So, I finally managed to get the Aranea codex finished up whilst my network was playing havoc, and I thought I should share it, see if people have any opinions on it.
Aranea
Who Are They?
Originally a species of giant spider cultivated to serve as guardians and custodians of elven libraries, the aranea found themselves liberated in more ways than one by the Black Dawn. Simultaneously freed of their former masters and mutated into a more humanoid state, the aranea have since sought to continue the process of uplifting themselves, pursuing the restoration of the lost arts of magic with a fanatic's zeal.
Physiology
Distinctive even amongst their kindred "beastman" races, aranea have perhaps the most exotic of all bodies of any stable, true-breeding humanoids in Malebolge. Resembling a surprisingly harmonious melding of human and spider, even without meaning to, an aranea is quite imposing; only the more deformed and unsightly calibans tend to have greater difficulties with not accidentally terrorizing those unfamiliar with their species.
At its basis, the aranea frame is the standard for a humanoid; standing upright with a distinctive head, upper torso, and lower torso. However, the aranea form incorporate many arachnid traits, and the overall result is very much like a giant spider emulating the human form.
An aranea's head is fundamentally human. Many aranea are naturally bald, though some family lines do grow hair like humans. All aranea have at least four eyes, which tend to be slightly larger than a human's and oval shaped; they can have up to nine eyes, though this is a somewhat random trait. Aranea eyes are "eerily" human-like, with visible pupil, iris and sclera. An aranea's mouth contains teeth orientated for a carnivorous diet, with four pairs of incisors, both upper and lower; these are particularly long, slender and wickedly pointed, making their nature as venom-delivering tools quite obvious. An areanea's tongue is slightly longer than a human's, and also somewhat pointed.
It is at the upper torso that perhaps the first and most obviously inhuman trait appears. Aranea have four arms, arranged in vertical pairs on the sides of the shoulderblade, roughly where a humanoid would have only one arm. Their arms are elongated and more slenderly built than a human's, which, combined with the delicately elongated and claw-tipped fingers on each hand, gives them a subtle "spidery" build.
The lower torso, however, is the most extreme divergence from the humanoid, and more closely resembles a spider's abdomen. At roughly the same pount as a human's pelvis, an aranea sports four legs, arranged in a horizontal pair. Each leg is long and slender, consisting of three increasingly slim segments that ends in a small, dainty foot comprised of two prehensile, claw-tipped toes. Back from the pelvis, where a human would have buttocks, an aranea has a short abdomen, roughly shaped like an inverted teardrop, with spinnerets, genitalia and excretory organs placed on the underside of the abdomen's far tip.
Aranea are usually completely hairless, with slightly stiff, tough skin that isn't true chitin, but looks more "solid" than human skin. Some aranea do possess partial or total coverings of fur, much like some spiders do. Skin and fur color come in a wide variety of forms; various shades of black with hourglass markings of crimson on the upper and/or lower side of the abdomen make up perhaps the most iconic "color scheme" for these spidery humanoids, but other colors and patterns are very much possible.
What many consider the most disturbing aspect of aranea physiology is that they combine both spider and humanoid sexual dimorphism. Like spiders, female aranea are much larger than males; males average 5' to 5'6" tall, whilst females average 5'3" to 6'6" tall. However, female aranea also have distinctly wider "hips", a larger abdomen, and, perhaps their most alien feature to some, human-like breasts on their upper torso. Though perfectly justified by the fact that infant aranea are actually born live and nursed on milk like humans, this does not stop the sight of "breasts on a spider" being quite a shock to the unfamiliar.
Personality
The three words that most readily sum up the typical aranea's attitude are Intellectual, Inscrutable and Inquisitive. Shaped by their origins, aranea mentalities blend the patience of their trap-weaving arachnid ancestors, a natural fascination with knowledge, and lingering remnants of their original racial duty to guard knowledge to produce a race of natural scholars.
Aranea, as a whole, love to learn. They enjoy finding things out, and dislike ignorance; an aranea is the kind of person who will always ask himself "why?" and will not stop until he has an answer that satisfies him. Any aranea worth her salt can read and write, has a basic understanding of mathematics, and probably has at least two fields of interest that she has devoted herself to mastering, as much out of the sheer delight of knowing things as for any practical benefits to such things. In most aranea settlements, ignorance is held up as the most grievously offensive sin and knowledge prized as almost sacred.
