Aranea
Aranea (CR 12)
Ages ago, Araneas were a species of intelligent shape-shifting spiders, raised up by a group of deities as worshipers. Over aeons of time, many such races came to be, until the God's decreed a Great Contest, to see which races would be Civilized, and which would not.
The Aranea were one of the many, many losers of that contest.
Bereft of their Gods, the Aranea have slowly degenerated over the passing millennia, until they are little more than beasts in the wilderness, with an uncanny intelligence and supernatural ability to take the shape of a humanoid. Every Aranea has a humanoid form, each one as unique as a human's face.
Araneas have lost much of their limpid, soulful selves in the process of devolution, and Araneas today are little more than monsters, practicing robbery, mayhem, slavery, extortion, and even casual murder. Araneas can be a plague to a small settlement, and once a nest of Araneas have begun their depredations upon a settlement, the only way to solve it is to burn them out, root and branch, before they can kill or enslave every member of a local community.
GENERAL
CR 12 Hit Dice 17
XP 19,200
N to NE, Medium, Magical Beast
Init +9; Senses Low Light 120', Perception +18
DEFENSE
AC 32, touch 22, flat-footed 27 (+7 armor, +5 dex, +5 natural, +5 deflection)
hp 249
Fort +12, Ref +15, Will +12
Aura: -
SR: -
Special Defenses: Second Self
Immunities: Immune to Aranea Poison
Weaknesses: -
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., Climb 40 ft
Space / Reach: 5 ft. / 5 ft.
Single Melee Bite +20 (2d8+13/x2) + Aranea Poison
Full Melee Bite +20 (2d8+13/x2)+ Aranea Poison, 2x Claws +20 (2d6+4/x2)
Ranged None, but see 'Throw Web' +14 ranged touch, range increment 10, max range 50 feet
Special Attacks Aranea poison, Throw Web, Illusory Image
Action Points 0
STATISTICS
Str 12, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 16
Base Atk +12; CMB +19; Maneuver Defense: 28
Feats
Skills Stealth +20, Bluff +18, Sense Motive +15, Diplomacy +18.
Languages Common
SPECIAL ABILITIES
- Throw Web (Ex)
Once per encounter, as a standard action, Araneas may throw a specially prepared web. This is resolved as a ranged touch attack (+14 to-hit, ranged touch, range increment 10, max range 50 feet). Creatures struck by the web take 3d6+1 non-lethal poison damage from the exotic soporific herbs soaking it. (This is a poison effect and is negated by immunity to poisons, and can be reduced by ER x/-.) In addition, Affected targets must make a reflex saving throw against a DC of 21. Those who fail the saving throw gain the Pinned condition. Those who make the saving throw gain the Hindered condition. Either condition may be removed by expending a standard action to carefully unwrap the narcotic webbing. Note that adjacent allies may spend a standard action to free a pinned or hindered victim.
- Aranea Poison (Su)
Bite-injury; save Fort DC 21; frequency 1/round for 1 round; effect 2d6 non-lethal hit points of damage (can be reduced with ER x/-) and 1d4 Wis damage; cure 1 save.
Note that Aranea poison is a special type of subdual poison: When a victim's Wisdom reaches zero they do not fall unconscious, instead they lose all ability to express their own will and become obedient to any commands they are given.
- Illusory Image (Sp)
Up to three times per day, as a full round action, an Aranea may cast Illusory Image. This acts in all ways as Project Image. Illusory Image lasts for 12 rounds or one minute out of combat, and has a maximum range of 220 feet. Araneas will typically begin combats when they are not surprised by using illusory image to draw in foes while they hide close by. Out of combat, an Aranea will use Illusory Image to initiate tense negotiations or spring suspected ambushes. The Will save to penetrate the Illusory Image is DC 21.
- Second Self (Sp)
At will, as a free action, an Aranea may use Second Self to assume their humanoid shape. This works as Alter Self, except that an Aranea never changes its stats. In general, most Araneas have Second Self forms as one of the core races (i.e. Human, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, Gnome, or Half-Elf). Some Araneas may have Second Self forms as one of the more exotic races, but this is rare. An Aranea's Second Self is fixed: they always change into the same recognizable humanoid. In their Second Self form, an Aranea can still use all of its abilities, such as bite attacks, Aranea poison, and even Throw Web if they have not used it already.
TREASURE
sell value of approximately 8,000 gp
COMBAT TACTICS
Araneas do not wish to fight, ever. They are ambush predators, pure and simple, whose only aim is to capture valuable slaves using their poison and webs, and perhaps carry out the occasional incidental robbery. Whenever possible, Araneas will use their high Climb speed to attack from trees or the upper stories of buildings, and will retreat using those same avenues if they encounter stout resistance.
Also, if they can, Araneas will use Illusory Image to set up a tableau for the players to witness, and when the images are 'discovered,', they will flee to where the real Araneas are hidden. They will always use Throw Web as their initial attack, looking to Pin or Hinder as many high-damage foes as possible, and then will charge to the attack, using bites as much as possible to poison and subdue their victims. Note that with their Climb speed, Araneas can use a charge maneuver to run down walls and trees to the attack.
If a combat goes poorly, they will use a five foot step to make space and cast illusory image in their own space. At the next opportunity, they will flee in one direction using a move action, and will downgrade their standard action to a move action to make the image flee in a different direction, or attack, or other wise serve as a distraction.
Araneas are not skilled melee combatants, and will only rarely work to set up flanks for themselves or provide cover fire for each other. Any injured Aranea will seek to flee, without a thought to the welfare of its allies.
OUT OF COMBAT
Araneas are slavers. They capture and sell slaves to other monstrous creatures, such as gnolls and hobgoblins, and to more legitimate slave dealers if such things exist in their world. Using their Bluff, Sense Motive, and Diplomacy skills, combined with their Second Self power, Araneas can be found anywhere: in the wilderness, in a city or anywhere in-between. Oddly enough, Araneas are not troubled by Doppelgangers, even though Doppelgangers will hunt Vampires with implacable fury.