Rotbound Swarm

Rotbound Swarm necromancers turn death into contagion, formation, and siegecraft. Their undead are not merely soldiers; they are mobile hazards that burst, infect, shield, and consume. A Rotbound Swarm commander advances behind a tide of corpse-carriers, spreads wasting rot through enemy ranks, and eventually fuses several bodies into a colossal rot-beast.

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Hit Die

1d8 per Necromancer level; 8 + Constitution modifier at 1st level, increasing by 1d8 or 5 + Constitution modifier per Necromancer level thereafter.

Subclass of Necromancer

Rotbound Swarm

Feed the dead. Spread the rot. Let the battlefield rise.

SystemD&D 5E (2014)

RoleSummoner and battlefield commander specializing in area denial, attrition, corpse-based defenses, and explosive undead.

Hit Die1d8 per Necromancer level; 8 + Constitution modifier at 1st level, increasing by 1d8 or 5 + Constitution modifier per Necromancer level thereafter.

ResourceGrave Sparks, undead servants, spell slots, Rot Husks, and the temporary Rotbound Colossus.

Primary AbilitiesIntelligence & Constitution

SavesUses the Necromancer's spell save DC and spell attack modifier: 8 + proficiency bonus + Intelligence modifier for saving throws, and proficiency bonus + Intelligence modifier for spell attacks. Rotbound features that call for saving throws use your Necromancer spell save DC.

SystemD&D 5E (2014)

The Rotbound Swarm

Spellcasting & Powers

You use the Necromancer's full spellcasting progression and Intelligence-based spellcasting. Rotbound Swarm features enhance undead servants, corpses, necrotic damage, disease, and battlefield control without granting a separate spellcasting system.

Curated Spell List

1st-Level Spells

Inflict Wounds A close-range life-draining attack that suits the Rotbound Swarm's touch of decay.
Ray of Sickness Poisons enemies while reinforcing the tradition's infectious battlefield identity.
False Life Provides necromantic resilience before entering a dangerous melee.
Cause Fear Uses deathly presence to scatter enemies before the horde advances.

2nd-Level Spells

Blindness/Deafness Represents rot-clouds, swollen eyes, and sensory decay.
Ray of Enfeeblement Weakens a powerful enemy so the undead can overwhelm it.
Web Creates battlefield control that can be flavored as corpse-fibers, sinew, and fungal strands.
Misty Step Allows the necromancer to escape through a burst of crawling flies or corpse-smoke.

3rd-Level Spells

Animate Dead Raises the core infantry of the Rotbound Swarm.
Vampiric Touch Turns the necromancer into a temporary predator amid the horde.
Stinking Cloud Fills an area with toxic decay and foul battlefield vapor.
Summon Undead Calls forth a specialized undead ally to reinforce the swarm.

4th- and 5th-Level Spells

Blight Drains the vitality from living creatures and withers plant life.
Create Undead Provides stronger servants for a veteran Rotbound commander.
Danse Macabre Raises a temporary wave of corpses during a decisive battle.
Cloudkill Creates a moving cloud of lethal poison that complements corpse-based hazards.

6th- through 9th-Level Spells

Create Undead At higher spell levels, creates powerful undead suitable for leading the swarm.
Finger of Death Slays a living target and can leave behind another zombie for the horde.
Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting Dries the life from a wide area, leaving bodies ready for later use.
Contagion Spreads a debilitating disease that embodies the Rotbound Swarm's central theme.

Multiclassing

A character multiclassing into Rotbound Swarm must meet the Necromancer's multiclassing prerequisites and gains no additional armor, weapon, or tool proficiencies from this subclass. Subclass features use Intelligence, Grave Sparks, undead servants, and the Necromancer's spell save DC.

Proficiencies

Uses the Necromancer's proficiencies: light armor, medium armor, shields, simple weapons, martial weapons, and either an herbalism kit or calligrapher's supplies. Rotbound Swarm grants no additional proficiencies.

Skill Options

Arcana
History
Investigation
Medicine
Nature
Religion

Training & Initiation

Most Rotbound Swarms begin as battlefield scavengers, plague surgeons, grave tenders, or failed healers. Initiation requires preserving a corpse without embalming it, cultivating a harmless necrotic culture, and animating a servant while maintaining a personal command pattern. Masters teach students to distinguish useful rot from uncontrolled plague, though many traditions deliberately blur that line. The final test is usually the creation of a Rot Husk from a fallen enemy without allowing hatred or grief to disrupt the ritual.

Societal Perception

Most people react to the Rotbound Swarm with immediate fear and disgust, associating it with plague and mass graves. Soldiers may respect its battlefield effectiveness, while healers and clergy often demand strict quarantine and corpse-handling rules. In desperate regions, Rotbound necromancers can be viewed as grim protectors who keep the dead fighting so the living do not have to.

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