Spitting Spider

Spitting Spider

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any non arctic
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary or pairs
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Usually dusk or dawn
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral

N° APPEARING: 1-2
AC: 7 (13)
MOVEMENT: 12
HIT DICE: 1+2
THAC0 17 (+3)
N° OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: bite (1d8)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spitting paralyzing web
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Stealth
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Nightvision
MAGIC RESISTANCE: None
SIZE: M (1,40 m)
MORALE: Average (10)
EXPERIENCE: 250

ORIGIN: "The Fountain of Health", by Ann Dupuis (Dungeon Magazine no. 39, pgs. 32 - 42)

Appearance: The body of this 1,50-meter spider is covered in coarse black hair with yellow spots on its legs and four pairs of red eyes on its head.

Combat: Spitting spiders are capable of spitting a sticky, toxic web strand for its main attack. The web has a range of 3 meters and completely encases any human-sized target it hits, gluing it to the floor and any objects within 1 meter. The spider hits automatically, but the target can make a saving throw versus Breath Weapons to avoid the web - and then only if the target is not surprised by attack.

Those caught in the web must make a saving throw versus Paralyzation or become paralyzed for as long as they are trapped in the web. If the saving throw is successful, the victims can break free of the web in 2-8 rounds - this time is reduced by one round per each +1 on his damage adjustment.

This spider can spit its web about four times in a day and, in combat, it uses its bite attack in any round it cannot spit. The bite has the same paralyzing effect, but since the poison is weaker bitten victims can save with a +3 bonus.

Spitting spiders are so stealthy that they impose a -2 penalty on their opponentes surprise rolls.

Habitat/Society: Spitting spiders usually live alone, but sometimes mated pairs can be encountered. They can be found anywhere, but prefer to make their burrows forests, caves or even abandoned ruins.

Ecology: These spiders feed on blood and other bodily fluids of their prey, which are kept alive and paralyzed in their webs the whole time. They usually prey on small mammals and birds but ocasionally hunt for larger prey. The spider's fluid can be used as a component of many different potions and alchemical poisons. 

Jaculus (tree snake)

Jaculus

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate / Forests
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Flock
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral

N° APPEARING: 2-8
AC:6
MOVEMENT: 9
HIT DICE:1
THAC0 19
N° OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: gore (1d6), bite (1d3)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Leaping 
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Camouflage

SPECIAL ABILITIES: None
MAGIC RESISTANCE: None
SIZE: L (2,30 m)
MORALE: Average (8)
EXPERIENCE: 70

ORIGIN: Medieval folklore (The Aberdeen Bestiary)

Appearance: Also known as javelin snake or tree snake, a jaculus (pl. jaculi) has brown-colored scales, a long muscular body and a broad, arrow-shaped flat head with a ridge of razor-edged bones projecting at either side.

Combat: Although their scales are naturally brown-colored, jaculi can change their color to perfectly match their surroundings. Because of this chameleon-like camouflage ability, their opponents suffer a -4 penalty to surprise rolls. A jaculus can hurl itself down on an opponent like a javelin from a point 15 meters or more above. This flying gore attack (+1 to hit) deals 1d6 points of piercing damage from the snake’s bone ridge. If a foe proves too troublesome, the jaculi will jump to the nearest tree to escape in search of easier prey.

Habitat/Society: Jaculi are usually found in temperate or warm forests. They live in the treetops of the tallest trees in pairs or flocks of up to eight snakes, although larger flocks of up to twenty individuals are not unknown. 

Ecology: Tree snakes usually swallow small prey whole. Their staple diet consists of birds and small mammals, but they can also bite and chew, savaging prey too large to swallow. Unless they are starving, they eat only prey they have killed themselves less than two days ago. When feeding hungry young, a jaculus sometimes will slay a large beast and hide in or under the corpse to await vultures and other carrion-feeders, which it slays as well. Although not naturally vicious, jaculi are highly territorial and excitable and may become very agressive when someone intrudes into what they regard as their territory