Saw this archetype, and I became quite intrigued. Swarm Monger
Any idea on how to optimize swarms, and this archetype in general?
Since it's a Familiar, give your raven the Mauler archetype and have it turn size medium before you turn it into a swarm.
1.) Scarlet Spider seems to be the best combat choice, really. Highest AC, Darkvision, 30 ft Climb speed. Though a flying, talking, possibly able to use tools raven is appealing as well.
2.) Thats a good point about Share Spell.
3.) Swarm is technically a subtype of a SINGLE creature... It counts as a single creature for HP, spell effects, AC, saves, etc. So multiplying spell effects or items does not work. Rules wise, its a single critter.
Since it's a Familiar, give your raven the Mauler archetype and have it turn size medium before you turn it into a swarm.
Swarms do damage based on Hit Dice, not strength. Changing it to medium does nothing once transformed into a swarm.
Once it became a swarm it would be immune to any spells or effects that targeted a specific number of creatures. So while a spell previously cast on the familiar might still be in effect, the swarm would be immune to it, so things like anthropomorphic animal wouldn't work while in swarm form. Similarly, even if mauler would matter since the effect targets a single familiar the swarm would be immune to it.
That said, a mauler might still not be a bad choice. Druids have more HP than wizards and a lot of the feats you might use to buff up a mauler familiar would also buff up the swarm. Having a combat familiar that could respond to a situation by either being a medium combatant or a swarm would be interesting.
Be small, ride your medium Mauler familiar, or turn it into a swarm. It's your choice.
Well, so far all I can find that really help with swarms is Spell Focus: Conjuration, and Augment Summoning... which still gives 2hp/HD.
Any other helpful bits?
Those feats wouldn't help with your swarm familiar.
Things like Mauler's Toughness (or just regular toughness) would though, since the HP of the swarm will matter. A familiar with dodge would have 1 higher AC as a swarm as well.
As far as I am aware though, there aren't any generic feats for swarms like 'swarms under your control do 1 die more damage' or anything like that.
Those feats wouldn't help with your swarm familiar.
Things like Mauler's Toughness (or just regular toughness) would though, since the HP of the swarm will matter. A familiar with dodge would have 1 higher AC as a swarm as well.
As far as I am aware though, there aren't any generic feats for swarms like 'swarms under your control do 1 die more damage' or anything like that.
I'm pretty sure augment summoning will increase the hp of a summoned swarm. Not your familiar swarm, but any other swarm from Vomit/Summon Swarm, etc.
I'm pretty sure the STR bonus would apply too, but since a swarm cannot make any combat maneuvers, nor strength affect its damage, its irrelevant.
A swarm still has a single CON score, single pool of hp, etc. Any increase in CON should still increase hp.
Are there any other great feats for summoning druids? Any items I should try to acquire? Any tips for got to run combat?
Pretty much my favorite character ideas in awhile, so would really like to flesh it out.
Moonlight Summons, Starlight Summons, and Sunlight Summons grants your summons natural weapons the ability to punch through Silver, Cold Iron, and Magical, which is really useful for swarms (since DR will be a killer). Superior Summons makes summoning multiple creatures more reliable (always at least getting 2). I'm know there's a feat that lets you select more tempaltes to add to summons, but I forget if that's for summon monster or nature's ally, and I forget the name. There's a few rings that add monsters onto the summon list (Drake and Kami are the two I can think up off the top of my head.)
I don't think I got any suggestions for a player's who not new to the game.
I'm in the process of making a Swarm Monger character as well, and I'm looking for tips and answers, especially regarding the fecund familiar in swarm form:
A swarm automatically deals its swarm damage when it shares a space with another creature, but what other actions can it take?
1) Can it make Acrobatics rolls to avoid attacks of opportunity when entering an enemy's square?
2) Can the swarm still take standard/move/full round actions, even as it deals swarm damage to creatures within its area? Say the base familiar has the Prankster archetype. Can the swarm perform dirty trick maneuvers on a creature within its area?
3) If the base familiar has a poison attack (say, the House Centipede), does it apply when the swarm form deals swarm damage?
3b) If so, what are some ways to increase the familiar's constitution score or otherwise increase the poison DC?
4) The rules text of the swarm subtype says that "swarms possess the distraction ability". Does the fecund familiar gain this ability right off the bat in swarm form? The Fecund Familiar text says that it gains a similar ability later, but which is keyed off the druid's wisdom modifier instead of the familiar's constitution modifier.
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The familiar gains the swarm subtype. The subtype states it does not make attack rolls. Therefore, prankster doesn't work while in swarm form.
As for buffing the swarm, consider a level dip in Stone Shaman. Your familiar/spirit animal now not only takes half damage from weapon attacks, but has DR 5/adamantine to boot. So when the NPC fighter swings three times for 20 damage each, they're only taking 5 damage. Swarm monger also gives bonus HP to your familiar in swarm form.
