Drider
- Size: Large
- Type: Monstrosity
- Alignment: Chaotic Evil
- AC: 19
- Initiative: +4 (14)
- HP: 123 (13d10 + 52)
- Speed: 30 ft, Climb 30 ft .
| ATTR | VAL | MOD | SAVE |
|---|---|---|---|
| STR | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| DEX | 19 | +4 | +4 |
| CON | 18 | +4 | +4 |
| INT | 13 | +1 | +1 |
| WIS | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| CHA | 12 | +1 | +1 |
- Skills: Perception +6, Stealth +10
- Senses: Darkvision 120 ft.; Passive Perception 16
- Languages: Elvish, Undercommon
- CR: 6 (XP 2,300; PB +3)
Traits
Spider Climb. The drider can climb difficult surfaces, including along ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the drider has Disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls.
Web Walker. The drider ignores movement restrictions caused by webs, and the drider knows the location of any other creature in contact with the same web.
Actions
Multiattack. The drider makes three attacks, using Foreleg or Poison Burst in any combination.
Foreleg. Melee Attack Roll: +7, reach 10 ft . Hit: 13 (2d8 +4) Piercing damage.
Poison Burst. Ranged Attack Roll: +6, range 120 ft . Hit: 13(3d6+3) Poison damage.
Bonus Actions
Magic of the Spider Queen (Recharge 5-6). The drider casts Darkness, Faerie Fire, or Web, requiring no Material components and using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 14).
Lore & Background
Driders are cursed beings that combine the torso of a dark elf with the body of a giant spider, created as punishment by the spider goddess Lolth for failing her in some significant way. These creatures represent the ultimate shame in drow society - former priestesses, nobles, or champions who have been transformed into monstrous outcasts as divine retribution. The transformation is both a curse and a twisted form of immortality, as driders retain their intelligence and memories while being forever changed.
The creation of a drider is a rare and terrible event that serves as both punishment and warning to other drow. Those who displease Lolth through cowardice, betrayal, or failure in crucial moments may find themselves subjected to this horrific transformation. The process is irreversible through normal means, making driders living reminders of divine wrath and the consequences of disappointing the Spider Queen.
Driders are outcasts from drow society, neither fully drow nor spider, belonging to neither world completely. They often retreat to the deepest parts of the Underdark, establishing lairs in abandoned areas where they can brood over their fate and plot revenge against those they blame for their transformation. Some driders embrace their new nature and become powerful predators, while others spend eternity seeking redemption or revenge.
Combat Tactics
Driders combine the tactical intelligence of drow with the predatory instincts of giant spiders, making them formidable opponents who excel at both ranged and melee combat. They use their web abilities to control the battlefield, creating difficult terrain and restraining enemies while employing their spellcasting abilities to support their attacks. Their spider climb ability allows them to fight from walls and ceilings where most enemies cannot reach them.
These creatures prefer to fight from prepared positions, using their knowledge of their territory and their web-spinning abilities to create elaborate trap systems. They often begin encounters with ranged attacks using their longbows while positioning themselves for optimal use of their web and spell abilities. Their bite attack adds a dangerous poison component that can quickly weaken enemies.
Driders are patient hunters who use their intelligence to study their enemies and exploit weaknesses. They may retreat and reposition multiple times during a fight, using their mobility and environmental advantages to wear down opponents over time. Their combination of martial skill and magical ability makes them adaptable to different combat situations.
Encounter Ideas
The Exiled Noble: A drider that was once a powerful drow noble seeks revenge against those responsible for its transformation, using its knowledge of drow politics and society to orchestrate complex schemes.
The Web Weaver: A drider has established a lair in a strategic location, using its webs and traps to control passage through important underground routes.
The Redemption Seeker: A drider approaches the heroes for help in finding a way to reverse its curse, offering valuable information about drow society and Underdark politics in exchange.
The Spider's Prophet: A drider has embraced its transformation and now serves as a twisted priest of Lolth, leading a cult of spider-worshippers and monstrous followers.
Environmental Effects
Web Networks: Drider lairs are filled with elaborate web structures that create difficult terrain and serve as both transportation networks and trap systems.
Spider Infestation: The drider's presence attracts various species of spiders, creating an ecosystem of arachnids that serve as both allies and environmental hazards.
Drow Remnants: Drider lairs often contain artifacts and decorations from their former life as drow, creating a melancholy atmosphere of lost nobility.
Underdark Connections: Driders often establish their lairs near important Underdark passages, using their position to gather information and control access.
Treasure
Drow Artifacts: Items from the drider's former life, including noble regalia, weapons, and magical items that reflect their previous status in drow society.
Spider Silk: High-quality silk produced by the drider that can be woven into extremely strong and valuable fabrics and rope.
Underdark Intelligence: Maps, documents, and information about Underdark politics, trade routes, and hidden locations gathered over years of exile.
Magical Components: Parts of the drider's body retain magical properties useful for creating items related to climbing, web creation, or poison resistance.
Plot Hooks
The Curse Investigation: The heroes must determine whether a drider's transformation was justified punishment or the result of a conspiracy, with implications for drow politics and divine justice.
The Spider War: A drider is gathering an army of arachnids and spider-worshippers to wage war against the drow society that rejected it, threatening to destabilize the entire Underdark.
The Divine Test: A drider claims that its transformation was not punishment but a test from Lolth, and completing this test requires the heroes' assistance in a dangerous quest.
The Unlikely Alliance: A drider offers to help the heroes navigate drow territory or Underdark dangers, but trusting a cursed outcast creates moral and practical complications.