Aranea

Aranea (CR 12)

Pure Evil or Neutral - Medium - Magical Beast

Lore:	Know (Arcana)
24		40
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

22

Perception:
33	+23
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses

Movement Types:

Defense

AC

31

Man Def

30

Monster Health
289	144	22
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+9
Refl:	+14
Will:	+9

Strong Against:

• see Second Self
• Immune (no effect): Aranea Poison

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Medium
5 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+19

Man Off

+18

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Spidery Bite +19 (3d10+14/x2)
  as piercing (physical, common)
  plus: Aranea Poison

Full Attack (Melee):

• 1x Spidery Bite +19 (3d10+14/x2)
  as piercing (physical, common)
  plus: Aranea Poison
• 2x Spidery Claws +19 (3d6+5/x2)
  as piercing (physical, common)
• 1x Aranea Stinger +19 (3d6+5/x2)
  as piercing (physical, common)
  plus: Aranea Poison

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

12

STR

17

DEX

14

CON

15

INT

14

WIS

16

CHA

Skills:

• Bluff: 21
• Diplomacy: 19
• Knowledge (Local): 19
• Perception: 23
• Sense Motive: 21
• Stealth: 22
• All other skills: 14 (no ranks)

Languages: Common

Feats:

Special Abilities

Throw Web (Ex)

Once per encounter as a standard action, Araneas may throw a specially prepared web. This is resolved as a ranged touch attack at 1d20 + 23 vs. AC (always hits on a 17+ on the die), with a range increment of 20 feet, and a max range of 60 feet. Creatures struck by the web take 3d8+9 points of poison (physical, uncommon) from the uncommon soporific venom soaking it. (This is a poison effect and is negated by immunity to poisons.) In addition, affected targets must make a reflex saving throw against a DC of 22. Those who fail the saving throw gain the Pinned condition. Those who make the saving throw gain the Hindered condition. Either condition may be removed by expending a standard action to carefully unwrap the narcotic webbing. Note that adjacent allies may spend a move action to free a pinned or hindered victim.

Poison (Ex)

When stung or bitten, victims are affected by Aranea Poison, which is a dreadful mind-affecting narcotic that eventually reduces victims to a state of passive obedience. Needless to say, the aranea find this exceedingly useful. Aranea Poison    (Injury vector; Poisoned intensity) Save: Fort DC 22;     Frequency: 1/round for 3 rounds Effect: 1d4 WIS damage and 3d8+9 points of poison (physical, uncommon) per interval Fruition: Victim becomes Secured, remaining conscious, but losing the ability to express their own will and can instead take only actions as requested by an Aranea or a creature designated by an Aranea. Fruition Duration: 1 week unless re-poisoned The fruition of an aranea's poison can be ended early with a Greater Restoration, Wish, Miracle, or any ability that behaves like one of these spells.

Illusory Image (Sp)

Concentration: 1d20 + 14 vs. a DC of 27 (13 needed on the die) Up to three times per day as a standard action, an Aranea may cast Illusory Image. This acts in all ways as Project Image. Illusory Image lasts until the end of the encounter, or the end of the next encounter, or until the aranea's next full night's rest, or 24 hours, whichever is sooner. The image can be projected anywhere within 200 feet of the aranea. Araneas will typically begin combats (when they are not surprised) by using illusory image to draw in foes while they hide close by. Out of combat, an Aranea will use Illusory Image to initiate tense negotiations or trigger suspected ambushes. The Will save to penetrate the Illusory Image is DC 22.

Second Self (Sp)

Concentration: 1d20 + 14 vs. a DC of 27 (13 needed on the die) As a standard action, an Aranea may use Second Self to assume their humanoid shape. This works as Least Polymorph, except that an Aranea never changes its stats. In general, most Araneas have Second Self forms as one of the core races (i.e. Human, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, Gnome, or Fey-Kin). Some Araneas may have Second Self forms as one of the more exotic races, but this is rare. An Aranea's Second Self is fixed: they always change into the same recognizable humanoid. In their Second Self form, an Aranea can still use all of its abilities, such as bite attacks, Aranea poison, and even Throw Web.

Aranea

Ages ago, Araneas were a species of intelligent shape-shifting spiders, raised up by a group of deities as worshipers. Over aeons of time, many such races came to be, until the God's decreed a Great Contest, to see which races would be Civilized, and which would not.

The Aranea were one of the many, many losers of that contest.

Bereft of their Gods, the Aranea have slowly degenerated over the passing millennia, until they are little more than beasts in the wilderness, with an uncanny intelligence and supernatural ability to take the shape of a humanoid. Every Aranea has a humanoid form, each one as unique as a human's face.

Araneas have lost much of their limpid, soulful selves in the process of devolution, and Araneas today are merely monsters, practicing robbery, mayhem, slavery, extortion, and even casual murder. Araneas can be a plague to a small settlement, and once a nest of Araneas have begun their depredations upon a settlement, the only way to solve it is to burn them out, root and branch, before they can kill or enslave every member of a local community.

Combat Tactics

Araneas do not wish to fight, ever. They are ambush predators, pure and simple, whose only aim is to capture valuable slaves using their poison and webs, and perhaps carry out the occasional incidental robbery. Whenever possible, Araneas will use their high Climb speed to attack from trees or the upper stories of buildings, and will retreat using those same avenues if they encounter stout resistance.

Also, if they can, Araneas will use Illusory Image to set up a tableau for the players to witness, and when the images are 'discovered,', they will flee to where the real Araneas are hidden. They will always use Throw Web as their initial attack, looking to Pin or Hinder as many high-damage foes as possible, and then will charge to the attack, using bites as much as possible to poison and subdue their victims. Note that with their Climb speed, Araneas can use a charge maneuver to run down walls and trees to the attack.

If a combat goes poorly, they will use a five foot step to make space and cast illusory image in their own space. At the next opportunity, they will flee in one direction using a move action, and will downgrade their standard action to a move action to make the image flee in a different direction, or attack, or otherwise serve as a distraction.

Araneas are not skilled melee combatants, and will only rarely work to set up flanks for themselves or provide cover fire for each other. Any injured Aranea will seek to flee, without a thought to the welfare of its allies.

Out of Combat

Araneas are slavers. They capture and sell slaves to other monstrous creatures, such as gnolls and hobgoblins, and to more legitimate slave dealers if such things exist in their world. Using their Bluff, Sense Motive, and Diplomacy skills, combined with their Second Self power, Araneas can be found anywhere: in the wilderness, in a city or anywhere in-between. Oddly enough, Araneas are not troubled by Doppelgangers, even though Doppelgangers will hunt Vampires with implacable fury.

Rewards

XP: 19,200

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 12,875 gp.

Weight: 120 lbs.     Volume: 4.8 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)