Formian

[Shophaune]

Formian

HD:d8

Level | BAB           | Fort | Ref | Will | Feature
1        | +0               | +0    | +0   | +2   | Body of Law, Bite it Better, The Law Marches On, Through Fire and Wind, Hive Mind, +1 Con
2        | +1               | +0    | +0   | +3   | Hive Tactics, Sting in the Small Print, +1 Str and Con
3        | +2               | +1    | +1   | +3   | Growth, Weapons Permit, Tricks are Illegal
4        | +3               | +1    | +1   | +4   | Everyone In Their Place, Lawful Brutality, +1 Str and Con
5        | +3               | +1    | +1   | +4   | Alibi, Detain
6        | +4               | +2    | +2   | +5   | Voice of The Law, Chaos Ward, +1 Str and Con
7        | +5               | +2    | +2   | +5   | Mental Custody, Hive Enforcement
8        | +6/+1         | +2    | +2   | +6   | Stop In The Name Of The Law, Subordinate, +1 Str and Con
9        | +6/+1         | +3    | +3   | +6   | Growth, Leader's Limbs
10      | +7/+2         | +3    | +3   | +7   | Anarchy Squad, Martial Law, +1 Str and Con
11      | +8/+3         | +3    | +3   | +7   | Extra Subordinate, Hive Reach
12      | +9/+4         | +4    | +4   | +8   | Legs of the Lawyer, +1 Str and Con
13      | +9/+4         | +4    | +4   | +8   | Rules Loophole, Hive Reinforcements.
14      | +10/+5       | +4    | +4   | +9   | Extra Subordinate, For The Hive, +1 Str and Con
15      | +11/+6/+1 | +5    | +5   | +9   | No Room for a Second, Compound Awareness
16      | +12/+7/+2 | +5    | +5   | +10 | Perfect Lawroom +1 Str and Con
17      | +12/+7/+2 | +5    | +5   | +10 | Brood Subjects, Hive Beacon, +1 Con

Skills: (4+Int, Quadruple at 1st), Sense Motive, Intimidate, Jump, Spot, Search, Listen, Knowledge (The Planes)

Proficiencies: A Formian is proficient with its natural weapons, all simple weapons and light armour.

Body Of Law: At 1st level, the formian loses all other racial bonus and gains outsider traits (darkvision 60 ft). He's a small sized outsider creature with base speed 40 with a pair of mandibles around it's mouth. These mandibles can be used to make a natural attack dealing 1d4+Str damage. A formian cannot speak due to these mandibles however, and has no limbs capable of fine manipulation or holding items. The formian gets a Nat armor bonus equal to his Dex or Con modifier, whichever is higher. A formian's weapons (natural or wielded) are treated as Lawful for the purposes of DR.

Bite It Better (Su): A formian can use its mandibles to pull wounds closed or piece broken objects back together. As a full round action, the formian can heal another creature by 1d4 + Dex health, or repair an object as the spell make whole (CL = HD). This ability provokes attacks of opportunity. The amount healed by this ability increases by 1d4 for every 3 HD the formian has.

The Law Marches On: A formian gains resistance 15 to cold, and gets a +5 to rolls when saving against poison or petrification effects.

At 8HD, these become immunities.

Through Fire and Wind: A formian has resistance to fire, electricity and sonic damage equal to HD.

Hive Mind (Su): A formian has telepathy with range HD*10ft. Treat Common and Formian as automatic languages for communicating through this, and calculate bonus languages normally.

Ability Increases: Formians gain +1 Str on every even level of this class and +1 Con on levels 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 17, giving +10 Con and +8 Str by level 17.

Hive Tactics (Ex): If an ally within 5ft/2HD is not flatfooted, the formian gains 1/2 Dex as a morale bonus to AC. A creature does not contribute to flanking the formian if it itself is flanked.

Sting in the Small Print: The formian gains a natural sting attack, dealing 2d4+Str. The formin's bite attack reduces to 1d4+1/2Str, but the sting delivers a poison that deals 1d6 Str damage. The DC to avoid the damage is Fort 10+1/2HD+Con modifier.

At 5 HD and every 5 HD after that, the poison damage increases in size, as a natural attack would after a size category increase.

Growth: The formian grows one size category.

Weapons Permit: The formian's forelegs have developed enough to hold items. They are still incapable of the complex movements needed to cast spells with somatic components. The formian also gains Multiattack as a feat, even if it does not qualify for it.

Tricks Are Illegal: The formian gains SR 11+HD, but spells with the Chaotic modifier are treated as if they were cast as Maximised.

At 13 HD, spells with the Chaotic modifier are no longer considered to be Maximised unless they were cast using the Maximise Spell feat.

Everyone in their Place: The formian gains Martial Weapon Proficiency (sap) and one other Martial Weapon Proficiency as bonus feats.

Lawful Brutality (Ex): 1/day per 4 HD, a formian may rage as a barbarian of its HD-3. This ability may only be used if an ally within the formian's telepathy range has taken more than 10 damage in the last round.

Alibi (Ex): The formian gains a +5 to Sense Motive checks when investigating a crime or location.

