Does anyone know where I can find stats for a Dire Spider?

[magnusmalkus]

As per the title of this thread: Does anyone know where (what book) I can find the stats for a Dire Spider?

Furthermore, isn't there a template you can add to animals to make them "dire"?

I greatly appreciate the help folks.

Thanks!

 

[sirwmholder]

I know there is a Monsterous Spider in MM1 under Vermin... I think Dire only applies to animals but IDNHTBIFOM.

William Holder

 

[Voadam]

Dire animal template is from Tome of Horrors by Necromancer games and is available as a free preview http://www.necromancergames.com/pdf/ToHDire.pdf

As written it only applies to animals and not vermin.

Monstrous spiders are in the vermin appendix of the MM and cover sizes tiny to colossal. http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/monstrousSpider.htm These range from 1/2 HD CR 1/4 to 32 HD and CR 11.

In the epic section of the SRD, in the monster section are the devastation vermin including a 128 HD CR 41 colossal devastation spider. http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/devastationVermin.htm

 

[magnusmalkus]

Very awesome. Thanks folks.

There are Dire Rats and rats are vermin, I see no reason why a dire template could not be applied to vermin as well as animals provided it makes SOME sense.

Dire maggots? Probably not... Dire Swarm? Maybe... in a very special circumstance... /shrug... all I need are some dire spiders. Makes sense some Drow might want to cultivate the species...

Thanks again!

Dire animal template is from Tome of Horrors by Necromancer games and is available as a free preview http://www.necromancergames.com/pdf/ToHDire.pdf

As written it only applies to animals and not vermin.

Monstrous spiders are in the vermin appendix of the MM and cover sizes tiny to colossal. http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/monstrousSpider.htm These range from 1/2 HD CR 1/4 to 32 HD and CR 11.

In the epic section of the SRD, in the monster section are the devastation vermin including a 128 HD CR 41 colossal devastation spider. http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/devastationVermin.htm

 

[Echohawk]

There are Dire Rats and rats are vermin, I see no reason why a dire template could not be applied to vermin as well as animals provided it makes SOME sense.

Rats are animals, not vermin, but I agree with you that there's really no reason large vermin can't be made dire.

Dire maggots? Probably not... Dire Swarm? Maybe... in a very special circumstance... /shrug... all I need are some dire spiders. Makes sense some Drow might want to cultivate the species...

Ironically, dire maggots are the only dire vermin to appear in an official WotC D&D product (you'll find them on p95 of Libris Mortis). There has not been a dire spider in any WotC book, so unless you can find one in a 3rd party d20 book, Voadam's suggestion of using the template in Tome of Horrors is probably your best bet.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Makes sense some Drow might want to cultivate the species...

Why aren't normal monstrous spiders good enough (certainly they can be immense in scale!)? What are you hoping to get out of 'dire' spiders?

 

[Felix]

Any particular reason you don't want to use a Huge Monstrous Spider and simply call it a "Dire Spider"?

 

[magnusmalkus]

I stand corrected then! Rats are animals! And I suppose I shouldn't be surprised about Dire maggots!

As far as why do it at all... well... why not? If that won't satisfy then consider... maybe just for super freakyness!

 

[Voadam]

A reason why they are monstrous and not dire.

Dire animals all have those freaky bone spikes.

Spiders have no bones, ergo no dire spiders.

 

[Set]

A reason why they are monstrous and not dire.

Dire animals all have those freaky bone spikes.

Spiders have no bones, ergo no dire spiders.

Ah, but they can have freaky exoskeletal chitin spikes!

Based on the critters in the MM, 'Dire' seems to mostly consist of advancing them a size category (increasing HD, Str, Con, Nat Armor, etc), but not lowering Dexterity.