Infesting the land in the places the sun rarely touches: mountain caves, the dankest forests, lonely ruins from the folk that came before, this race of giant spiders is an ever-present threat to the free peoples.
Spider Riders Game
Solitary spiders will lie in wait for weary travelers while larger clutters will be so bold to attack villages en masse. Mountain goblins have even been known to ally with the beasts to ride their enemies down. The local militias stand wary and sometimes the High Queen herself organizes hunts to winnow their putrid numbers. This hard plastic box set allows you to field up to 12 Giant Spiders, 12 smaller spiders and with sci-fi part options for every giant spider in the box. Also, when paired with WAACF004 Goblin Warband the giant spiders can work as cavalry.Guy Bowers of Wargames Soldiers and Strategy Magazine has developed a handy guide with his strategy for building our spiders. You can read it: Spider Assembly Guide.
Aranai began to crawl forward, but accelerated into a scuttle, faster than any horse. Catching his foe in the flank, he speared her on his lance, breaking it with shards and splinters flying through the air. As Aranai leaped on his foe's spider, he drew his blade to finish the job.
Spiders are sacred. A bond with a Spider is the ultimate gift. Such are the teachings of the Spider Riders. But the Spider Riders are a class split in two: a half of them worship Lolth, and the other Arachne, Lolth's sister. This resulted in a war that will last until one side is subdued or destroyed utterly: the War of the Spider Riders. Both deities gift their greatest followers with Spider-Bonds. They are given a Monstrous Spider egg, and when it hatches, the new Spider Rider is bonded mentally, physically and spiritually to the spider. In a ritual she is given a new name (usually in Drow, and more often than not related to Spiders).
They can rarely stop thinking about spiders in some way (even if only a corner of the mind is considering some spider theory), and they oft find themselves unconsciously weaving spider-knowledge into conversations. They simply love spiders with their hearts, minds, and souls and can't imagine others not doing the same (even to a small degree). In fact, a Spider Rider's idea of impressing someone is showing off her knowledge of spiders. Because of this, most Spider Riders' marriages (if they have one) are other Spider Riders or Drow (if they are non-Drow).
Alignment: Spider Riders are Chaotic by nature, and thus must be of a chaotic alignment. Most Non-Drow Spider Riders are Chaotic Good or Chaotic Neutral, as Lolth bonds very few non-Drow with spiders. Drow Spider Riders are split 50-50 between Good and Evil, as both Lolth and Arachne are careful to whom they grant bonds, and thus, despite the larger number of evil Drow, there tends to be even numbers of Spider Riders on each side.
Soon their bond was so strong that they fought as one: many eristloth (Drow of Lolth) fell before his might in battle, and none could match him. Armies would break on him, and those he led never fled, even when battles looked bleak. To match him, Lolth gifted her greatest priestess with a Spider-Bond. She was named Olee'tolth (Sister of Spider) by Lolth, and she rode out to meet Oree'tolth. They fought for hours, each perfectly matched in skill and power. Neither could outmatch their adversary, and Oree'tolth marveled at how powerful Olee'tolth had become so quickly. All of his blows where matched by hers, her clerical magic matched for his wizardry (he was a wizard before he was bonded). But at last, his backhand swing struck her down. She felt the dying screams of her spider through her mind as she died, but in death throes she shot him down with her hand crossbow. But their teachings live on, and both deities gift their strongest followers with Spider-Bonds. But Arachne gives indiscriminately, while Lolth only gives to Drow. But what of their Spiders' names, and their original names before they where bonded? Their spiders were named Geldril (Oree'tolth), and Gulith (Olee'tolth). And their original names where: Akaloth and Akalith Baenre; twin Drow children of Lolth and Correllon Larethian.
Races: Drow are very often Spider Riders, simply because of the part of their psyche that dictates their spider obsessions. Humans are rarely spider riders, as most are too squeamish, scared (arachnophobia) or untrusting to even get near a monstrous spider, let alone ride one. Dwarves, gnomes, orcs (and half-orcs), and Halflings are never Spider Riders. Elves and half-elves occasionally become Spider Riders, so that they can overthrow Lolth.
