Curse of the Spider Wood

11 Curse of the Spider Wood Writing, Design, and Art Direction: Robert J. Schwalb Editing: Tom Cadorette Proofreading: Jay Spight Layout and Graphic Design: Kara Hamilton Interior Illustrations: Katerina Ladon, Mirco Paganessi, Roman Roland Kuteynikov, Kim Van Deun Curse of the Spider Wood is © 2019 Schwalb Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved. Curse of the Spider Wood, Legacy of Shadow, Shadow of the Demon Lord, Schwalb Entertainment, and their associated logos are trademarks of Schwalb Entertainment, LLC. Schwalb Entertainment, LLC PO Box #12548, Murfreesboro, TN 37129 [email protected] www.schwalbentertainment.com Legacy of Shadow for Shadow of the Demon Lord As one of the last places to be encroached upon by civilization, much of the Northern Reach still remains unexplored, untouched, and wild. Many areas within it are dangerous simply by virtue of their isolation and the quirks of their landscape, but a few places are even more so, harboring old evils and a darkness that stained the world so long ago only the most ancient and studied historians and scholars can recall them. One such place is the Spider Wood, a sprawling, thick jungle with a reputation so sinister, no woodcutters have ever dared to brandish an axe within sight of the place. But it’s not the trees nor the spiders for which the jungle is named that make it so nasty—it’s the demon buried within its heart. Curse of the Spider Wood joins other installments of the Legacy of Shadow by revealing another secret place in the world of Urth. This supplement explores the Spider Wood, the vicious creatures living in it, the demon known as the Queen of Spiders, and the people the demon enslaved long ago. With new monsters, another ancestry option, and a quartet of new paths, this supplement promises to inject new adventure and excitement into your Shadow of the Demon Lord games!

2 The Spider Wood The lands of the Northern Reach were once a verdant paradise before the trolls and faeries ruined it in their hateful war for dominion of the world. Little from that long-forgotten time has survived to the present, though the rare traveler into the wastes might stumble across remains of a petrified forest or spot a fossil in a rock not yet scoured clean by the incessant dust storms. But for a clue about what this region must have been like, one merely needs to look to the Spider Wood, which has passed thousands of years untouched and unsullied by the vile magic that created the harrowing wastes of the Desolation. The Spider Wood marks the Desolation’s eastern border and covers the distance between the shifting dunes and the Auroral Ocean from the edges of the Bone Marsh all the way north to the Shattered Lands. From outside, the jungle appears impossibly dense, with the trees growing so close together, the trunks sometimes fuse. The thick canopy stretches hundreds of feet overhead, plunging the jungle floor into deep shadows. Storms blow in from across the Auroral Ocean only to stall over the Spider Wood. There, they dump torrential rains for sometimes months. Rather than cool it off, the rain only makes the air even more humid than it would otherwise be. Numerous waterways cut through the jungle. While many are narrow and shallow, a few larger rivers reach into the Spider Wood’s interior. The sluggish waters flow around fallen limbs and slimy rocks as they wend between the trunks of the towering trees. Gnats and mosquitoes thicken the air, but the water offers no relief, infested as it is with parasites and sickness. As dense as the jungle is, the press of growth recedes in places to accommodate algae-covered pools and the rotting remains of fallen trees. One can find the ancient remnants, now covered with lichen, vines, and moss, of the troll realm that once dominated these lands. Giant heads of monstrous appearance peer through the arboreal gloom. A few feet of a pillar leans crookedly to one side. An old stone bridge reaches across a slow-moving river. And then there are the trolls themselves, their baffled postures showing the suddenness of the Faerie Queen’s curse. As inhospitable as the Spider Wood can be, it teems with life, home to more varieties of creatures than anywhere in the known the world. An untold number of insects lurk in the jungle, from thumblong flies to vast armies of ants, beetles, and centipedes. A riot of color can be seen in the birds haunting the canopy, while monkeys and lemurs can be spotted moving through the trees and along the tangles of vines stretched between them. Lizards and snakes, frogs and turtles, rabbits, great cats, wild pigs, and countless others make their home here. And yet, their numbers are dwarfed by the spiders from which the jungle takes its name. Ranging in size from the tiny to the impossibly large, hundreds, if not thousands, of arachnid species rule the jungle. One can see their webs stretched taught between the trunks, juddering with each struggling movement of whatever monkey or bird was unlucky enough to be caught by a strand. Elsewhere, the desiccated remains of their victims hang by silken threads from the high branches, twisting and turning in the still air. But not all spiders spin webs. Many creep through the gloomy jungle, stalking prey, or hide in the darkest shadows, springing out when an unsuspecting animal draws near. Worse, some spiders demonstrate an uncanny intelligence and, on certain nights, one might hear their whispery voices speaking in the darkness. Last Chance Outpost Situated on the edges of the Spider Wood, the Last Chance Outpost has served fortune hunters and adventurers for years. A rickety wooden palisade surrounds what is little more than a shabby encampment consisting of a few buildings arranged around a well. The yard reeks of dung and vomit, and the rot eating away at the wooden structures has left them in varying degrees of disrepair. As unappealing as the Last Chance Outpost appears, it quite literally is the last opportunity, such as it is, for travelers to get the supplies they need before venturing into the jungle, like clean water, food, rope, boats, guides, or just information.

33 Foul Bakka, a dwarf, built the outpost after being cast out from Foundry for stealing. The authorities branded his face with a hot iron, marking him as a scoundrel, and then exiled him, promising to see him hanged, or worse, if he ever set foot in the city again. Bakka, however, had been fleecing the forges where he worked for years and had amassed a small fortune. Shouldering his gold, he struck east for Gateway. He never made it. After he became lost in the Bone Marsh, sickened with fever, he wandered north and found a small camp on the edge of the Spider Wood occupied by a band of adventurers. He convalesced with them for a time and stayed behind when they vanished into the jungles. When a couple survivors came running out of the jungle a few days later, Bakka learned all he could from them, murdered them, and hid their bodies. He knew other fortune-seeking fools would soon follow these to the Spider Wood, so the dwarf set out to build an outpost on the campsite where he could peddle shoddy equipment and lies to gullible fools. With labor recruited from the wretched villages in the Bone Marsh and materials harvested from the jungle itself, the Last Chance Outpost was born. Bakka employs four orcs for protection and each has more than earned his or her pay beating down outraged guests seeking vengeance against the dwarf for cheating them. In addition to the orcs, there are a dozen or so unsavory characters who have ended up here. Unsel, a doctor with shaking hands, can patch up wounds and give a person a shot at living after contracting the liquid shits or some other plague from the jungle. Old Hanna, a drunk, whore, and rumored witch, takes coppers for a night in her bed. There are also a number of prospectors, outlaws, and exiles hanging about the Sink, the outpost’s watering hole. Bakka sells common and uncommon items for twice their list price. He’s also open to barter, though he’s clear about his no-refund policy. Everything is sold “as-is.” Items sold here are cheap and shoddy, but serviceable for an adventure or two. Proximity to the jungle puts the outpost within reach of its more sinister denizens: the arachne. After suffering a few attacks, Bakka came to an arrangement with the spider folk. Every couple of months, he drugs one or two of his guests he believes no one will miss, and drags them into the jungle as an offering. So long as he keeps up this practice, he thinks the arachne will leave him alone. So far, none of his offerings have ever returned. Into the Sweltering Jungle It’s said that “If you want to die, take a stroll through the Bone Marsh, but if you want to die spectacularly, the Spider Wood is the place to go.” The lands of Rûl offer plenty of dangers, but few match the Spider Wood’s outright hostility. If the heat exhaustion doesn’t kill you, drinking the water will. And if you somehow manage to bring your own water, any of a million stinging and biting things are only too happy to take you out. It’s a wonder, then, that anyone ever goes into the Spider Wood. But as the inhabitants of the Last Chance Outpost can tell, the foolish go into the jungle all the time. The Spider Wood has a nasty reputation, but it also has secrets some are convinced they must discover. Rumors abound of lost cities, vast piles of gold of the trolls who vanished long ago, ancient and forbidden magic, and much more. And as these rumors gain strength, they invariably attract treasure hunters and adventurers seeking to test their mettle against all that the jungle can throw at them— for the vast majority of them, it is more than they can handle, and few return. Oppressive Heat Temperatures in the Spider Wood can reach upwards of one hundred twenty degrees by day. Combined with the jungle’s humidity, this makes for an oppressive atmosphere that few can handle capably. Each time a living creature completes a rest in the Spider Wood, it must make a Strength challenge roll. On a failure, the creature is fatigued until it completes a rest in a more comfortable environment. If the creature is already fatigued, it instead takes a –1d6 penalty to its Health, which worsens by 1d6 each time the creature gets a failure on this roll. A creature can become acclimated to the environment by getting three successes on the Strength challenge roll. Each time the creature completes a rest thereafter, the penalty to its Health, if any, drops by 5 (minimum 0); once the Health penalty reaches 0, the creature also removes the fatigued affliction it might have. Terrain The thick jungle resists all efforts to travel through it. Explorers on foot must hack their way through undergrowth, contend with sucking mud and tangle roots, all while fighting off swarms of biting flies and other irritating creatures. Those traveling by boat must deal with fallen and submerged trees, rocks, sudden rapids, and shallow flats over or around which they must port their boats. They must also be on constant lookout for whatever creatures lurk below the surface waiting to catch them unawares. Travel through the jungle imposes a x2 time multiplier (Shadow, page 187). Furthermore, the jungle imposes 3 banes on rolls made to avoid becoming lost. Weather Rain falls regularly on the Spider Wood, making the jungle incredibly damp and humid. You can use the following table in place of the Weather table presented in the main rulebook. Spider Wood Weather 3d6 Weather Time Multiplier 3 Unseasonably cold x1 4–5 Heavy precipitation x2 6–8 Dry x1 9–12 Precipitation x1.5 13–15 Unseasonably warm x1 16–17 Storm x2 18 Powerful storm x4

