The dark apiarist is a master of swarms and nature-based magic; they summon forth plagues to devour their foes in
horrible and disfiguring ways
Alignment usually Neutral or Evil
Hit Die D6
Class Skills[]
The dark apiarist's class skills are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks Per Level 4 + Intelligence Modifier
| Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Spells per Day | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0th | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | |||||||
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +0 | +2 | orisons, swarm companion | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +0 | +3 | physical nullification | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 3rd | +2 | +3 | +1 | +3 | disfiguring torment | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | guided swarm | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 5th | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | death's vigor | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 6th | +4 | +5 | +2 | +5 | disfiguring plague | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 7th | +5 | +5 | +2 | +5 | disfiguring torment | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 8th | +6/+1 | +6 | +2 | +6 | draining plague | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 9th | +6/+1 | +6 | +3 | +6 | natural hive | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
| 10th | +7/+2 | +7 | +3 | +7 | levitate | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | |
| 11th | +8/+3 | +7 | +3 | +7 | disfiguring torment, | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | |
| 12th | +9/+4 | +8 | +4 | +8 | ephemeral swarm | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | ||
| 13th | +9/+4 | +8 | +4 | +8 | touch of birthing | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | |
| 14th | +10/+5 | +9 | +4 | +9 | swarm form | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | |
| 15th | +11/+6/+1 | +9 | +5 | +9 | disfiguring torment | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | |
| 16th | +12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +10 | devouring plague | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | |
| 17th | +12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +10 | death's bulwark | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| 18th | +13/+8/+3 | +11 | +6 | +11 | death plague | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| 19th | +14/+9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +11 | disfiguring torment | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | |
| 20th | +15/+10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +12 |
apocalypse swarm |
4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
Class Features[]
Weapon Proficiency []
The dark apiarist is proficient with simple weapons, light armor, and shields, but not tower shields.
Spells[]
The dark apiarist casts divine spells which are drawn from the dark apiarist spell list presented at the bottom of this page. A dark apiarist must choose and prepare his spells in advance.
To prepare or cast a spell, the dark apiarist must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a dark apiarist's spell is 10 + the spell level + the dark apiarist's Wisdom modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a dark apiarist can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Progression. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells).
A dark apiarist must spend 1 hour each day in a trance-like meditation on the mysteries of nature to regain his daily allotment of spells. A dark apiarist may prepare and cast any spell on the dark apiarist spell list, provided that he can cast spells of that level, but he must choose which spells to prepare during his daily meditation.
Orisons Dark Apiarists can prepare a number of orisons, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on Table: Progression under “Spells per Day.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again.
Swarm Companion []
At first level the dark apiarist chooses one of the following creatures to be his animal companion: Bilefly Swarm, Clockwork Swarm, Mosquito Swarm, Silens Swarm, Miasma Worm Swarm or Wasp Swarm; It scales as detailed on this table:
| Class Level | HD | Damage | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2 | 1d6 | +3 | +3 | +0 | swarm traits | |
| 2nd | 3 | 1d6 | +3 | +3 | +1 | ||
| 3rd | 3 | 1d6 | +3 | +3 | +1 | ability score increase | |
| 4th | 4 | 1d6 | +4 | +4 | +1 | trick | |
| 5th | 5 | 1d6 | +4 | +4 | +1 | attunement | |
| 6th | 6 | 2d6 | +5 | +5 | +2 | ||
| 7th | 6 | 2d6 | +5 | +5 | +2 | ||
| 8th | 7 | 2d6 | +5 | +5 | +2 | growth, trick | |
| 9th | 8 | 2d6 | +6 | +6 | +2 | ability score increase | |
| 10th | 9 | 2d6 | +6 | +6 | +3 | ||
| 11th | 9 | 3d6 | +6 | +6 | +3 | ||
| 12th | 10 | 3d6 | +7 | +7 | +3 | trick | |
| 13th | 11 | 3d6 | +7 | +7 | +3 | ||
| 14th | 12 | 3d6 | +8 | +8 | +4 | ||
| 15th | 12 | 3d6 | +8 | +8 | +4 | ||
| 16th | 13 | 4d6 | +8 | +8 | +4 | growth, trick | |
| 17th | 14 | 4d6 | +9 | +9 | +4 | ||
| 18th | 15 | 4d6 | +9 | +9 | +5 | ability score increase | |
| 19th | 15 | 4d6 | +9 | +9 | +5 | ||
| 20th | 16 | 4d6 | +10 | +10 | +5 |
accurate bites, trick |
swarm traits: A swarm has no clear front or back and no discernable anatomy, so it is not subject to critical hits or flanking. A swarm made up of Tiny creatures takes half damage from slashing and piercing weapons. A swarm composed of Fine or Diminutive creatures is immune to all weapon damage. Reducing a swarm to 0 hit points or less causes it to break up, though damage taken until that point does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. Swarms are never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage. Also, they cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed, and they cannot grapple an opponent. A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms) if the swarm has an Intelligence score and a hive mind. A swarm takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash weapons and many evocation spells. Swarms made up of Diminutive or Fine creatures are susceptible to high winds, such as those created by a gust of wind spell. For purposes of determining the effects of wind on a swarm, treat the swarm as a creature of the same size as its constituent creatures. A swarm rendered unconscious by means of nonlethal damage becomes disorganized and dispersed, and does not reform until its hit points exceed its nonlethal damage.
