied a
link with: Spiders, Wasps or Rats, each of which is detailed at
2nd +2 Shield of locusts, Storm of 1 the end of the class description. Your choice grants features a
critters 1st level when you choose it and then again at 6th, 9th and
3rd +2 Life sustenance 2 11th levels.
4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 2
Invasion
5th +3 Magic nature, Hive body (1 2
use) At 1st level, you can control your animals by the force of will
and make them storm the battlefield. The number of swarm
6th +3 Linked animal feature 3 you have depends on your level in this class, as shown in the
7th +3 Thousands of eyes (1 use) 3 Swarm class table.
8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 3 As an action, you can command your any number of your
swarms to lash out of your body or your clothes to invade the
9th +4 Linked animal feature 3 battlefield, they each appear in spaces within 15 feet of you.
10th +4 Hive body (2 use) 3 You control them (no action required) and act just after you in
the turn order. Your swarms' statistics depend on your linked
11th +4 Linked animal feature 4 animal and are shown at the end of the class description.
12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 4 Your swarms are considered your allies but not those of the
13th +5 Astrological Botany 4 other member of your party and do not occupy their space.
They can never be further than 60f from you, otherwise they
14th +5 Ability Score Improvement, 4 instantly come back on your body.
Divinatory Mineralogy As a bonus action, you can call your swarms to you and
15th +5 Spiritual Biochemistry 4 those you choose runs back to you instantly.
16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 5
Any dead swarm comes back after you've taken a short
rest. Alternatively, you can create new ones using a bonus
17th +6 Nuclear Illusionism 5 action and taking 1d6 + your Swarm-that-walks level piercing
18th +6 Biochemical Sorcery 5 damage per swarm created this way. This damages cannot be
reduced in any way, as they are borndirectly from pieces of
19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 5 you body. As always, you can never have more swarms that
20th +6 Divinatory Mineralogy 5 what is shown in the class table.
Shield of locusts
At 2nd level, your animals protect you form incoming attacks.
As long as you are wearing a light armor with no shield or no
Class Features armor at all, you can now add the number of swarms you
currently have on you to your armor class (those you are
As a Swarm, you gain the following clas features: using with your invasion feature do not count).
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per swarm level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10+ your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution
modifier par swarm ldevel after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: None
Saving throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: Choose three from Acrobatic, Animal Handling,
Deception, Intimidation, Nature, Perception and Stealth
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to
the
equipment granted by your background;
(a) a quaterstaff or (b) a handaxe or (c) a rapier (if
proficient)
(a) a sickle or (b) two daggers
Storm of critters Whenever something requires a target to make a saving
throw, the D.C. equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your
At 2nd level your swarms can run or fly around you and dexterity modifier.
This feature lasts for 1 minute and you can
attack your ennemies. As an action, you can create a storm use it once per long rest. You gain another use at 10th level
with your swarm, when a creature ends its turn wihtin 20 feet and again at 16th level.
of you, you can deal it 1d4 point of piercing damage per
swarm you have on you (those you are using with your Thousands of eyes
invasion feature do not count). You can end this effect using a At 7th level, you can temporarily transfer your
bonus action. counsciousness into one of your swarm. As an action, you can
While in this form, your swarms can't be targeted, but each begin to see through all of the creatures's that compose your
time they would take damage from an area of effect, one of swarm. During this time, you are deaf and blind in regards to
them dies. If you can see the point of origin of such area, you your own senses. While you see through your swarm's eyes,
can use your reaction to make a dexterity saving throw with you can move it up to 1 mile away from you, it instantly
the same D.C. as the area of effect, if it doesn't have any the comes back if you severe the connection. The swarm can be
D.C. is 10. If you succeed, you manage to call back your back scattered enough not to raise the attention if it moves slowly,
swarms, leaving them unharmed but ending the effect of but if it goes quickly or toward a specific point not far, people
storm of critters. can notice something weird with a successful Intelligence
Life sustenance (Investigation) check (D.C. determined by the DM, depending
on the situation).
The swarms eat everything they can, and it nourrishes you You can use this feature once per long rest and once more
too. Starting at level 3, when an enemy one of your swarms is at 13th level and again at 15th level.
on dies or is killed by them, you can regain 1d10 + your
Swarm-that-walks level hit points. You can use this feature a
number of time equal to your Constitution modifier et regain
all expended uses on a long rest.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th.
and
19th level, you can increase one ability score of your
choice
by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of
your choice by
1. As normal, you can't increase an ability
score above 20
using this feature.
Magic nature
Starting at 5th level, any damage dealt by your swarms are
now considered magical for the purpose of overcoming
resistance.
Hive body
At 5th level, you can can call on your swarms surround you,
making your physical body disapear. As an action, you adopt
yourself the form of a swarm along with all the equipment
you're wearing for a limited time. While in this form, you gain
resistance to Bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage.
You cannot attack, but can eventually do other things with
your action determined by your DM. Your walking speed
increases by 10 feet and you are not affected by difficult
terrain.
You no longer occupy your space, and when you end
your turn on another creature's space, you can cause one of
these effects:
You deal it 2d6 + your Dexterity modifier magical piercing
or slashing damage (your choice).
It must succeed on a dexterity saving throw or become
blinded until the end of your next turn.
It must succeed on a dexterity saving throw or see its
speed halved until the end of your next turn.
If it is hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to take it
instead of the creature. All of the attack's effects happen
as if you were the one who was targeted.