Arachtar

Medium Aberration

Hit Dice: 8d8+16 (52 hp),dying/dead –3/–15 Initiative: +7 Speed: 40 feet,climb 30 feet AC: 19 (+3 Dexterity,+6 natural),touch 13,flat-footed 16 Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+8 Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d8+2 plus poison) or web +9 ranged (as net) Full Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d8+2 plus poison) and 6 claws +6 (1d6+1);or web +9/+4 ranged (as net) Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet (Face/Reach:5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet) Special Attacks: Animate webs,grasping tendrils,poison,web Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet,paralyzing fear, pleasing visage,voice ofcalm,web sense Saves: Fort +4,Ref+5,Will +7 Abilities: Str 15,Dex 16,Con 15,Int 15,Wis 13,Cha 14 Skills: Bluff+9,Climb* +16,Concentration +9,Disguise +9,

Spot +8,Tumble +11 Feats: Defensive Move,Improved Initiative,Multiattack**,

Opportunist

Environment: Temperate forest or any urban Organization: Solitary,pair,or pack (3–8) Challenge Rating: 6 Treasure: Standard Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: +3

**Denotes a feat from the MM.

The cunning,murderous arachtar are a bizarre fusion of humans and spiders.They use a variety ofillusions to hide within settlements,spying on their potential victims before closing in for the kill.

Arachtar have the forequarters ofa humanoid and the rear body ofa bloated spider.Eight slender,nimble legs radiate from their rear bodies,while six clawed arms extend from their humanoid torsos.Arachtar have deep blue skin,wide, red eyes,and vicious,fanged mouths.Chitinous plates cover their torsos and lower bodies,while their underbellies are dotted with tiny spinnerets.

Their cunning intellect and spiteful hatred ofall humanoid life combine to make arachtar feared opponents.They use their psionic talents to hide within cities and towns,usually selecting an isolated,abandoned building,a dry well,or a section ofthe sewers as a lair. Their illusions allow them to mask their true nature while luring victims into their clutches.Even when their deception is sundered,they remain fearsome opponents.They share a psychic bond with their webbing,allowing them to control its motion and command it to struggle against intruders.

The arachtar share a loose bond,and these creatures sometimes work together to terrorize larger settlements.For all their psionic abilities and cunning,arachtar are at their core paranoid.The racial hatred they harbor toward humanoids is rooted in an irrational fear ofsuch creatures. An arachtar concealed within a city may take joy in the hunt, but when not actively stalking prey it spends hours in a constant state offear.The prospect ofdiscovery and death haunts these creatures,pushing them to prepare for either eventuality.They form informal networks for safety and support,allowing a hard-pressed arachtar to flee its current lair and seek temporary shelter with its kind.They take care to establish hidden supply caches,bolt-holes,and other resources that could prove useful after a defeat.

Arachtar speak Common and have a secret sign language oftheir own that consists ofelaborate hand and leg motions.

Combat

Arachtar loathe combat,for ifthey must resort to physical violence their deceptions have failed them.They prefer to flee ifintruders have compromised their lair,but when cornered they can put up a fierce resistance.They usually try to lure opponents into their webs,using their psionic gifts to trap and smother their foes.Most arachtar spin webs embedded with rocks and dirt on the roofs and walls oftheir domains. Many who venture into an arachtar lair fail to notice these hidden webs until it is too late. * Skills (Ex): Arachtar gain a +8 racial bonus to all Climb checks.

Animate Webs (Su): An arachtar enjoys a psychic bond with the webs it spins,causing them to animate and attack its foes.As a standard action,an arachtar can animate a section ofwebbing that is at least 5 feet by 5 feet and cause it to attack.The webbing fights with the arachtar’s unmodified base attack bonus,which is +6 for a standard arachtar, and deals 1d6 points ofbludgeoning damage with a bash attack.The webbing has a reach of5 feet,and it attacks once per round.It has a speed of10 feet and can climb through webbing at a speed of10 feet.An arachtar can animate up to four blobs ofwebbing at once.Once given motion,a section ofwebbing fights until it takes 14 points ofdamage.The web has an AC of10.It lacks an Intelligence score,and its other ability scores are 10.The webbing can see and hear as normal,but it lacks the intelligence to do anything other than attack.

Grasping Tendrils (Su): This variation on the arachtar’s animate webs ability allows it to fling sticky tentacles from its web sheets at foes.As a standard action,an arachtar can cause a 5-foot-by-5-foot sheet ofwebbing that it has spun to burst into a horde oftentacles.This ability functions as an arachtar’s ranged web attack,but the target loses his

Dexterity bonus to Armor Class,as the webbing strikes from an unexpected direction.

