Drider Prototype

Drider Prototype (Heavy; CR 11)

Lawful Evil - Large - Aberration

Lore:	K. (Dungeoneer)
22		37
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

16

Perception:
28	+18
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses

Movement Types:

Defense

AC

30

Man Def

31

Monster Health
484	242	19
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+8
Refl:	+13
Will:	+8

Strong Against:

• (Heavy Role) Immunity (partial 3): Heavies are immune to the first three conditions applied to them during an encounter. If a fourth condition is applied to a heavy, it is resolved normally. A 'condition' is defined as any non-instantaneous harmful effect applied to the monster, other than damage, but is most commonly one of the defined Status Conditions (but it doesn't have to be). Statuses related to damage (such as injured, bloodied, staggered, dying, or dead) are not 'conditions', and cannot be negated or avoided with this ability.

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Large
10 ft.		10 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+18

Man Off

+19

Action

1

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 2x Drider's Claws +18 (3d8+14/19-20 x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  plus: Poison (on first attack each round)

Full Attack (Melee):

• 4x Drider's Claws +18 (3d8+14/19-20 x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  plus: Poison (on first attack each round)

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

22

STR

14

DEX

22

CON

16

INT

10

WIS

8

CHA

Skills:

• Intimidate: 23
• Perception: 18
• Sense Motive: 18
• All other skills: 13 (no ranks)

Languages: Undercommon

Feats:

• Mobility (EFFECT: +4 AC against attacks of opportunity from movement)

Special Abilities

Throw Web (Ex)

Once per round, as a standard action, Driders may throw a specially prepared web. This is resolved as a ranged touch attack (1d20 + 22 vs. AC (always hits on a 17+ on the die), range increment 10, max range 50 feet). Creatures struck by the web take 3d8+14 points of acid (energy, common) damage from the Drider Venom soaking it. There is no saving throw against this acid damage. (However, in addition to ER vs. Acid, this is a poison effect and is negated by immunity to poisons.) In addition, any struck target must make a reflex saving throw against a DC of 21. Those who fail the saving throw gain the Pinned condition. Those who succeed on the saving throw gain the Hindered condition. Either condition may be removed by expending a standard action to carefully unwrap the poisoned webbing. Note that adjacent allies (who are not also hindered or pinned) may spend a move action to free a pinned or hindered victim.

Poison (Ex)

A Drider oozes poison from its vile body. Surprisingly, this is not the ubiquitous Languishroot so beloved by the Drow, but something...less natural. Drider Venom    (Injury vector; Poisoned intensity) Save: Fort DC 21;     Frequency: 1/round for 3 rounds Effect: 1d4 STR damage and 3d8+14 points of non-lethal damage per interval Fruition: Victim becomes Paralyzed; this cannot be cured normally. Generally, the victim also wakes up mummified in the drider's unbreakable spider silk, if they're unlucky. Fruition Duration: 1 hour

Venom Cup (Ex)

As a swift action, a Drider can reapply poison to one of its claws. This is done with a practiced economy, as the vicious appendage is dipped into a cup-like device on the belt, right above its bloated thorax. The cup-like device contains 10 doses of Drider Venom, and can be refilled outside of combat. Driders produce their own poison within their wretched bodies, but the way they produce it means they cannot use it in combat without a Venom Cup. The details are quite unpleasant, and best not discussed.

Drider Shimmer (Sp)

Concentration: 1d20 + 13 vs. a DC of 27 (14 needed on the die) As a standard action, a Drider may cast Shimmer. This effects all creatures in a 9 x 9-square burst centered within 100 feet of the drider's space. Drider Shimmer causes a pale blue radiance to surround all creatures in the area of effect. This negates invisibility and otherwise removes all effects of concealment (from any source), and inflicts a -10 penalty on all Stealth checks affected creatures may attempt. Drider Shimmer lasts until the end of the combat, or for ten minutes if used out of combat. Creatures who were already Stealthed who are caught in the radius of Shimmer must re-roll their Stealth as an immediate forced action when the effect hits them, adjusted for the -10 penalty inflicted by Shimmer.

Drider Bolt (Sp)

Concentration: 1d20 + 13 vs. a DC of 27 (14 needed on the die) As a standard action, Driders may cast Bolt, a 60-foot jagged line of lightning which erupts from their fingertips. Bolt inflicts 3d8+14 points of lightning (energy, common) damage to all creatures caught in its area of effect, though a Reflex save, DC 21, will reduce this damage by half. To determine which creatures are struck by a line attack, choose the origin square (any square adjacent to the caster) and trace a path 12 squares in length (60 feet, with each square moving further away from the caster. The path may never move into a space that doesn't move it further away from the caster (i.e. it can't move laterally, or come back toward the caster to affect more targets). Any creature whose space (or any square within their space, if they are size large or larger) is crossed by the Bolt's path is hit, and must save accordingly.

Cocoon (Ex)

As a triggered immediate action, a Drider who is reduced to zero hit points or fewer is not slain. Instead, their spinnerets erupt in a flurry of activity and their wretched bodies are instantly wrapped in a massive cocoon of terrible dark silk. While so cocooned, the Drider is immune to all damage and effects, though the encounter continues. When their next action comes, the Cocoon bursts, inflicting 3d8+14 points of slashing (physical, common) damage and the Hindered condition on all enemy creatures within fifteen feet of their space. A Reflex save versus a DC of 21 will negate the Hindered condition, but the damage is not reduced. At the same time, the Drider is healed to half its normal maximum hit points (242 hit points), all status conditions are removed, and it may use Throw Web on a single target within range, all as a free action. Once the free Throw Web attack is resolved, the Drider may take its full normal set of actions.

