Echohawk
Shirokinukatsukami fan
Narek (The Thing in the Shaft)
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: The Library of Kas (Tovag)
FREQUENCY: Unique
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: None
INTELLIGENCE: Highly (14)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVEMENT: 6
HIT DICE: 14 (94 hp)
THAC0: 7
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2d6
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d6 each
SPECIAL ATACKS: Constriction
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to fire and some spells
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: G (25' across)
MORALE: Elite (13)
XP VALUE: 9,000
Alas, poor Narek! One of the many bastard children of Kas the Destroyer, he -- it -- now resides forever in a prison forged of betrayal and jealousy. Kas the Bloody, Kas the Wicked, Kas the Warlord sired a son and called him Narek. Narek had great talents for the sorcerous arts. Even Kas's master was impressed with the youth. Narek was too young to have learned never to outshine Kas in his master's eyes. Kas imprisoned the young man in a tomb, trapping him there for all eternity with his magical books.
Narek, filled with not quite enough skill and a little too much confidence, attempted a spell that was beyond him. Its energies transformed him into an unspeakable monstrosity. Now Narek is nothing more than the Thing in the Shaft. Nameless, soulless, loveless, the son of Kas seeks nothing but the pain and suffering of others.
Combat: The Thing in the Shaft is a horrible slimy mass with hundreds of tendrils. It attacks with 2d6 of these tendrils each round, which grasp and lunge for any and all victims. The Thing can attack up to four different targets in a round, and the tendrils can stretch to strike at targets up to forty feet away.
If a foe is hit with four or more tendrils in the same round, the ropy appendages grasp and snare the victim, who is now immobilized. Characters so grasped suffer 2d6 hp of constriction damage. The Thing draws grappled victims in close to it at a rate of ten feet per round. It does not eat its prey, however (since it does not even have a mouth) but merely continues to squeeze the drawn-in victim into its mass until it is dead. Slain foes are haphazardly tossed aside. To break free, the tendrils holding the victim must be severed (each can sustain 4 hp of damage) or the victim must make a successful Strength check for each constricting appendage.
Due to the slime and ooze that covers the Thing, it cannot burn and is thus immune to fire. No charm spells or magic of a controlling or form-altering nature (such as polymorph spells) can affect it.
Habitat/Society: The Thing in the Shaft dwells alone in its prison. If freed, the creature would begin a silent reign of terror and madness as it lurked in dark places large enough to accommodate it (dark alleyways, wide wells, cellars, and so forth), striking out at anyone who would dare to come near.
Ecology: If a sage learned in the ways of monstrous biology ever got the chance to examine the Thing, it is likely that he might suggest that it possesses many characteristics similar to the monster known as the roper. Perhaps this has something to do with the spell Narek attempted and failed so long ago.
The Thing needs no nourishment, sustained'merely by its own hatred and chagrin. It attacks others out of cruelty and rage, not hunger or need.
Arid Bloodthorn
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Arid land
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Patch
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Semi (2-4)
TREASURE: Incidental
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
No. APPEARING: 1-6
ARMOR CLASS: 4/2
MOVEMENT: 1
HIT DICE: 3-8
THAC0: 15
No. OF ATITACKS: 1 per Hit Die
DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1d6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Blood drain
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Thorns
MAGIC RESISTANCE: None
SIZE: L (10' vines)
MORALE: Fearless (19)
XP VALUE: 3 HD: 175, 4 HD: 270, 5 HD: 420, 6 HD: 650, 7 HD: 975, 8 HD: 1,400
This carnivorous plant of jakandor differs from the lush variety common to other AD&D worlds. These bloodthorns are tough, wiry plants that grow in thick, briar-like patches on the arid land of jakandor. It has a dull black bark, and its vines appear dry and desiccated. The base has several clumps of small-bladed leaves and lush, red berries.
While a bloodthorn appears innocuous, close examination will detect long, dangerous thorns lying flat against the vines. These spines can be raised quickly to impale prey or warn predators away.
