So first off, the insect plague isn’t a creature at all, it’s just a magical effect that appears like a bunch of locusts. It has no hit points or AC or Saving throws or any other game statistics.
When spells do summon a creature of some sort, they list a creature type, a maximum CR (or how many of each CR) you can summon, how to determine their initiative, their disposition towards you and your allies, what happens when they get to 0 Hp and what happens to them when the spell ends.
Animal shapes needs a few things to work that we don’t have here.
First off, the spells says to choose any number of willing creatures to transform, but we don’t have creatures, we have a magical effect. How could you say a magical effect that has no intelligence, will, thoughts, and lacks the ability to communicate in any way is “willing”?
Animal Shapes states the effect last the duration for each creature or until it drops to 0 HP. After that, it states that the creatures assumes the HP of the transformation, and then returns to its original HP when it’s transformation drops to 0 and any excess damage applies to the original form, but the insect plague doesn’t have any HP.
In between the information about HP, it states that it’s game statistics are replaced by the creature choosen, other than alignment and it’s mental stats. What game statistics? Insect plague doesn’t have any. What happens when one of the (Large or smaller creatures) is in the air and has no mental stats? It would either totally unable to act, or dead depending on how you interpret ability scores being zero. If it’s dead right after it gains it new form, it reverts to its original form, so again this just doesn’t work.
The worst part about this combo, is that you could probably do this, just not using insect plague. A couple of the conjure spells summon intelligent or even sentient creatures who could at least be interpreted as being willing. Find one that can fly, send them up in the air, and ready shape animals to cast then they are 30ft away. Note that that doesn’t mean 30ft up, you have to account for horizontal distance as well.
Not all spells and other magical effects list off AC, HP, CR etc. Some do, especially if they’re expected to fight, but some like Bags of Tricks don’t, but if you need the stats they can all be looked up.
Swarming, biting locusts fill a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point you choose within range.
TLDR: You wouldn’t polymorph a fireball.
Basically nothing about this works.
So first off, the insect plague isn’t a creature at all, it’s just a magical effect that appears like a bunch of locusts. It has no hit points or AC or Saving throws or any other game statistics.
When spells do summon a creature of some sort, they list a creature type, a maximum CR (or how many of each CR) you can summon, how to determine their initiative, their disposition towards you and your allies, what happens when they get to 0 Hp and what happens to them when the spell ends.
Animal shapes needs a few things to work that we don’t have here.
First off, the spells says to choose any number of willing creatures to transform, but we don’t have creatures, we have a magical effect. How could you say a magical effect that has no intelligence, will, thoughts, and lacks the ability to communicate in any way is “willing”?
Animal Shapes states the effect last the duration for each creature or until it drops to 0 HP. After that, it states that the creatures assumes the HP of the transformation, and then returns to its original HP when it’s transformation drops to 0 and any excess damage applies to the original form, but the insect plague doesn’t have any HP.
In between the information about HP, it states that it’s game statistics are replaced by the creature choosen, other than alignment and it’s mental stats. What game statistics? Insect plague doesn’t have any. What happens when one of the (Large or smaller creatures) is in the air and has no mental stats? It would either totally unable to act, or dead depending on how you interpret ability scores being zero. If it’s dead right after it gains it new form, it reverts to its original form, so again this just doesn’t work.
The worst part about this combo, is that you could probably do this, just not using insect plague. A couple of the conjure spells summon intelligent or even sentient creatures who could at least be interpreted as being willing. Find one that can fly, send them up in the air, and ready shape animals to cast then they are 30ft away. Note that that doesn’t mean 30ft up, you have to account for horizontal distance as well.
You really want to do this? Alright, let’s go!
Not all spells and other magical effects list off AC, HP, CR etc. Some do, especially if they’re expected to fight, but some like Bags of Tricks don’t, but if you need the stats they can all be looked up.
Source
Insect Plague clearly states locusts appear, not an illusion or force resembling ones. And yes, Swarm of Insects does have stats.
So yes, Insect Plague spawns the insects and they do have stats, it’s very well possible even purely RAW.
Also for the distance, the Druid could very well already be within 30 ft of wherever the insects spawn, on a keep’s wall or a cliff for instance.
I feel like I’m watching a wizard fight