Hi All,
I wanted something a little scarier than a regular undead spider for our first session back playing Curse of Strahd after a couple month hiatus. So here is my take on the dreaded Huntsman Spider.
The Huntsman Spider
Large enough to be the mount of choice for an Ogre and with
a leg span of close to 40 feet the Huntsman Skeletal Constructs are horrifying
creatures, created by powerful necromantic mages that have a need for
individuals to be brought to their lairs in a subdued but stable condition. The
magics contained within the abdominal cages large enough to hold a full-grown
Orc wrap the trapped individuals in ghostly webs that drain the strength and
hinder their mobility leaving them easily handled once they have been delivered
to the mage.
The Huntsman will sit dormant hidden beneath the earth until
their master requires their services or every decade or so they need to feed on
the life force of a mortal to maintain the magics that hold them together. When
they feed it is a terrible and painful fate for the unfortunate victim, instead
of draining their strength and subduing the captured mortal they drain their victim’s
life force ageing them in the process until nothing, but dust remains. Because
of this ability to feed and maintain their own enchantments the Huntsman often
outlives their creator. Thankfully the mages that create these constructs are
solitary and greedy in nature so the knowledge of how to create them is incredibly
difficult to find.
Huntsman Spider
Huge
Undead, Lawful Evil
AC 13
(Natural Armour)
HP 50
(7d8+21)
Speed
50 ft
Str
|
Dex
|
Con
|
Int
|
Wis
|
Cha
|
20 (+5)
|
12 (+1)
|
16 (+3)
|
5 (-3)
|
13 (+1)
|
4 (-3)
|
Skills Stealth +8
Damage
Resistances Non-Magical Attacks
Damage
Immunities Poison
Condition
Immunities Exhaustion, Poisoned
Senses
Blindsight 50 ft, Darkvision 120 ft
Innate
Spellcasting. The Huntsman Spider’s innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom.
They can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components.
At Will:
Poison Spray, Spider Climb
3/Day:
Jump, Pass Without Trace,
1/Day:
Meld with Earth (as Meld with Stone but bare earth instead)
Actions
Bite.
Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft, one creature. Hit:10
(1d10+5) piercing damage and if the target is a medium creature or smaller the
target succeed on a DC16 Dexterity saving throw or be swallowed and deposited
in the Abdominal Cage.
Abdominal
Cage (Capture Mode): While within the Abdominal Cage the creature has
partial cover from attacks outside the Abdominal Cage, also each turn the
creature must make a DC16 Constitution saving throw or loose 1d3 Dexterity and
1 Strength or lose only 1 Dexterity on a success. A creature that is reduced to
0 Strength or Dexterity is helpless and unconscious, kept in a catatonic state for
transport. A long rest will heal all ability damage taken in this way.
Abdominal
Cage (Feeding Mode): While within the Abdominal Cage the creature has
partial cover from attacks outside the Abdominal Cage, also each turn the
creature must make a DC16 Constitution saving throw or loose 1d3 Dexterity and
1 Constitution and ages 2 years or lose only 1 Dexterity on a success. A
creature reduced to 0 Dexterity is helpless and unconscious, if the creature’s constitution
reaches 0 the creature dies, and their body is turned to dust. A long rest will
heal all ability damage taken in this way but not return the characters lost youth.
Slam.
Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft, one creature. Hit: 12
(2d6+5) bludgeoning damage.
Keep on Gaming
HDB Out
