Formian Queen

Formian Queen

Creature 17

Perception +31; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 60 feet, tremorsense 60 feet

Languages Akitonian, Formian, telepathy 200 feet

Skills Athletics +27, Arcana +30, Diplomacy +33, Intimidation +33, Medicine +31, Nature +31, Society +30

Str +8, Dex +5, Con +9, Int +5, Wis +6, Cha +8

Hive Mind (divination, primal) Formians operate from a shared hive intelligence that allows them to communicate nearly instantaneously. While within telepathic range of at least one other formian from the same hive mind, a formian worker gains a +2 circumstance bonus to initiative checks, Perception checks, and saving throws against mental effects. If one formian is aware of a combatant, all members of the hive mind within range are aware of it.

AC 40; Fort +34, Ref +26, Will +31

HP 255; Resistances all physical 15, sonic 15

Speed 10 feet

Melee claw +33 (agile, magic, reach 15 feet), Damage 3d12+12 slashing

Primal Innate Spells DC 38, attack +30; 9th

cone of cold
,
feeblemind
; 8th
disappearance
,
illusory scene
,
repulsion
,
teleport
; 7th
magic missile
(at will)

Rituals

commune with nature

Hive Frenzy (enchantment, mental, primal) Frequency once per day; Effect The formian queen stirs all formians within range of her telepathy into a frenzy. Each affected formian gains the quickened condition for 1 minute, and can use the extra action each round only to Strike or Stride.

Possess Formian (incapacitation, mental, necromancy, possession, primal) A formian queen transfers her consciousness to the body of any formian within range of her

telepathy
to whom she has a line of effect. As long as the queen’s consciousness is outside her body, her body is unconscious (though she is aware if any damage is dealt to it). An unwilling target can attempt a DC 38 Will saving throw to resist being possessed, but the queen’s offspring are part of her hive mind and thus are almost always willing. The queen receives all sensory input from the target creature; she can speak through it, and she can use her own modifier for Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based skill checks. If the target creature is slain or moves to a different plane from the queen’s body, the queen returns to her own body immediately and is stunned 1; otherwise, she can return to her own body as a free action, ending the possession effect.

Telepathic Feedback (enchantment, mental, primal) The formian queen unleashes a blast of debilitating telepathic feedback, targeting as many creatures as she wishes within range of her telepathy and to whom she has a line of effect. Targeted creatures must attempt a DC 38 Will save.

Critical Success The creature is unaffected and is temporarily immune to Telepathic Feedback for 24 hours.

Success The creature takes 3d6 mental damage, 1d6 persistent mental damage, and is sickened 1.

Failure The creature takes 6d6 mental damage, 1d6 persistent mental damage, and is sickened 2.

Critical Failure The creature takes 12d6 mental damage, 1d6 persistent mental damage, and is stunned 3. Upon recovering from the stunned condition, the creature becomes sickened 2.

Formian

Formians resemble unusually large ants with an insectile humanoid’s upper torso. More powerful or influential formians are physically larger; common formian workers are roughly the height of a gnome, while the largest formians, such as taskmasters and queens, rival a giant in size.

Formian society is a strict matriarchy. Though each hive’s queen is theoretically independent and her rule absolute, allegiances are common, and less powerful hives often (grudgingly) defer to more powerful matriarchs.

Formian Characteristics

Formians are insectile creatures with ant-like qualities, typically members of hive minds ruled by queens. Formians have significant genetic diversity, with each type of formian intentionally bred with features and characteristics appropriate to the functions needed by their hive. Formians have their own language based on scent glands and complex clicking sounds created with their mandibles that are difficult for most humanoids to emulate. A non-formian who learns the language can understand it, but without the biological organs to exude the proper pheremones or make the correct clicking sounds, speaking it for such creatures is generally limited to only the most basic of concepts.

Formian Queen

The formian queen is the center of the formian hive. The queen identifies and attends to the hive’s needs, laying egg clusters that vary from a single formian born to a particular task to hundreds of workers at a time. All formians are born with an instinctive deference for the queen that borders on slavish devotion, though this urge can be corrupted, as with the

King of Biting Ants’
mutant mageslayers.

The Hiveless

Formians sometimes find themselves without a hive to call home and are forced to endure life in the wilds or among the citizens of a non-formian society. Only the most stubborn, fortunate, or unusually self-aware of these hiveless formians last long without the support of their hive, but those who do often become quite powerful after adapting to unfamiliar cultures or fending for themselves in inhospitable lands.