But even this pales in comparison to their racial fixation upon magic. Maybe it's because magic created them, first by uplifing humble spiders, and then by transforming those guardians into aranea. Maybe it's because they were used to guard libraries of magical texts, wizard's labs, and similar locales before their ascension. Maybe it's simply because magic is the deepest and most absorbing form of knowledge one can pursue. For whatever reason, aranea are fixated upon magic as a racial pursuit; though arcanists are most common, psionic magic is also quite respected, and those who avoid anything to do with magic are extremely rare amongst their people.
Despite scurrilous stories painting them as cold-hearted and amoral, or vicious and sadistic, aranea are no more inclined to evil than any human is. Indeed, as the typical aranea wants little out of life beyond the freedom to learn, study and experiment in peace, one could argue that aranea are generally less likely to be evil.
It is true, however, that amongst strangers, aranea can be a cool and aloof people, keeping their emotions in reserve and focusing on logic. And, truthfully, aranea as a people are usually very quiet and emotionally introverted.
But that does not make them emotionless drones, and in fact aranea emotions run quiet but deep. An aranea may not make the grandiose displays "expected" of a typical human in love, but his devotion and passion cannot be questioned, nor can his loyalty to his mate.
Pragmatic is perhaps another defining trait of aranea. Though not usually ruthless, they are a practical species, who enjoy solving puzzles from the hypothetical to the very real, and consider it a matter of pride to ensure than once something is fixed, it stays fixed.
Courtship
Despite lurid tales about female aranea consuming their mates from the ignorant, and bawdy jokes about their perceived incompetence from the earthy, aranea aren't really so different from humans when they seek to breed.
There is no particular gender bias when it comes to initiating courtship, despite common assumptions otherwise. It all depends on who is the first to develop an interest.
Aranea typically look for intelligence and skill as the primary traits of attraction in a mate. Physical traits have their place, but aranea consider mating to be about a meeting of the minds, first and foremost. In an ideal aranea marriage, the couple should either provide mutually supportive elements or a healthy competition, pushing both along in their lives to achieve things they couldn't do alone.
Once an attraction is established, the interested party attempts to convey their interest in a subtle fashion. The most traditional method of doing so is presenting the object of their affection with puzzles, riddles or conundrums, complimenting them if they do well and gradually building up to presenting small gifts if they pursue these successfully. If the courted aranea finds these appealing, especially as it is considered good manners to provide some clues as to the courted individual's identity as part of "the game", they will respond in kind. If not, then they will deliberately turn away from the chance to pursue such puzzles - without further comment, if they are feeling polite, and with negative commentary if they wish to emphasize their rejection or offend their would-be suitor.
It goes without saying that aranea courtships tend to be long and complex. It averages about a year before aranea couples finally decide upon compatibility, and has been known to take several years. Once the two decide that they desire it, the traditional response is to formally announce their union, often throwing a small, intimate celebration to allow their families to celebrate, and then settle into a shared home together.
Although they prefer to marry permanently, aranea are nothing if not practical; if a couple grows unable to tolerate each other, they will simply and informally split up. In a rare aversion of their usual tendency to handle issues by themselves, aranea pushed to the point of divorce always turn to a neutral third party to help settle terms for leaving each other.
Aranea families form sprawling clans. Lineage is tracked carefully, and membership is proudly held up; families prefer to live close together (by aranea standards, at least) and work together more readily than foreign aranea do.
Further highlighting their magically mutated nature, unlike real spiders, aranea produce one or two live offspring at the end of a nine-month pregnancy. Infant aranea are small and helpless, requiring all the same care and attention as human infants, although their multiple limbs and inherent wall-crawling ability makes them more mobile at a younger age than humans.
Culture
Aranean culture can be summed up in a single word: scholarly. These humanoid spiders value the pursuit of knowledge and understanding for its own sake, and most of their settlements are closer to monastic orders than anything else.
Aranea believe knowledge comes from both study and contemplation; the wisdom of the ancients should be respected, but it is not upheld as sarosanct in its own right, and individuals can and should seek to advance the body of lore through their own merits. All aranea, as mentioned above, are naturally driven to educate themselves, and most dedicate their lives to an existence as amateur scholars.
Of course, performing experiments, reading and contemplating the secrets of the universe does not put a roof over one's head or a meal on the table. That said, aranea generally don't find much interest in such "humdrum" activities and prefer to minimize physical labor.
However, araneas don't depend entirely on magic to achieve anything lasting.
Firstly, magically talented artisans and the use of enchanted items may be prioritized in aranea settlements, but there still remains the issue of acquiring the skill and/or items in the first place. Only the oldest or most prosperous settlements will be able to depend on things like wood-warping and stone-shaping artisans or permanent invisible servants - indeed, access to such magics is one of the few elements of social status present in aranean settlements.
