Monsterous races of the universe. D&D 5th Edition: Homebrew Race, Monster and Lair

Arachne 5e race

Pure-bred arachne are born between two arachne parents or a humanoid being graced/cursed with the power of a spider goddess, while the more commonly found “hybrid” Arachne are born between an Arachne and a non-Arachne humanoid. Arachne are powerful warriors and agile hunters, capable of operating in a wide range of terrain but a fairly narrow climate. Their domineering presence on the battlefield is enough to intimidate the hardiest of warriors, and they’re no stranger to a violent bloodbath. An Arachne is the bane of unwary travellers and fledgeling adventurers. Others are vain but flattering, making their names as diplomats or aristocrats. They are an ally’s greatest asset and an enemy’s worst nightmare.

Physical Description

Arachne are half-humanoid spider hybrids, with their lower body resembling that of a large eight-legged spider with, belonging to their arachne parent, and the upper body resembling their non-arachne parent, whether they be human, elf, dwarf, orc, or another. Arachne stand on at roughly 7-8 feet tall on average. Their spider’s half retains the attributes of the species of spider they belong to. Arachne are much more likely to be female at birth, giving the impression that all arachne are female when in reality male arachne are simply much rarer.

Society

Most arachne are solitary by nature and prefer living on their own, whether on the fringes of the city or the depths of the wilderness. Arachne's most common habitats are in deep caves where they lay their home entrances in strategic webbing or in the underdark because of its naturally darker atmosphere being a natural advantage. Most arachne are seen with fear and disgust because of their mixup with driders. Arachne have become accustomed to the hostility met by strangers and travellers, developing a darker, more cynical world view. On the rare occasion, an arachne will be met with hospitality and will live with other races in small villages serving as wilderness guides, weavers, builders, and alchemists.

Arachne names

Arachne claim a wide variety of names, usually pertaining to the non-arachne parent they belonged to, while the pure-bred arachne usually refer to each other in their arachnid tongue, comprised of soft clicks and chirps, with no actual meaning in Common. Pure-bred arachne are thus usually given nicknames by the other races in common.

Arachne Traits

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 1, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Age

Arachne, much like spiders, mature quickly, becoming adults at the age of 2 or 3 and having lifespans comparable to humans'.

Alignment

Arachne don't tend toward any particular alignment. The best and the worst are found among them.

Size

Arachne can be up to 7-8 feet tall and almost as wide. Your size is Medium.

Spider Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You have a climb speed of 30 while unarmored or lightly armored. This drops to 20 if wearing medium or heavy armor or if encumbered. You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings and webbing, without needing to make an ability check.

Spider Half

Your upper, humanoid torso is still of similar scale to that of other humanoid races. You count as Medium for the purposes of wielding weapons. In addition, due to your lower body you cannot make use of mounts. You do not need a free hand to grapple an enemy or pickup items that are within 6ft infront of you, allowing your front 2 spider legs to grapple them instead. You have disadvantage when using weapons with your spider legs and you cannot grapple more than one person or use sheilds effectively. As you lack the lower body of a humanoid, you are unable to wear humanoid armor below the belt (ex: leggings, greaves, or boots). You are not built for swimming and have a swim speed of 0ft. However, you are proficient in weaver's tools, and may use your legs or pedipalps as weaver's tools. The amount of web and time required is up to your GM's discretion, but Spider Silk may be used or sold as normal. You ignore movement restrictions caused by webbing.

Spider Vision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. While in contact with a web or an item made of web, you know the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web/item.

Spider Silk

Upon levelling up twice: you may weave web from your abdomen using your spinnerettes as a bonus action twice per short rest. When doing so, use the web spell rules but for a 5ft cube instead of 20ft cube. You also may replace the web you produce from Spider Silk with any item under the webs and weavers tools section.

Webs and your weavers tools

You can manipulate webs using your pedipalp weaver tools. Listed below are some ideas for items you can make with webs using the equivalent of 10gp worth or a 5ft cube of web.

• Net.
• 10ft rope.
• 5ft square blanket or silk cloth.
• Set of common clothes.
• Sling.
• Tent.
• Torch.
• Backpack.
• Bucket.
• String/yarn 20ft.

Languages.

You can speak, read, and write Common and Bestial.

Venomous fangs

You have 2 large fangs at the very front of your spider body half, which are usually covered up in public. As an action make an attack where your fangs deal 2d4 + your strength modifier piercing damage, you cannot perform this attack whilst you are holding anything in your front legs.

Credit: G Alf.

