Parasprite Swarm

Parasprite Swarm

Parasprites are irresistably adorable insects with an insatiable appetite.

Fine vermin (swarm)

hp 11d8 (49 hp)

Ini +2

Speed: 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (perfect)

AC 20, touch 20, flat-footed 18; (+8 size, +2 Dex)

BaB +8

Attack: Swarm (3d6)

Space/Reach: 10 ft/0 ft.

Special Attacks: Cling, Consume, Distraction (DC 15)

Special Qualities: Swarm traits; Immunity [weapon damage]; Weakness [music]; Darkvision 60 ft., Scent (Perception +4)

Saves: Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +3

Abilities: Str 1, Dex 15, Con 10, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2

Skills: Fly +18, Listen +4, Spot +4

Feats: none

Environment: any forest

Organization: solitary, pair, patrol (3–6 swarms), or legion (7–16 swarms)

CR 4

Treasure: none

Alignment: always neutral

Advancement: none

Parasprite Swarm

Medium Magical Beast

Element:

Fatigue: d+ ()

Speed: squares

Physical Base Bonus: +

Mental Base Bonus: +

Attack: Melee + ()

Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.

Special Attacks:

Defenses: Fort , Ref , Will , Wit

Physical Threshold: , Social Threshold:

Abilities: Str 10 (+0), Dex 10 (+0), Con 10 (+0), Int 10 (+0), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 10 (+0)

Skills:

Racial Features:

Feats:

Talents:

Maneuvers:

Languages:

Environment:

Organization: Solitary

Challenge Rating:

Level Adjustment:

Reward:

Special Abilities

• Cling (Ex) If a creature leaves an parasprite swarm's square, the swarm suffers 1d6 points of damage to reflect the loss of its numbers as several of the crawling pests continue to cling tenaciously to the victim. A creature with parasprites clinging to him takes 3d6 points of damage at the end of his turn each round. As a full-round action, he can remove the ants with a DC 17 Reflex save. High wind or any amount of damage from an area effect destroys all clinging ants. The save DC is Dexterity-based.

• Consume (Ex) An parasprite swarm can rapidly consume any creature it swarms over. Against helpless or nauseated targets, an parasprite swarm attack deals 6d6 points of damage.

• Weakness to Music (Ex) Parasprites are easily hypnotized by polka music. The musician must succeed on a DC 20 Perform check each round as a move action. Each round the musician is successful, all parasprite swarms within a 60 ft. radius must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or be affected as if by a mass charm monster spell.

Appearance

No larger than an apple, parasprites appear harmless. Parasprites have four short segmented legs, two pairs of wings, and a large central cephalothorax (head-chest) with a pair of large, bright green, surprisingly expressive compound eyes. Parasprites come in a variety of bright pastel colors, including blue, pink, yellow, brown, purple, orange, and red.

Behavior

These creatures vocalize with chirps and purrs and it is almost impossible to restist their cuteness.

The adorable appearance of these creatures hides a dangerous appetite and shocking rate of reproduction. Parasprites are almost always hungry and they are capable of consuming several times their own mass in food at one sitting. Parasprites also reproduce asexually by coughing up "furballs" that turn into more parasprites, allowing just one parasprite to become a massive swarm in just a few short hours if enough food is availible to them. The crops and harvests of entire towns have often been completely consumed by these monstrous swarms after someone decided to bring one of these cute little creatures home with them. The only known way to stop a parasprite infestation is by leading the insect-like creatures out of town with polka music (which seems to have a sort of hypnotic quality for parasprites).

Luckily, parasprites inhabit a rung on the food chain just one step up from plants in the wild, and they are usually devoured just as quickly as they can reproduce by larger predatory animals. In this way, parasprites could be called the plankton of terrestrial environments.

Trivia

• Some Zebra belief that the parasprites are fragments of ley coalesced into a living creature.