Combat: When a warm-blooded creature approaches, the plant abandons its innocuous pose and lashes out at prey. The plant can strike with 3 to 8 long, thornstudded vines. The thorns extend to their full 3-inch length, and each tendril becomes a spiny lash. If any vine hits by 4 or more over the attack number needed to hit, it wraps around its prey and embeds its thorns in the victim's flesh. The impaled victim is drained of blood through the hollow thorns (Dmg 1d6). This draining is very painful and victims must make a successful System Shock roll or pass out. The vine drains blood each round until the victim dies or breaks free.
The bloodthorn is not particularly strong, but its vines are tough, and the thorns tend to twine when the vine wraps a victim's body. Any creature trying to pull free has to succeed at a bend bars/lift gates roll. The whole plant usually doesn't weight more than 200 or 250 pounds, so a strong victim might end up dragging the whole bloodthorn patch after him if he fails to pull himself free.
A slashing weapon (Type S) is needed to cut the vine. Each vine has AC 4, and requires 8 points of damage to sever. The thorns of a severed vine still drain blood until the whole vine is carefully detached from a victim - a process that requires one full round. The blood thorn's vulnerable spot is its dense root-bulb or base hidden beneath the other thorny vines. It's hard to reach and is AC 2.
The bloodthorn attacks until it or its prey is dead. The plant retreats from flame, and any stem that is seared releases its victim and curls back up around the base.
Habitat/Society: Unless one knows what to look for, it's easy to be surprised by this ordinary looking briar. One giveaway is the fact that this vine grows in places where other plants can't survive. In the barren places it calls home, the bloodthorn often grows in patches of several plants. These can be especially dangerous, since a person could find herself attached to several plants each draining her dry.
Ecology: The blood thorn derives its sustenance from the blood of small animals and birds. The plant's berries act as a lure for hungry wayfarers, but if someone perseveres and manages to collect some of the bloodthorn's fruit, it's barely worth the trouble - the berries are bitter.
Deathglow Moths
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Forest/mountain
FREQUENCY: Very Rare
ORGANIZATION: Pack
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Nocturnal
DIET: Carnivores
INTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)
TREASURE: Incidental
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
No. APPEARING: 1d20
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVEMENT: 6, Fl 12 (C)
HIT DICE: 2
THAC0: 19
No. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1d4
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
SIZE: S (3') across
MORALE: Steady (11)
XP VALUE: 175
Deathglow moths are a magical mutation, similar to the owlbear and the stirge. These moths have a 3' wingspan, the typical feathery antennae, and a translucent abdomen. Their coloration varies from a brown, bark-colored body and wings the color of tree moss to an almost albino species that matches the bark of birch trees. Regardless of the body and wing coloration, when a deathglow moth goes hunting at night, its abdomen glows a sickly yellow-green; males tend to have a greener tint while in females yellow predominates.
Combat: Deathglow moths fly from their secluded roosts high in the largest trees the region has to offer artd flutter their way along, looking for suitable prey. The deathglow moth only attacks from the air. Its small mouth causes only 1d4 points of damage, but that is not the worst damage a deathglow moth can inflict. Every round that a creature is within 10' of the deathglow moth's abdomen, the creature must save vs. Death Magic or lose 1d3 points of Strength. If a character's Strength falls below zero, the character dies, and the death glow moth settles in to feed. Lost Strength can be recovered at the rate of one point per hour of rest. Feeding moths are easy to slay for their glow is extinguished. Their deadly glow dies when they do and can not be harvested by intrepid hunters.
Habitat/Society: Deathglow moths live only in the deepest forests and highest mountains of Jakandor, where packs of the flying creatures attack everything from birds to small mammals such as rabbits, and if it is hungry enough even humans. These creatures live in colony roosts like bats. These roosts are usually at least 30' above the forest floor. Deathglow moths instinctively seek out a tree that matches its camouflage pattern on which to roost.