4 Hazards In addition to the environmental difficulties, the Spider Wood also boasts a number of hazards that make travel very dangerous. The abundance of spiders means travelers must contend with webs (Shadow, page 206), but they might also face any of the following difficulties. Drownsand Drownsand litters the grounds throughout the jungle. Creatures falling into these pools of white, powdery sand find themselves sinking to the bottom where they suffocate. Leaves, small twigs, and other detritus conceal the hazards, making them hard to spot. A typical patch has a diameter of 1d3 + 2 yards and has a depth of 3d6 + 6 feet. A creature can spot a pool of drownsand with a success on a Perception challenge roll. When a Size 1/4 or larger creature moves onto the drownsand, it must make an Agility challenge roll with 1 bane or drop into the sand, sinking 1d3 feet each round until it reaches the bottom to join the bones of previous victims. The sand is too fine for a creature to swim out, though it might be possible to climb out. A creature in the sand is blinded and deafened. If it attempts to breath, the sand enters the lungs, dealing 1d6 damage at the end of each round. A creature can attempt to hold its breath (see Suffocation in Shadow, page 202). Bloodbiter Cloud Thick, undulating clouds of biting midges hang in the air, usually near streams and ponds. When a living creature of flesh and blood moves within short range of a bloodbiter cloud, the cloud moves into that creature’s space, at which point the insects feed, causing the creature to become impaired. At the end of each hour the creature remains impaired, it must get a success on a Strength challenge roll or take 1d3 damage. The cloud moves with the creature to remain in its space, though it will not follow a creature that becomes submerged in water or some other liquid. Wind can disperse the cloud, and 3 or more damage from fire will destroy it. Tangleroot The Spider Wood is home to several species of carnivorous plants and though most feed on birds and small mammals, some are capable of capturing larger prey. Tangleroot grows in large patches near the base of trees, using other growth to conceal its presence. The root has upwards of a dozen pale brown runners bristling with sharp thorns that extend up to 12 feet from the plant across the ground. Spotting a patch of tangleroot requires a success on a Perception challenge roll with 2 banes, though many tangleroot patches have the desiccated remains of their victims nearby. The runners respond to pressure, so when a creature steps on them, they whip around the creature’s limbs and drag it to the ground. The other tendrils coil about the creature’s body, which causes the thorns to punch into the flesh to drain the creature of its vital fluids. A creature stepping on the tangleroot must get a success on an Agility challenge roll with 1 bane or fall prone and become immobilized. If the creature is of flesh and blood, it takes 1d6 damage at the end of each round it is immobilized Interesting Sights in the Spider Wood d20 Sight 1 A petrified troll with arms upraised to ward off the sun. 2 A dozen cocooned animals hanging from a tree’s branches. 3 A hideous stone idol covered in vines. 4 A pair of large spiders fighting in the canopy. 5 A pool of water thick with bright green algae. 6 An arrangement of a dozen moss-covered stones. 7 A rustling in the undergrowth that stops after a moment. 8 An enormous web stretching one hundred feet between two trees. 9 A 10-yard wide path of fallen trees and trampled undergrowth that extends a mile before ending abruptly. 10 A ruined tower of stone, infested with bats. 11 A mutilated animal carcass crawling with ants. 12 A collection of empty huts. 13 A deep valley with a waterfall at the end. 14 The bones of an enormous creature. 15 A crocodile-infested pool. 16 A 6-foot tall termite mound. 17 A heap of old stones, all covered in thick slime. 18 A shadow moving through the trees. 19 An egg sac filled with baby spiders. 20 Several rotting human heads mounted on short poles driven into the earth. by the tangleroot. The immobilized creature or a creature that can reach it can use an action to attempt to cut away or tear away the tendrils. Cutting away the tendrils requires dealing 10 damage or more to the plant, while pulling away the tendrils requires the use of an action and a success on a Strength challenge roll with 1 bane. Trumpet of Azrael The Trumpet of Azrael’s pollen gives off a sweet smell that attracts the insects on which it feeds, but also has a curious effect on people, causing them to experience hallucinations and confusion. The plant has a bowl-shaped flower growing from a single stem, with bright blue petals. The plant doesn’t bother with creatures larger than insects, but other creatures that have grown immune to the flower’s scent use it as a lure to bring prey into their reach. When a creature of flesh and blood comes to within medium range of the plant, it must make a Strength challenge roll with 1 bane. On a success, the creature becomes immune to the flower’s scent until it completes a rest. On a failure, the creature becomes dazed for as long as it remains within medium range of the plant. While dazed in this way, the creature must move on each turn toward the flower. Once it reaches the flower, the creature ceases all movement as it experiences bizarre hallucinations. At the end of each round, it must get a success on a Will challenge roll or gain 1 Insanity. If the Insanity gain would cause the creature to go mad, it takes damage equal to its Health and dies.

55 Diseases and Plagues The Spider Wood’s hot, moist climate makes a perfect breeding ground for a variety of diseases. Some of the common diseases associated with the place include blood lung, liquid shits, skin worms, and various infections that are described in the Poisoned Pages supplement, Fever Dreams. Denizens of the Spider Wood A great many dangerous creatures call the jungle home. Animals and monsters of all sizes, dread mothers, burrowing centipedes, fungal hulks, large spiders, and others struggle for survival in this deadly place. The following creatures provide you with additional options for challenging groups venturing into the Spider Wood. Carnivorous Ape Shrieking and howling as they crash through the trees, the carnivorous apes chase down their prey, rending their bodies with tooth and claw. They resemble normal apes, but are taller and more muscular. Their dark eyes gleam and drool flies from their fanged maws when they roar. Carnivorous apes gather in small bands, killing and eating anything that enters their hunting grounds. CARNIVOROUS APE DIFFICULTY 10 Size 1 animal Perception 11 (+1); shadowsight Defense 11; Health 36; Insanity 0; Corruption 0 Strength 12 (+2), Agility 11 (+1), Intellect 8 (–2), Will 11 (+1) Speed 12; climber ATTACK OPTIONS Claws (melee) +2 with 1 boon (2d6 plus Rend on attack roll 20+) Rend The target takes 2d6 extra damage. Teeth (melee) +2 with 1 boon (1d6 + 1) SPECIAL ATTACKS Rending Assault The carnivorous ape makes a claws and teeth attack. Constrictor Snake Most constrictor snakes pose little danger to travelers as they hunt far smaller prey, but some breeds grow large enough to coil around people and larger creatures to crush the life from them. These creatures are sometimes called knot serpents as they are almost impossible to disentangle from their victims. CONSTRICTOR SNAKE DIFFICULTY 10 Size 1 animal Perception 10 (+0); shadowsight Defense 10; Health 44; Insanity 0; Corruption 0 Strength 13 (+3), Agility 10 (+0), Intellect 6 (–4), Will 11 (+1) Speed 8; climber SPECIAL ATTACKS Grab Use an action to make a Strength attack roll with 1 boon against the Agility of one Size 1 or smaller creature the snake can reach or to make a Strength attack roll with 1 boon against the Strength of one creature the snake has grabbed. On a success, the target is grabbed. While grabbed, the target is also impaired. If the target is already grabbed by the snake, it takes 2d6 damage and the snake maintains the grab for 1 round. Crocodile Crocodiles can be found throughout Rûl’s warmer climes, but are much larger and more dangerous in the Spider Wood. They float in the jungle’s waterways, lying in wait for prey. CROCODILE DIFFICULTY 10 Size 2 animal Perception 10 (+0); shadowsight Defense 12; Health 50; Insanity 0; Corruption 0 Strength 13 (+3), Agility 10 (+0), Intellect 6 (–4), Will 10 (+0) Speed 8; swimmer ATTACK OPTIONS Teeth (melee) +3 with 1 boon (2d6 + 3 plus Drag Down) Drag Down When the crocodile gets a success on an attack roll using its teeth against a Size 1 or smaller creature, it can use a triggered action to attempt to grab the target. Tail (melee) +3 with 1 boon (1d6) SPECIAL ATTACKS Double Attack The crocodile makes two attacks: one with its teeth and one with its tail. It must make each attack against a different target. Drop Spider Surviving the Spider Wood requires vigilance for threats can come from any direction. Drop spiders, their bodies bright green with yellow strips, blend into the canopy where they live, always watching the ground for movement. They descend on thin cords of spider silk to strike at creatures passing under them and then retract with their victims in tow. Typical drop spiders are about five feet in diameter and weight seventy pounds. DROP SPIDER DIFFICULTY 25 Size 1 animal Perception 12 (+2) Defense 13; Health 24; Insanity 0; Corruption 0 Strength 12 (+2), Agility 13 (+3), Intellect 8 (–2), Will 10 (+0) Speed 10; climber Silent Mover A drop spider makes Agility challenge rolls to sneak with 3 boons. ATTACK OPTIONS Fangs (melee) +3 with 1 boon (1d6 plus Venom) Venom If the target is a living creature, it must get a success on a Strength challenge roll with 1 bane or become poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned in this way, the target is also defenseless and immobilized. At the end of each round, a poisoned target can repeat the Strength challenge roll and removes the affliction from itself on a success. SPECIAL ATTACKS Tether Using an action, or a triggered action on its turn, the drop spider affixes a line of spider silk to a solid surface it can reach. The tether is strong enough to hold the weight of a Size 3 creature, and the spider can draw out the line as it descends to a lower surface or climb it. Snare Using an action, or a triggered action on its turn, the drop spider affixes a line of spider silk to one defenseless creature it can reach. When the spider moves, the target moves with it. The line of spider silk is an object with Defense 5 and Health 10.

