Marching From The Fallen Star; Hunting Spider

 

This week I was able to break out my first Dungeon in a Box adventure. My minis were painted, and I studied up on the 31-page booklet. I will break down several of the adventure elements so I can use those pieces as part of a West marches style overworld in the context of the adventure path.

The first combat encounter in the Voyage of the Fallen Star adventure path is a pair of Hunting Spiders. The Star Tide is a first-level adventure, and these arachnids may be a player's first table-top adversary. A Giant Spider is a good balance of familiarity with fantasy to use as an introduction to the perils of a fantasy world.



Hunting spiders are the most common type of giant spider, though not the largest.

Recall Knowledge - Animal (Nature): DC 15

Unspecific Lore: DC 13

Specific Lore: DC 10

Hunting Spider Spider 1

 

GREEN

MEDIUM

ANIMAL

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Source Bestiary pg. 306

Perception +7; Darkvision, Web Sense

Web Sense The hunting spider has imprecise tremorsense to detect the vibrations of creatures touching its web.

Skills Acrobatics +7, Athletics +5, Stealth +7

Str +2, Dex +4, Con +1, Int -5, Wis +2, Cha -4

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AC 17; Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +5

HP 16

Spring Upon Prey  (attack); Requirement Initiative has not yet been rolled. Trigger A creature touches the hunting spider’s web while the spider is on it. Effect The hunting spider automatically notices the creature and Strides, Climbs, or Descends on a Web before it rolls initiative.

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Speed 25 feet, climb 25 feet

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Melee  fangs +9 [+4/-1] (finesse), Damage 1d6+2 piercing plus hunting spider venom

Ranged  web +7 [+2/-3] (range increment 30 feet), Effect web trap

Descend on a Web  (move) The hunting spider moves straight down up to 40 feet, suspended by a web line. It can hang from the web or drop off. The distance it Descends on a Web doesn’t count for falling damage. A creature that successfully Strikes the web (AC 20, Hardness 3, 5 HP) severs it, causing the spider to fall.

Hunting Spider Venom (poison) Saving Throw Fortitude DC 16; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Stage 1 1d10 poison and flat-footed (1 round); Stage 2 1d12 poison, clumsy 1, and flat-footed (1 round); Stage 3 2d6 poison, clumsy 2, and flat-footed (1 round).

Web Trap A creature hit by the hunting spider’s web attack is immobilized and stuck to the nearest surface until it Escapes (DC 17).

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Running Hunting Spiders

Spiders trap and ambush their prey. Foreshadow their appearance with the cocooned, desiccated corpses of their last meal and lots of webs. Use webs to set-up the Hunting Spider’s Spring upon Prey reaction. Place webs on areas the party is likely to search, A DC 17 Perception can reveal these webs that draw the eye to their place of origin, where the spider lies in wait for their prey.

Once combat is engaged, try to keep these spiders close to a wall; their climb speed will let you use the walls and ceiling to escape getting surrounded and lets the spider select their prey from anyone in the party. The center of the room is the most dangerous space for the hunting spider, where they are likely to be quickly surrounded and then squished.