# Swarm, Brood Keeper Larva >[!rimg]+ > ![[Placeholder2.png]] *As you watch, the plates of chitin on the creature’s back slowly open, revealing mucus-filled cavities and the writhing forms of giant maggots with wasp wings. Suddenly, dozens of the footand-a-half-long winged larvae wriggle out of their pockets on the beetle-creature’s back and take to the air. Once they are freed from the confines of the shell, you see that their pulpy white bodies are ringed in brown chitin.* <div class="grid-container"><div class="MON">Brood Keeper Larva Swarm</div> <div class="CR">CR 12 (19,200 XP)</div> <div class="SOU">Monster Manual 3</div> <div class="SYS">Dungeons & Dragons 3.5</div></div> N Tiny Magical Beast (swarm) **Init** +7 **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; **Perception** +21 #### defense **AC** 22, 20 touch, 14 flat-footed (+7 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 natural, +2 size) **hp** 187 (22d10+66); fast healing 1 **Fort** +17, **Refl** +22, **Will** +12 **Feint** —, **Demoralize** — **Defensive Abilities** evasion, swarm traits **SR** 23 #### offense **Speed** 20 ft., fly 30 ft. (good) **Melee** swarm (5d6) **Space** 10 ft., **Reach** 0 ft. **Special Attacks** distraction (DC 25) #### statistics **Str** 1, **Dex** 25, **Con** 14, **Int** 3, **Wis** 16, **Cha** 8 **BAB** +22, **CMB** —, **CMD** —, **TA** +19, **RTA** +31 **Feats** [[Ability Focus]] (distraction), [[Alertness]], [[Dodge]], [[Great Fortitude]], [[Improved Initiative]], [[Improved Lightning Reflexes]], [[Iron Will]], [[Lightning Reflexes]], [[Mobility]], [[Run]], [[Toughness]] **Skills** Fly +29, Perception +21 #### tactics A brood keeper larva swarm seeks to please its parent when released so that the brood keeper will allow it to return to the chitin pockets in its shell. The swarm often focuses on attacking flying foes its parent cannot reach and other creatures attacking from a distance. #### ecology **Terrain** Warm plains **Organization** Solitary **Treasure** None **Advancement** — Brood keeper larvae do not grow while they live with their brood keeper parent but they enjoy the protection the swarm and their parent offer. When a brood keeper larva swarm is dispersed, the remaining larvae flee in every direction. An individual larva poses little threat, and only one or two survive the dangers of the wild to become full-grown brood keepers. Each winged maggot is about 1-1/2 feet long and weighs about 2 pounds.