6 Gloom Creeper Gloom creepers hint at the jungle’s connection to a demonic force somewhere in its center. These arachnids are quasi-real spiders of considerable size with glossy black chitin covering their bodies, and an eerie white skull embossed upon their backs. When in shadows or darkness, they become smoky and insubstantial, regaining solidity when they move into the light. GLOOM CREEPER DIFFICULTY 50 Size 2 frightening monster Perception 13 (+3); darksight Defense 15; Health 36; Insanity 0; Corruption 1 Strength 13 (+3), Agility 15 (+5), Intellect 9 (–1), Will 11 (+1) Speed 12; climber Ephemeral Darkness While in areas obscured by shadows or darkness, the gloom creeper takes half damage from all sources, and ignores the effects of moving across difficult terrain. ATTACK OPTIONS Fangs (melee) +5 with 2 boons (3d6 plus Shadow Venom) Shadow Venom If the target is a living creature, it must get a success on a Strength challenge roll with 3 banes or become poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned, the target gains the Ephemeral Darkness trait, but must get a success on a Will challenge roll with 1 bane at the end of each round or gain 1 Insanity. If the target goes mad, it takes damage equal to its Health. Net Weaver Spider The great spitting spider has a striped brown and tan body and grows as large as a dog. Like its smaller counterparts, the spitting spider can fling webs to ensnare distant prey and then set upon their netted bodies with fangs. The great spitting spider has a particularly potent venom that paralyzes its prey but leaves it fully aware of its fate. These spiders hide in shadowed places and hunt only at night. NET WEAVER DIFFICULTY 25 Size 1/2 animal Perception 12 (+2); shadowsight Defense 12; Health 42; Insanity 0; Corruption 0 Strength 13 (+3), Agility 12 (+2), Intellect 6 (–4), Will 10 (+0) Speed 12; climber Immune webs ATTACK OPTIONS Fangs (melee) +3 with 1 boon (2d6 plus Venom) Venom If the target is a living creature, the target must get a success on a Strength challenge roll with 1 bane or become poisoned for 1d6 hours. While poisoned in this way, the target is defenseless and immobilized. At the end of each hour, a target can make a Strength challenge roll with 1 bane and removes the poisoned affliction from itself on a success. SPECIAL ATTACKS Throw Web The net weaver flings webs at one creature within short range. Make an Agility attack roll with 1 boon against the target’s Agility. On a success, the target is immobilized. If the target takes any damage from fire, it removes the immobilized affliction. The target can use an action to make a Strength challenge roll with 3 banes and removes the affliction on a success. Finally, a creature that can reach the target can use an action to cut the webs away and remove the affliction. Orange Leaper Only the red-throated scale beast hunts orange leapers since it can tolerate the noxious poison the leapers exude through their skin. Appearing as black-spotted, bright orange frogs with big bulbous eyes, they can grow up to three feet long and weigh as much as sixty pounds. They live near lakes and ponds, clinging to tree trunks, croaking their songs until prey draws near, at which point they leap down and rip their victims apart with their claws and teeth. A creature can harvest one dose of poison from a dead orange leaper by working for 1 minute with an alchemist’s kit. The poison retains potency for 1d3 days. ORANGE LEAPER DIFFICULTY 1 Size 1/2 animal Perception 11 (+1); shadowsight Defense 11; Health 8; Insanity 0; Corruption 0 Strength 8 (–2), Agility 11 (+1), Intellect 7 (–3), Will 10 (+0) Speed 10 Prodigious Leap When the orange leaper moves, it can ignore the effects of moving across difficult terrain on the ground by leaping over it. Poison Skin A creature that comes into physical contact with the orange leaper must get a success on a Strength challenge roll with 1 bane or become poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned from this effect, the creature has a –5 penalty to Health. If the creature is already poisoned in this way, the penalty to Health worsens by 5.

77 ATTACK OPTIONS Claws (melee) +1 with 1 boon (1d6) Teeth (melee) +1 with 1 boon (1d3) SPECIAL ATTACKS Double Attack The orange leaper attacks with its claws and teeth. Pouncing Strike The orange leaper flies up to a number of yards equal to its Speed and then lands. If the leaper reaches a creature when it lands, it makes an attack with its claws, making the attack roll with 1 additional boon and dealing 1d3 extra damage on a success. Harvesting Venom Player characters might think to extract venom from dead spiders. You can use the guidelines covered under the orange leaper or the full rules described in the supplement Do We Not Die? Raptor Wasp Enormous papery nests hang from the sides of tall trees throughout the Spider Wood. Constructed by raptor wasps, these giant insects have the shape of ordinary wasps but are bright red with black wings. The wasps hunt small mammals and spiders, but become quite vicious if disturbed. The venom of their sting is excruciatingly painful and leaves creatures screaming. RAPTOR WASP DIFFICULTY 5 Size 1/4 animal Perception 10 (+0) Defense 12; Health 12; Insanity 0; Corruption 0 Strength 6 (–4), Agility 12 (+2), Intellect 5 (–5), Will 11 (+1) Speed 10; flier ATTACK OPTIONS Stinger (melee) +2 with 1 boon (1d3 plus Wasp Venom) Wasp Venom If the target is a living creature, it must make a Strength challenge roll with 2 banes. On a failure, the target takes 1d6 damage and becomes poisoned for 10 minutes. While poisoned in this way, the target is also dazed from the pain. At the end of each round, the target can make a Will challenge roll with 1 bane and removes the dazed affliction for 1 round. After three success, the target removes the dazed affliction caused by this effect. END OF THE ROUND Drift The raptor wasp flies half its Speed. This movement does not trigger free attacks. Razor Fish Explorers familiar with the Spider Wood’s many hazards know to stay out of the jungle’s waters. Aside from the parasites and diseases they carry, they also teem with dangerous creatures, like razor fish. Schools of these silvery, toothed fish swim the deep rivers in search of flesh. When they detect a creature of flesh and blood, they swarm it, rending the flesh from the bone in a matter of moments. RAZOR FISH SWARM DIFFICULTY 25 Size 1 animal (aquatic, swarm) Perception 10 (+0); shadowsight Defense 12; Health 30; Insanity 0; Corruption 0 Strength 10 (+0), Agility 12 (+2), Intellect 5 (–5), Will 13 (+3) Speed 10; swimmer Immune charmed, dazed, deafened, frightened, grabbed, immobilized, prone, slowed, stunned Life Sense Living creatures within short range of the swarm cannot become hidden from it. Multitude A swarm takes half damage from attacks that use an attack roll and double damage from effects that require it to make a challenge roll. Revulsion Creatures that are not swarms are impaired while they remain in the swarm’s space or within 1 yard of it. ATTACK OPTIONS Teeth (melee) +2 with 2 boons (3d6 plus Bleeding, or 2d3 if the swarm is injured) Bleeding If the target is a living creature of flesh and blood, it begins bleeding, taking 1d6 damage at the end of each round until it heals any damage or until it or a creature that can reach it uses an action to stanch the wound. END OF THE ROUND Swarming Fish Each creature that isn’t a swarm that is in the swarm’s space or within 1 yard of it must make an Agility challenge roll. On a failure, the creature takes 2d6 damage and becomes slowed for 1 round. Red-Throated Scale Beast A titan of the Spider Wood, the red-throated scale beast, or, more simply, the giant lizard, has little to fear from the jungle. Spiders have a tough time piercing its scales and the beast’s constitution is such that poisons and venoms have no effect on it. The scale beast hunts orange leapers, keeping their population in check, but it will eat anything it can catch. The scale beast resembles a komodo dragon but with a body up to eighteen feet in length and can weigh as much as two tons. Black and green scales armor its body with bright red scales covering its throat. Its long tail, bristling with spikes, reaches its body’s length again. The scale beast’s bite is quite venomous and attacks the body with terrifying speed. Luckily, the scale beast makes a lot of noise as it moves and most creatures have learned to flee its approach. RED-THROATED SCALE BEAST DIFFICULTY 100 Size 5 animal Perception 12 (+2); shadowsight Defense 15; Health 120; Insanity 0; Corruption 0 Strength 15 (+5), Agility 10 (+0), Intellect 8 (–2), Will 13 (+3) Speed 12 Immune damage from poison; poisoned Mad Rush If the scale beast cannot reach any creature on its turn, it immediately moves half its Speed and then resolves its turn. ATTACK OPTIONS Teeth (melee) +5 with 2 boons (3d6 + 3 plus Venom) Venom If the target is a living creature, it must make a Strength challenge roll with 3 banes or become poisoned for 1 minute. At the end of each round the target is poisoned in this way, it must repeat the challenge roll and takes 3d6 damage from the venom on a failure. Tail (melee) +5 with 2 boons (3d6 plus Stun on attack roll 20+) Stun If the target is a creature, it must get a success on a Strength challenge roll with 2 banes or become stunned for 1 round.

