A softly glowing cloud roils in the darkness ahead. The cloud is a dizzying blur of insects with glittering, opalescent wings, and you can hear the soft, slithery noise they make in flight, a sound that seems always on the verge of being intelligible.
Whispering Moth Swarm CR 13
Whisper moth illustration by Mike L. Scott from Dragon 227 copyright © 1996 by TSR. Used without permission.
Always NE Fine magical beast (swarm)
Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision; Listen +9, Spot +9
Aura insanity (DC 18)
AC 24, touch 16, flat-footed 18
(+8 size, +6 Dex)
hp 85 (15 HD)
Immune weapon damage
Resist reflective spell resistance 24
Fort +11, Ref +15, Will +8
Spd 5 ft, fly 40 ft (good)
Melee swarm (3d6)
Space 10 ft; Reach 0 ft
Base Atk +15; Grp –
Atk Options distraction
Abilities Str 1, Dex 22, Con 10, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 9
SQ hive mind, nullify light, swarm traits
Feats Ability Focus (insanity), Alertness, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Toughness
Skills Hide +12, Listen +9, Spot +9
Aura of Insanity (Su) This ability only affects creatures standing completely in areas of darkness or shadowy illumination. Creatures that occupy at least a single square illuminated with bright light are not affected by this ability. At the end of each of a whispering moth swarm's turn, creatures that view a whispering moth swarm and can hear the sound of its wings must succeed on a DC 18 Will save or become confused for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based. Creatures sharing a square with a swarm have a -2 circumstance penalty to the save; creatures viewing a swarm near a mirrored surface (such as a still lake or any highly-polished metal) have a -4 circumstance penalty to the save. Only a restoration, greater restoration, miracle, or wish spell can restore the mind of one driven insane by this effect.
Distraction (Ex) Any living creature vulnerable to a whispering moth swarm's damage that begins its turn with a whispering moth swarm in its square is nauseated for 1 round; a DC 17 Fortitude save negates the effect. The save DC is Constitution-based. Spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a DC 17 Concentration check.
Hive Mind (Ex) Any whispering moth swarm with at least 1 hit point per Hit Die (or 15 hit points, for a standard whispering moth swarm) forms a hive mind, giving it an Intelligence of 6. When a whispering moth swarm is reduced below this hit point threshold, it becomes mindless.
Nullify Light (Sp) Whispering moth swarms are drawn to any source of fire and magical light, even in the middle of combat. If a whispering moth swarm ever occupies a square adjacent to or containing a source of illumination, that source is immediately suppressed and begins radiating only shadowy illumination, as a darkness spell. This suppression lasts for 1d4 minutes. This effect counters or dispels any light spell of 6th level or lower.
Reflective Spell Resistance (Sp) A whispering moth swarm has a special type of spell resistance that causes any targeted spell it successfully resists to bounce off and reflect back at the caster. The caster becomes either the spell's target or the point of origin for the spell's effect, as appropriate.
Swarm Traits A whispering moth swarm has no clear front or back and no discernible anatomy, so it is not subject to critical hits or flanking. Reducing a whispering moth swarm to 0 hit points or lower causes it to break up, though damage taken until that point does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. A whispering moth swarm is never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage. Also, A whispering moth swarm cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed, and it cannot grapple an opponent. A whispering moth swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate). A whispering moth swarm takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash weapons and many evocation spells. A whispering moth swarm is susceptible to high winds such as that created by a gust of wind spell. For purposes of determining the effects of wind on a swarm, treat the swarm as a creature of Fine size.
A whispering moth swarm is a rare and eerie sight in the deep Underdark. Despite their hauntingly beautiful appearance, whispering moths are more often cause for alarm than for joy, because they drive most sentient creatures to bizarre behavior and even insanity.
Strategy and Tactics
Whispering moths are individually weak but gain their strength in numbers when they form a swarm. The dizzying blur of their glowing wings has magical power and can cause insanity when combined with the susurration of their wings.
Sample Encounter
Whispering moths generally only able to congregate in large enough numbers to form a single swarm at one time.
The Dark Lake (EL 13): A large underground lake has recently become the haunt of an aggressive whispering moth swarm. The waters of the lake are deep and very cold, and wandering along its rocky shores are several half-starved and insane troglodytes, driven mad by the sight of the swarm. Several empty rafts and barges—their pilots dead or crazed—drift aimlessly across the surface of the lake. When at rest, the individual moths roost against the broad stone ceiling of the cavern in the middle of the lake. The sight of any new light source in the cavern will be enough to attract the moths' attention and cause them to swarm. As the cavern is located at an important juncture of several underground passages, drow merchants have become desperate to either evict the swarm or find an alternate route.
Whispering Moth Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (dungeoneering) can learn more about whispering moths. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
| DC | Result |
|---|---|
| 18 | Whispering moths are strange insects of the deep Underdark that can form dangerous swarms; the very sight of one can drive creatures mad. |
| 23 | Whispering moths can extinguish sources of illumination on contact. |
| 28 | Whispering moths can reflect spells back against the caster. |
| 33 | Only creatures standing in darkness can be driven insane by the sight of a whispering moth swarm. |
Ecology
Whispering moths are to the deep Underdark what bats are to the surface world; insectivores who serve a useful function by spreading seeds and distributing fertilizer throughout the cavern systems they inhabit. Swarms of whispering moths feed on fireweed blooms, fungal spores, and small insects, especially cave crickets, small spiders, and cave fisher young. They are believed to be related to gloomwing moths.
The dried wings of whispering moths as useful in the ink for symbols of insanity and in the construction of rings of spell turning. They are valued at 50 gp/moth or more.
They lay their eggs in water, where the young go through a larval stage before hatching into adults. A swarm of whispering moths hatching from the surface of an underground lake looks like nothing so much as a layer of light peeling off the surface of the water; the doubled reflection is a sight few creatures survive.
Environment: Whispering moths are only found in the deepest areas of the Underdark.
Typical Physical Characteristics: Individual whispering moths are about 2 inches long, with a 4-inch wingspan; they gained their name because of the soft, slithery noise they make in flight. Their wings are glittering, opalescent blurs when in motion, and they glow with their own light on the top surface. The moths are dark and almost invisible when they are perched on cavern walls with their wings folded shut.
Society
Whispering moths always travel in groups, never leaving the safety of the fluttering swarm. When resting, they all cover the ceiling or walls of a moist cavern drinking the water from the cave wall.
Typical Treasure
Whispering moths have no interest in treasure.