Vermin Lord
"Insect Warrior” © Любен Русинов, accessed @characterdesignreferences here
[Commissioned by @justicegundam82. The description of the vermin lord in the 3.5e Monster Manual III gives it membranous wings and a stinger, neither of which are seen in the original art. So I wanted to find some insectoid that did have them, but most art for anthropomorphic wasps or bees online is too horny (sexy human women with antennae, wings and some colorful stripes).
Some notes on the conversion. The commissioner requested it be reduced in CR from 17 to 14. The swarm aura has been replaced by a “chewing aura” that manifests magically, as opposed to being somewhere between a magical effect and a real swarm. Since the giant vermin spell in Pathfinder RPG is much less flexible (and useful) than the 3.x version, I gave it a straight summon ability instead--the three vermin selected have the advantage of all being in the same book, Bestiary 2, for people who still like to have hard copies around.
Edit: Replaced the art. The owner of the character I originally used contacted me and asked me to not use that piece. I wish this one wasn’t scaled to be so tiny, but I quite like the design. It could always be the web of one of its giant spider minions]
Vermin Lord This large creature appears to be a wasp-like humanoid the size of a giant. Two pairs of membranous wings grow from its back, its four arms end in clawed hands, and its abdomen is tipped in a wicked stinger. It carries a panoply of weapons.
Vermin lords are cruel and exploitative creatures that fancy themselves rulers of jungle kingdoms. Their ability to magically control giant vermin gives them an army of soldiers, which they use to capture other creatures to toil for them. Vermin lords do not work well together—if two come together they will fight in an attempt to kill or enslave each other. The winner absorbs the territory and vassals of the loser. Most vermin lords are obsessed with magic items, and use their minions to raid tombs and temples, engage in banditry, or make items for the vermin lord’s use.
Vermin lords can attack many natural weapons at once, but prefer to use manufactured magical weapons if they can. Their venom is lethal, resulting in massive internal bleeding in those affected, and they avoid using their stings if on a mission to capture, not kill. Few vermin lords are found alone, and even if they are, they can summon monstrous insects and arachnids to fight alongside them. Their chewing aura tears enemies apart as if they were engulfed in a swarm of insects.
A vermin lord stands ten feet tall and weighs about seven hundred pounds. Despite this, they are nimble on both land and air.
