Arachnaean

 

Eranea regarded the assortment of objects spread out on the table before her with such an intense feeling of satisfaction that she almost quivered. Each weapon, tool, piece of armor, little vial of poison, or other item was in its proper place relative to every other one and was thematically connected to it, as if by invisible strands that unified them in a sublime matrix. Her sense of well-being was boosted by the knowledge that she had personally crafted, modified, or improved each of the items, giving her an intimate connection with them that would markedly increase the chances of her achieving her aim with them …

 

Pride in their abilities as craftsmen, a sense that an ancient curse hangs over them and sets them apart from other peoples, and an iconoclastic resentment of unthinking devotion to higher powers are the general characteristics that define Arachnaeans as a race.

 

Humanoid Spiders

Arachnaeans are a race of people that have torsos and heads like those of Humans and lower, six-legged bodies of large spiders. They are generally both sharp-witted and exceptionally nimble as compared to people like Humans, but they also tend to have less common sense than the members of many other races and to exhibit strikingly poor judgement. They also tend to be organized and cooperative and to perceive underlying order and patterns to the world.

            Nearly every Arachnaean is a craftsman to some extent, and almost all — from those that lead simple existences as farmers or shepherds, to the minority that choose lives as traders, soldiers, or adventurers — receive satisfaction from creating the key tools of their trades. Those who work primarily as craftsmen tend toward weaving, dying, netmaking, and locksmithing. Adventuring Arachnaeans might be of any classes but Rogue and Wizard are among those most likely to be pursued by them.

            Arachnaean society tends to be matriarchal in nature, with older females managing both the day-to-day and long-term activities of their communities. There are frequently exceptions to this, however, and most males do not tend to mind it anyway, being content to allow their women to “be in charge” so that they can devote more attention to their crafts and other activities.

            Arachnaeans are carnivores that prepare and eat meat much in the same ways that Humans do, but are somewhat more inclined to prefer flesh rare or even raw and to enjoy the taste of blood.

 

Isolated from Men & Gods

Arachnaeans tend to live away from other sorts of people, either individually or in small groups, generally as a result of mutual suspicion. Whenever possible, however, they live close enough to more-or-less friendly communities so as to be able to conduct trade with them. Many keep spiders of various sorts as pets and companions, much the way other people do with dogs, cats, and other domesticated animals.

            Arachnaeans are not an overly religious people and they tend to harbor an apprehension of deities that precludes worshipping them at all or doing so with an eye to preventing retaliation by them. Clerics are perhaps the rarest class pursued by them and such characters are often regarded as fools or more loyal to supernatural forces than to their own people. Those that do worship deities tend to be drawn to those associated with handicrafts of various sorts.

            Arachnaean homes are typically designed with the ability to walk on walls being a primary consideration, often making reaching them or getting around inside them difficult for the members of other races. Stairways are almost never used to connect different levels and open shafts, up and down which Arachnaeans can easily scuttle, are a common feature.

 

Arachnaean Names

Arachnaeans tend to have personal names taken from their ancestors or from the deities they most revere. They often further identify themselves with any vocation they might have, especially if it is a craft, or with a particular place they are associated with, especially if it might contribute to their prestige. Euphemisms or nicknames for the race, typically used by others, include “Spinners,” the esoteric term “Thrice Struck” and, predictably, “Spiders” and “Wall Crawlers.”

            Male Names: Aragnoll, Closter, Coronus, Empycus, Idmon, Marsyas, Obas, Pheres, Thestor.

            Female Names: Arachne, Athena, Cyrene, Eranea, Hecate, Laothoe, Minerva, Ontianeira, Usteria.

            Sample Vocational Eponyms: the Clothmaker, the Dyer, the Locksmith, the Netmaker, the Weaver.

            Sample Locational Eponyms: of Colophon, of Ephesus, of Heraclea, of Hypaepa.

 

Arachnaean Traits

An Arachnaean character has a number of traits common to members of its kind.

            Ability Score Increase and Decrease. An Arachnaean’s Dexterity score increases by 2, its Intelligence score increases by 2, and its Wisdom score decreases by 1.

            Age. Arachnaeans mature and age much more slowly than Humans, reaching adulthood by age 38 and living to around 140 years of age on average.

            Alignment. Arachnaeans can be of any alignment but they tend to be some variety of lawful.