Arachne Quirks

d8	Quirks
1	I prefer to play with my food too much.
2	I like making webs, it looks decorative.
3	I like keeping a small collection of webbed up meals.
4	I prefer to eat alone.
5	I leave my shedded skins in a pile, I hate to get rid of them.
6	I have a few pet spiders that i keep with me.
7	I like playing web pranks on people.
8	I enjoy climbing and sleeping above ground or underground but not on it.

Venom

When you reach 10th level, when using venomous fangs you may add the poison damage a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest. Venom does the following: the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 2d6 + proficiency bonus poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.

Arachne Lair and Monster

Arachne Lair

Arachne Lairs are known to be covered in webs and left over meals. They make a lair themselves over the course of their lives, meaning the more experienced Arachne have larger lairs than amature Arachne.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing all ties), the Arachne can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects; it can't use the same effects two rounds in a row:

• The Arachne can use an action to conceal itself in a dark area. Whilst doing so, the Arachne gains +3 and advantage on stealth checks however it loses half of it's movement speed and cannot take any action, reaction or bonus action. It is forced out of this state when damage is taken or it chooses to take an action to do so.

• As an action, the Arachne can cover the floor of a room with Spider Silk, upto 30ft square, creating difficult terrain. Creatures that step in the areas must succeed the Arachne web DC else become restrained until they can slash themselves out. Whilst the Arachne is hidden, actions against targets restrained in this way provoke advantage.

• An Arachne will stalk prey rather than just attack straight upfront, waiting for opportunity so that they aren't easily killed. An Arachne can take an action which grants advantage on attacks against targets that are isolated from their party to which they are atleast 20 feet apart from them, this condition lasts until the following round has ended.

Credit: Mik & Wewa

Regional Effects

The region containing Arachne's lair is warped by the Arachne's presence, creating one or more of the following effects:

• Creatures entering the lair or seeing the Arachne for the first time must take a DC 15 Constitution saving throw else become feared until they exit the area or break line of sight respectively. Creatures that then enter the lair, after being feared in this way, grant advantage to other creatures using intimidation or checks which involve them being feared again whilst in the Arachne lair.

• Arachne spin a lot of webs so they can locate prey, meaning naturally the closer to and into the lair you get the more Spider Silk there is. The Arachne will leave left over meals, upto the size of large creatures, wrapped in Spider Silk, hanging from the ceiling or in corners of rooms surrounded by more Spider Silk and webbing, this tends to occur primarily in the lair itself. If the Arachne lair consists of a large area then the Arachne will create difficult Spider Silk terrain upto 100ft away from the lair in large and small quantities depending on the environment.

If the Arachne dies, the regional effects deteriorate over the course of 1d6 days.

Arachne Monster

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Arachne

Medium Monstrosity, True Neutral

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• Armor Class 13
• Hit Points 31 (7d8)
• Speed 30ft, 30ft climbing

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
12 (+1)	16 (+3)	11 (+0)	12 (+1)	14 (+2)	12 (+1)

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• Skills Perception +2, Stealth +3, Intimidation +1
• Senses Passive Perception 12, Darkvision 120ft
• Languages Common, Bestial
• Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

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Spider Walk climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

Spider Silk Arachne make silk/webbing from their abdomen. See the Spider Silk Properties for more.

Web Walker The Arachne ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.

Web Touch Whilst touching Spider Silk, Arachne can feel the vibrations of all creatures connected to that silk and any other silk that Silk is connected to, giving the exact location.

Spider Half Due to the Arachne's lower body it cannot make use of mounts. Arachne do not need a free hand to grapple an enemy or pickup items that are within 6ft infront of them, allowing their front 2 spider legs to grapple them instead. They have disadvantage when using weapons with their spider legs.

Natural Weavers Arachne are proficient in weaver's tools, and may use their legs or pedipalps as weaver's tools. Actions cannot be performed whilst they are holding anything in their front legs.

Actions

Web Trap (Recharge 5-6) Create difficult terrain: a 5x5 feet square (1.5m x 1.5m) of spider silk. Creatures that step in the areas must succeed your web DC else become restrained until they can slash themselves out. The trap lasts for 1d4 days.

Venomous Fangs Attack: +1 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 6 (2d4 + 1) Peircing. The target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 8 (2d6 +1) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way. The attack cant be performed whilst they are holding anything in their front legs.

Web (Recharge 5–6) Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 12 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).