8 Sawbeak A vicious breed of bird found only in the Spider Wood, it evolved a serrated beak to help cut through the ubiquitous webs in the jungle. The sawbeak also uses its sharp beak as a weapon and can snip off chunks of flesh from its victims, though it primarily hunts spiders. The sawbeak grows to about the size of a small child and has colorful plumage, usually blue and yellow, with long tail feathers. SAWBEAK DIFFICULTY 1 Size 1/2 animal Perception 10 (+0) Defense 12; Health 10; Insanity 0; Corruption 0 Strength 10 (+0), Agility 12 (+2), Intellect 6 (–4), Will 10 (+0) Speed 10; flier (swoop) Keen Sight A sawbeak makes Perception rolls to see with 1 boon. ATTACK OPTIONS Beak (melee) +2 with 1 boon (1d6 + 3) Spider Swarm A seething wave of miniscule spiders flows out from the trees to carpet the ground as they surge toward their prey. The spiders surge over their victims, injecting their venom through countless bites and when their prey succumbs, they feast. Although most spiders tend to be solitary hunters, many species of smaller spiders learned to cooperate for survival. Of particular note are the blue whistler spiders. Individually harmless, they produce a whistling sound when disturbed. They tend to form colonies, becoming quite dangerous when they do. SPIDER SWARM DIFFICULTY 10 Size 1 animal (swarm) Perception 10 (+0) Defense 13; Health 24; Insanity 0; Corruption 0 Strength 8 (–2), Agility 13 (+3), Intellect 5 (–5), Will 10 (+0) Speed 12; climber Immune charmed, dazed, deafened, frightened, grabbed, immobilized, prone, slowed, stunned Life Sense Living creatures within short range of the swarm cannot become hidden from it. Multitude A swarm takes half damage from attacks that use an attack roll and double damage from effects that require it to make a challenge roll. Revulsion Creatures that are not swarms are impaired while they remain in the swarm’s space or within 1 yard of it. ATTACK OPTIONS Fangs (melee) +3 with 1 boon (2d6 plus Venom, or just 1d6 if the swarm is injured) Venom If the target is a living creature, it must get a success on a Strength challenge roll or take 1d3 damage and become poisoned for 1 minute. If the target is already poisoned in this way, it takes 1d6 extra damage instead. END OF THE ROUND Swarming Spiders Each creature that isn’t a swarm that is in the swarm’s space or within 1 yard of it must make an Agility challenge roll. On a failure, the creature takes 2d6 damage and becomes slowed for 1 round. Viper The Spider Wood is home to at least twenty breeds of vipers, some with bright and colorful scales, others subdued to better blend in with their surroundings. They grow up to six feet long and their fangs inject a powerful venom capable of bringing down an adult human. VIPER DIFFICULTY 5 Size 1 animal Perception 10 (+0); shadowsight Defense 12; Health 16; Insanity 0; Corruption 0 Strength 11 (+1), Agility 12 (+2), Intellect 6 (–4), Will 10 (+0) Speed 12 Keen Senses A viper makes Perception rolls with 1 boon. ATTACK OPTIONS Fangs (melee) +2 with 1 boon (1d3 plus Venom) Venom If the target is a creature, it must get a success on a Strength challenge roll with 1 bane or become poisoned for 1 hour. If the target is already poisoned in this way, it instead takes 1d6 + 1 damage from the venom. While poisoned in this way, the target must repeat the Strength challenge roll every 6 rounds and, on a failure, takes 1d6 damage from the venom. Warrior Ant Warrior ants represent a particularly nasty strain of ant found in the Spider Wood and the fringes of the Desolation. Warrior ants are one inch long and have bright red exoskeletons. When encountered in the wild, they form up into large cooperative groups that forage and attack small animals. When threatened, the entire raid can quickly overwhelm larger creatures and sting them to death.

99 WARRIOR ANT SWARM DIFFICULTY 25 Size 2 animal (swarm) Perception 11 (+1) Defense 11; Health 30; Insanity 0; Corruption 0 Strength 10 (+0), Agility 11 (+1), Intellect 7 (–3), Will 12 (+2) Speed 12; climber Immune charmed, dazed, deafened, frightened, grabbed, immobilized, prone, slowed, stunned Multitude A swarm takes half damage from attacks that use an attack roll and double damage from effects that require it to make a challenge roll. Revulsion Creatures that are not swarms are impaired while they remain in the swarm’s space or within 1 yard of it. ATTACK OPTIONS Stingers (melee) +1 with 2 boons (1d6 plus 2d6 from venom, or 1d3 plus 1d6 from venom if the swarm is injured) END OF THE ROUND Swarming Ants Each creature that isn’t a swarm that is in the swarm’s space or within 1 yard of it must make an Agility challenge roll. On a failure, the creature takes 2d6 damage and becomes slowed for 1 round. The Demon Queen’s Slaves In mankind’s earliest days, following the disastrous wars between the faeries and trolls, humanity found itself confronted with a war-torn world inhabited by beings of great and terrible power. Many peoples found themselves worshiping the immortals as their gods, but not all fell victim to the faeries’ and trolls’ trickery. The Magog, or Men of Gog, had stood closest to the genies who created them and the other mortal peoples. Because of this, they saw the immortals for what they were and sought to break their hold over the mortal tribes. The warlord Amaral, a dark sorcerer of unsurpassed power, tried to gather support from the other tribes of mankind, but to no avail. One tribe, the Daeryn, a people who had been among the first to bend the knee to the faerie lords and ladies, betrayed Amaral’s trust and warned the Faerie Queen of an imminent attack by the Men of Gog. Their warning led to the creation of the broodlings (see We Are Legion), which released a plague of vermin against humanity. In return for their loyalty, the broodlings set upon the Daeryn and made them suffer terribly. The Daeryn cried out for their gods to save them from the horror that had befallen them, receiving only silence to their pleas. Later, when the Edene spilled into the continent from lands beyond the Auroral Ocean, the Daeryn found themselves clapped in chains along with many other tribes of the First People. Faced with slavery, the survivors looked for salvation where they could find it and turned to their estranged kin: the Men of Gog who had withdrawn long ago into the Desolation to found the kingdom of Magog. The Daeryn believed with the aid of these powerful warriors, they could drive back the Edene and reclaim their lands and ways of life. Fleeing the invading Edene, the remaining Daeryn fled north and east into the Desolation, believing that despite the myriad dangers, they would find succor in Magog. Not long after they entered the wasteland, a dust storm blew in from the west and pushed them further east for days. When the storm finally blew itself out, the survivors found a great, sweltering jungle stood before them. Clearly, they had been delivered from their suffering, they believed, and Magog near. Strangely drawn to the jungle, with vague visions and dreams of the mighty Magog near, they soon came to believe they need only enter the jungle to find their kin. And when they reached the kingdom, they would be rejoined with the Men of Gog, tell them of all that had befallen the world in their absence, and rouse them to take up arms and avenge the First People of Rûl. Instead, all they found after they pushed into the dense jungle was their doom. The Demon Queen of Spiders Ages ago, the trolls and the faeries slaughtered each other. The magic they used and the monsters they unleashed transformed a lush and verdant land into the wastes of the Desolation. While the trolls held their own, they knew they could not outlast the faeries, who had far greater numbers. The trolls turned to the unthinkable out of desperation. They and reached beyond the boundaries of reality to call forth a champion from the Void. Rather than summon something they could control, they released a demon prince of unimaginable power. The Queen of Spiders, or the Demon Queen, as she came to be known, waded through the trolls, cutting a swath of death through them with each swing of her arms. Her womb yawned open to release a flood of spiders that spread like ink across the land. Faced with annihilation, the trolls combined their magic to bind the vile thing they had released, sealing her in the ground beneath a runescribed gate designed to hold her until the end of days. Even though they managed to contain the horror before it could wreak too much havoc, the damage was sufficient enough to leave the trolls seriously weakened, which would ultimately contribute to their defeat and accursed status. While the prison the trolls fashioned for the Demon Queen bound the hateful thing under the earth, it could not contain her malign influence. The demon’s presence permeated the thick jungle, spreading out for miles around. The creatures of the jungle began to change, growing sinister in aspect, wicked in nature, creatures turned to darkness by the evil emanating from behind the gate. Those that resisted the Demon Queen’s influence became fodder for the ones who succumbed. Of them, the spiders were the most vulnerable to the demon’s influence and they spawned hundreds of varieties that ranged in size from miniscule to massive. The demon worked through these creatures, dominating them body and mind. Through them, the Queen of Spiders could see the world and work her evil.

10 The Lost City At the eastern edges of the Desolation towered a wall of dense jungle, the trees growing so close, many wound around each other, with the narrowest gaps between them. The thick canopy above blocked out the sun and plunged the interior into darkness. Hot, dripping, and crawling with biting, stinging insects, there seemed no path forward. But the Daeryn had crossed the Desolation, surviving the worst it could throw at them, and, according to their leaders, were on the brink of finding Magog. Undeterred, a few scouts pushed into the jungle, searching for a path ahead. Though most found no good way to proceed, one discovered a narrow path that wound between the trees and was marked with small carved statues, greened with moss that depicted strange hybrid creatures that combined the traits of humans with those of spiders. Further, through the gap in the trees could be seen a distant structure, a great stone edifice. Lured by the promise of shelter, the Daeryn followed the trail. They tore through the thick webbing between the tree trunks, hacked at the vines and undergrowth that sometimes barred their way, and marveled at the monstrously huge statuary that leaned here and laid there. For days, they moved through the jungle, seeing no sign of the spiders who spun the webs or of the creatures that screeched and hooted in the darkness, but the feeling of being watched dogged them throughout the journey. When the Daeryn emerged from the jungle, they found themselves on the edges of a ruined city, buildings of stone designed to house a people much larger than themselves. Like the spokes of wheel, the streets led to the city’s center, where there stood the structure the scouts had spied at the jungle’s edge—a mighty ziggurat of black stone, with a wide staircase leading up to its summit. Nothing of the jungle reached into the city: no vines crept over the buildings, no grasses grew up from between the stones. Of the original inhabitants, the city offered few signs, though the humans surmised that the people who lived here must have been at least twice their size. The Daeryn found little searching the outer buildings. Some felt the city was cursed and argued that they should move back into the jungle and rest there. Most, however, saw no reason not to avail themselves of the available shelter. The ones who refused and slipped back into the cover of the trees were never seen again, but their screams sounded through the long, dark night. The Birth of the Arachne The path the scout discovered vanished by morning and thick webbing spread between the trees surrounding the city, effectively walling off the Daeryn from leaving it. With the route back to the Desolation closed, the Daeryn made the best of their situation and began to explore the city in earnest. Although they found nothing during the day, their nights were filled with dreams of a beautiful goddess who offered to provide for them in return for their prayers and service. At first, the dreams concerned the shamans and elders, but as the tribe’s food and water began to run out, many began to pray to this dream goddess. Those who did found bounty delivered to them each morning, brought forth by the jungle’s spiders. None could argue against these signs and within a matter of weeks, the people had completely fallen under the dream goddess’s sway. Soon after, though, their new goddess began demanding more from her worshipers. Offerings of flowers, precious stones, small animals and the like would grant the people more freedom to move about and some safety in the jungle. Later, when sickness struck them, the goddess offered a cure in return for the sacrifice of a young child. While the Daeryn of old would have balked at such a demand, they were wholly in their goddess’s power—the Demon Queen herself—so a priest carved out the heart of the baby atop the ziggurat in plain view of all. Thus began the atrocities that would corrupt and transform the Daeryn into the monstrous arachne who have terrorized the Spider Wood ever since. Thralls to Darkness Over a thousand years of service to the Queen of Spiders has seen all that was good and noble stripped from the Daeryn to the point where they are little but monsters. They lost their history to the lies spun by their priests and now the arachne believe themselves to have been created by their dark goddess, brought forth from her womb to live as her chosen people. All they do, they do to honor their queen. To do otherwise is to find death on her altars. The first generations of the arachne lived within the old troll city, kept there by the Queen’s will. As her hold over them strengthened, she allowed them to spread through the Spider Wood and establish other colonies in the other troll ruins or in villages they carved out from the jungle. Of late, she has even allowed raiders to venture out of the jungle and explore the Bone Marsh to the south and the Iron Peaks to the west, but such ventures are always undertaken to gather slaves and sacrifices. The increased freedoms of movement stem from the Queen of Spiders’ frustration over her imprisonment. She enslaved the Daeryn so she could somehow force her release. But even though the arachne priests command potent magic, their spells have proven unequal to the troll wards confining her. No amount of brute force has been able to even chip away at the vault, so the Demon Queen has begun to look for a key beyond the jungles, using her minions to scour the lands for anything that might find her release. Unfortunately, the further the arachne travel from the Spider Wood, the weaker her hold over them becomes, limiting the area she can have them search. She has lost too many subjects to the lands south of the Spider Wood and has begun to press her priests to strengthen her minions’ bonds of loyalty by any means.

