Vaspen Swarms (3.5e Race)

Vaspen Swarms

Personality

The Vaspen Swarms tend to be, well, waspish in personality, erring towards dry humour in their mannerisms. Their health depends on how many Vaspen are currently making them - the more Vaspen, the more intelligent, and the more enduring. If their HP ever falls to 0 or below, there are not enough Vaspen to mantain sentience, and the swarm falls apart, often attacking former allies in ther mindless escape. When they have enough intelligence to speak, they always refer to themselves in the plural.

Physical Description

The Vaspen are very, very small wasp-like creatures, with multi-faceted eyes, 6 black legs, 4 wings which it can hide inside a small, yellow and black striped carapace, and a formidable sting of the same size as the body, and two antennae. The mouth is like a small red claw. Alone, they are mindless creatures. However, eventually, they gather into large swarms, witha collective hive mind, a plural sentient intelligence. They tend to be found in deep, thickly wooded forests, but extremely large swarms have moved out onto the plains, and created hive-huts in which the live, and react with other races. Instead of "healing", they restore HP by having Vaspen at the centre of their body lay eggs, and then waiting motionlessly 24 hours for those eggs to hatch.

Relations

Other races react badly. While large Vaspen swarms will quite happily converse and respond with other races, most races are always on guard around Vaspens, not because Vaspen Swarms are dangerous or violent, but in case they collapse into lone Vaspen, which are. This is why very few Vaspens ever move out of the forests where they live - they are likely to be attacked be mistrustful outsiders of they leave.

Alignment

Lawful Neutral

Lands

Forest, Plains

Religion

Vaspen Swarms do not worship as such - being a swarm, they have no concept of morality by themselves, only as a collective consciousness, and therefore never really developed a religion.

Language

Vaspen are telepathic if their INT is 2 or higher - they communicate directly into the mind, and do not need to speak any languages. Indeed, they have no language, as they only sound they can make is a perpetual buzz.

Names

Being a swarm, Vaspen do not have a singular name. Whenever they refer to themselves, they say Us, as they use the 1st person plural for self-reference. When they (very rarely) converse with other species, they are usually given nicknames.

Racial Traits

• STR is always 1, despite any points spent. +4 DEX, -2 CON, INT bonus is equal to hp divided by 10 (minimum 0), -4 CHA.  : Being almost incorporeal - as they are only a swarm, they have almost no STR. They are very dextrous and fluid in their movements, as the individual creatures that create them are very quick-moving.
• Vermin (Swarm, Shapechanger): They are included as Shapechangers because they can manipulate the shape of the form by re-arranging the insects inside them.
• Tiny
• Vaspen Swarm base land speed is 5ft: fly speed: 50 ft
• Darkvision 60 ft  : Vaspens always see in black and white, but their night vision is exceptional. They also have very, very keen eye for detail, as they can see out of every part of their body.
• -4 penalty to charisma based skills except for use magic device.
• +10 on handle animal when training vermin.
• Swarm Natural Weapons: Swarms attack by moving into an opponent's square, provoking an attack of opportunity. Their attack deals 1d6 damage per 5HD (minimum 1d6)plus 1d4 DEX poison damage. Save is 10+1/2HD+CON modifier.
• Lowlight Vision: See Darkvision
• Weakness to fire -10  : Fire burns them very easily, and can reduce them to individual Vaspen swiftly.
• Automatic Languages: Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Common.
• Favored Class: Wizard.
• LA: 1

Vital Statistics

Vaspen swarms don't grow old and have aging effects. Whenever an individual vaspen dies new ones replace them.

Table: Vaspen Swarms Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
4 years	+1d100	+2d100	+3d100

Table: Vaspen Swarms Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
n/a	4' 0"	+3d12	60 lb.	× (1d8) lb.

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