All page references are to The Fantasy Trip In the Labyrinth rulebook, unless noted otherwise.
A collection of my own musings, not to be taken too seriously. -HJC
The Scholars' Guild has compiled this report on the attributes and behaviors of the giant tree spider of the southern Spice Islands.
Tree Spider Hatchling
ST 1, DX 10, IQ 1, MA 10
Attacks and Damage: Bite (1 hit then 3/ST save against 1d6 poison)
Special Abilities/Weaknesses: -4 to be hit for their tiny size, +4 to be hit with wielded weapons or unarmed attacks for crawling.
These hatchlings are only found in tree branches 14 to 20 feet above the forest floor in dense forests and jungles. They are attracted to the innate mana fields of higher life forms and especially to spellcasting. While in the branches they will attempt to sneak up 3 hexes per turn towards the nearest prey. This is a 3/IQ roll to spot for Naturalists, or those who have Alertness or are specially looking for them. The later course of action is not recommended as walking around while only looking up into the branches makes it much more likely that hazards on the forest floor will be stumbled into. Even when spotted the hatchlings will still continue their slow approach as they lack the intelligence to understand they have been spotted. (Or to be fooled by images or illusions.) Only a pair of hatchlings will enter the same hex (to avoid cannibalization) but this stacking limit applies separately in the branches and on the ground. If the ground is full then additional hatchlings will either crawl along the branches to find additional prey or wait in the branches until the ground thins out.
If they reach the hex of a target they will jump down (3/DX save for the target to jump into an adjacent unoccupied hex) and attack. Visual defenses (such as Blur or Shadow) are of no use against a hatchling on a target, but each point of mundane or magical protection imposes a -2 DX adjustment per hit the armor stops. If the hatchling makes the attack roll in spite of these defenses then it has found a weak spot to bypass this defense and the target suffers one hit of damage then needs to make a 3/ST save or suffer another 1d6 hits of poison damage. Once the target is dead the remaining hatchlings will attack any additional targets within one turn's attack move (five hexes) and if no targets remain they will eat their fill until chased off by the adult spiders.
The hatchlings are difficult to target in the trees as they are -4 to be hit for their size and there is an additional -1 per hex from cover the branches provide (up to a maximum -4 for cover at four or more hexes distance) in addition to the usual range penalties. Once they reach the ground they lose this cover and their crawling posture gives a +4 for non-ranged attacks as a facing bonus. Any hit from any weapon, fist or foot is sufficient to crush their tiny bodies. Wizards have also used the non-grounded use of the Fire spell to target hatchlings within one hex of themselves, but this ungrounded fire only lasts for a single turn as usual.
A hatchling on the ground will run into the hex of the nearest target within five hexes (the jump aside roll is only 2/DX if the hatchling enters from a front hex) and if no such targets are found they will run to the nearest tree at full MA, climbing two feet per remaining hex of MA until they reach their preferred altitude of 14 feet. At this point they will once again attempt to sneak up on a target.
Giant Tree Spider
ST 2d+10, DX 11, IQ 4, MA 12
Attacks and Damage: Bite (1 hit then 4/ST save against 2d6 poison)
Special Abilities/Weaknesses: Can cast the Rope spell, as if they knew it.
These man-sized creatures are solitary hunters (unlike the swarms of hatchlings) but otherwise stalk their prey in the same way (from branches 8 to 12 feet high that are sturdy enough to support their weight). If their 3 hexes a turn stalking gets them within creation spell range of their targets then they will stop and make occult gestures with their arms that are strikingly similar to those used by wizards as they attempt to cast the Rope spell. The only difference from the effects of the spell is the use of their own webbing in it so that even after the spell expires the target remains webbed up.
If a target moves within three hexes the spider will forgo the webbing and drop directly onto the target for a hand to hand attack. The combat is otherwise the same as the hatchling only with a greater effect from the larger dose of poison.
Monster Tree Spider
ST 50, DX 12, IQ 12, MA 12
Armor: Carapace (3)
Attacks and Damage: Bite (2d+2, then 4/ST save against 3d6 poison)
Special Abilities/Weaknesses: Able to attack, disbelieve, and cast Giant Rope on the same turn
If the survivor of the DeMondi expedition is to be believed then there is at least one ancient megahex sized spider that stalks the jungle floor as it is too big to climb trees. This creature was said to attack intelligently rather than rely on instinctive responses. The initial encounter started with a voice from a webbed figure in a tree begging the party to free it, but when the webbing was torn away there was only a humanoid skeleton and a dozen hungry hatchlings that then jumped on all the targets around. At this point the monster tree spider attacked. From this it is assumed that the monster knows the Common tongue and has the Ventriloquist talent.
The monster tree spider proceeded to attack. It must have some sort of parallel mind capability as it was able to charge attack, cast the Giant Rope spell, and disbelieve an illusion all in the same turn. The lone survivor of the DeMondi expedition did not remain to observe what other abilities this monster has.
The guild wishes for your team to investigate this matter, and if this creature is found, capture and interrogate it for the location of Sir DeMondi's remains so that the guild assets that were on loan to him can be retrieved.
The Fantasy Trip(t.m.) is a trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and their rules and art are copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by Steve Jackson Games.
This game aid is the original creation of Henry J. Cobb and is released for free distribution, and not for resale, under the permissions granted in the Steve Jackson Games Online Policy.