While not a natural creature, deathglow moths occupy an admissible role in its habitat. Its relatively low speed allows faster flying creatures to escape, and its deathglow affects the sickest or the weakest target first, thus helping to thin populations allowing the healthier specimens to survive and propagate the species.
Ecology: While the deathglow moth is far from the largest or the fastest predator in forest or mountainous regions, its unique ability protects it from most predators. Little is known of the lifespan of a death glow moth, and even less is known of the creature's procreative habits. It is surmised that deathglow moths and its eggs and larvae are immune to the detrimental effect of the creature's deathglow.
Charonti scholars have raised many questions over the abundance of so many creatures that seem to have been magically evolved from a natural creature. The presence of purely magical beasts such as the bulette or the leucrotta is to be expected in a place where magical energy is existent. Some scholars speculate that the Wasting Plague may have triggered some latent factor in these creatures, which, over the intervening centuries, created the creatures of today. If this hypothesis is true, it begs a question: Did the Worldender Plague destroy the ancient Charonti, or was/there a latent element in the Charonti ancestors' bodies that the Wasting Plague merely awakened? And is that element still with them?
Silver Spider
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Ruins
FREQUENCY: Very Rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: None
INTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)
TREASURE: O, P
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
No. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVEMENT: 15
HIT DICE: 4+4
THACO: 17
No. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1d6 (x2)/1d2
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Bite
SPECIAL DEFENSES: None
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: L 6' long
MORALE: Champion (15)
XP VALUE: 420
Silver spiders appear as six-foot-long creatures apparently made of a highly reflective silvery metal. They have bulbous abdomens and thin, sleek legs. Charonti wizards created these creature ages ago, as non-lethal guardians and hunters. A few have survived to this day.
Combat: Fearsome fighters, the silver spider attacks with its two sharp forelegs inflicting 1d6 vs. Man-sized or smaller targets and 1d8 vs. Large targets. They can direct each leg to strike a different target.
This spider's bite is its strangest weapon. The spider bites first any foe that harms it, otherwise, biting spellcasters first. Its toxin causes any victim to save vs. Poison or his skin is transformed to the same silvery material as the spider. This process takes 1d10 rounds to complete. Victims encased with silver skin gain AC 2, but suffers an effect similar to paralysis. The victim's skin hardens and he can no longer move or breathe. While so encased, the character is preserved and needs no air or sustenance. Only blows that would hit AC 2 or forces that succeed against the victim's save vs. Breath Weapon will cause the character any harm.
The magical skin lasts for 24 hours, after which the victim's skin returns to normal in the same amount of time it took to transform. The victim may be hungry and thirsty, but up to 1d8 points of damage are healed. The victim's hair and eyes retain the silvery sheen. No amount of washing removes the sheen and no illusions will cover the gleam. Forever are the victim's hair and eyes silver.
The silver spider's webbing is also of the same silvery metal, and is as strong as steel. While it is not used in combat against its foes, the webbing is used to restrain victims who've been transformed. Binding helpless victims may be a natural instinctive reaction on the part of the spider or it may make the victim easier to move. More than one person has found himself bound in metal strands as strong as steel. Only a successful Bend Bars/Lift Gates roll allows a bound victim to escape.
Habitat/Society: As a solitary, magical creature, silver spiders have no society.
After a silver spider's bite has transformed its victim, he or she is wrapped securely in the spider's webbing and is taken to some designated storage area (a jail or holding facility) where Charonti authorities later handle the trespassers. With the Charonti of the ruins all dead, there's no one to interrogate the spider's prisoners, and as most beings possess not enough strength to escape, most perish from dehydration or starvation.