The swarm mongers familiar does not get distraction right away. They instead get the abilities listed in the swarm monger archetype.
for max options id say go aasimar (or human with heritage feat if your gm doesn't allow 15 point race).
-get the "Celestial Servant" feat.
-pick a mauler (it can't stay swarm all day long so a backup is nice). can also take mauler endurance feat for more hp later.
-cast some kind of fire resistance on it.
=resistance to all 4 elements and at higher level also dr/evil -lets see how much damage anyone can deal it now? (no targeted spells,resistance to the major 4 elements and dr/evil ;)
for funzies - have your raven familier yell "Kage-Bunshin" before you turn it into a swarm!
1) As absurd as it seems to me, I don't see anything that prevents your swarm from rolling acrobatics to avoid an AoO. Your familiar has an int score and doesn't lose it when it gains the swarm subtype.
2) Swarms don't make attack rolls to attack, at least to me it seems like they aren't able to do anything besides move around and engage in their swarm attack.
3) The familiar doesn't lose the poison it has and the swarm is composed of identical multiples of itself, so yes it keeps the poison.
3b) This is the rub IMO. Familiars don't technically gain HD, using their master's HD as their effective HD for spells and stuff (so a cloudkill and other HD dependent spells don't obliterate them) and half of their master's HP as their own value. If this is a home game, IMO it is reasonable to have the poison be based off of your master's HD and allow items that boost con to boost the poison DC. In PFS, you'll have to see if your familiar has the appropriate item slot for a belt of con and by RAW the HD of the master will not increase the DC of the poison. I have no idea how else to increase the poison DC.
4) While your familiar gains the "swarm attack" ability that houses the swarm's "distraction" ability (where the nauseate condition comes from for swarm attacks), at level 12 you gain the distraction ability in everything but name (the text is identical). I think it was sloppy writing, but I do believe the intention is to not get the full distraction ability until 12th (despite the way it was written saying you get it at 1st). In a home game, talk to your GM about it. In PFS, expect table variation or play with the most restrictive interpretation.
I love this archetype, but the writing leaves too many things unclear and I have a personal aversion to anything with this much table variation (I mostly play PFS). I'm not going to pretend to know the editing process, but I feel like another ten words would have cleaned it up nicely.
The familiar gains the swarm subtype. The subtype states it does not make attack rolls. Therefore, prankster doesn't work while in swarm form.
As for buffing the swarm, consider a level dip in Stone Shaman. Your familiar/spirit animal now not only takes half damage from weapon attacks, but has DR 5/adamantine to boot. So when the NPC fighter swings three times for 20 damage each, they're only taking 5 damage. Swarm monger also gives bonus HP to your familiar in swarm form.
The swarm mongers familiar does not get distraction right away. They instead get the abilities listed in the swarm monger archetype.
Bones shaman for constant blur on the familiar/ swarm would be nice, too.
Or heavens for a fly speed.
Heritage feat allows the Human to acts as another humanoid. Are Aasimars humanoid?for max options id say go aasimar (or human with heritage feat if your gm doesn't allow 15 point race).
-get the "Celestial Servant" feat.
-pick a mauler (it can't stay swarm all day long so a backup is nice). can also take mauler endurance feat for more hp later.
-cast some kind of fire resistance on it.
=resistance to all 4 elements and at higher level also dr/evil -lets see how much damage anyone can deal it now? (no targeted spells,resistance to the major 4 elements and dr/evil ;)
Nope, native outsiders.
you will notice i didn't say 'racial heritage' feat. but 'heritage' feat.
there is a NEW heritage feat that let you count as native outsiders. Aasiamr included.
In case anyone might find it useful, I covered the questions with my DM for the home game I'll be playing in. YMMV (especially as regards #4):
1) Can it make Acrobatics rolls to avoid attacks of opportunity when entering an enemy's square?
Yes.
2) Can the swarm still take standard/move/full round actions, even as it deals swarm damage to creatures within its area? Say the base familiar has the Prankster archetype. Can the swarm perform dirty trick maneuvers on a creature within its area?
The swarm can take its normal allotment of actions in a turn, but it doesn't make regular attacks or perform combat maneuvers.
Anyone got any ideas here other than moving around? I was planning to lean on Aid Another here in combat, but I just realised that that involves making attack rolls vs. DC 10, so that's out the window. Maybe something with feinting?
3) If the base familiar has a poison attack (say, the House Centipede), does it apply when the swarm form deals swarm damage?
Yes.
4) The rules text of the swarm subtype says that "swarms possess the distraction ability". Does the fecund familiar gain this ability right off the bat in swarm form? The Fecund Familiar text says that it gains a similar ability later, but which is keyed off the druid's wisdom modifier instead of the familiar's constitution modifier.
The swarm gets the distraction ability that's bundled into the swarm subtype - the distraction-like ability gained at level 5 and 12 is its own thing, and they apply separately.