Race: Swarm [First Draft]

Sometimes, it's fun to make something profoundly different and gross. Something that makes my skin crawl just writing about it. Something equal parts fun and horrifying to bring to the table and play.

Hint: I'm talking about this race. This horrible, disgusting, pile-of-worms-or-rats-in-a-trenchcoat race.

A swarm is created one of two ways: Either arising by itself when a group of tiny animals or insects affected by magic bands together, or when a mortal is transformed into one by dark magic. Swarms are nightmares to behold, and a truly alien creature to step into the shoes of.

And, honestly, those are the characters that I like playing the best. The characters that see the world in a way I never could, that have opinions, thoughts, and motives that I the player find strange to contemplate.

Anyway! Here's what it does:

FEATURES:

• Break into an amorphous ball of nasty, to slip through grates and escape foes!
• Summon animals from the wilds, and add them to your horrible body!
• Eat people! Just, eat people.
• Two different feats, to give your swarm some fun magic to play with!

CONCERNS:

• This is a hard one to balance, but doesn't feel overly powerful. Playtesting is good.

WHAT I LEARNED:

• It's fun to do concepts that instinctively make me flinch away! Broadens my horizons, and I can really lean into what I find gross or unnerving about them.