Deadly Spider

Deadly Spider (CR 6)

Neutral - Diminutive - Vermin

Lore:	Know (Nature)
12		27
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

10

Perception:
20	+10
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Darkvision 60 ft.
• Tremorsense 30 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 40 ft.
• Greater Climb 40 ft.

Defense

AC

22

Man Def

22

Monster Health
81	40	9
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+9
Refl:	+9
Will:	+2

Strong Against:

• (Mindless) Immune (no effect): all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, fear, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms)

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Diminutive
1 ft.		0 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+10

Man Off

+10

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Deadly Spider Bite +10 (1d10+9/x2)
  as piercing (physical, common)
  Spider Venom

Full Attack (Melee):

• 1x Deadly Spider Bite +10 (1d10+9/x2)
  as piercing (physical, common)
  Spider Venom

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

1

STR

17

DEX

10

CON

—

INT

10

WIS

2

CHA

Skills:

• Movement: 10 (+8 when climbing)
• Perception: 10
• Stealth: 10
• All other skills: 5 (no ranks)

Languages:

Feats:

Special Abilities

Spider Venom (Ex) Automatic

Any damage inflicted by a Spider Swarm has a chance to inflict a weak poison: Spider Venom    (Injury vector; Tainted intensity) Save: Fort DC 18;     Frequency: 1/round for 3 rounds Effect: 1d3 STR Dilution and 1d8+6 points of poison (physical, uncommon) per interval Fruition: none Fruition Duration: n/a

Deadly Spider

Deadly Spiders are small things, barely large enough to cover the (terrified) face of your average citizen. Deadly spiders, however, are truly monstrous things, empowered with supernatural vitality far beyond their diminutive size. Deadly Spiders have been speculated as some strain of beast from beyond the normal world, originally from some far more potent place, that were introduced to the Prime Material by some magical simpleton, perhaps the same sorts of folks who thought that creating Owlbears and Bulettes was a great idea.

Regardless of their provenance, Deadly Spiders are terrible things indeed, covered in a tough sort of carapace that glances away blows and remarkably string, able to withstand heavy blows without crushing. Deadly Spiders are often found in ones and twos and small handfuls, and in such aggregations, they are terrible vermin, demanding the attention of serious adventurers, or the use of extreme measures from civil authorities to control. A house infested with deadly spiders is often bricked up, and then burned to the ground, as an example of the methods used to contain them. Many an adventuring company has been hired by frantic homeowners, trying to save their home from the cleansing flame.

However, even this terrible threat is not the end of their peril. Deadly Spiders, like many of their 'normal' , weaker, kin, are prone to breeding wildly and forming into great, deadly swarms. Massive swarms of these deadly spiders are occasional hazards encountered in dark and abandoned places. Individual spiders of this size are a deadly menace to courageous adventurers, and a real challenge even to heroes. Several thousand of these deadly things packed atop one another in a seething mass of scuttling legs and poisonous fangs?

That's enough to threaten any hero, and startle just about anybody.

Combat Tactics

Deadly Spiders are hungry and dangerous. Despite their very small size, they are not afraid of anything, bigger or smaller than they are, and they will hunt you, eagerly and proficiently. Strong adventurerers can be overrun by these tiny monstrocities, so take them seriously.

Far worse than even their normal terror, Deadly Spiders often form themselves into massive swarms. Such huge masses of dangerous, touch, and stealthy foes can be very difficult to withstand.

Deadly Spider swarms wish to engulf you. They will charge as fast as they can to get into the space of their prey. About the only 'tactic' they use is their fondness for crawling on ceilings. Whenever possible a spider swarm will crawl up to a ceiling and drop onto victims as a sudden rain of leggy creepy crawlers. Bleah.

Multiple swarms can move into, stop and occupy spaces that other swarms occupy. However, no more than two swarms can inflict damage or effects on a single target.

Out of Combat

Deadly Spiders can live nearly anywhere — in forests, shrubbery, amidst crops, basically anywhere that food is likely to pass nearby. They prey on any animals or humanoids that come too close, and only require such a meal about once a week, thought they'll always save some for later, in their rather prodigious webs.

Of special note is the fact that Deadly Spiders are very much the favorites of the lesser clades of Formians. Those tiny intelligent terrors seem to enjoy Deadly Spiders, although not as mounts. Instead, Formians will keep Deadly Spiders as pets and guardians, perhaps even some form of twisted...companions. It is not at all unusual to find Formians near Deadly Sipders, and indeed, some scholars, sages, and wizards speculate that Formians actually somehow...created...Deadly Spiders, much as humanity created dogs. Such notions are dismissed out of hand by many, but the truth of the matter is still unknown.

Lastly, it should be noted that many of the Drow seem to have a fondness for Deadly Spiders, and there have been reports of Drow warriors concealing the spiders in their clothing to provide a nasty surprise after they are slain, or of Drow Maidens that pet and lavish affection on the miniscule monsters.

Other monster clades have been known to raise nests of Deadly Spiders in chests, vases, or other containers within their lairs, to provide a nasty surprise for invaders that don't know to avoid the third barrel next to the cook pot.

In short, Deadly Spiders are depressingly common in the wild, and are very depressingly common as living booby traps in the lairs of clever monsters. The horrible little things can turn up almost anywhere.

Rewards

XP: 2,400

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 2,125 gp.

Weight: 60 lbs.     Volume: 2.4 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)