Reversal of Fortune (Ex; Heavy Role) Auto Upon Death

The first time in an encounter that a Heavy is reduced to zero or fewer hit points, it falls prone, apparently dead. But this is a ruse. When this occurs, the Heavy becomes immune to all damage and effects. However, it may not perform any actions (such as attacks of opportunity) until this immunity expires. At the beginning of its next turn, any conditions the Heavy is currently suffering under (such as Prone) are immediately cleared, and its hit points are set to half its normal maximum (242 hit points). Furthermore, the Heavy may immediately Slide up to 8 squares (40 feet) as a free action, after which its immunity to damage expires. As forced movement, this Slide does not provoke attacks of opportunity, but even if it did, the Heavy is immune to all damage and effects until after the slide is completed. It must perform this Slide before any other actions during its turn, and the immunity expires at the beginning of its turn even if it chooses not to Slide first. The Heavy is killed for good the second time its hit points are reduced to zero or less.

Drider Prototype

This creature possesses the Heavy role, and therefore counts as 2 monsters for purposes of encounter size, XP award, and treasure.

For many, many years, the Drow Great Houses felt the need for more strength in their armies. Many houses felt a more physically powerful male line could be developed, and as a result, the Drow Aggressor was created. The Aggressors were certainly strong, but in combat they seemed to lack a certain...shock value.

Other, more radical, Houses felt a more drastic solution was required. The Great Cocoons that the Drow have used for untold eons to break their elven restrictions on births were dramatically re-purposed, not to merely create yet more male Drow, obedient and brave, but instead create true abominations, monsters who exist only to serve the glory of the Great Houses.

These spider-elf abominations are everything that the Houses could have dreamed for in a warrior. They are tough and deadly, able to cast mighty spells and yet go toe-to-toe with any foes the Drow might find themselves facing. As a nice side benefit, Driders have no weakness to cold iron, an unexpected but very welcome turn of events. Even better, they are...usually...as loyal as any Drow male created in the Cocoons. Usually.

The worst downside was their expense: The precious fluids and materials used to create a Drider could create two more conventional males. The Houses bear this expense gladly, considering the power of their creations. If only they weren't quite so...difficult to look at.

Unfortunately for the world, most Drow Houses are more than willing to put up with a Drider's ugliness.

Combat Tactics

Driders are the heavy shock troops of the Drow, and they are truly terrible foes. They will usually open any combat at range if they can, and will lead off with as heavy an 'Alpha strike' as they can muster. One Drider will cast Shimmer in front of the front ranks of any visible enemies, looking to reveal any invisible or hidden scouts. Another drider will cast Drider's Bolt, looking to hit as many foes as possible. If there are three or more Driders, the third and any additional will Throw Web at any spell casters, or at any obviously heavily armored foes. If they are out of range for Throw Web, they will instead use Bolt.

They will then spend all of their action points, and do it again! If at all possible, Driders want to smash foes so hard in the first round that they flee, and the Driders can then hunt them down at their leisure. If the range will allow it, at least one Shimmer, Bolt, and Web will be used if there are two or more Driders.

If a group of foes is hardy enough to weather the first round, Driders are perfectly willing to stay at range, and if they are not getting a lot of ranged damage, will use their high Climb speed to go up walls and onto ceilings if possible and will destroy their enemies with Drider's Bolt and Throw Web.

If an enemy, sensibly, closes the range on the Driders, then the Drider prototypes will use their reach to make attacks of opportunity. Driders begin combat with Drider Poison applied to all their claws: They are immune to their own poison, so why not. During combat, as their claws begin to make hits, they will re-apply poison using their Venom Cups.

Once in melee, Driders will usually move around as they wish, trusting their Mobility to protect them. They will use Climb to get up on walls and ceilings, and use their reach to make melee attacks. If there is a heavily armored foe they are having trouble hitting, they will step back with a five foot step and Throw Web at them, to try and lower their armor class. If there is a stealthy foe that Shimmer did not reveal, they will use Shimmer again, or fire Drider's Bolt into clumps of enemies, hoping to hit the hidden foe. Note that Driders are not immune to each others Bolt, but hey, they are evil, so they will rarely hesitate to blast away if they think it is their best action.

Unlike most Drow, once Driders enter combat they will not flee unless ordered to by a female Drow.

Out of Combat

Drider Prototypes are usually treated like prized thoroughbreds when they are not fighting, the Matrons doting on their precious little monsters.

However, Driders have perfectly good minds. Just because they are created as killing machines does not mean they cannot contribute in other ways, and during those rare moments of peace between campaigns, it is not unusual to see Driders out and about, trying their best to prove that they are more than simply foe-shattering magical abilities and armored claws and killing reflexes.

Sadly, the Darkling Daughters usually consider this sort of behavior more endearing and cute than productive, but they will usually indulge their favored beasts little whims.

Rewards

XP: 25,600 (Heavy role included.)

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 18,750 gp.

Weight: 220 lbs.     Volume: 8.8 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 - 8	Nothing Found
9 - 12	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
13 - 15	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
16 - 18	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
19 - 20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3	4 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
4 - 7	4 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
8 - 11	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
12 - 15	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
16 - 18	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
19 - 20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3	4 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
4 - 5	4 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
6 - 8	4 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
9 - 11	4 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
12 - 15	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
16 - 18	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
19 - 20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)