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These creatures are about the size of small ponies and are nearly indistinguishable from the various types of giant, web-spinning spiders. An <a href="_link.php?aranea">aranea</a>, however, has a massive, oddly shaped hump on the back of its head that houses the creature�s large and well-developed brain. An aranea also has an extra pair of limbs just below the mandibles. These limbs end in flexible digits which the aranea can use to manipulate simple tools. They spin huge webs, each about 40 feet in diameter, with many narrow extensions winding through the trees nearby. The aranea use these extensions to travel through the trees from crown to ground level. Only creatures who are very unwary or stumbling about in the dark are likely to become entangled in them.

In combat, an aranea bites with its poisonous fangs for 1d6 points of damage. The victim must make a successful saving throw vs. poison or suffer additional damage from the araneas venom. During the round that the saving throw fails, the victim feels no ill effects except a faint stiffening of the limbs. However, each round thereafter the victim suffers 4 points of damage, dying at the end of 1d4+1 rounds (regardless of hit points).

All aranea also cast spells as 3rd-level wizards. Their spell books consist of crude rolls of bark written in chalk or charcoal. These scrolls are very delicate and usually fall apart if carried away from the creatures web. In fact, only careful examination reveals that they are valuable at all, as they tend to be well hidden among clumps of leaves and other litter that sticks to the web. As a race, aranea prefer subtle but potent spells, such as illusions, various charm spells, and haste and slow. As a rule, they avoid fire-based spells that might damage their webs or their forest homes.

Aranea are clever and patient: their favorite combat tactic is to lie in wait for prey in the branches of a tree, then silently lower themselves on strands of webbing and begin a spell attack. When confronted by dangerous foes, they often mask their true appearance with illusions and pretend to be elves, rangers, druids, or <a href="_link.php?dryad">dryads.

The aranea are involved in a constant state of war with the phanatons.


Subtypes and Variants

SubtypeTraitsSetting
ArashaeemMystara
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