Wherein were Fiery Serpents: Snake Swarms

One of the best innovations to come out of 3.5e was the swarm subtype, which provides nifty rules for abstracting hundreds and even thousands of small opponents into one single statblock. My unholy love for this mechanic has not been lost on my beleaguered players, who have had to face all sorts of crawling, squirming, biting swarms, including a particularly nasty construct composed of flying brass dragonflies that drained Wisdom.

But among the many useful examples provided in the System Reference Document, one obvious swarm didn’t make the cut: snakes. Anyone who has ever seen Raiders of the Lost Ark will recognize this grievous omission as the clear tragedy that it is.

Fortunately, the designers at Paizo did not miss their opportunity to fill in this gap, providing two different snake swarms in the Pathfinder Bestiary 3. And because Paizo is committed to supporting the Open Game License, they generously released these swarms as Open Game Content, allowing them to be back-ported into 3.5e.

It’s also worth noting that Wizards released a swarm of poisonous snakes in the 5e SRD, and this version is reasonably compatible with the Paizo version.

One notable oddity about the swarm subtype: in both 3.5e and Pathfinder size modifies Hide and Stealth checks, respectively. Although swarms occupy a square or cube 10 feet on size, their effective size for most effects is the size of the constituent creature. This means a buzzing, roiling swarm of locusts (Diminutive vermin) gets a +12 bonus on Hide checks! I don’t think I would do that in my own games, but for these 3.5e snake swarms I have run with the rules as written.

The following text is Open Game Content.

Snake Swarm

While all snake swarms are dangerous, swarms made up of venomous snakes are typically the most lethal. Snake swarms of both types can generally be encountered in the same regions, dwelling in ruins or wilderness alike.

Snake Swarm

Hissing menacingly, this mass of snakes resembles a pile of slithering tentacles.

Snake Swarm CR 2

Always N Tiny animal (swarm)

Init +6; Senses low-light vision, scent; Listen +6, Spot +6

Defense

AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 13
(+2 Dex, +1 natural, +2 size)

hp 16 (3d8+3 HD)

Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +2

Defensive Abilities half damage from slashing and piercing, swarm traits

Offense

Spd 20 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.

Melee swarm (1d6 plus distraction)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Special Attacks distraction (DC 12)

Statistics

Str 9, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2

Base Atk +2; Grp –

Feats Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes

Skills Balance +11, Climb +11, Hide +15, Listen +6, Spot +6, Swim +8

Ecology

Environment any

Organization solitary or nest (2–4 swarms)

Treasure none

Advancement none

Special Abilities

Distraction (Ex) Any living creature that begins its turn with a swarm in its square must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Skills A snake swarm has a +4 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, and Spot checks, and a +8 racial bonus on Balance and Climb checks. A snake swarm can always choose to take 10 on all Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. A snake swarm uses either its Strength modifier or Dexterity modifier for Climb checks, whichever is higher. A snake swarm has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

Snake Swarm, Venomous

Venomous snakes slither and crawl over each other in a furious mass, their poison-dripping fangs glinting in the light.

Venomous Snake Swarm CR 4

Always N Tiny animal (swarm)

Init +7; Senses low-light vision, scent; Listen +7, Spot +7

Defense

AC 17, touch 15, flat-footed 14
(+3 Dex, +2 natural, +2 size)

hp 37 (5d8+15 HD)

Fort +7, Ref +9, Will +2

Defensive Abilities half damage from slashing and piercing, swarm traits

Offense

Spd 20 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 10 ft.

Melee swarm (1d6 plus distraction and poison)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Special Attacks distraction (DC 15)

Statistics

Str 9, Dex 16, Con 17, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2

Base Atk +3; Grp –

Feats Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes

Skills Balance +12, Climb +12, Hide +16, Listen +7, Spot +7, Swim +8

Ecology

Environment any

Organization solitary, nest (2–4 swarms), or knot (5–7 swarms)

Treasure none

Advancement none

Special Abilities

Distraction (Ex) Any living creature that begins its turn with a swarm in its square must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Poison (Ex) Injury, Fortitude DC 15, initial and secondary damage 1d2 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Skills A venomous snake swarm has a +4 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, and Spot checks, and a +8 racial bonus on Balance and Climb checks. A venomous snake swarm can always choose to take 10 on all Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. A venomous snake swarm uses either its Strength modifier or Dexterity modifier for Climb checks, whichever is higher. A venomous snake swarm has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

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