Arachnoid Creature
In their foul veneration of the Spider Queen, the drow of the Underdark have created many new creatures that manifest spiderlike features. Usually characterized by thick black hair growing in rough clumps, large multifaceted eyes, and mandibles dripping with poison, these arachnoid creatures are horrible abominations that range from loyal servants of the drow to deadly renegades on the outskirts of drow civilization.
Creating An Arachnoid Creature
"Arachnoid creature" is a template that can be added to any animal, beast, or magical beast (referred to hereafter as the base creature). The creature's type changes to aberration. An arachnoid creature uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Speed: The creature gains a climb speed equal to half its base speed (round up to the nearest 10 feet). This grants the creature a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and additional benefits, as described in the Monster Manual.
AC: The creature's natural armor bonus increases by an amount based on its size, as shown on the table below.
Attacks: An arachnoid creature gains a bite attack, if it did not have one already, in addition to the base creature's attacks. It also gains four additional limbs of the same type as any limbs it already has. If the base creature has natural attacks with its limbs, it can make additional such attacks with these extra limbs. A base creature with no limbs (such as a purple worm) does not gain additional limbs.
Damage: If the base creature does not have a bite attack, use the damage value in the table. Otherwise, use the value above or the base creature's bite damage, whichever is greater.
Special Attacks: An arachnoid creature's bite delivers a debilitating poison, with initial and secondary damage as shown on th table. The saving throw DC for the poison is equal to 10 + half the creature's Hit Dice + its Constitution modifier + the DC modifier shown on the table. The arachnoid creature also retains all the special attack forms of the base creature.
Special Qualities: An arachnoid creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains immunity to all mind-influencing effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
Abilities: An arachnoid creature's Dexterity score increases by +4 and its Intelligence score decreases by -4. (Treat a result of 0 or below as mindless, with no Intelligence score).
Skills: An arachnoid creature has skill points equal to twice its Intelligence score, plus two per extra Hit Die. Mindless arachnoid creatures have 10-11 skill points, like vermin. Hide, Jump, Spot, and all skills from the base creature's skill list are class skills; all others are cross-class skills.
An arachnoid creature gains a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks and a +6 racial bonus on Jump and Spot checks.
Feats: An arachnoid creature has a number of feats equal to its Intelligence bonus (if any), plus 1 feat per 4 extra Hit Dice, or the base creature's total number of feats, whichever is greater. Mindless arachnoid creatures have no feats.
Climate/Terrain: Underground.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +1.
Alignment: Always neutral evil.
| Creature Size | Natural Armor | Bite Damage | Initial and Secondary Damage (DC mod) |
| Fine | +0 | 1 plus poison | 1 Str (+0) |
| Diminutive | +0 | 1d2 plus poison | 1 Str (+0) |
| Tiny | +0 | 1d3 plus poison | 1d2 Str (+1) |
| Small | +0 | 1d4 plus poison | 1d3 Str (+1) |
| Medium-size | +1 | 1d6 plus poison | 1d4 Str (+2) |
| Large | +2 | 1d8 plus poison | 1d6 Str (+4) |
| Huge | +5 | 2d6 plus poison | 1d8 Str (+6) |
| Gargantuan | +9 | 2d8 plus poison | 2d6 Str (+8) |
| Colossal | +15 | 4d6 plus poison | 2d8 Str (+10) |
Sample Arachnoid Creature: Arachnoid Grey Render
Sample Arachnoid Creature: Arachnoid Tall Mouther.