Formian
Encyclopedia
In the fiction
al world of the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
, formians are extraplanar insectoid outsiders
.
The worker formian, the warrior formian, the myrmarch formian, and the queen formian appeared in the second edition for the Planescape
setting in the Planes of Law boxed set (1995), and reprinted in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (1996).
The formian worker, the formian warrior, the formian myrmarch, the formian taskmaster, and the formian queen appeared in the third edition Monster Manual
(2000), and the revised 3.5 Monster Manual (2003). The formian worker familiar appeared in Tome and Blood (2001), and in the 3.5 revised Dungeon Master's Guide
(2003). The formian armadon, the formian observer, and the formian winged warrior appeared in the third edition Fiend Folio
(2003).
-like head and hindquarters, including four legs, but has a humanoid
torso and arms, not unlike an invertebrate centaur
.
Formians first appeared in the first edition
Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual II
, where they were presented as an otherwise ordinary species of intelligent creature from the Prime Material Plane
. Full statistics for three main castes of formian were given; the workers (about the size of a large dog), the warriors (the size of a pony) and the myrmarches (the size of a horse). Special types mentioned as being found only inside Formian hive-cities were the male gymarches and the queen.
Formians were later expanded upon by the Planescape
campaign setting
expansion Planes of Law, in which they were described as one of the primary inhabitants of the plane of Arcadia, the Outer Plane
of borderline Lawful Neutral/Lawful Good alignment
.
In the Dungeons & Dragons third edition
Monster Manual
, formians were adapted to the new edition's core rules, in which they are presented as the exemplar species of the Lawful Neutral alignment. In the third edition version of the Manual of the Planes
, formians are implicitly described as being the primary inhabitants of both Arcadia and the Lawful Neutral Outer Plane of Mechanus
, which is in contrast to the earlier Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition, where the Modron
s were the exemplar Lawful Neutral race and the primary inhabitants of Mechanus.
The Taskmaster caste of Formian was added in the most recent addition. This man sized Formian lacks the combat abilities of the Warrior but is able to use Dominate Creature as a spell like ability and is encountered with a slave creature.
Formians are absolutely bound by the law of their queen. Due to this, all but the highest ranking Taskmasters and Myrmarchs are merely slave-like pawns. Formians are very difficult to use in a campaign setting, due to the complexity of their hives, and the enormous fluctuation in challenge ratings between the workers (1) and the queen (17). Adding to this difficulty, Formians communicate with a hive mind and are instantly able to alert other formians of danger.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al world of the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, formians are extraplanar insectoid outsiders
Outsider (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, an outsider is a type of creature, or "creature type". Outsiders are at least partially composed of the essence of a plane other than the Prime Material Plane....
.
Publication history
The formian (centaur-ant), including the worker formian, the warrior formian and the myrmarch formian, first appeared in the first edition in the original Monster Manual II (1983).The worker formian, the warrior formian, the myrmarch formian, and the queen formian appeared in the second edition for the Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
setting in the Planes of Law boxed set (1995), and reprinted in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (1996).
The formian worker, the formian warrior, the formian myrmarch, the formian taskmaster, and the formian queen appeared in the third edition Monster Manual
Monster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
(2000), and the revised 3.5 Monster Manual (2003). The formian worker familiar appeared in Tome and Blood (2001), and in the 3.5 revised Dungeon Master's Guide
Dungeon Master's Guide
The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
(2003). The formian armadon, the formian observer, and the formian winged warrior appeared in the third edition Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio is the title shared by three products published for successive editions of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
(2003).
Description
A formian has an antAnt
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
-like head and hindquarters, including four legs, but has a humanoid
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
torso and arms, not unlike an invertebrate centaur
Centaur (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the centaur is a large monstrous humanoid. Based upon the Centaurs of Greek myth, they resemble humans with the lower body of a horse.-Publication history:...
.
Formians first appeared in the first edition
Editions of Dungeons & Dragons
Several different editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of Dungeons & Dragons , Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the game...
Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual II
Monster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
, where they were presented as an otherwise ordinary species of intelligent creature from the Prime Material Plane
Prime Material Plane
The Prime Material Plane is the central plane of existence in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
. Full statistics for three main castes of formian were given; the workers (about the size of a large dog), the warriors (the size of a pony) and the myrmarches (the size of a horse). Special types mentioned as being found only inside Formian hive-cities were the male gymarches and the queen.
Formians were later expanded upon by the Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
expansion Planes of Law, in which they were described as one of the primary inhabitants of the plane of Arcadia, the Outer Plane
Outer Plane
In the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of planes of existence. They can also be referred to as godly planes, spiritual planes or divine planes. The Outer Planes are home to beings such as deities and otherworldly creatures such as...
of borderline Lawful Neutral/Lawful Good alignment
Alignment (role-playing games)
In some role-playing games, alignment is a categorisation of the moral and ethical perspective of the player characters, non-player characters, monsters, and societies in the game....
.
In the Dungeons & Dragons third edition
Editions of Dungeons & Dragons
Several different editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of Dungeons & Dragons , Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the game...
Monster Manual
Monster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
, formians were adapted to the new edition's core rules, in which they are presented as the exemplar species of the Lawful Neutral alignment. In the third edition version of the Manual of the Planes
Manual of the Planes
The Manual of the Planes is a manual for the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. This text addresses the planar cosmology of the game universe....
, formians are implicitly described as being the primary inhabitants of both Arcadia and the Lawful Neutral Outer Plane of Mechanus
Mechanus
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Mechanus, also known as The Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus is a purely lawful aligned plane of existence...
, which is in contrast to the earlier Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition, where the Modron
Modron (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the fictional multiverse of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Modrons are mechanical looking creatures native to the outer plane of Mechanus. Modrons resemble geometric shapes with humanoid limbs and represent a living, physical manifestation of law without regard to good or evil...
s were the exemplar Lawful Neutral race and the primary inhabitants of Mechanus.
The Taskmaster caste of Formian was added in the most recent addition. This man sized Formian lacks the combat abilities of the Warrior but is able to use Dominate Creature as a spell like ability and is encountered with a slave creature.
Formians are absolutely bound by the law of their queen. Due to this, all but the highest ranking Taskmasters and Myrmarchs are merely slave-like pawns. Formians are very difficult to use in a campaign setting, due to the complexity of their hives, and the enormous fluctuation in challenge ratings between the workers (1) and the queen (17). Adding to this difficulty, Formians communicate with a hive mind and are instantly able to alert other formians of danger.