Detain (Ex): The formian's bite and sting attacks gain the Improved Grab feature, but can grapple an opponent of the formian's size category.

Voice of the Law: The mandibles of the formian have shifted enough to allow speech. A formian can speak any language that they can communicate telepathically in.

Chaos Ward (Su): Allies within 5ft./3HD of the formian gain a +2 to AC and saves against chaotic creatures and effects. The formian in turn recieves a -2 penalty to AC and saves against the same creatures and effects, stacking with Tricks are Illegal. This ability may be deactivated or reactivated as a move action.

At 11 HD, the formian gains the effects of a Protection from Chaos spell (CL = HD) while this ability is deactivated.
At 15 HD, the penalties from this ability are capped at -2 (they are the same no matter how many allies are effected)

Mental Custody (Sp): The formian gains Dominate Person 1/day per 4 HD, although it can only be used on creatures one size category above the formian or smaller. No creature may be targeted by this SLA more than once in 24 hours.

At 15 HD, this SLA upgrades to Dominate Monster, although the size restriction remains.

Hive Enforcement (Ex): The formian is no longer considered flatfooted if an ally within telepathy range is not flatfooted. The formian is not considered flanked unless all allies are flanked.

Stop In The Name Of The Law (Ex): By concentrating for an hour, the formian may change its stinger's venom between dealing Strength damage and Dexterity damage. This can only be done once a day.

Subordinate: The formian is entrusted with an egg by the queen of a nearby nest. After 1d6 days near the formian, the egg hatches into a level 1 Formian (the subordinate). This subordinate levels with the formian, receiving a subordinate of its own when the formian has 15 HD. The subordinate cannot multiclass until it has taken all levels of the Formian class. If the subordinate is killed, the formian is entrusted with another egg after 1d8 days.

Leader's Limbs: The forelegs of the formian have adapted to perform fine manipulations. The formian can now use spells with somatic components.

Lawful Integrity (Ex): The formian gains fast healing equal to 1/4 HD. This stacks with any fast healing already present.

At 18 HD, the formian also gains an equal amount of DR -/Chaotic.

Anarchy Squad (Sp): The formian gains the following SLAs: Detect Chaos at will, Clairvoyance/clairaudience 1/day per HD, Detect Thoughts 1/day per 2HD (DC 10+1/2HD+Con mod), Dictum 1/day per 7 HD (DC 10+1/2HD+Con mod), Order's Vengeance 1/day per 5 HD (DC 10+1/2HD+Con mod).

Martial Law: The formian is now proficient with medium armour.

Extra Subordinate: The formian is entrusted with another egg, gaining another level 1 Formian subject to the same restrictions as the first.

Hive Reach (Su): The formian's telepathic reach grows vastly. The formian can now communicate telepathically within a range of 30ft./HD

Legs of the Lawyer: The formian's base land speed increases by 10ft, and the formian receives a +4 racial bonus to Jump.

Rules Loophole (Su): The formian gains casting as a Sorcerer of 2/3 its HD. The formian's levels stack with sorcerer levels for determining spells known, spell slots and caster level at the same ratio. For example, a Formian 13 / Sorcerer 1 would cast as a 9th level sorcerer, but would not gain any sorcerer class features not available to a Sorcerer 1.

Hive Reinforcements (Sp): 1/day per 4 HD, the formian may teleport, as Greater Teleport, to any subordinate that has just taken damage as a free action. This can be combined with Lawful Brutality.

For The Hive (Ex): When the Formian charges, it may Inspire Courage as a bard of level = 2/3 HD. This has a range equal to the formian's telepathy.

No Room for a Second (Su): The formian's allies and subordinates are now immune to mind-affecting effects. However, any mind-affecting effect that the formian fails against also affects its subordinates as an exception to this immunity. This ability does not affect formians with more than 14 HD.

Compound Awareness (Ex): The formian is always able to act in surprise rounds and gets a +10 racial bonus to Spot and Search checks.

Perfect Lawroom (Su): The formian is the source of a Zone of Truth effect (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Con Modifier) with range equal to the formian's telepathy.

Hive Beacon (Su): The formian reaches the pinnacle of its awareness. The formian's telepathy increases to 50ft./HD, and the formian is aware of (and can therefore speak with) all lawful creatures within this radius.

Brood Subjects (Ex): The number of subordinates of all levels available to the formian triples, and they gain a burrow speed equal to 1/2 their base land speed. The formian is aware of the subordinates' experiences and can receive the sensory input of any subordinate as a standard action, as though they have been Dominated by the formian.




Comments:

(click to show/hide)

My first monster class! Prehaps a little too heavy on the law-related puns, but this could be a reasonable gish...I think.

[oslecamo]

I see some ambition here but also sense you just threw in half-random stuff while forgething some iconic points.

Why only a bonus to Dex and Con when Formians have pretty high Str scores?

Where's the fast healing? How do you replace dead subordinates?

You claim it's supposed to be a gish, but this Formian only starts gaining SLAs at level 7 and then spells only at level 13. And while raging you can't use spells. And you only have medium Bab. You gain bonus to half-random skills but only have 2 base skill points.