1111 Fallen Humans Despite the arachne’s corruption by the Queen of Spiders, they still retain most of their human appearance and proportions. They keep their bodies shorn of any hair as they prefer their skin to remain smooth. They tend to be shorter than other humans, with brutish facial features, most having wide mouths and pronounced bone ridges above their eyes. Arachne custom demands the filing of their teeth to points to better tear at the flesh. As the arachne slid further into darkness and corruption, the Demon Queen realized the only way she could maintain order and control over them would be to impose a strict hierarchy. She organized the people according to their value to her and the roles they performed within arachne society, assigning them to one of four major castes: priests, warriors, peasants, and the untouchables. The Demon Queen’s Priests The Queen of Spiders’ priests and priestesses hold all the power in arachne society and act with the full authority of their mistress. They spend their time cloistered away most days, inhaling narcotic incense to ease their minds into the proper state so they can commune with their goddess. In dark chambers, amidst clouds of reeking smoke, the exalted members of the Queen’s priesthood shit themselves and writhe in spiritual agony as the mighty demon rakes their minds with unnatural visions and unspeakable commands. Outside of these instances of communion, the priests might invoke the Queen’s name to rally the population, inspect the workers, and, generally, enjoy the comforts of their station. Once a month, in the darkest hours of the night of the new moon, the priests gather to perform religious ceremonies. Lesser priests line the steep stairs, chanting the many names of their mistress, while passing up the offering, which is always a young man or women, drugged to the point of being insensate. When they reach the top, the attendants place the victim on the bloodstained altar and the high priest, after intoning a prayer to the goddess, carves out the heart from the victim’s chest and raises it high. Crimson spiders come spilling out from the bloody meat, racing down the high priest’s arm. If the goddess finds the sacrifice worthy the spiders do not bite. If unworthy, the priest finds death in the fangs of hundreds of tiny spiders. High Priest Hundreds have held the position of High Priest of the Demon Queen, but never more than one at a time. Chosen from the ranks of lesser priests by the goddess herself, the individual ascends to a precarious position, one that provides great luxury and comfort, but also one that relies on staying in the goddess’s good graces—a difficult proposition at best. Many high priests have had their reigns cut short after displeasing their demonic mistress, their bodies dimpled by countless spider bites. One cannot miss the High Priest in a crowd. The High Priests have always worn robes in bright green, orange, and yellow. A golden half-mask, shaped like a descending spider leaves eyes and mouth exposed. Some claim the spider mask moves on its own accord. They always carry iron staffs wrought with spider imagery. ARACHNE HIGH PRIEST DIFFICULTY 250 Size 1 monster Perception 14 (+4); shadowsight Defense 10; Health 80; Insanity 6; Corruption 8 Strength 11 (+1), Agility 10 (+0), Intellect 14 (+4), Will 13 (+3) Speed 12 Slave of the Demon Queen The high priest ignores the horrifying trait of demons. Demon Within Make all challenge rolls with 1 boon for the high priest and impose 1 bane on attack rolls made against him or her. If he or she becomes incapacitated, they die and a medium demon tears free from the corpse and takes the next available turn. ATTACK OPTIONS Iron Staff (melee) +1 with 2 boons (2d6 + 1) SPECIAL ATTACKS Double Attack The high priest makes two weapon attacks. He or she can cast a spell in place of one of these attacks. Secret Face When the high priest takes damage, use a triggered action to reveal the high priest’s secret face. Each creature you choose within short range of the high priest must get a success on a Will challenge roll or gain 1 Insanity. SPECIAL ACTIONS Anointed Spider Form The high priest can use an action, or a triggered action on his or her turn, to assume the form of the anointed spider if it is in an open space large enough to accommodate a Size 2 creature, or to return to its normal form. The high priest remains in this form until it uses Annointed Spider Form again. The statistics for an annointed spider follow and the high priest’s damage total, Insanity, and Corruption remain the same regardless of the form he or she has assumed.

12 MAGIC Power 4 Death* killing touch (5), injure (2), life drain (2), poisonous breath (2), leprous touch (1), death fog (1) Demonology* compel demon (5), offering of blood (2), call lesser demon (2), shadow of the Void (1), call demon (1) *These traditions and spells are described in Demon Lord’s Companion. END OF THE ROUND Demon Queen’s Favor If the high priest is not injured, he or she heals 1d6 damage. If the high priest is injured, he or she takes 1d6 damage. ANOINTED SPIDER Size 2 frightening monster Perception 16 (+6); shadowsight Defense 16; Health 80; Insanity 6; Corruption 8 Strength 14 (+4), Agility 13 (+3), Intellect 14 (+4), Will 13 (+3) Speed 14; climber Slave of the Demon Queen As above. Demon Within As above. ATTACK OPTIONS Fangs (melee) +4 with 2 boons (5d6 plus Venom) Venom If the target is a living creature, it must get a success on a Strength challenge roll with 2 banes or take 2d6 damage and become poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned in this way, the target must make another Strength challenge roll with 1 bane at the end of each round or take 1d6 damage. SPECIAL ATTACKS Double Attack The anointed spider makes a fangs attack and uses Web Spray. Web Spray The anointed spider sprays webbing at one creature within medium range. Make a Strength attack roll with 1 boon against the target’s Agility. On a success, the webs hit and the target becomes immobilized. A creature that can reach the immobilized target can use an action to cut away the webbing. END OF THE ROUND Scuttle When a creature within the anointed spider’s reach moves, the spider can use a triggered action to retreat. Underpriest The high priest has the support of a legion of underpriests, each having sworn service to the Queen of Spiders. Like their leader, the underpriests enjoy considerable freedom and comfort. They can do whatever they wish as they are answerable only to the high priest, and their goddess, of course. The Demon Queen selects high priests from the ranks of underpriests, so each understands they might ascend to the heights of power at any time. Underpriests don vestments similar to that of the high priest, but with a silver spider mask and robes of single color—bright green, yellow, orange, or red. ARACHNE UNDERPRIEST DIFFICULTY 10 Size 1 monster Perception 13 (+3); shadowsight Defense 10; Health 60; Insanity 5; Corruption 6 Strength 10 (+0), Agility 10 (+0), Intellect 11 (+1), Will 13 (+3) Speed 12; climber (spider form only) Slave of the Demon Queen The underpriest ignores the horrifying trait of demons. ATTACK OPTIONS Long Knife (melee) +0 with 1 boon (1d6) Fangs (spider form only) (melee) +0 with 1 boon (1d6 plus Venom) Venom If the target is a living creature, it must get a success on a Strength challenge roll with 1 bane or take 1d6 damage and become poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned in this way, the target must make another Strength challenge roll with 1 bane at the end of each round or take 1d6 damage. SPECIAL ACTIONS Spider Form The arachne can use an action, or a triggered action on its turn, to assume the form of a spider of its Size or return to its normal form. The arachne remains in this form until it uses Spider Form again. While in spider form, the arachne gains the climber trait and can attack with its fangs. Otherwise, its statistics are unchanged. MAGIC Power 2 Death killing touch (3), injure (2), life drain (2), poisonous breath (1) Warriors The warriors make up the caste under the priests, and they too enjoy the rewards of their station, with the high-ranking among them having access to food, drink, comforts, and all the lovers they could ever want. Lesser warriors might have the fear and respect of the people under them, but they live little better than the rest of their kind. Warriors protect the priests and the settlements in which they live, when not raiding for supplies and slaves. Champion Arachne champions rise from the ranks of ordinary warriors, having been chosen for their prowess and courage in the face of battle. The priests carefully screen these warriors to judge their loyalty and obedience before they heap on them the accolades they deserve. Those found wanting are looked over and sent into increasingly dangerous situations until their luck finally runs out. Those who pass the inspection are lifted up and celebrated through the arachne communities until they stand nearly as high as the priests themselves. The names of arachne champions live far longer than do the champions themselves. The people see them as symbols of they could wish to become and all that they could receive from the Demon Queen. All champions tend to be bigger and stronger than other warriors, painting their bodies in bright colors as a sign of their status. ARACHNE CHAMPION DIFFICULTY 100 Size 1 monster Perception 11 (+1); shadowsight Defense 15 (hard leather); Health 75; Insanity 6; Corruption 5 Strength 15 (+5), Agility 13 (+3), Intellect 11 (+1), Will 12 (+2) Speed 12; climber (spider form only) ATTACK OPTIONS Greataxe (melee) +5 with 1 boon (3d6) Fangs (spider form only) (melee) +5 with 1 boon (2d6 plus Venom) Venom If the target is a living creature, it must get a success on a Strength challenge roll with 1 bane or take 2d6 damage and become poisoned for 1 minute. While