Ability Score Increase: at 3rd, 9th and 18th level; the swarm's dexterity and charisma are increased by +2, to a total of +6 at 18th level.
Attunement: At 5th level the swarm gains an ability appropriate to it's type. The Bilefly Swarm is granted the Infestation Ability; The Clockwork Swarm is granted the Self-Repair Ability; The Mosquito Swarm is granted the Cling ability; and the Wasp Swarm is granted the
Infestation (Ex): A living creature injured by a botfly swarm's attack must make a Fortitude save (DC 5 + the HD of Swarm) or be infested with the swarm's larvae. The larvae may be cut out of the host with a DC 15 Heal check, though each attempt inflicts 1d8 points of damage whether or not it's successful. A cure disease spell destroys all larvae without further harm to the host. Botfly larvae: infestation; save Fort DC 18; onset 1 day; frequency 1/day; effect 1d4 Con damage.
Self-Repair (Ex): A clockwork swarm regains 6 hit points per round. Damage dealt from acid, cold, or fire effects cannot be self-repaired. If a clockwork swarm takes damage from an area attack, it is unable to repair itself for 1d6 rounds following the attack. If reduced to 0 or less hit points, it regains 1 hit point per round (but still cannot repair damage caused by acid, cold, or fire effects) until it has at least 1 hit point (at which time it begins to self-repair at its normal rate of 3 hit points per round)
Cling (Ex) If a creature leaves a mosquito swarm's square, the swarm takes 1d6 points of damage as dozens of insects tenaciously cling to the victim. A creature with mosquitoes clinging to it takes 1 point of Constitution damage at the end of its turn for the next 1d4 rounds. As a full-round action, the creature can remove the mosquitoes with a DC 18 Reflex save or by immersing itself in water. High winds or any amount of damage from an area-affecting effect destroys all clinging mosquitoes. The save DC is Dexterity-based. Once a group of clinging mosquitoes has dealt 4 points of Constitution damage, the mosquitoes detach and disperse to digest their meal.
Divert Sound (Ex) A silens swarm is utterly quiet in their assault, this is partially due to the way their wings are designed to reverberate sound, using different flight patterns they can assault a single creature with high pitched noise, or deflect the sound of incoming sonic attacks. This treats all spells cast by the dark apiarist as being affected by the meta-magic feat silent spell as long as he is standing within his swarm. The dark apiarist does not need to make concentration checks to cast spells while inside a silens swarm. As a standard action, the Silense Swarm may assault a single creature or creatures in a 20 foot area with high pitched sound, causing them to make a will save or be confused but make all confusion checks at +50, (however, if the result is over 100, it becomes 100.) Also the creature becomes deaf. These effects last a number of turns equal to the silens' hit die.
Miasmic Rift (Ex) Miasma Worm swarms are swarms of tiny flying worms infused with miasmic energy, as a standard action they may encircle an area no larger than 30 feet with weakened state of black matter, this black matter causes one half hour of exposure per round, and can be maintained as a swift action.
Inhabit (Ex) A wasp swarm can enter the body of a helpless or dead creature by crawling into its mouth and other orifices. Inhabiting a body requires 1 minute, and the victim must be Small, Medium, or Large. The swarm can abandon the body at any time as a full-round action. Any attack against the host deals half damage to the wasp swarm as well, although the swarm's DR, resistances, and immunities may negate some or all of this damage. When a wasp swarm inhabits a dead body, it effectively transforms the corpse into a zombie of the appropriate size under the dark apiarist's control. If a wasp swarm inhabits a living victim, it can neutralize the effects of its own poison and control the victim's movement and actions as if using dominate monster. wasps quickly consume a living victim, dealing 2d4 points of Constitution damage per hour. A wasp-inhabited creature is easy to spot, since its skin crawls with the forms of the insects inside. A swarm can attempt a Disguise check to conceal its inhabitation of a host, with a -4 penalty if currently inhabiting a Small host. A remove disease or heal spell cast on an inhabited victim forces the wasp swarm to abandon its host.
Growth: At 8th level the swarm grows in size taking four squares instead of one square. At 16th level it grows even more, now taking 9 squares. This is dynamic and can be changed as long as it continues to take the number of squares. For instance at 8th level the swarm can take a 20x5 foot space or a 10x10 foot space and so forth. However these squares must be in an adjacent pattern.