Ecology: As artificial creatures, silver spiders have no place in the cycles of life and death in the natural world. Enterprising beings could, however, make good use of the spider and its byproducts if such can be gained safely:
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: The Library of Kas (Tovag)
FREQUENCY: Unique
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: None
INTELLIGENCE: Highly (14)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVEMENT: 6
HIT DICE: 14 (94 hp)
THAC0: 7
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2d6
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d6 each
SPECIAL ATACKS: Constriction
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to fire and some spells
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: G (25' across)
MORALE: Elite (13)
XP VALUE: 9,000
Alas, poor Narek! One of the many bastard children of Kas the Destroyer, he -- it -- now resides forever in a prison forged of betrayal and jealousy. Kas the Bloody, Kas the Wicked, Kas the Warlord sired a son and called him Narek. Narek had great talents for the sorcerous arts. Even Kas's master was impressed with the youth. Narek was too young to have learned never to outshine Kas in his master's eyes. Kas imprisoned the young man in a tomb, trapping him there for all eternity with his magical books.
Narek, filled with not quite enough skill and a little too much confidence, attempted a spell that was beyond him. Its energies transformed him into an unspeakable monstrosity. Now Narek is nothing more than the Thing in the Shaft. Nameless, soulless, loveless, the son of Kas seeks nothing but the pain and suffering of others.
Combat: The Thing in the Shaft is a horrible slimy mass with hundreds of tendrils. It attacks with 2d6 of these tendrils each round, which grasp and lunge for any and all victims. The Thing can attack up to four different targets in a round, and the tendrils can stretch to strike at targets up to forty feet away.
If a foe is hit with four or more tendrils in the same round, the ropy appendages grasp and snare the victim, who is now immobilized. Characters so grasped suffer 2d6 hp of constriction damage. The Thing draws grappled victims in close to it at a rate of ten feet per round. It does not eat its prey, however (since it does not even have a mouth) but merely continues to squeeze the drawn-in victim into its mass until it is dead. Slain foes are haphazardly tossed aside. To break free, the tendrils holding the victim must be severed (each can sustain 4 hp of damage) or the victim must make a successful Strength check for each constricting appendage.
Due to the slime and ooze that covers the Thing, it cannot burn and is thus immune to fire. No charm spells or magic of a controlling or form-altering nature (such as polymorph spells) can affect it.
Habitat/Society: The Thing in the Shaft dwells alone in its prison. If freed, the creature would begin a silent reign of terror and madness as it lurked in dark places large enough to accommodate it (dark alleyways, wide wells, cellars, and so forth), striking out at anyone who would dare to come near.
Ecology: If a sage learned in the ways of monstrous biology ever got the chance to examine the Thing, it is likely that he might suggest that it possesses many characteristics similar to the monster known as the roper. Perhaps this has something to do with the spell Narek attempted and failed so long ago.
The Thing needs no nourishment, sustained'merely by its own hatred and chagrin. It attacks others out of cruelty and rage, not hunger or need.
Arid Bloodthorn
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Arid land
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Patch
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Semi (2-4)
TREASURE: Incidental
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
No. APPEARING: 1-6
ARMOR CLASS: 4/2
MOVEMENT: 1
HIT DICE: 3-8
THAC0: 15
No. OF ATITACKS: 1 per Hit Die
DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1d6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Blood drain
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Thorns
MAGIC RESISTANCE: None
SIZE: L (10' vines)
MORALE: Fearless (19)
XP VALUE: 3 HD: 175, 4 HD: 270, 5 HD: 420, 6 HD: 650, 7 HD: 975, 8 HD: 1,400
This carnivorous plant of jakandor differs from the lush variety common to other AD&D worlds. These bloodthorns are tough, wiry plants that grow in thick, briar-like patches on the arid land of jakandor. It has a dull black bark, and its vines appear dry and desiccated. The base has several clumps of small-bladed leaves and lush, red berries.
While a bloodthorn appears innocuous, close examination will detect long, dangerous thorns lying flat against the vines. These spines can be raised quickly to impale prey or warn predators away.
Combat: When a warm-blooded creature approaches, the plant abandons its innocuous pose and lashes out at prey. The plant can strike with 3 to 8 long, thornstudded vines. The thorns extend to their full 3-inch length, and each tendril becomes a spiny lash. If any vine hits by 4 or more over the attack number needed to hit, it wraps around its prey and embeds its thorns in the victim's flesh. The impaled victim is drained of blood through the hollow thorns (Dmg 1d6). This draining is very painful and victims must make a successful System Shock roll or pass out. The vine drains blood each round until the victim dies or breaks free.