Secondly, aranea can and do see certain fields of activity as worth studying in its own right. After all, is not cooking but a form of alchemy, and hunting the ultimate expression of one's knowledge of the wilderness?
In fact, aranea place a surprisingly high value on art. Painting, engraving and sculpture are all regarded as important aspects of culture, reminders of the high mental states that these beings seek to elevate themselves to. Their preference leans towards abstract designs with precise, geometrical components - not too dissimilar from many spider-webs, it must be said. Some aranea even spin abstract sculpture art from their webbing, with the fact that such artwork is inherently impermanent being seen as a bonus.
Music is also quite unique amongst the aranea. Their multiple hands and silk-production makes for particularly strange but beautiful-sounding string instruments, which are all but impossible for most other races to use. Wind instruments are less applicable, although many-fluted devices that take full advantage of the aranean array of fingers and inhuman dexterity do exist.
Although not as anarchistic as orks by any means, aranea do place considerable emphasis on self-sufficiency and solving one's own problems. Although the wisdom of others is respected, and learning used as the basis of a meritocratic government, aranea consider needing the intervention of others to be mildly shameful. An aranea always tries to solve a problem on their own, unless they are convinced that it lies outside of their expertise. They are less uptight about turning to close friends and family for this, but needing help beyond that is still a distinctly second resort.
Aranea cuisine is heavily meat-based; the species is technically omnivorous, but their carnivorous ancestry shines through and they vastly prefer (and require) meat to vegetation. Aranean cooking is somewhat schizophrenic: wind-cured "hung" meat is popular for many dishes, whilst the preferred method of cooking is typically to braise or slow-roast meat, resulting in tender, easily consumed flesh.
Settlements
Aranea communities take full advantage of their racial ability to climb, and thus employ the vertical as much as the horizontal. Although many aranea do take advantage of cave systems, their typical preference is to climb mountains and employ caves there, rather than to descend into the depths of the underdark. For obvious reasons, they prefer forest-type environments, constructing settlements within the treetops through a combination of silk, carefully moulded wood, and, if available, magic.
Such communities typically are quite dispersed, with individuals claiming private homesteads spread over a sizable array of terrain. Although not inherently antisocial, aranea do possess enough of their ancestral territoriality that private space is seen as a fundamental right for their people. Clan-homes are typically built closer together, but the individuals will always have distinctly separate private residences.
Leadership in an aranean community is based on intellectual meritocracy. Although this often seems to be simply another magocracy to outsiders, aranea understand that practical skills and magical prowess don't necessarily cohabit, and so a down-to-earth but knowledgeable leader is preferable to a strong wizard who can't come down from his metaphorical ivory tower.
Defense of the community relies upon a mixture of magical and mundane protections. Aranea rarely maintain standing military forces, although most if not all of the community is capable of doubling as a militia when necessary. Instead, an array of traps - predominantly those based on silk, ranging from snares to trip-lined blades or weights to full-fledged webs - combined with arcane defenses like illusions and hypnotic sigils are used to dissuade, discourage and dismay would-be attackers.
Adventurers
Although one might suspect otherwise, adventuring aranea are actually surprisingly common. As scholarly as the spider-folk are, their inquisitive natures and drive to advance knowledge sends many out into the Malebolge in pursuit of information, whether that be the more practical kind, such as what exists beyond their borders, or the more abstract, like discovering lost magical secrets.
Many aranea adventurers ultimately settle down at new aranea colonies, ensuring the slow sharing of information between the two. Some even go on to found entirely new colonies as well, as adventuring araneas tend to amass greater knowledge and power than most sedentary members of their kind.
It should be noted that, due to their natural abilities, their mentality, and their cultural traits, aranea adventurers almost overwhelmingly take the "arcane paths" for classes in-universe. A player is certainly free to take any class they desire, but should carefully consider their character's backstory; what led their aranea to turn its back on its culture and natural skills to embrace such a different class.
Barbarians: Aranea who take up the path of the Barbarian are a true rarity indeed. Their naturally introverted attitudes and cultural mores means that few develop the sheer unbridled rage that most defines a barbarian, and they are well aware that they are not particularly suited for its calling. Still, they are not entirely absent... aranea culture has both what it calls "warmages" (Totem and Ancestral Guardian) and "wyrdragers" (Storm and Zealot); the former are regarded as mages who seek to internalize their power and make it part of their body, allowing it to bolster them in battle, whilst the latter are seen as sorcerers whose power is so raw and untamed that they cannot consciously control it. Berserkers and Battleragers, however, are effectively unheard of.