            Size. Arachnaeans have humanlike torsos set upon the bodies of large spiders. Their size is Medium.

            Speed. An Arachnaean’s base walking speed is 30 feet.

            Spider Climb. An Arachnaean can climb difficult surfaces at half its normal speed, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. An Arachnaean can attempt to move at its full speed over such surfaces by making either a Strength or Dexterity ability check, whichever it prefers, and being treated as if it has the Athletics skill for these purposes.

            Arachnaean Vocational Training. An Arachnaean has proficiency with artisan’s tools of its choice; weaver’s tools are the most common but any are possible, and Arachnaeans that are evil can choose proficiency with poisoner’s supplies.

            Languages. An Arachnaean can speak, read, and write Common and any one other appropriate language, Elvish and Undercommon being among the most typical.

            Subrace. Two main subraces of Arachnaean exist, Jumper Arachnaeans and Weaver Arachnaeans. Choose one of them.

 

Jumper Arachnaean

Jumper Arachnaeans are adept at moving quickly and can rapidly move in and out of combat, either pushing their advantage or breaking away if things are not going well for them.

            Jumper. When attempting any sort of jumping, a Jumper Arachnaean can choose to use either Strength or Dexterity as the relevant ability score and is treated as if it has the Athletics skill. If it actually has Athletics then it can add twice its proficiency bonus when making jumping attempts. Furthermore, the creature’s jump distance is double what it would normally be.

            Leaping Movement. As a bonus action, a Jumper Arachnaean can either move up to its base speed or take the Disengage action.

 

Weaver Arachnaean

A Weaver Arachnaean can spin elaborate webs or shoots sticky strands of webbing from its abdomen in combat that can use to help control engagements and facilitate retreat if necessary. They are somewhat more inclined to be drawn to subterranean areas than are other members of their race. Their homes are often filled with items crafted from webbing, including things like curtains, hammocks, and storage containers.

            Web Sense. While in contact with a web, a Weaver Arachnaean knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.

            Web Walker. A Weaver Arachnaean ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing, whether its own or that of other creatures.

            Web. A Weaver Arachnaean can cast webbing as a ranged weapon attack against a single creature out to a range of 30/60 feet. A creature successfully hit with such webbing is restrained by it. As an action, a restrained target can make Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success; DC this check is 8, plus the Weaver Arachnaean’s proficiency bonus, plus its Constitution bonus. This webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage). A Weaver Arachnaean can use this ability a number of times equal to its proficiency bonus plus its Constitution bonus, regaining one such usage after a short rest and all of them after a long rest.

 

 

In the Swords of Kos Fantasy Campaign Setting

In the Swords of Kos Fantasy Campaign Setting, and possibly in other settings with a basis in the history, geography, and mythology of the real-world Mediterranean, a number of specific details apply to Arachnaeans:

            * According to the origin myth associated with the Arachnaeans, their first ancestor was created when the goddess Athena cursed the Lydian woman Arachne for presuming to boast that she could best the deity in a weaving contest. Arachne fled her homeland in shame over her transformation, sojourning in one lonely place after another until she finally found acceptance on the island of Chios. There, she finally realized the full extent of her plight when she gave birth to a horde of scuttling demi-spiders like herself.

            * While Arachnaeans might be found anywhere in the campaign setting, their homeland and the areas where they are most likely to be encountered include the country of Lydia, in the region known as Asia Minor, on the Aegean coast and south of the Black Sea and north of the Tetrarchy of Anatolia. Many members of this race can also be found off the Lydian coast on the nearby large island of Chios.

            * The Common tongue employed by Arachnaeans is Greek.

            * Adventure Hook: The island of Amorgos, west of Kos, is generally accepting of Arachnaeans, and there are a dozen or more spiderfolk living in or around the only sizable town and port on the island. But the tolerance of the islanders is being tried by Megana, an Arachnaean necromancer who dwells in a cave outside of town has begun to raise the dead from the cemeteries of Amorgos and other nearby islands. As yet, the common people have only been terrified by undead travelling in disorderly bands that roam the hills surrounding the town, but the gathering of so many fell things cannot bode well. When an Abbadonian warship anchors at the mouth of the harbor, the townsfolk become nervous, and this escalates to panic when pirate captain Arioc Bloodmane and half a dozen of his rakes stride ashore and then ascend to Megana’s cave.