Poison (Ex): Injury,Fortitude DC 14,initial damage 1d4 Dexterity,secondary damage 1d4 Dexterity

Web (Ex): A single strand ofarachtar webbing is strong enough to support the arachtar and one creature ofup to Large size.An arachtar can throw a web eight times per day. This attack is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of50 feet,with a range increment of10 feet, and is effective against targets ofup to one size category larger than the arachtar.An entangled creature can escape with a successful Escape Artist check (DC 17) or burst it with a Strength check (DC 21).Both are standard actions. The check DCs are Constitution based.Both Difficulty Classes are increased by 4 because ofthe creature’s animate webs ability,as its sticky tendrils grasp and pull at characters.The Strength check DC includes a further 4-point increase as a racial bonus.

An arachtar can create sheets ofsticky webbing from 5 to 60 feet square,depending on the size and layout ofits lair. Approaching creatures must succeed at a Spot check (DC 20) to notice a web;otherwise they stumble into it and become trapped as though by a successful web attack. Attempts to escape or burst the webbing gain a +5 bonus if

the trapped creature has something to walk on or grab while pulling free.Each 5-foot section has 14 hit points,and sheet webs have damage reduction 5/—.

Any creature trapped within an arachtar’s web takes 1d6 points ofdamage per round as the webbing crushes and squeezes it.This damage continues for as long as the arachtar lives.Any creature hit by the arachtar’s ranged web attack or caught within its sheets takes this damage.

An arachtar can move across its own web at its climb speed.

Paralyzing Fear (Ex): Arachtar are notoriously paranoid and fearful ofhumanoids unless they have such creatures at a disadvantage.Ifan armed humanoid or giant who is free ofthe monster’s webs makes an Intimidate check (DC 20) against an arachtar,the beast suffers a –1 morale penalty to attack rolls and saves for the remainder ofthe encounter.An arachtar’s opponent can attempt one Intimidate check against it per encounter.Ifthe first attempt fails to unnerve it,it maintains its composure.

Pleasing Visage (Su): Arachtar have the inherent ability to cloak themselves in illusions.This counts as sorcerous guise cast by a 12th-level magister with the psionic template. Arachtar can use this ability at will.

Voice ofCalm (Su): When cloaked in their magical disguises,arachtar draw upon their psionic abilities to cloak their natural fear and apprehension when dealing with humanoids.They can cast glamour as a 12th-level magister with the psionic template.Arachtar can use this ability at will.

Web Sense (Su): An arachtar’s psionic link to its webs allows it to project its senses into them.As long as an arachtar takes no other actions,it can observe everything a single 5-foot patch ofits webbing could see and hear as ifit possessed the arachtar’s senses.This ability extends up to a mile from the arachtar.

Arachtar Society

Arachtar are too few in number to form a true society,but they do display a variety ofstandard behavior among themselves and toward their prey.The fear and hatred they harbor toward other creatures serve to fuel their practices and beliefs.

Arachtar create informal networks ofsupport.Many of them know the locations ofisolated meeting grounds of their kind,though they only rarely know ofother arachtar lairs.Their paranoia pushes them to avoid revealing such sensitive information except under the direst ofcircumstances.Usually,arachtar meet on neutral ground to forge treaties for mutual aid,mate via elaborate ceremonies,and exchange information.As creatures bred for infiltration and spying,they have an inherent drive to share the secrets they have learned about the people and places they haunt in search ofvictims.In rare cases,arachtar ally with other creatures.In return for protection or enchanted items that can keep their lairs secure,they act as spies and assassins.

Over time,an arachtar’s webs imprint the memories and emotions that the monster experiences.The psychic attachment between them works in both directions. Investigators sometimes wrap themselves in a defeated arachtar’s webs.When they sleep in this gruesome cocoon, their dreams give them insight into the monster’s past,its actions,and some ofthe more important knowledge it learned.

Arachtar Characters

Arachtar with the ambition to gain class levels tend toward becoming akashics and magisters.Some ofthem seek to master skills and talents that aid in their spying,while others see magical power as a useful weapon to ensure their security.

Arachtar Encounter (EL 8)

While staying at an inn for the night,one ofthe characters has vague dreams ofa great treasure hoard hidden within a nearby cave.The dream includes images ofimportant landmarks on the pathway to the cave.In truth,a mated pair of arachtar who use their magical abilities to disguise themselves as the innkeeper and her husband run the place.The arachtar hide scraps oftheir webbing within the pillows they leave for guests,allowing them to spy on the guests.The arachtar consciously meditate on treasures and the pathway to their hidden lair when weaving these scraps,luring victims to their doom.

In addition to the threat posed by the monsters,the characters face two other complications.The path to the lair is rife with traps and other hazards,making the trip there difficult.Even worse,the local folk are wholly ignorant ofthis deception.Because the arachtar are generous with the food and drink they serve to the villagers,they have earned the friendship ofthe local folk.Any violence or accusations against the innkeeper and her husband may incite an angry mob to attack the characters.