Bards: Despite what some might think, aranea actually have very well-developed bardic traditions. The College of Lore, whose members serve as entertainer-historians, are most strongly represented, but the Colleges of Valor and Swords are also greatly respected, with the latter in particular holding great prize for their ability to turn combat into an artform. Only the College of Satire is particularly uncommon, as most aranea find jesters to be a touch too puerile and immature for their tastes.
Fighters: As one might expect, fighters are less than common amongst aranea, who typically prefer a combination of stealth and overwhelming mystical might to see to their defense. But, every community needs defenders of some stripe, and so it is that aranea fighters are greatly respected for having the dedication to pursue a path they are not inherently suited for. Eldritch Knights make up the sizable majority of all aranea fighters, employing their natural intellect and affinity for magic to deadly effect. Aside from those warrors, the most common aranea fighters are those that benefit from the aranea's high intelligence and natural prediliction for learning, such as Battlemasters and Bannerets. All other forms of fighter are equally rare, except for the extremely rare Cavaliers - aranea are not very big on animal taming or mounted warfare.
Monks: Ironically, monks are quite common amongst aranea, who view them in more of a light of mental and physical improvement and unity. Because of this view of monks as a more cerebral warrior, they tend to outnumber aranean fighters. All monastic traditions are represented amongst aranean monks.
Rangers: Surprising to some, the art of the ranger is more common amongst the aranea than the fighter. Relying on dexterity and cunning over brute force, it meshes better with their talents than most forms of the fighter's art. That said, very few aranea become beastmasters, as their carnivorous diets make them mostly uninterested in taming animals.
Rogues: Of all the "martial" classes, the rogues represent probably the most common of their kind. With their emphasis on skill, stealth and precision over brute force, the rogue comes closest to aligning with the natural predilictions and abilities of the aranea. Unlike in other cultures, aranea rogues are more stealthy warriors who use deceit as weapons, as opposed to common thieves. It goes without saying that the majority of aranean rogues are Arcane Tricksters, with Masterminds making up the second most prominent majority and Assassins the third major group.
Sorcerers: Although magic is literally in their blood, aranea usually prefer to refine their magic through deliberate study, making sorcerers a distinct rarity compared to wizards. Those who do choose to simply embrace their innate magic are almost invariably Arcanists, the purest of their kind. The only other sorcerer kinds to arise with any frequency amongst aranea are Voidsouls, or, strangely, Cosmic Souls.
Warlocks: With their innate talent for magic, one would expect few aranea to become warlocks, but the truth is that this art is surprisingly common amongst this race. Aranea view the pact between patron and warlock as more of a bond between master and student, with the patron providing information in arcane secrets in exchange for the labors of the aranea. There are no particular biases towards patronage, as aranea view all tutors in the dispassionate light of potentia, but there is a slight preference towards the Archfey and the Undying, whose magics are closest to those wielded by the aranea's long-lost aelfar creators. Most aranea warlocks take the Pact of the Tome, and indeed many go so far as to fully multiclass as warlock-wizards.
Wizards: Without a doubt, the most iconic of adventuring classes for aranea is the wizard. Of all the traditions, the Lore Master is the most common, followed by those traditions that most closely build on ancient aelfar lore: Necromancers, Transmuters and Sidhe Scholars. Other traditions are represented more or less equally, save for three exceptions. Bladesingers are uncommon, as the tradition only appeals to aranea with a taste for melee combat, although certainly they outnumber Eldritch Knights. Warmages are far less common; the aranea lack the standing military practices that tend to produce these specialists. Finally, Fire Elementalists are all but unheard of; for obvious reasons, aranea are disinclined to use fire magic, and many are even outright phobic of it. Even aranea Evokers tend to focus on spells that wield frost, venom and acid.
Mystics: Although somewhat less traditional than wizards, the art of the mystic is well-respected and widely practiced amongst aranea. Indeed, some clans focus on psionic magic to the exclusion of arcane magic, leading to spirited debates as to which is the true form of magic. There is no particular bias as to preferred or rejected orders, but the aranean distaste for fire magic means that few, even Wu Jens, pursue the Mastery of Fire discipline.
Artificers: Alongside the wizard and the mystic, the artificer forms one of the "holy trinity" of classes for aranea, due to its focus on learning, studying and blending mystical and physical sciences. There is arguably a very slight bias in favor of the Runesmith specialization, but all forms of artificer are well and truly represented amongst aranea.
