The highly regimented race of antlike creatures known as formians have a number of specialized castes, and each caste devotes itself to particular aspects that benefit the welfare of the hive. No single individual matters—except the queen, which other formians protect with their lives.
The three castes of formian described below are in addition to those covered in the Monster Manual (the worker, warrior, taskmaster, myrmarch, and queen; these are linked in the index above).
Most formians are generally aggressive, seeking to subdue all they encounter. If they perceive even the slightest threat to their queen, they attack immediately and fight to the death. Any formian also attacks immediately if ordered to do so by a superior.
Hive Mind (Ex): All formians within 50 miles of their queen are in constant communication. If one is aware of a particular danger, they all are. If one in a group is not flat-footed, none of them are. No formian in a group is considered flanked unless all of them are.
The statistics block below contains details for more than one caste of formian. Use the horizontal scrollbar below it to display the desired one or select from the links below that.
| Formian Armadon ⬇️ Large Outsider (Extraplanar, Lawful) |
Formian Observer ⬇️ Medium Outsider (Extraplanar, Lawful) |
Formian Winged Warrior ⬇️ Medium Outsider (Extraplanar, Lawful) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Hit Dice: | 8d8+32 (68 hp) | 9d8+18 (58 hp) | 6d8+12 (39 hp) |
| Initiative: | +5 | +6 | +4 |
| Speed: | 40 ft. (8 squares) | 40 ft. (8 squares) | 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 60 ft. (good) |
| Armor Class: | 25 (−1 size, +1 Dex, +15 natural), touch 10, flatfooted 24 | 17 (+2 Dex, +5 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 15 | 19 (+4 Dex, +5 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 15 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +8/+18 | +9/+10 | +6/+8 |
| Attack: | Bite +13 melee (2d6+6/17–20/×3) | Sting +10 melee (2d4+1 plus poison) | |
| Full Attack: | Bite +13 melee (2d6+6/17–20/×3) and 2 claws +11 melee (1d8+3) and sting +11 melee (sting 2d4+3 plus poison) | Sting +10 melee (2d4+1 plus poison) | Bite +8 melee (1d4+2) and 2 claws +6 melee (1d6+1), or 2 spikes +10 ranged (1d4+2/19–20/×3 plus poison) |
| Space/Reach: | 10 ft./5 ft. | 5 ft./5 ft. | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | Acid spray, augmented critical, poison | Poison, spell-like abilities | Augmented critical, poison, spikes |
| Special Qualities: | Darkvision 60 ft., hive mind, immunity to acid, poison, petrification, and cold, outsider traits, resistance to electricity 10, fire 10, and sonic 10, spell resistance 20 | All-around vision, darkvision 60 ft., evaluation, hive mind, immunity to poison, petrification, and cold, outsider traits, resistance to electricity 10, fire 10, and sonic 10, spell resistance 23, telepathy 250 ft. | Darkvision 60 ft., hive mind, immunity to acid, poison, petrification, and cold, outsider traits, resistance to electricity 10, fire 10, and sonic 10, spell resistance 18 |
| Saves: | Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +7 | Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +10 | Fort +7, Ref +9, Will +6 |
| Abilities: | Str 22, Dex 13, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 11 | Str 12, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 19, Cha 17 | Str 15, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 11 |
| Skills: | Balance +12, Climb +17, Hide +8, Jump +17, Listen +12, Move Silently +12, Spot +12, Survival +12 | Climb +11, Craft (any one) +13, Diplomacy +15, Hide +12, Listen +16, Move Silently +11, Search +13, Sense Motive +14, Spot +16, Survival +13 (+15 following tracks) | Balance +13, Climb +11, Hide +13, Listen +10, Move Silently +13, Search +9, Spot +10, Survival +10 |
| Feats: | Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Multiattack | Alertness, Improved Initiative, Track | Flyby Attack, Hover, Multiattack |
| Environment: | Any land and underground (Mechanus) | Any land and underground (Mechanus) | Any land and underground (Mechanus) |
| Organization: | Solitary, team (2–4), or troop (6–11) | Team (2–4) or platoon (2–4 plus 7–18 workers and 6–11 warriors) | Solitary, team (2–4), or troop (6–11) |
| Challenge Rating: | 8 | 11 | 6 |
| Treasure: | None | None | None |
| Alignment: | Always lawful neutral | Always lawful neutral | Always lawful neutral |
| Advancement: | 9–12 HD (Large); 12–24 (Huge) | 10–13 HD (Medium); 13–27 HD (Large) | 7–16 HD (Medium-size); 17–18 HD (Large) |
| Level Adjustment: | — | — | — |
Formian Armadon • Formian Observer • Formian Winged Warrior
Armadons are shock troops that lead the charge into battle and tear apart anything that gets in their way. They are utterly merciless and are sent into the most dangerous situations.
Bulky and well armored, armadons look more like giant fleas than their antlike formian kin. Their mandibles are huge, and they have elongated arms that end in powerful claws.
