# Swarm, Cranium Rat Average Pack >[!rimg]+ > ![[Placeholder2.png]] <div class="grid-container"><div class="MON">Cranium Rat Average Pack Swarm</div> <div class="CR">CR 5 (1,600 XP)</div> <div class="SOU">Fiend Folio</div> <div class="SYS">Dungeons & Dragons 3.5</div></div> NE Diminutive Magical Beast (psionic, swarm) **Init** +7 **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; **Perception** +21 #### defense **AC** 18, 17 touch, 15 flat-footed (+3 Dex, +1 natural, +4 size) **hp** 90 (12d10+24) **Fort** +10, **Refl** +11, **Will** +8 **Feint** 28, **Demoralize** 24 **Defensive Abilities** split, swarm traits **Resist** cold 10; **Immune** weapon damage #### offense **Speed** 40 ft., climb 20 ft. **Melee** swarm (3d6 plus disease) **Space** 10 ft., **Reach** 0 ft. **Special Attacks** distraction (DC 18), mind blast (60-ft. cone, DC 17, 3d4 rounds) **Sorcerer Spells Known** (CL 4th, Concentration +5) > **0 (at-will)—** _daze_, _detect magic_, _flare_, _mage hand_, _open/close_, _prestidigitation_ > **1st (7/Day)—** _charm person_, _expeditious retreat_, _magic missile_ > **2nd (3/Day)—** _minor image_ #### statistics **Str** 2, **Dex** 17, **Con** 14, **Int** 13, **Wis** 14, **Cha** 13 **BAB** +12, **CMB** —, **CMD** —, **TA** +12, **RTA** +19 **Feats** [[Alertness]], [[Combat Casting]], [[Improved Initiative]], [[Iron Will]], [[Spell Focus]] (enchantment), [[Spell Penetration]] **Skills** Climb +19, Perception +21, Sense Motive +18 **Languages** Aklo; telepathy 100 ft. #### special abilities ### Disease (Ex) Filth fever: Swarm-injury; _save_ Fort DC 15; _onset_ 1d3 days; _frequency_ 1/day; _effect_ 1d3 Dex damage and 1d3 Con damage; _cure_ 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based. ### Merge (Ex) Two lesser cranium rat packs can move into the same space and merge into a single swarm, becoming an average pack. Likewise, two average packs can merge together into a greater pack. Merging in this fashion is a full-round action. ### Split (Ex) When an average pack is reduced to 0 hp, it becomes a lesser pack. When a lesser pack is reduced to 0 hp, it is destroyed. This transformation is instantaneous. #### ecology **Terrain** any Outer Plane **Advancement** — Like ten thousand eyes and ears dispatched to gather secrets for some dark deity of knowledge, cranium rats are everywhere—seeing, hearing, and sharing what they learn in a bizarre hive mind. An individual cranium rat is almost indistinguishable from a mouse or small rat, except that a portion of its large brain is exposed and pulses with a soft glow. Singly, the creatures are harmless, but they are never encountered singly. A pack of cranium rats has a group mind—and the more rats, the more intelligent the group mind. An average pack of cranium rats consists of about 150 rats. Cranium rats do not speak, but average and greater packs can communicate telepathically. > If you’re using the Psionics Handbook, an average or greater cranium rat pack should manifest powers as a psion rather than cast spells as a wizard. Since Intelligence is their best ability, they typically choose Metacreativity as their primary discipline. They gain the Combat Manifestation feat instead of Combat Casting, Power Penetration and Greater Power Penetration instead of the Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration feats, and Psionic Focus (Metacreativity) and Greater Psionic Focus (Metacreativity) instead of the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats. ### Combat While dangerous and unpleasant, cranium rats are not aggressive creatures. They avoid open attacks in favor of flight or ambushes. Cranium rats use their spells and mind blast ability to soften or incapacitate victims before swarming over them, then they drain their victims’ blood through a hundred tiny wounds.