Deadly Spider

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Spider Swarm (CR 3)

Massive swarms of spiders are occasional hazards encountered in dark and abandoned places. Individual spiders of this size are of no threat whatsoever to an adventurer, although they can still give one a good startle. Several thousand spiders packed atop one another in a seething mass of scuttling legs and poisonous fangs?

That's enough to threaten any adventurer and startle just about anybody.

GENERAL

CR 3 Hit Dice 4

XP 800

N Tiny vermin (swarm)

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft., Perception +5

DEFENSE

AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16 (+4 armor, +2 dex, +2 natural, +0 deflection)

hp 37

Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +0

Aura: -

SR: -

Special Defenses: Swarm Traits (as a swarm of tiny creatures, a Spider Swarm takes only half damage from piercing and slashing attacks)

Immunities: Swarm Traits

Weaknesses: Swarm Traits

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft., climb 20ft.

Space / Reach: 10 ft. / 0 ft.

Single Melee Swarm 1d8+3 + Poison + Distraction

Full Melee Swarm 1d8+3 + Poison + Distraction

Special Attacks Poison, Distraction

Action Points 0

STATISTICS

Str 1, Dex 17, Con 10, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 2

Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 17

Feats -

Skills -

Languages -

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Poison (Ex)

Swarm—injury; save Fort DC 13; frequency 1/round for 2 rounds; effect 1d2 Str; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Distraction (Ex)

Any living creature that takes damage from a creature with the distraction ability must make a Fortitude save, DC 13, or become Afflicted. If the creature makes the save, they are instead Sickened. If they take damage on any following round while still Sickened or Afflicted, they must make another DC 13 fortitude save, or move up one on the Status Array. While sharing a space with the swarm, you cannot get rid of the Sickened condition. At the end of any round in which you are outside of the swarm, you may make another DC 13 fortitude save to attempt to move down a step on the status array. (While outside of the swarm's space, you cannot go up on the status array if you fail the save, you simply remain at the status you currently have.)

Nauseated ==> Afflicted ==> Sickened

In addition, spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a caster level check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Will save.

TREASURE

sell value of approximately 750 gp

COMBAT TACTICS

Spider swarms wish to engulf you. They will charge as fast as they can to get into the space of their prey. About the only 'tactic' they use is their fondness for crawling on ceilings. Whenever possible a spider swarm will crawl up to a ceiling and drop onto victims as a sudden rain of leggy creepy crawlers. Bleah.

Multiple swarms can move into, stop and occupy spaces that other swarms occupy. However, no more than two swarms can inflict damage or effects on a single target.