Accurate Bites: At 20th level the swarm adds it's dexterity modifier to it's swarm damage.
Physical Nullification []
At 2nd level, the dark apiarist gains DR 10/good; this is increased by one half of the dark apiarist's class level. At 8th level, the dark apiarist is no longer affected by disease; at 14th level he is no longer affected by poison; and at 18th level he is unaffected by swarm damage and abilities as any swarm that shares a square with him does not attempt to harm him.
Disfiguring Torment []
A Dark Apiarist endures more pain due to the constant exposure to his swarm than any victim of it could ever imagine, he is often masked to hide the scars and blisters of his insects.
Starting at 3rd level, and at every fourth level thereafter, (7th, 11th 15th, and 19th) the dark apiarist may remove one point from his Charisma Score and apply them to one of the following. Constitution Score, Wisdom Score, Spell DC, Hit Die, Base Attack, Will Saves, Reflex Saves or Fortitude Saves. This effect is permanent.
Guided Swarm []
Starting at 4th level, the Dark Apiarist adds his wisdom modifier to all damage dealt by his swarm companion.
Death's Vigor []
Starting at 5th level, the Dark Apiarist adds his Wisdom Modifier to hit points for each level he has or gains thereafter.
Disfiguring Plague []
At 6th level; any damage dealt by your swarm has the following affects added unless the victim makes a fortitude save (DC=Dark Apiarist's Class Level + 10); as well as any disease inflicting spell you cast. +1d6 Charisma Damage.
Draining Plague []
At 8th level, If you are sharing a square with your swarm companion, and an enemy is also sharing a square with your swarm companion, any damage dealt by your swarm companion to the enemy heals you for 1/2 of the damage dealt.
Natural Hive []
Starting at 9th level, whenever the Dark Apiarist's swarm is not active, it may rest within the Dark Apiarist's body. While in the Dark Apiarist's body the swarm has regeneration 30, but the Dark Apiarist temporarily loses all bonuses provided by constitution.
In addition, while acting as a hive, the Dark Apiarist is granted the swarm's Dexterity, and Strength Modifiers as a temporary bonus to his own Dexterity and Strength Scores.
Levitate[]
At 10th level the dark apiarist can levitate if his swarm has a fly speed. This makes him unaffected by rough, uneven, or non-solid terrain. Allowing him to walk over water, lava, and similar terrain.
Ephemeral Swarm []
at 12th level the dark apiarist may undergo a ritual that takes 1 hour to complete that grants his swarm companion the Ephemeral Swarm template. This may be reversed using the same ritual at any time the dark apiarist is not under high levels of stress or in danger (such as a combat situation, or dangerous dungeon). The clockwork swarm can also become ephemeral but the material they are built from becomes ghostly bone. An ephemeral swarm gains undead and incorpreal traits and deals strength damage equal to 1/2 of it's swarm damage instead of HP damage.
Touch of Birthing []
Starting at 13th level, the Dark Apiarist may touch a creature with a touch attack roll causing them to be impregnated with larvae, if the creature is slain or even knocked unconscious, a swarm the same type as the Dark Apiarist's swarm companion is born in the square the creature was slain in; This swarm can not harm the Dark Apiarist but is uncontrollable by him as well. The swarm does not receive any of the bonuses that the Dark Apiarist's swarm companion is granted and is usually 1/2 of the hit die of the base creature from which it was born.
Swarm Form []
At 14th level the dark apiarist may transform his body into a swarm similar to that of his swarm companion. Doing so makes him immune to physical damage and vulnerable to fire damage. It also grants him a 50% concealment. In this form he may not attack, and deals no swarm damage, however it does get the distraction ability of swarms and he may still cast spells. This also grants him a fly speed equal to his base land speed.
Devouring Plague []
At 16th level, any damage dealt by a disease effect invoked by the dark apiarist grants him the opposite effect. If the disease deals strength damage, the dark apiarist gains strength equal to the damage dealt for as long as the subject is alive and diseased. Though the disease effect may damage an ability score multiple times, the dark apiarist can only gain this benefit the first time the disease deals ability damage.
Death's Bulwark []
At 17th level, the Dark Apiarist is granted his wisdom modifier as Armor Class in addition to his dexterity modifier. However, whenever he would be in a situation where he would lose his dexterity bonus to AC, he loses this wisdom bonus as well.
Death Plague []
At 18th level all the effects of your diseases are doubled. And if a subject fails to save against the disease with a result lesser than or equal to one half of the DC they succumb to the disease and die.
Apocalypse Swarm []
At 20th level the dark apiarist's swarm companion may be granted the apocalypse swarm template in a similar ritual to the ritual that transforms the swarm into an ephemeral swarm. It cannot have both rituals upon it at once however. This gives the swarm several benefits including frighful presence and a split ability, as well as each swarm type's special apocalypse tech.