The bloodthorn is not particularly strong, but its vines are tough, and the thorns tend to twine when the vine wraps a victim's body. Any creature trying to pull free has to succeed at a bend bars/lift gates roll. The whole plant usually doesn't weight more than 200 or 250 pounds, so a strong victim might end up dragging the whole bloodthorn patch after him if he fails to pull himself free.
A slashing weapon (Type S) is needed to cut the vine. Each vine has AC 4, and requires 8 points of damage to sever. The thorns of a severed vine still drain blood until the whole vine is carefully detached from a victim - a process that requires one full round. The blood thorn's vulnerable spot is its dense root-bulb or base hidden beneath the other thorny vines. It's hard to reach and is AC 2.
The bloodthorn attacks until it or its prey is dead. The plant retreats from flame, and any stem that is seared releases its victim and curls back up around the base.
Habitat/Society: Unless one knows what to look for, it's easy to be surprised by this ordinary looking briar. One giveaway is the fact that this vine grows in places where other plants can't survive. In the barren places it calls home, the bloodthorn often grows in patches of several plants. These can be especially dangerous, since a person could find herself attached to several plants each draining her dry.
Ecology: The blood thorn derives its sustenance from the blood of small animals and birds. The plant's berries act as a lure for hungry wayfarers, but if someone perseveres and manages to collect some of the bloodthorn's fruit, it's barely worth the trouble - the berries are bitter.
Deathglow Moths
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Forest/mountain
FREQUENCY: Very Rare
ORGANIZATION: Pack
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Nocturnal
DIET: Carnivores
INTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)
TREASURE: Incidental
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
No. APPEARING: 1d20
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVEMENT: 6, Fl 12 (C)
HIT DICE: 2
THAC0: 19
No. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1d4
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
SIZE: S (3') across
MORALE: Steady (11)
XP VALUE: 175
Deathglow moths are a magical mutation, similar to the owlbear and the stirge. These moths have a 3' wingspan, the typical feathery antennae, and a translucent abdomen. Their coloration varies from a brown, bark-colored body and wings the color of tree moss to an almost albino species that matches the bark of birch trees. Regardless of the body and wing coloration, when a deathglow moth goes hunting at night, its abdomen glows a sickly yellow-green; males tend to have a greener tint while in females yellow predominates.
Combat: Deathglow moths fly from their secluded roosts high in the largest trees the region has to offer artd flutter their way along, looking for suitable prey. The deathglow moth only attacks from the air. Its small mouth causes only 1d4 points of damage, but that is not the worst damage a deathglow moth can inflict. Every round that a creature is within 10' of the deathglow moth's abdomen, the creature must save vs. Death Magic or lose 1d3 points of Strength. If a character's Strength falls below zero, the character dies, and the death glow moth settles in to feed. Lost Strength can be recovered at the rate of one point per hour of rest. Feeding moths are easy to slay for their glow is extinguished. Their deadly glow dies when they do and can not be harvested by intrepid hunters.
Habitat/Society: Deathglow moths live only in the deepest forests and highest mountains of Jakandor, where packs of the flying creatures attack everything from birds to small mammals such as rabbits, and if it is hungry enough even humans. These creatures live in colony roosts like bats. These roosts are usually at least 30' above the forest floor. Deathglow moths instinctively seek out a tree that matches its camouflage pattern on which to roost.
While not a natural creature, deathglow moths occupy an admissible role in its habitat. Its relatively low speed allows faster flying creatures to escape, and its deathglow affects the sickest or the weakest target first, thus helping to thin populations allowing the healthier specimens to survive and propagate the species.
