Fantasy Monster: Fluxwarp Gremlin Swarm

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Fluxwarp Gremlin Swarm

A bunch of minute, identical-looking, grotesque figures flickering in and out of existence with accompanying flashes, buzzing, and 

CR 5; XP 1,600
CN Tiny Fey (extraplanar, swarm)
Init +9; Senses low-light vision; Perception +20

Defense
AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 12 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 size)
hp 56 (16d6); fast healing 5
Fort +4, Ref +15, Will +8
Defensive Abilities half weapon damage, swarm traits

Weakness self-summoning

Offense
Speed 20 ft., phasing
Melee swarm (4d6)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Special Attacks distraction (DC 15)

Statistics
Str 1, Dex 20, Con 8, Int 3, Wis 7, Cha 5
Base Atk +8; CMB —; CMD —
Feats Dodge, Improved Initiative, Improved Lightning Reflexes, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Run, Skill Focus (Perception), Toughness
Skills Knowledge (planes) +12, Perception +20
Languages barely coherent bits of Sylvan
SQ hitch a ride

Ecology
Environment any
Organization solitary, pair, or a pack (3–6)
Treasure none

Hitch A Ride (Su) When a creature occupying space shared with a fluxwarp gremlin swarm uses a teleportation effect, the swarm can teleport with the creature as an additional passenger. If there are other creatures sharing space with the swarm, the swarm splits in half, forming two new swarms with half the hit points of the original swarm. In unlikely circumstance when multiple creatures are teleported away to different destinations, the swarm splits into a number of copies equal to number of destinations (plus one if any creatures remain within the swarms original space) and divide its hit points adequately. Fluxwarp gremlins can recognize teleportation magic on sight.

Phasing (Su) Fluxwarp gremlin swarm flicker in and out of phase with the rest of the plane they are currently on. It can move through difficult terrain and obstacles without penalties. It can also move through walls, except force effects, but can't end their move within solid object.

Self-Summoning Fluxwarp gremlin swarms replenish themselves by summoning more copies of themselves and are always treated as summoned extraplanar creatures without a home plane. A fluxwarp gremlin swarm can be targeted with banishment, dimensional anchor, dispel magic, dispel chaos, dismissal, or any spells or effects that control, harm, or dismiss summoned creatures suppressing their hitch a ride ability, phasing, and fast healing for 1 round. All of those qualities are suppressed within area of dimensional lock and other effects that block teleportation effects.

Fluxwarp gremlin swarm form out of terrible teleportation or portal malfunctions that involved a gremlin. The original creature is caught in endless loop, bouncing between its destination and its origin points, while its countless replicas are summoned on both ways, transformed but recognizable.

The copying process is imperfect, leaving fluxwarp gremlins with even less intellectual capacity than most other gremlins strains. Their primary interests are eating and spreading themselves, preferably via teleportation and portals. Tests performed by diligent inane teleportation researchers showed that perplexingly, traveling via portals do not copy fluxwarp gremlins, unlike most other forms of teleportation.

Many extraplanar beings, at least those not thoroughly chaotic, consider spreading fluxwarp gremlin swarms across the multiverse an odious act, if not an outright offense.