Role: The Spider Rider takes the role of a fighter/fast attack member of the party. Their skill in arms and their spider mounts make them ideal front-line fighters, and the spider's speed makes them excellent at fast attacking, and getting where they are needed. But the Spider Rider truly comes into her own at 3rd level when the spider is finally large enough to mount.
Spider Mount (Su): When the Spider Rider gains her first level in the Spider Rider Prestige class, her Monstrous Spider Egg hatches (see below). The spider is immune to fear effects, and can speak, understand and read any languages that the Spider Rider can. The spider is no longer mindless (see below), but is ridden as a creature of intelligence 1.
Spider Empathy (Su): At 1st level the Spider Rider can speak mentally to any Spiderkind[1] creature within 30ft. The spider will understand whatever the Spider Rider says to it. The Spider Rider knows the location of any Spiderkind[1] within 30ft, even if she can't see them. She can use the Handle Animal skill with spiders (and monstrous spiders). She is treated as having the Vermin Trainer feat for prerequisites (she effectivly benefits from the feat because of her Spider Empathy ability).
Rebuke Spiderkind (Su) At 6th Level, the Spider Rider may rebuke Spiderkind[1] as an evil Cleric would rebuke Undead. Treat the spider rider as a Cleric of five levels lower than her Spider Rider levels for this purpose. Your Monstrous Spider Mount is unaffected by your rebuke attempts, and receives a +4 bonus against enemy Spider Rider rebuking attempts.
Spider Jump (Ex): At 9th level as a swift action, the Spider Rider gains the ability to travel between two points as if by means of a Dimension Door spell. He can travel up to the number of feet shown in the Special column of Table: Spider Rider and a maximum total number per day, equal to the value in parenthesis. The spider rider may include his spider mount in a Spider Jump. When this ability is performed it appears just like when a Jumping Spider "jumps".
Poison Touch (Su): Three times per day at 19th level, the Spider Rider can secrete poison from her fingertips as a free action. This causes the same effect as the poison of a Huge monstrous spider upon anyone touched by the Spider Rider with a melee touch attack (the touch attack grants an attack of opertunity). The poison cannot be harvested, or saved by any means, and any residue disapears at the end of the round.
Unbreakable Spider Bond (Su): Spider shares a bond with her Rider that transcends the physical. If a Spider Rider dies, the spider dies instantly as well, and the rider must attempt a Fortitude saving throw of DC 25. If the saving throw is failed, the spider rider loses 4 HP per Spider Rider level. She will then go into a rage for D12 + (her constitution modifier) rounds as if she was a 1st level barbarian.
Shrink (Sp): 3 times per day at 3rd level, the Monstrous Spider can reduce it's size to any size category smaller than itself as a swift action. This spell-like-ability lasts until the spider decides to end it, which it can do as a free action. The caster level is 1 for this ability.
Fast (Ex): At 4th level, the Monstrous Spider's land and climb speeds increase by +10ft. At 6th level, the bonus to the spider's speed increases by an additional +10ft and increases again at 8th level by another +10ft.
Evasion (Ex): If the Spider makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the rogue is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless spider does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Slippery Mind (Ex): If a spider with slippery mind is affected by an enchantment spell or effect and fails her saving throw, she can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. She gets only this one extra chance to succeed on her saving throw.
Improved Evasion (Ex): This ability works like evasion, except that while the spider still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks henceforth she henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless spider does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
If the Spider Rider makes a huge decision that the Spider objects to (switching from Lolth to another goddess, for example), offends the Spider, ceases to revere Spiderkind, takes the spider "for granted" or otherwise upsets the spider, the Spider will leave the Rider. The Spider Rider looses all its Supernatural and Spell-like abilities gained from being a Spider Rider, and can only contact the Spider to apologize. If the spider accepts the apology, the Spider will come back to the Rider and the Rider will regain all Spider Rider class features (but not before the Spider accepts the apology).
If the Spider Rider's Spider dies, the Rider can never have another Spider to replace her deceased Spider. However, the Spider Rider can spend 4 hours in a ritual to bring back the spider to life. The Spider will then return to life in her original body (and so it is needed for the ritual). If the deity that the Rider worships believes the Rider to be unworthy, then the spider will not return to life. If the deity changes her mind, then the ritual can be retaken. 2ff7e9595c
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