Ecology: While the deathglow moth is far from the largest or the fastest predator in forest or mountainous regions, its unique ability protects it from most predators. Little is known of the lifespan of a death glow moth, and even less is known of the creature's procreative habits. It is surmised that deathglow moths and its eggs and larvae are immune to the detrimental effect of the creature's deathglow.
Charonti scholars have raised many questions over the abundance of so many creatures that seem to have been magically evolved from a natural creature. The presence of purely magical beasts such as the bulette or the leucrotta is to be expected in a place where magical energy is existent. Some scholars speculate that the Wasting Plague may have triggered some latent factor in these creatures, which, over the intervening centuries, created the creatures of today. If this hypothesis is true, it begs a question: Did the Worldender Plague destroy the ancient Charonti, or was/there a latent element in the Charonti ancestors' bodies that the Wasting Plague merely awakened? And is that element still with them?
Silver Spider
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Ruins
FREQUENCY: Very Rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: None
INTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)
TREASURE: O, P
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
No. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVEMENT: 15
HIT DICE: 4+4
THACO: 17
No. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1d6 (x2)/1d2
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Bite
SPECIAL DEFENSES: None
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: L 6' long
MORALE: Champion (15)
XP VALUE: 420
Silver spiders appear as six-foot-long creatures apparently made of a highly reflective silvery metal. They have bulbous abdomens and thin, sleek legs. Charonti wizards created these creature ages ago, as non-lethal guardians and hunters. A few have survived to this day.
Combat: Fearsome fighters, the silver spider attacks with its two sharp forelegs inflicting 1d6 vs. Man-sized or smaller targets and 1d8 vs. Large targets. They can direct each leg to strike a different target.
This spider's bite is its strangest weapon. The spider bites first any foe that harms it, otherwise, biting spellcasters first. Its toxin causes any victim to save vs. Poison or his skin is transformed to the same silvery material as the spider. This process takes 1d10 rounds to complete. Victims encased with silver skin gain AC 2, but suffers an effect similar to paralysis. The victim's skin hardens and he can no longer move or breathe. While so encased, the character is preserved and needs no air or sustenance. Only blows that would hit AC 2 or forces that succeed against the victim's save vs. Breath Weapon will cause the character any harm.
The magical skin lasts for 24 hours, after which the victim's skin returns to normal in the same amount of time it took to transform. The victim may be hungry and thirsty, but up to 1d8 points of damage are healed. The victim's hair and eyes retain the silvery sheen. No amount of washing removes the sheen and no illusions will cover the gleam. Forever are the victim's hair and eyes silver.
The silver spider's webbing is also of the same silvery metal, and is as strong as steel. While it is not used in combat against its foes, the webbing is used to restrain victims who've been transformed. Binding helpless victims may be a natural instinctive reaction on the part of the spider or it may make the victim easier to move. More than one person has found himself bound in metal strands as strong as steel. Only a successful Bend Bars/Lift Gates roll allows a bound victim to escape.
Habitat/Society: As a solitary, magical creature, silver spiders have no society.
After a silver spider's bite has transformed its victim, he or she is wrapped securely in the spider's webbing and is taken to some designated storage area (a jail or holding facility) where Charonti authorities later handle the trespassers. With the Charonti of the ruins all dead, there's no one to interrogate the spider's prisoners, and as most beings possess not enough strength to escape, most perish from dehydration or starvation.
Ecology: As artificial creatures, silver spiders have no place in the cycles of life and death in the natural world. Enterprising beings could, however, make good use of the spider and its byproducts if such can be gained safely:
- The spider's webbing, if gathered carefully, can be wound and corded to form a remarkably thin, but amazingly strong wire. Such wire is useful in making jewelry. If enough web is used, several wires can be twisted into a small cable stronger than any rope.
- The spider's weapon-like forelegs can be used as improvised weapons (with a -1 attack penalty due to the lack of a proper hilt). If a hilt is added, a foreleg functions as short sword. The forelegs of a silver spider qualify as silver weapons for determining damage against foes not harmed by normal weapons, such as lycanthropes.