I guess the main problem here is that you tried to cram all the formians in a single class when they're supposed to be different specialized monsters. The worker works, the warrior fights, the taskmaster bosses people around, the Myrmarch provides mobile magic utility, and the queen is the big fat immobile super caster. They should probably be 5 different monsters, probably with a clause where you get to retrain the previous levels for the next class. That or simply make a single class where old features are replaced by different new ones (lose repair/heal, gain sting and claws, lose claws to gain dominate, lose dominate to gain SLAs, and finally lose mobility to gain sorceror casting). Or have the option to swap them with time, like you did with the poison (so at 17th level you could be either super worker or super warrior or super taskmaster or super utility SLA dude or super fat caster queen and swap them with 1 hour metamorphosis or something like that).

[Rakoa]

I guess the main problem here is that you tried to cram all the formians in a single class when they're supposed to be different specialized monsters. The worker works, the warrior fights, the taskmaster bosses people around, the Myrmarch provides mobile magic utility, and the queen is the big fat immobile super caster. They should probably be 5 different monsters, probably with a clause where you get to retrain the previous levels for the next class. That or simply make a single class where old features are replaced by different new ones (lose repair/heal, gain sting and claws, lose claws to gain dominate, lose dominate to gain SLAs, and finally lose mobility to gain sorceror casting). Or have the option to swap them with time, like you did with the poison (so at 17th level you could be either super worker or super warrior or super taskmaster or super utility SLA dude or super fat caster queen and swap them with 1 hour metamorphosis or something like that).

Damn good ideas here.

[Shophaune]

I see some ambition here but also sense you just threw in half-random stuff while forgething some iconic points.

Guilty as charged.

Why only a bonus to Dex and Con when Formians have pretty high Str scores?

Meant to be Strength instead of Dex, no clue where that came from. Fixed!

Where's the fast healing? How do you replace dead subordinates?

Missed both of those, thanks.

You claim it's supposed to be a gish, but this Formian only starts gaining SLAs at level 7 and then spells only at level 13. And while raging you can't use spells. And you only have medium Bab. You gain bonus to half-random skills but only have 2 base skill points.

In order:
* I'm very bad at judging whether things are gishes or just bad.
* I was trying to keep the SLAs / spells near the levels that the actual Formian has them (or CR, whichever).
* Completely forgot about rage stopping spells, but I guess it adds a little strategy: do I rage or do I cast?
* I figured that sorcerer casting + SLAs + natural armor + rage +full BAB would be a little too good at everything.
* The skill bonuses were a result of me trying to be thematic at 2:30 in the morning. Any suggestions to fix?

I guess the main problem here is that you tried to cram all the formians in a single class when they're supposed to be different specialized monsters. The worker works, the warrior fights, the taskmaster bosses people around, the Myrmarch provides mobile magic utility, and the queen is the big fat immobile super caster. They should probably be 5 different monsters, probably with a clause where you get to retrain the previous levels for the next class. That or simply make a single class where old features are replaced by different new ones (lose repair/heal, gain sting and claws, lose claws to gain dominate, lose dominate to gain SLAs, and finally lose mobility to gain sorceror casting). Or have the option to swap them with time, like you did with the poison (so at 17th level you could be either super worker or super warrior or super taskmaster or super utility SLA dude or super fat caster queen and swap them with 1 hour metamorphosis or something like that).

Swapping sounds like a good idea. Should it build up gradually, or should the class regain the option of the previous abilities at the last levels (but all at once)?

[oslecamo]

* I was trying to keep the SLAs / spells near the levels that the actual Formian has them (or CR, whichever).

You did a pretty good job at that actually.

* I figured that sorcerer casting + SLAs + natural armor + rage +full BAB would be a little too good at everything.

That's why I said the abilities shouldn't all be available simultaneously.

* The skill bonuses were a result of me trying to be thematic at 2:30 in the morning. Any suggestions to fix?

For now they aren't that much of a problem, I guess it's a bigger priority to fix the synergy stuff. Or remove the random skill bonuses and increase base skills.

I guess the main problem here is that you tried to cram all the formians in a single class when they're supposed to be different specialized monsters. The worker works, the warrior fights, the taskmaster bosses people around, the Myrmarch provides mobile magic utility, and the queen is the big fat immobile super caster. They should probably be 5 different monsters, probably with a clause where you get to retrain the previous levels for the next class. That or simply make a single class where old features are replaced by different new ones (lose repair/heal, gain sting and claws, lose claws to gain dominate, lose dominate to gain SLAs, and finally lose mobility to gain sorceror casting). Or have the option to swap them with time, like you did with the poison (so at 17th level you could be either super worker or super warrior or super taskmaster or super utility SLA dude or super fat caster queen and swap them with 1 hour metamorphosis or something like that).

Swapping sounds like a good idea. Should it build up gradually, or should the class regain the option of the previous abilities at the last levels (but all at once)?

I think it would make for a nice capstone something along the lines of "1/day the Formian can get all of its swappable abilities active simultaneously for X rounds/minutes".