Armadons do not speak.
Armadons rush into the thick of battle where they can do the most damage. They typically release a gout of acid prior to engaging in melee. Because they are immune to acid, they use their acid spray in areas with other armadons even if they are in combat.
Armadons can be summoned using a summon monster VII spell.
Acid Spray (Ex): An armadon can spray a 20-foot burst of acid from glands in its tail, dealing 3d8 points of acid damage to everything in the area. Once an armadon uses this ability, it can’t use it again for 1d4 rounds. A successful Reflex save (DC 17) halves the damage.
Augmented Critical (Ex): An armadon’s bite attack threatens a critical hit on a natural attack roll of 17–20 because of the creature’s augmented critical ability and its Improved Critical feat. On a successful critical hit with a bite, an armadon deals triple damage.
Poison (Ex): An armadon delivers its poison (Fort DC 18 negates) with each successful sting attack. Initial and secondary damage are the same (1d6 Str).
Source: Fiend Folio, page 77. Changes applied as per the D&D® v.3.5 Accessory Update. Resistances reduced to 10 each to match the formians in the Monster Manual (version 3.5). Hive mind moved from Special Attacks to Special Qualities.
An observer is weaker than a taskmaster. It has two sets of eyes—one large set on the front of its head and another smaller set on the sides of its head, granting it all-around vision. Its antennae are larger than those of other subraces, and its arms end in small, delicate hands used for manipulation, not combat.
Like taskmasters, observers lack mouths and communicate only through telepathy. Observers know Formian and Common.
Observers do their best to avoid getting into melee. They remain in the background so that they can deduce the behavior and tactics of the intruders for the benefit of the other formians to exploit. In addition to using their evaluation ability, observers try to determine how many and what kind of magic the intruders might possess.
Observers can be summoned using a summon monster IX spell.
Poison (Ex): An observer delivers its poison (Fort DC 16 negates) with each successful sting attack. Initial and secondary damage are the same (1d6 Int).
Spell-Like Abilities: At will—charm monster, clairaudience/clairvoyance, detect chaos, detect magic, detect thoughts, see invisibility, true seeing. Caster level 12th; save DC 13 + spell level.
All-Around Vision (Ex): Observers are exceptionally alert and circumspect. Their double set of unblinking eyes grants them a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Search checks, and they can’t be flanked.
Evaluation (Ex): The incredible minds of observers evaluate and break down the strengths and weaknesses of enemies in mere moments.
For each full round of combat that an observer can visually see a single opponent (magical means, including clairvoyance, do not work), each formian in contact with the hive mind gains a +1 insight bonus on attack rolls against that opponent. This effect is cumulative for each round of combat and does not have a limit.
The effect lasts until the observer is killed, knocked unconscious, blinded, or cannot see the target for 1 full round. This bonus begins again as soon as the observer sees them again, starting at +1 per round.
The bonus does not improve if multiple observers are watching the same target. Other formians can process the information from any number of observers watching multiple targets.
Source: Fiend Folio, page 77. Changes applied as per the D&D® v.3.5 Accessory Update. Resistances reduced to 10 each to match the formians in the Monster Manual (version 3.5). Hive mind moved from Special Attacks to Special Qualities.
The winged warrior is a specialized version of the standard formian warrior. Teams and troops of winged warriors take to the air to scout ahead of advancing forces and also lead strike forces to soften up the enemy for the standard warriors to mop up. Winged warriors are slightly smaller than normal warriors. Much of their mass is centered in their wings, which have a span of about 10 feet. Instead ofanormal stinger, a winged warrior has a slender tail tipped with sharp spikes, which it can launch at an opponent.
Winged warriors are much slower on land than their ground-based counterparts, so they spend the majority oftheir time in the air. They can remain aloft for hours at a time before needing rest.
Winged warriors can communicate effectively through the hive mind, but they do so only to relay battle plans and tactics. They cannot speak otherwise.
Winged warriors prefer to launch spikes before swooping in and fighting in melee. They target anyone using ranged weapons against them first, and then attack the most physically daunting opponents.
Winged warriors can be summoned using a summon monster VI spell.
Augmented Critical (Ex): A winged warrior’s spikes threaten a critical hit on a natural attack roll of 19–20. On a successful critical hit with its spikes, a winged warrior deals triple damage.
Poison (Ex): A winged warrior delivers its poison (Fort DC 15 negates) with each successful spike attack. Initial and secondary damage are the same (1d6 Str).
Spikes (Ex): Twice per day, with a snap of its tail, a winged warrior can release two spikes as a standard action. This attack has a range of 90 feet with no range increment.
Source: Fiend Folio, page 78. Changes applied as per the D&D® v.3.5 Accessory Update. Resistances reduced to 10 each to match the formians in the Monster Manual (version 3.5). Hive mind moved from Special Attacks to Special Qualities.