1313 poisoned in this way, the target must make another Strength challenge roll with 1 bane at the end of each round or take 1d6 damage. SPECIAL ATTACKS Double Attack The arachne champion makes two melee attacks. SPECIAL ACTIONS Spider Form The arachne can use an action, or a triggered action on its turn, to assume the form of a spider of its Size or return to its normal form. The arachne remains in this form until it uses Spider Form again. While in spider form, the arachne gains the climber trait and can attack with its fangs. Otherwise, its statistics are unchanged. Spider Guard Most members of the warrior caste belong to the spider guard. They include the warriors, young and old, novice or experienced, who fight in the Demon Queen’s name. Most spider guards wear little more than loincloths and paint their bodies black and red to be more fearsome to their enemies. They shift between their spider forms and humanoid forms to keep their enemies off balance. ARACHNE SPIDER GUARD DIFFICULTY 5 Size 1 monster Perception 11 (+1); shadowsight Defense 13; Health 20; Insanity 3; Corruption 3 Strength 10 (+0), Agility 13 (+3), Intellect 11 (+1), Will 10 (+0) Speed 12; climber (spider form only) ATTACK OPTIONS Spear (melee) +3 with 1 boon (2d6) Fangs (spider form only) (melee) +3 with 1 boon (1d6 plus Venom) Venom If the target is a living creature, it must get a success on a Strength challenge roll with 1 bane or take 1d6 damage and become poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned in this way, the target must make another Strength challenge roll with 1 bane at the end of each round or take 1d6 damage. SPECIAL ACTIONS Spider Form The arachne can use an action, or a triggered action on its turn, to assume the form of a spider of its Size or return to its normal form. The arachne remains in this form until it uses Spider Form again. While in spider form, the arachne gains the climber trait and can attack with its fangs. Otherwise, its statistics are unchanged. Shadow Crawlers Among the spider guard, certain warriors have evolved additional capabilities useful for capturing prey alive, which is perfect for obtaining slaves for food, labor, and sacrifice. Called the shadow crawlers, they accompany the spider guard on raids, usually acting as scouts and spies. They can creep through the jungle gloom unseen and take their prey unaware. Unlike the spider guard who paint their bodies red and black, the crawlers paint themselves dark green and black for camouflage. ARACHNE SHADOW CRAWLER DIFFICULTY 25 Size 1 monster Perception 12 (+2); shadowsight Defense 14; Health 20; Insanity 2; Corruption 4 Strength 11 (+1), Agility 14 (+4), Intellect 12 (+2), Will 9 (–1) Speed 12; climber (spider form only) ATTACK OPTIONS Long Knife (melee) +4 with 1 boon (2d6) Fangs (spider form only) (melee) +4 with 1 boon (1d3 plus Venom) Venom If the target is a living creature, it must get a success on a Strength challenge roll or fall prone and become poisoned for 1 hour. While poisoned in this way, the target is defenseless and immobilized. SPECIAL ATTACKS Spin Webs (spider form only) The arachne spins webs and flings them at one creature within short range. The arachne makes an Agility attack roll against the target’s Agility. On a success, the webs hit and the target is immobilized. An immobilized target can use an action to make a Strength challenge roll with 1 bane and removes the immobilized affliction from itself on a success. Another creature that can reach the target can use an action to cut away the webbing and remove the immobilized affliction. SPECIAL ACTIONS Spider Form The arachne can use an action, or a triggered action on its turn, to assume the form of a spider of its Size or return to its normal form. The arachne remains in this form until it uses Spider Form again. While in spider form, the arachne gains the climber trait, can attack with its fangs or Spin Webs. Otherwise, its statistics are unchanged.

14 Peasants Few people from outside the Spider Wood ever encounter the ordinary arachne, the many who forage in the jungle, work in the fields, and perform all the necessary labors to keep its cruel society functioning. While warriors and the occasional priest do make it out of the jungle, peasants never do and their lot is one of endless back-breaking labor. And though they produce plenty from their efforts, nearly all of what they grow or find goes to feed the warriors and the priests. As one might expect, few peasants live long enough to reach middle-age and nearly all bear the signs of strain and hardship in their haggard, malnourished appearance. The peasants possess none of the gifts that their betters enjoy, and are, more or less human, albeit with a gray pallor and red, gleaming eyes. ARACHNE PEASANT DIFFICULTY 1 Size 1 human Perception 8 (–2); shadowsight Defense 10; Health 11; Insanity 4; Corruption 1 Strength 11 (+1), Agility 10 (+0), Intellect 8 (–2), Will 9 (–1) Speed 10 ATTACK OPTIONS Spear (melee) +1 (1d6) Untouchables The peasants might stand on the lowest rung of the arachne ladder, but they still remain people by the standards of their society. Underneath them, though, are the untouchables. These peoples have been deemed unclean, sullied, and subhuman. They include abominations born to people of any caste, the slaves taken from the surrounding lands, as well as those who wield magic from a source other the Demon Queen. Many untouchables (arachne peasant) perform necessary, even vital, tasks for their community. They make the leather, dispose of the dead, and haul off the rubbish and sewage. Without them, the arachne would surely die, a fact all recognize but feel no compulsion to address by attempting to improve their lots. Fear motivates much of the coldness they show to the untouchables since it’s widely believed that to have congress with any of them is to become one of them. Pariahs The law of the arachne forbids anyone other than priests from wielding magic. This prohibition ensures the priests have no other rivals and that the true nature of their goddess remains hidden. Some manage to discover magical traditions and learn spells as a result. They might have an inborn gift, but others come by their forbidden arts by forging pacts with devils and other dread entities. Whatever way they come by their magic, though, they face ostracism and exile, forced to live on their society’s fringes. Always hunted, pariahs stay on the move. They usually find refuge in places far from arachne settlements, hiding in the jungle they have always known as their home. A few manage to escape the jungle, but few find welcome in the southern lands. Even people who know nothing about the arachne can recognize the stink of demon on them. You can create a pariah by adding the magician template to any arachne presented here. The Demon Queen, however, strips such people of their ability to assume spider form. Abomination Proximity to the Demon Queen’s vault exposes the peoples living in its shadow to vile, demonic forces, which results in the manifestation of unpredictable and, often, hideous changes. Fetuses are most susceptible to these transformations and none now even flinch when they hear the horrified screams of new mothers. But rather than destroy these abominations, they are exiled to the jungle where the Queen of Spiders will decide if they live or die. If they survive, they become untouchables and might find place among the rest of the wretched. Abominations display an alarming range of malformations in both body and mind. Misshapen limbs, distorted, jumbled features, extra limbs, growths, and the like make them immediately identifiable as untouchables. Ostracism and isolation make them vicious and temperamental, but only to outsiders and others who lack caste. ARACHNE ABOMINATION DIFFICULTY 5 Size 1 frightening monster Perception 10 (+0); shadowsight Defense 11; Health 40; Insanity 6; Corruption 3 Strength 13 (+3), Agility 9 (–1), Intellect 8 (–2), Will 11 (+1) Speed 10 Rage While injured, the abomination makes attack rolls and challenge rolls with 1 boon and its attacks deal 1d6 extra damage. ATTACK OPTIONS Claws (melee) +3 (1d6) END OF THE ROUND Overcome If the abomination has an affliction, roll a d6. On a 4 or higher, remove any one affliction from the abomination. Possessed Reality around the Demon Queen’s vault has frayed and torn over the millennia of her imprisonment. Demons, eager to find ways into the world, avail themselves of these openings, but instead of tearing apart the arachne they find, they work to drive them mad so they can possess them. Anyone showing signs of demonic possession is immediately stripped of rank and forced to live among the untouchables. For more information on Demonic Possession, see Hunger in the Void. Slave Since falling under the Demon Queen’s power, the arachne take slaves to make up for labor shortages. The arachne make prisoners of any who venture in to the Spider Wood as well as arachne who have been disgraced, offended the priests, or have violated the societal rules in some way.

