Formian Taskmaster
Description
Formian taskmasters are merchants, traders, diplomats, and spies, and particularly talented taskmasters may even advise the queen. Taskmasters can often be found outside the hive engaging in commerce or routine diplomatic missions. While traveling, a taskmaster is usually accompanied by 3-5 workers and at least 5 warriors.
When dealing with other creatures, formians recognize that their telepathy can be off-putting and use normal speech, although their mandibles are not well suited for the task and their voices are often hoarse and difficult to understand.
Like myrmarchs, taskmasters are highly competitive and take great pride in their successes. Notable accomplishments are carved into their carapaces and highlighted with the use of bright inks, precious metals, or gems. Formian society is largely free of the crime that is common in other humanoid societies, but formians do have occasional duels within a caste. Two taskmasters might have a duel over promotions, a trade route, or an insult. These duels are rarely lethal for fear of weakening the hive, and taskmasters who are too aggressive attract the wrong kind of attention from the myrmarchs. Dueling victories are often recorded on taskmasters' carapaces alongside their other major accomplishments.
Combat Stats
- Melee
- sting +13 (1d4+3 plus poison), 2 claws +13 (1d4+3)
- Ranged
- dart +12/+7 (1d4+3)
Ability Scores
Proficiencies
Weapons: Simple
Special Attacks
Poison — Sting—injury; save Fort DC 18; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d4 Dexterity; cure 2 consecutive saves.
Special Qualities
formian traits
Mental Motivator — A formian taskmaster can inspire competence or inspire courage as a 7th-level bard (typically 20 rounds/day). The taskmaster's performance is purely mental and only affects formians from its own hive within telepathic range.
Feats
Special Abilities
Universal Monster Rules
Special Abilities
Feats, Traits & Items
You get a +4 bonus on concentration checks made to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability when casting on the defensive or while grappled.
You get a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at ranges of up to 30 feet.
You can draw a weapon as a free action instead of as a move action. You can draw a hidden weapon (see the Sleight of Hand skill) as a move action.
A character who has selected this feat may throw weapons at his full normal rate of attacks (much like a character with a bow).
Alchemical items, potions, scrolls, and wands cannot be drawn quickly using this feat.
When making a full-attack action with a ranged weapon, you can fire one additional time this round. All of your attack rolls take a –2 penalty when using Rapid Shot.
Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against spells from the school of magic you select.
Skills
Appraise +6, Bluff +9, Climb +11, Craft (armor) +9, Diplomacy +14, Perception +16 (+20 with hive mind), Sense Motive +8, Spellcraft +6
Spells
- Type
- Monstrous Humanoid
- Alignment
- LN
- Size
- Medium
- Environment
- warm or temperate land or underground
- Organization
- solitary, work crew (1 plus 6–12 workers), band (1 plus 3–15 workers and 5–8 warriors), embassy (2–6)
- Treasure
- standard (10 darts, other treasure)
- Senses
- blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., hive mind; Perception +16 (+20 with hive mind)
- Languages
- Common; telepathy 120 ft.
- Source
- Bestiary 4