Converting Creatures from Other Campaign Settings

[Shade]

Spider Horse
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Subterranean caverns
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Herd
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Nocturnal
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Semi- (2-4)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1-6
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVEMENT: 12, Wb 9
HIT DICE: 5+5
THAC0: 15
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3 (2 hooves, 1 bite)
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6/1-6/2-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Slow, paralysis
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE:25%
SIZE: L
MORALE: Steady (12)
XP VALUE: 1,400

The spider horse is prized as a steed by the drow of the Deathdark. Bred long ago by the priestesses of Jiathuli, Princess of the Abyss, the spider horse is a bizarre hybrid of horse and spider. It has a horse’s head and body, four horse legs, four spider legs, spider’s eyes, and fangs instead of teeth in its muzzle. It is a versatile steed, capable of riding on the ground like a horse and climbing webs like a spider. It is faithful to its master until death.

Combat: The spider horse attacks with its hooves and its venomous fangs. Anyone who is struck by its fangs must roll a successful saving throw vs. poison or be paralyzed for 2d4 hours. Those who successfully roll this saving throw are only slowed (as if affected by a slow spell) for 1d4 turns.
If a spider horse's master knows that an enemy is approaching, the spider horse may be used to ambush the opponents. In this case, the spider horse will lurk above the entrance, hanging on a web strand and fall on the foes, surprising them on a 1-5 on 1d6.

Habitat/Society: The spider horse dwells in the subterranean world of the Deathdark of the drow, the demi-plane where Jiathuli, Queen of the drow, was exiled. Within the caverns of the Deathdark are large web pastures, where the webs of spiders have accumulated over centuries. It is on these webs that the spider horses roam.
Spider horses roam in herds; their social organization is identical to that of horses. An expert animal trainer can teach them to serve as mounts.

Ecology: The spider horse is a predator that roams the Deathdark. Its normal victims are small herbivores that live in the cavernous underworld; in times of famine it devours its own weak and young.

Originally appeared in DLS4 - Wild Elves (1991).

 

[Cleon]

Spider Horse

We'll need to come up with another name for this since we've already got the Dragon #234 Spider-Horse on our books.

How about "Jiathuli's Spider-Horse" or simply "Drow Spider Horse"?

 

[freyar]

Drow Spider Horse works for me.

Magical Beast, I suppose.

Nasty poison.

 

[Cleon]

Drow Spider Horse works for me.

Magical Beast, I suppose.

Nasty poison.

I'm thinking these should have pretty tough stats. By comparison they're a "heavy warhorse" to the "light horse" Spider-Horse?

Maybe even "full warhorse"?

 

[Shade]

I'm thinking these should have pretty tough stats. By comparison they're a "heavy warhorse" to the "light horse" Spider-Horse?

Maybe even "full warhorse"?

Yeah, let's make them the destriers of the hybrid spider world.

 

[Cleon]

Yeah, let's make them the destriers of the hybrid spider world.

Agreed.

I think I'll start a Working Draft with the plain Spider-Horse stats and then we can start arguing about changes.

Here's some stats that might be useful comparisons:

Light Horse: 3 HD, +3 NA, two 1d4+1 hooves, Str 14, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6, Endurance, Run
Heavy War Horse: 4 HD, +4 NA, two 1d6+4 hooves & 1d4+2 bite, Str 18, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 6, Endurance, Run
Full War Horse: 5 HD, +4 NA, two 1d8+5 hooves & 1d6+2 bite, [FONT=&quot]Str 20, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 6[/FONT], Endurance, Run

We should remember the Drow Spider Horse is unusually intelligent - all standard AD&D horses, and even the Full Warhorse, have animal intelligence (1), but the Drow version is Semi-intelligent (2-4).

Now, lots of animals (like wolves and bears) are Semi-Intelligent in AD&D but have regular animal intelligence in 3E. However, as it's a Magical Beast I'd rather give the Drow Spider Horse an Intelligence of 3 or 4.

 

[Cleon]

Drow Spider Horse Working Draft

Drow Spider-Destrier
Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 5d10+15 (42 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 30 ft.
Armor Class: 18 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +6 natural), touch 12, flat 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+14
Attack: Hoof +9 melee (1d6+5) or bite +9 melee (1d8+5 plus poison)
Full Attack: 2 hooves +9 melee (1d6+5) and bite +4 melee (1d8+2 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, tremorsense 60 ft., web
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +2
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 4, Wis 13, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +13, Hide +8, Jump +5, Listen +8, Move Silently +8, Spot +4
Feats: Improved Initiative, Run
Environment: Underground
Organization: Domesticated
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement:6-8 HD (Large); 9-15 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —

A bizarre fusion of equine and arachnid, the creature has a horse-like body supported on eight legs - four normal-looking horse legs and four spider legs. It has an equine head with venom-dripping fangs, and a spider's spinnerets on its tail end.

Spider-destriers are an unnatural hybrid of warhorse and monstrous spider. Their origins are attributed to priestesses of Lolth, and they are favored mounts in many drow communities.

Herds of spider-destriers roam large subterranean web pastures, where the webs of spiders have accumulated over centuries. In the wild, their social organization is identical to that of horses.

Spider-destriers are carnivorous, preying primarily on small subterranean herbivores. If food grows scarce, spider-destriers are known to devour their own weak and young.

A typical drow spider-destrier is 10 feet in length, stands 5½ feet high at the shoulder, and weighs about 1750 pounds.

COMBAT

Spider-destriers bite whenever possible, attempting to expose their opponents to their poison. Their drow masters often set them to ambush enemies: the spider-destrier hangs from the ceiling above a cave entrance and drops onto the last enemy to enter, both attacking and cutting off escape.

Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 14, initial damage stunned for 1d4 minutes, secondary damage paralysed for 2d4 minutes. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Web (Ex): A drow spider-destrier can lower itself silently on silk strands, a single strand is strong enough to support the spider-horse and one creature of the same size.

Skills: Drow spider-destriers have a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently and Spot checks and a +8 racial bonus on Hide and Climb checks. A spider-destrier can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. Spider-destriers use either their Strength or Dexterity modifier for Climb checks, whichever is higher.

Carrying Capacity: A light load for a spider-destrier is up to 400 pounds; a medium load, 401-800 pounds; and a heavy load, 801-1200 pounds. A spider-destrier can drag 6,000 pounds.

In Dragonlance
In the Dragonlance campaign setting, spider-destriers dwell in the demiplane known as the Deathdark, where Jiathuli, Queen of the drow, was exiled.

 

[Shade]

While "Drow Spider Horse" is an accurate name, I'd fancy something like "Spider-Destrier" more.

 

[Cleon]

While "Drow Spider Horse" is an accurate name, I'd fancy something like "Spider-Destrier" more.

Or even "Drow Spider-Destrier"...

 

[Shade]

Or even "Drow Spider-Destrier"...

The "drow" feels superfluous, but I can live with it if it is important to you.