1515 More and more, though, the arachne leave the Spider Wood to kidnap slaves from the towns and villages in the Bone Marsh and near the Iron Peaks. Slaves (commoner) lead miserable lives of endless toil and torment. Isolated from even the other untouchables, they receive just enough food and water so they can work and little else. When slaves can no longer work, they are given over to the priests as sacrifices. Here and there, slaves have risen up against their masters, but the arachne put down these rebellions with shocking and final swiftness. Arachne Characters The arachne infest the Spider Wood, living as thralls to a powerful demon known as the Queen of Spiders. Once human, long association with and service to this vile being has infected these people with darkness, blackening their souls in return for their patron’s gifts. Arachne despise other peoples and brook no trespassers into their lands, taking any interlopers they find as slaves, or, depending on the whims of their Queen, hauling them to the blood-stained altars where they are sacrificed. In a very few cases, the hapless prisoners are brought before the gate of the vault where the Demon Queen is bound for direct interrogation in her continuing effort to find a way to escape her prison. Although this supplement provides many sample characters, you can use the following rules in conjunction with those found in Shadow of the Demon Lord to create unique high-caste arachne secondary characters. If you want to create an arachne of a lower caste, use the human ancestry, but reduce the starting Will score to 8 and add the shadowsight trait. You can also use these rules to let players create arachne characters, but as servants of a hideous demon, they do not often leave the Spider Wood nor do they find themselves in league with peoples who fight against the Demon Lord’s dread influence. For this reason, the arachne ancestry might not be suitable for all groups and their association with more traditional character options should be an extraordinary situation that requires some degree of explanation to make sure they are an appropriate addition to a new or existing group. Fear and Loathing: Fear of the Demon Queen drives arachne hatred for outsiders as they know that displeasing their mistress means their doom. Along with that fear is a subconscious shame for what they have become, an understanding that they long ago forfeited their humanity by willingly serving such a monstrous entity. This shame fuels their anger and loathing of other peoples, which they take out on trespassers and their own lower castes. All Hail the Queen: The Demon Queen has near total control of the arachne, making slaves of them all. From the depths of her vault, she listens to their thoughts and sees their dreams, guiding her priests to root out the skeptical and disloyal. Although the priests offer no explanation for choosing whom they choose for sacrifices, many suspect their goddess listens to their innermost thoughts, which leads most to bury deep their feelings until they have no room in their hearts and minds for anything but service to their dark mistress. Gifts of Darkness: The first to come under the Queen of Spiders’ sway underwent grotesque transformations as their souls darkened from the wickedness they performed in her name. After a couple of generations, the stain of corruption manifested in a more uniform way. Those most loyal to the Queen discovered they could transform into man-size spiders. Priests and warriors alike offered this gift as proof of their superiority, and worthiness that explained their higher station in arachne society. Most priests believe that while in spider form, they stand closer to their goddess and can better understand her desires. Warriors favor their spider forms when hunting for the greater mobility and its venomous fangs. Vile Goddess: Monstrous, bloodthirsty, powerful, and wicked beyond mortal imagining, the Queen of Spiders does not belong to this world. She was summoned from the Void by the trolls in their jungle realm during the Hateful Wars with the faerie. Instead of serving the trolls, she slaughtered untold numbers of them, all the while spilling countless eggs of spiders of all shapes and sizes that now infest the forest. The few trolls remaining bound their magical powers together and imprisoned the Demon Queen in a vault buried beneath a colossal ziggurat of jet-black stone. From there, she whispers into the minds of her servants, commanding them to perform foul acts in her name that include live sacrifices, cannibalism, and worse. Devotees of the Queen of Spiders have access to the Death, Demonology, and Primal traditions. Breaking the Chains: Although the Demon Queen’s grip on the arachne remains as tight as it has ever been, the people utterly in her thrall, the further the arachne travel from the Spider Wood, the weaker her hold becomes on their hearts and minds. Those who are freed from her poisonous influence find themselves questioning everything they believe to the point that a few even abandon their people altogether to find another place for themselves in the world. They might be free from their people, but their unusual appearance and odd manner makes it difficult to fit into civilized lands. Common Names: Aara, Azaz, Bilek, Daas, Dreef, Eza, Gegren, Huis, Isthez, Nexen, Nuuzo, Seve, Suok, Titir, Vorsh, Zeren, and Zylk. Creating an Arachne Starting Attribute Scores Strength 10, Agility 12, Intellect 10, Will 9 Perception equals your Intellect score Defense equals your Agility score Health equals your Strength score Healing Rate equals one-quarter your Health Size 1, Speed 12, Power 0 0 Damage, 1d3 Insanity, 1d3 Corruption Languages and Professions You speak Arachne. Shadowsight You can see into areas obscured by shadows as if those areas were lit. Spider Form You can use an action, or a triggered action on your turn, to assume the form of a large spider and you can remain in that form until you use an action, or a triggered action on your turn, to return to your humanoid form. See the “Assuming Different Forms” sidebar in Shadow, page 147.

16 Level 4 Arachne Expert Characteristics Health +5 You learn one spell or gain the Spit Venom talent. Spit Venom You can use an action to spit venom from your mouth at a creature within short range. Make a Strength or Agility attack roll against the target’s Agility. On a success, the target takes 1d6 damage and becomes poisoned for 1 minute. If the target is already poisoned, it takes 1d6 extra damage. Once you use Spit Venom, you must wait at least 1 minute before you can use it again. Arachne Age 3d6 Starting Age 3 You are a child, aged 10 years or younger. 4–5 You are an adolescent, between the ages of 11 and 15. 6–8 You are a young adult, between the ages of 16 and 21. 9–12 You are an adult, between the ages of 22 and 35. 13–15 You are a middle-aged adult, between the ages of 36 and 55. 16–17 You are an older adult, aged between 56 and 75. 18 You are a venerable adult, aged 76 or older. Arachne Build 3d6 Build 3 You are short and slight. 4–5 You are short and either slender or heavy. 6–8 You are short 9–12 You are of average height and weight. 13–15 You are tall 16–17 You are tall and either slender or heavy. 18 You are huge, tall and heavyset. Arachne Appearance 3d6 Appearance 3 Your humanoid form shows signs of your spider form, with you having extra eyes, sharp teeth, and glossy skin. You appear to be a monster. 4–5 You are unpleasant to look upon. 6–8 You have strange features others find unsettling. 9–12 Neither appealing nor unattractive, you appear perfectly ordinary. 13–15 You have a pleasing form. 16–17 You are quite attractive, appearing fully human. 18 You have an exotic beauty that makes you stand apart from others. You turn heads wherever you go. Arachne Personality 3d6 Personality 3 Vicious and murderous, you take great pleasure from killing people. 4–5 You harbor dark and unspeakable thoughts. You revel in causing misery. 6–8 You put yourself first in every situation. 9–12 You suspect the worst in everyone you meet. You have few friends.

1717 3d6 Personality 13–15 You have strange delusions about the world that make you bizarre and unpredictable. 16–17 You live in fear, knowing the Queen of Spiders will one day steal your soul. 18 You strive to be better than your people, to be a force for good. Arachne Beliefs 3d6 Beliefs 3 You are a mad, frothing devotee of the Queen of Spiders and would gladly give your life for her. 4–5 You turned to the Devil to help you escape the clutches of the Queen of Spiders. 6–8 You worship the Queen of Spiders, believing she has your best interests in mind. 9–12 You fear the Queen of Spiders. 13–15 You believe the Queen of Spiders to be a monster. 16–17 You adopted the Old Faith. 18 You reject all gods. Arachne Background d20 Background 1 You were to be sacrificed to the Queen of Spiders, but you escaped. 2 A traveler stole you from your homeland and raised you as his or her own. 3 You were cut off from your tribe and stumbled out of the Spider Wood. 4 You killed a lot of people. Gain 1 Corruption. 5 You went mad. Gain 1d3 Insanity. 6 You were badly injured in an attack against your folk. 7 You sacrificed a human child. Gain 1 Corruption. 8 The Queen of Spiders whispered to you. Gain 1d6 Insanity. 9 You fled your tribe in disgrace before they could kill you. 10 You worked in your profession. 11 A sibling died trying to get you out of the Spider Wood. 12 You befriended a human. Add the Common Tongue to the list of languages you can speak. 13 You helped destroy a ferocious monster. 14 You raided human settlements for slaves. 15 You killed a large spider to save the life of a loved one. 16 You performed a heroic deed. 17 You have nightmares about something you saw. 18 Your parents hid you from vengeful high priests and then spirited you out of the land. 19 You left your people to see the world. 20 You came into some money. Start the game with 2d6 cp. New Paths The following paths provide options for arachne characters, though characters from any ancestry might select them. Priest of the Spider Queen The decadent priesthood of the Queen of Spiders enjoys incredible power over the arachne people. They speak for the dread goddess and so their pronouncements are law. The Demon Queen favors them with foul magic enabling them to snuff out life, assume monstrous forms, and call forth demons from the Void. They are a vile people, their souls darkened by their sickening desires and their rapacious acts of cruelty. Priest of the Spider Queen Story Development d3 Story Development 1 You were born into the priest caste and entered the priesthood when you came of age. 2 The Queen of Spiders bestowed her blessings on you and elevated you to the rank of priest. 3 You became enamored with the Queen of Spiders after visiting one of her temples and witnessing her power. Level 1 Priest of the Spider Queen Attributes Choose two attributes and increase both by 1. Characteristics Health +4, Power +1, Corruption +1 Languages and Professions Add cultist to your list of professions. Magic You discover the Death, Demonology, or Primal tradition. Then, choose one of the following options. • You discover the other two traditions. • You discover one of the other traditions and learn one spell. • You lean two spells. Chosen of the Demon Queen You gain the spider form trait (see page 15) if you do not have it already. While in your spider form, you make attack rolls with 1 boon. Dark Recovery You can use an action to heal damage equal to your healing rate and become partially obscured by shadows for 1 minute. Once you use this talent, you must complete a rest before you can use it again. Level 2 Priest of the Spider Queen Characteristics Health +4, Corruption +1 Magic Choose one of the following options: • You discover two traditions from Death, Demonology, or Primal. • You discover the Death, Demonology, or Primal tradition and you learn one spell. • You learn two spells. Spiteful Prayer When a creature within short range of you makes an attack roll or a challenge roll, you can use a triggered action to impose 1 bane on the triggering roll. If the triggering roll results in a failure, you make all attack rolls and challenge rolls with 1 boon for 1 round.