Dark Apiarist Spell List[]
0-Level Dark Apiarist Spells—acid splash, bleed, create water, detect magic, detect poison, flare, guidance, know direction, mending, light, putrefy food and water, resistance, touch of fatigue.
1st-Level Dark Apiarist Spells—ant haul, blend, bristle, bugle, calm animal, cloak of shade, decompose corpse, detect aberration, detect animals or plants, diagnose disease, entangle, expeditious excavation, hide from animals, jump, keen senses, longstrider, magic fang, negate aroma, negative reaction, ray of enfeeblement, ray of sickening, read weather, ventriloquism, infernal healing.
2nd-Level Dark Apiarist Spells—aboleth's lung, accelerate poison, admonishing ray, animal aspect, animal messenger, animal trance, ant haul, communal, barkskin, bindness deafness, blur, defoliate, delay poison, determine depth, eagle eye, feast of ashes, forest friend, frigid touch, frostfall, ghoul touch, glide, greensight, groundswell, heat metal, hold animal, miserable pity, natural wisdom, pernicious poison, pox pustules, resist energy, scent trail, share language, skinsend, slipstream, soften earth and stone, spider climb, stone call, summon swarm, tar ball, tree shape, unshakable chill, warp wood, web, web shelter deathknell.
3rd-Level Dark Apiarist Spells—animal aspect, greater, ape walk, aqueous orb, ash storm, badger's feroity, bestow curse, boneshatter, burrow, burst of nettles, call lightning, companion mind link, contagion, cup of dust, delay poison, communal, daylight, diamond spray, diminish plants, dispel magic, distracting cacophony, dominate animal, ruptive pustules, excruciating deformation, fungal infestation, gaseous form, heatstroke, howling agony, ice spears, lily pad stride, mad monkeys, marionette possession, meld into stone, nature's exile, neutralize poison, pain strike, poison, protection from energy, quench, rain of frogs, ray of exhaustion, remove disease, resinous skin, resist energy, communal, share language, communal, shifting sand, slow, snare, spider climb, communal, spike growth, spit venom, stinking cloud, stone shape, unadulterated loathing, vampiric touch, vengeful comets, vermin shap I, ward of the seasons, water breathing, waters of maddening.
4th-Level Dark Apiarist Spells—absorb toxicity, age resistance, lesser, air walk, antiplant shell, ball lightning, blast barrier, blight, cape of wasps, control water, create holdes, curse of magic negation, echolocation, fleshworm infestation, freedom of movement, geyser, giant vermin, grove of respite, ice storm, infernal healing, kiss of the first world, life bubble, moonstruck, obsidian flow, plague carrier, reincarnate, repel vermin, ride the waves, river of wind, rusting grasp, scrying, spike stones, stoneskin, thorn body, touch of slime, vermin shape II, vitriolic mist, zone of foul flames.
5th-Level Dark Apiarist Spells—atonement, awaken, baleful polymorph, blessing of the salamander, call lightning storm, commune with nature, contagion, greater, control winds, death ward, fickle winds, insect plague, raise swarm companion, reprobation, rest eternal, snake staff, threefold aspect, transmute mud to rock, transmute rock to mud, tree strike, unhallow, wall of thorns, break enchantment, dismissal, siphon magic, acid spray, cloudkill, corrosive consumption, mind fog, pain strike, mass, sonic thrust, nightmare, black spot, magic jar, suffocation.
6th-Level Dark Apiarist Spells—age resisistance, antilife shell, dispel magic, greater, dust form, epidemic, find the path, ironwood, move earth, plague storm, repel wood, spellstaff, stoneskin, communal, tar pool, transport via plants, repulsion, acid fog, conjure black pudding, battlemind link, true seeing, utter contempt, chain lightning, eyebite, flesh to stone.
7th-Level Dark Apiarist Spells—age resistance, greater, changestaff, control weather, creeping doom, heal, rampart, scouring winds, scrying, greater, sunbeam, transmute metal to wood, vortex, windwalk, expend, caustic eruption, hungry darkness, control undead, epidemic, finger of death, waves of exhaustion.
8th-Level Dark Apiarist Spells—animal shapes(insects only), blood mist, earthquake, euphoric tranquility, finger of death, frightful aspect, repel metal or stone, reverse gravity, seamantle, sunburst, vinetrap, whirlwind, word of recall, mind blank, spellscar, stormbolts, horrid wilting, symbol of death.
9th-Level Dark Apiarist Spells—antipathy, clashing rocks, elemental swarm, foresight, polar midnight, regenerate, shambler, shapechange, storm of vengeance, summon elder worm, summon froghemoth, sympathy, tsunami, winds of vengeance, worldwave, cursed earth, suffocation, mass.