Urban Arachne Behaviours

Urban Arachne are less primative but still have the ownership of being a half spider. Arachne find themselves to become natural weavers and sell their silk for lots of money, this way they are likely to become exploited by the rich or owned by a group in society for their economic gain. If this is not the case: Arachne will stray more towards being members of a family, often staying home like a maid would in order to put their Spider Silk to good use. Arachne in urban society are found to be gentle and caring to mathematical genuises and hard grafters. Their Silk String offers them a place in any society, however not everyone is the most comfortable with being around an Arachne and may be discriminative towards them. Due to their money making ability a lot of Archne will end up with the noble background and may have family trees within a kingdom, they see themselves as intimidating upperclass members or respectable higher creatures.

Wild Arachne Behaviours

Wild Arachne, whilst not in a lair, are either looking to set up a lair or wondering round for prey making them hostile in most cases. Lairs are extremely safe for Arachne so wondering without critical purpose is very pointless for them.

• Arachne attack in a quiet manner, stalking groups and picking out stragglers that wonder too far, making them opportunists, avoiding unwanted confrontations.
• They avoid being seen at all costs due to their low health and AC, however because of this it means that striking is very deadly and needs to be done with calculation.
• Spider Silk to pull prey around proves handy when climbing walls, making them unreachable for the other party members. The Spider Silk can also be used as a location device, as you can track targets whilst you and them are touching connected Spider Silk.
• Use Venomous Fangs to deal the final blow, making them paralysed and giving the party a chance to reclaim their lost ally.
• Arachne have a lot of natural tools, however they don't deal a lot of damage naturally, so stealing weapons to use against a target is useful.

Wild Arachne Lair Behaviours

Arachne outside of the urban atmospheres are extremely primative and act very similar to regular spiders apposed to humanoids, their goal is to survive by making a lair in a suited spot. They make their lairs outside in the open as long as they have obsticles to support them or lots of room to spin up difficult terrain and whilst in a cave/dungeon they will clear out areas and create a network of rooms to which they can quickly relocate. Arachne are usually sat in a corner still whilst connecting themselves to Spider Silk to locate potential prey, this way they are hidden out of sight so they can stalk their prey as required, this also means that they are usually found deep into their lairs and a party will have to force them out of hiding and stick together. When attacking from within its lair, Arachne will remain as hidden as possible whilst tracking its prey, their instinct is to start picking off targets with its web action in order to cripple groups. Arachne avoid coming into melee range if at all possible aiming to have restrained all creatures before closing in, this way the Arachne isn't under threat. In some cases the Archne may have a bow or a sword or even armour from the victims of it's kills, making them more inclined to strike earlier. Once creatures are restrained, an Aracne will use uts venomous fangs to paralyse them and cocoon them in a net so that they may proceed to hang them on a ceiling so that if they break free they take fall damage and die before rescuing other victims. The coccooned victims are taken into the deepest part of the lair so that its easier to detect them if they decide to escape. An Arachne will typically wait upto 7 days before consuming a meal. Arachne do not have a lot of defencive power so their natural instinct will be to use their features and skills to out position themselves and get as much intelligence on its prey as possible to create the disadvantage. A varient of Arachne are Queen Arachne which are slightly bigger on average than normal Arachne and will only live in lairs, using a vast array of spiders, giant spiders and other arachne to bring them food. Queen Arachne are extremely rare and will live in the underdark in most cases, however if theyre found in the material plane then theyve typically taken over a giant ruin or slaughtered their way into a city to set up home. It is said that Queen Arachne have poisonous webs and their venom can kill instantly but others speculate they're glorified Arachne who are just slightly tougher than usual.

Credit: Billy Christian

This is a homebrew race, monster and lair. Please remember to ask your dungeon master before use in a real game or your party for custom campaigns. This project is work in progress and still has imbalances. User discretion is advised.

Credits

You can find the people I used images from and zedrin's original work here:

Chuutixowa: https://www.deviantart.com/chuutixowa

Zedrin's Arachne Race Source: https://www.dndbeyond.com/races/109085-arachne

Zedrin: https://www.dndbeyond.com/members/Zedrin

G Alf.: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/GeFrecht/_saved/

Billy Christian: https://www.artstation.com/billcreative

Mik & Wewa: https://www.reddit.com/user/mik_wewa/

If you would like to use my work or edit it in anyway, please credit me via my Natural Crit account: THEBIGBADWOLF57 https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/user/TheBigBadWolf57

Do not hesisitate to contact me over Reddit regarding any improvements or crediting issues. The link to my Reddit account is here: https://www.reddit.com/user/DeAdFoX57