Arachne

In the dead of night, an assassin lies in wait. He slips through the shadows of a dimly-lit castle, sneaking with ease past the half-asleep guards and into the King's chambers. In an instant, the job is done, and he crawls back out the window, the same way he got in. He allows himself a chuckle before disappearing into the night. They never look at the cieling.

Arachnoid Appearance

Arachne have an upper body reminiscent of a human or elf, with somewhat larger ears and teeth that seem a little too sharp, and a lower body like that of a spider, with 8 spindly legs moving with a grace unbefitting such a monstrous creature.

Solitary In The Shadows

Arachne have no true society or social structure. From the moment Arachne children are capable of hunting for themselves they are considered to be self-sufficient and are left to their own devices. Most Arachne do not associate with others of their kind except briefly to mate if they so choose. Even so, this is a very rare occurance. Arachne children begin their life almost entirely resembling a large spider, and are often born in the hundreds at a time. Their humanoid halves grow, as do their intelligence, over the first 5 years of their life, but relatively few Arachne make it to the point of self-awareness which tends to appear at around 10 years old.

Creepy Crawlers

Due to their generally solitary nature and the fact that Arachne on the whole prefer to remain in darkness, most common folk will never see one in their lives. Thus, the few that do often spread tall tales of the horrifying monstrosities, giant spiders disguising themselves as humans, evil people-eating creatures, etc., that seem to be lurking in every shadow. They are even the subject of many tales meant to scare disobedient children into obeying their parents. Regardless of popular opinion of the Arachne, however, they are not intrinsically evil.

Friends of the Drow

Due to their close connection with spiders, many Arachne are worshipped as agents of Lolth by Drow. Despite this, the Arachne are not directly connected with Lolth and hold no intrinsic allegience to her. This does not stop many Arachne from fulfilling the role assigned to them by drow, though, or the lavish lifestyle such a position tends to offer.

Arachne Names

There are relatively few naming conventions for Arachne, but below is a list of common Arachne names

Male names: Alexandros, Andreas, Damianos, Orion

Female names: Atalanta, Callista, Daphne, Ophelia

Arachne Traits

Your Arachne has a set of traits which represent their spider-like form and natural tendencies.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2. Your Charisma score increases by 1

Age. Arachne begin their lives almost entirely with the form of a spider. The huamnoid-appearing portions of the Arachne begin to develop around the age of 5, and Arachne tend to be considered adults by roughly the age of 15, but are ususally self-sufficient and separate from their parents by the age of 7. Arachne live up to 150 years.

Alignment. Arachne tend toward neutral alignments, but many find themselves aligned with Drow society. These Arachne tend toward lawful evil.

Size. Arachne never entirely stop growing. By the age of maturity, an Arachne is usually around 4-5 feet tall. As the Arachne grows older, they can reach heights of 8-9 feet tall. Your size is Medium

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one language of your choice.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Spider Climb. You have the ability to move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings, while leaving your hands free. You also have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.

Web Shooter. You can cast the Web spell without having to concentrate on it a number of times per day equal to half of your proficiency modifier. You have advantage on attack rolls made against creatures restrained by your webs. Charisma is your spellcasting modifier for this spell

Darkvision. Accustomed to caves, sewers, or the deep forest, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

Blessing of the Weaver. You have proficiency with Weaver's tools

Slink Through Shadows. You have proficiency in the Stealth skill