18 Level 5 Expert Priest of the Spider Queen Characteristics Health +4, Power +1, Corruption +1 Magic You learn one spell. Horrid Spider When you use your spider form trait, each creature that can see you and is neither arachne nor a priest of the Spider Queen must make a Will challenge roll. A creature gains 1 Insanity on a failure, or becomes immune to your use of this trait until it completes a rest. Level 8 Master Priest of the Spider Queen Characteristics Health +4, Corruption +1 Magic You learn one spell. Emboldening Hate When a creature gets a failure on a roll it makes that had the bane from your Spiteful Prayer talent, your attacks against that creature deal 1d6 extra damage for 1 round. Improved Dark Recovery You can use Dark Recovery twice. Chosen of the Spider Queen The Queen of Spiders depends on her priests to carry out her will in the world and, eventually, secure her release from the prison that binds her. The people making up her priesthood tend to be too self-serving, greedy, and cruel to look beyond their own needs, and thus many invariably come to a swift and horrific end after earning their mistress’s enmity. A few, though, manage to distinguish themselves through the constancy of their service and receive greater favor from their patron. These chosen find their willpower stripped from them until they become living extensions of their dark goddess, commanding dread magic, finding all others who follow the tenets of their faith unquestioningly obedient to the priest’s every command. Chosen of the Spider Queen Story Development d3 Story Development 1 You sacrificed a sibling, child, or parent to the Queen of Spiders to curry favor with her. 2 You exposed a rival as a traitor and in doing so earned a terrible reward. 3 You were possessed by a demon who revealed to you the truth of the Queen of Spiders. The madness resulting from the experience made you pledge your devotion to her and you count yourself one of her most loyal servants. Level 3 Chosen of the Spider Queen Attributes Choose two attributes and increase both by 1. Characteristics Health +4, Power +1, Corruption +1 Languages and Professions You can speak, read, and write the Dark Tongue. Magic You discover the Death, Demonology, or Primal tradition or you learn one spell from one of those traditions. Favor of the Demon Queen When you complete a rest, the GM secretly rolls a d6 and adds your Power score to the roll to create your pool of favor. When you get a failure on an attack roll or challenge roll, you can invoke the favor of the Demon Queen to repeat the roll. You must use the second result, even if it is worse than the first. Each time you use this talent, you reduce your pool of favor by 1. If you have no more favor remaining, you must get a success on a Will challenge roll with 3 banes or gain 1d6 Insanity. Level 6 Chosen of the Spider Queen Characteristics Health +4, Corruption +1 Magic You learn one spell. Dread Queen’s Wrath When you use Favor of the Demon Queen to reroll an attack roll, the attack deals 3d6 extra damage. Level 9 Master Chosen of the Spider Queen Characteristics Health +4, Power +1, Corruption +1 Magic You learn one spell. Blasphemous Blessing You can use an action to beseech the Demon Queen to restore your favor. Make a Will challenge roll with 3 banes. On a success, the GM secretly rolls a d3 and adds the number to your pool of favor. On a failure, you gain 1d3 Insanity. Demon Beast Those who traffic with demons find themselves sullied by the experience, their very souls stained by the corrupting influence of these foul beings. The experience destroys some, but those who have shown loyalty to the Void might make use of their inner darkness and manifest demonic traits by harnessing the evil in their hearts. Called demon beasts, these despicable and, often, insane servants of the Shadow brutalize themselves in their bid to become more like the demons they serve. As their bodies become more and more contaminated, so too does their power until they almost become demons themselves. Demon Beast Story Development d3 Story Development 1 A demon possessed you and shredded your sanity. Whether free or not, you now have an unhealthy obsession with the Void and the horrors in it. 2 You have peered into the Void and found the Demon Lord looking back. With your mind blasted by the experience, all you wish to do is serve. 3 Something evil grows inside you. You don’t know what it is, but you find that it is becoming harder and harder to control. You fear one day, the beast will break free and consume you and all that you love. Level 3 Demon Beast Attributes Choose two attributes and increase both by 1. Characteristics Health +4, Power +1, Corruption +1 Magic You discover the Demonology and Transformation traditions. If you have already discovered one or both, you can learn a rank 1 or lower spell from either tradition. Mark of Darkness You gain a random mark of darkness. Demonic Transformation Whenever you assume a different form, the new form has demonic characteristics. While in that form, you gain the following benefits and drawbacks: • You gain the horrifying trait if you don’t have it already. • You gain darksight if you don’t have it already. • You gain a +2 bonus to Defense. • You gain a +5 bonus to Health. • You make Intellect and Will attack rolls and challenge rolls with 1 bane.

1919 Level 6 Demon Beast Characteristics Health +4, Corruption +1 Magic You learn one spell. Demonic Shadows When you cast a Demonology or Primal spell, you can use a triggered action to cause shadows to billow out from your body for 1 minute. The shadows spread out a number of yards equal to your Size from a point in your space and move with you, remaining centered on you. The shadows partially obscure their space. Level 9 Master Demon Beast Characteristics Health +4, Power +1, Corruption +1 Magic You learn one spell. Demonic Apotheosis Whenever you use your Demonic Transformation talent, your attacks deal 2d6 extra damage while you remain in your demonic form. However, when you would return to your normal form, you must make a Will challenge roll with 3 banes. On a failure, you gain 1 Insanity, do not return to your normal form, and you cannot try again for 1 round. Envenomer Students of Death magic embrace the tradition’s sinister trappings, discovering all kinds of ways to abbreviate the lives of living things. Some develop a keen interest in specific methods, whether it be the knife, or a word of power that causes a heart to quit beating. Envenomers favor poisons, venoms, and other toxins, and discover new ways to use their magic to destroy life. Envenomer Story Development d3 Story Development 1 Nearly poisoned once, you devoted your career to mastering all kinds of toxic substances. 2 The use of poisons and venoms are important to members of your cult and your talents reflect your gradual climb through their ranks. 3 You realized your unwholesome obsession with venoms when you began your study of Death magic and that obsession has only grown worse. Level 3 Envenomer Attributes Choose two attributes and increase both by 1. Characteristics Health +3, Power +1 Magic You discover the Death tradition or you learn one Death spell. Toxic Spells Whenever a creature takes damage from a Death spell you cast, the creature also becomes poisoned for a number of rounds equal to the rank of the spell (minimum 1). Level 6 Envenomer Characteristics Health +3 Magic You learn one spell. Poison Spray You can use an action and expend a casting of a Death spell you have learned to spray of poison from your hand into a cone with a length equal to 1 + the rank of the spell whose casting you expended. The poison deals 1d6 damage plus 1d6 damage per rank of the spell whose casting you expended to each living creature in the area. A creature that would take this damage can make a Strength challenge roll, taking half the damage on a success, or becoming poisoned for 1 minute on a failure. Level 9 Master Envenomer Characteristics Health +3, Power +1 Magic You learn one spell. Toxin Immunity You are immune to damage from poison and the poisoned affliction. Toxic Presence Whenever you cast a Death spell, you can choose to surround yourself with a toxic mist that remains for a number of rounds equal to 1 + the rank of the spell whose casting you expended. Each creature in the area at the end of each round until the mist dissipates must get a success on a Strength challenge roll or take 1d6 damage and become poisoned for 1 round. Spider Savant The Spider Wood has always been known for its spiders long before the arachne ever settled in the jungle. Here, spiders grow to enormous size and possess capabilities far beyond those of ordinary varieties. While many of these giant spiders are dangerous to people, many avoid humans and their ilk, instead preying on birds, rodents, and even other spiders. Spider savants have a strange affinity for spiders of all kinds and can safely handle and interact with them. Their ability often comes from the knowledge they possess of Primal magic, but it can also be a gift from gods of the wild places and dark patrons who adopt these creatures as their favored children. Spider savants take big spiders as their companions and, in time, are changed by them.

20 Spider Savant Story Development d3 Story Development 1 An avowed champion of the Queen of Spiders, becoming a spider savant reflects the favor you have earned. 2 You saved the life of a spider and developed an inexplicable connection to these creatures. 3 Your new capabilities combine your ongoing interest in spiders and your study of magic. Level 3 Spider Savant Attributes Choose two attributes and increase both by 1. Characteristics Health +3, Power +1 Magic You discover the Primal tradition or you learn one Primal spell. Bonded Spider You have forged a bond with a large spider. The spider is friendly to you and accompanies you on your adventures. The spider obeys your mental commands provided you are within long range of it. If the spider dies, another one befriends you at the start of the next adventure. Level 6 Spider Savant Characteristics Health +3 Magic You learn one spell. Strong Bond You can issue commands to your Bonded Spider provided it is within 1 mile of you. In addition, while you and the creature are within short range of each other, you both make attack rolls and Perception rolls with 1 boon. Level 9 Master Spider Savant Characteristics Health +3, Power +1 Magic You learn one spell. Giant Spider Your Bonded Spider improves. Make the following changes to its statistics box: • Increase its Size to 2. • Increase its Health by 30. • Its fangs attack deals 1d6 extra damage. • Creatures make the Strength challenge roll to resist its poison with 2 banes and the poison deals 2d6 extra damage.

2121 If you enjoyed Curse of the Spider Wood, check out these bloodcurdling supplements! black sun dawn The Cabal of the Black Sun stands as one of the more recent examples of a concerted effort to forestall death. A society made up of deranged wizards and other users of magic, they plunged headlong into darkness after recovering the fabled Black Sun Manuscript, an ancient tome brimming with evil. Using the writings as the basis for their study, they conducted unspeakable experiments, spawning horrors beyond imagining as they sought to find the key to immortality. Black Sun Dawn reveals this dreaded society, exposing their mad designs and the deranged products of their wicked labors. With this installment of Legacy of Shadow, you can introduce a new threat, one that would reshape the world into its own vile image. https://bit.ly/2OLjx8P Nessus: City of Decay City of Decay details the tragedy that befell Nessus, the First City, revealing the wonders and wealth the city held before its catastrophic collapse. In these pages, you’ll find details on the city as it stands now, covering the various locations of import, along with notable peoples, adventure ideas, and more to make this strange and haunted place the perfect backdrop for your adventures and campaigns. Although many believe Nessus to be beyond hope or in its death throes, the First City has not yet surrendered to the long night. This entry into the Lands in Shadow series offers everything you need to present the city in your Shadow of the Demon Lord games, as well as presenting several new characters, foes, and tools for building the ruins and infesting them with terrors to vex your groups. As well, City of Decay reveals details on the Order of Light, the religion from which the Cult of the New God sprang! https://bit.ly/2xB6nBo Horrific Parasites Lurking in dark alleyways or hiding in plain sight on bustling streets, the enigmatic and damned creatures known as harvesters stalk and murder the innocent to fulfill peculiar needs. Named for their acts of killing and surgically removing organs, bones, and skin from their victims, harvesters have been horrific parasites on civilization for millennia. Because harvesters never venture away from cities and towns, there is always ready supply of fresh organs from the unwitting populace. This entry in the Monstrous Pages series examines the harvesters and lays bare their secrets, revealing their origins, practices, and place in the lands of Rûl. Using the lore and rules in Horrific Parasites helps you make harvesters even more dangerous and terrifying! https://bit.ly/31OX9OP