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Hermit Crab Swarm

Creature 4 — amphibious, animal, swarm

SnareLANDAQUATICanimalswarm

When hermit crabs find a shell that is too large, they lie in wait for others to arrive and move into the shell, abandoning a possible replacement. This can form a large chain of queuing crabs waiting to upgrade their shells. Interruptions can aggravate the crabs, resulting in attacks against the unfortunate source of disruption. Hermit crabs have hard exoskeletons like other crabs, but with much weaker abdomens. They find and "wear" shells as homes and protection, getting around with their fro

Source: pathfinder-monster-core-2

Perception +11; darkvision, tremorsense (imprecise) 15 feet
Skills athletics +12
Str
+4
Dex
+2
Con
+3
Int
-4
Wis
+1
Cha
-1
AC 20 Fort +13 Ref +10 Will +7
HP 42
Immunities precision, swarm-mind
Resistances piercing 5, slashing 5
Weaknesses area-damage 5, splash-damage 5
Speed 30 feet, swim 15 feet

Abilities

Tremorsense (Imprecise) 15 feet — Tremorsense allows a monster to feel the vibrations through a solid surface caused by movement. It is an imprecise sense with a limited range (listed in the ability). Tremorsense functions only if the monster is on the same surface as the subject, and only if the subject is moving along (or burrowing through) the surface.
Swarm Mind — This monster doesn't have a single mind (typically because it's a swarm of smaller creatures), and is immune to mental effects that target only a specific number of creatures. It is still subject to mental effects that affect all creatures in an area.
Swarming Snips — Each enemy in the swarm's space takes 2d8 piercing damage (DC 20 Reflex save).

Creatures that fail this save also take 1d4 bleed.

WORKS WELL WITH

AnvilLAND / AQUATICA durable blocker forces foes to fight near this swarm's space, letting its area attack chip away at anyone who stays adjacent.
SniperLAND / AQUATICA ranged attacker avoids this swarm's damaging space entirely while still contributing damage from outside its reach.
WeaverLAND / AQUATICA caster's area spells complement the swarm's own space-denial by threatening the same ground from range.

PUNISHES

✖ standing in its space✖ clumping✖ melee reliance
Avoid pairing with allies that deal heavy area damage; this swarm's own weakness to area and splash effects means friendly overlap punishes it too.
Works well with · Punishes · Pairing advice Unlock with Tactics

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Stat block data sourced from the Foundry VTT PF2E system under the Apache License 2.0. Source book: Pathfinder Monster Core 2.

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