A spider the size of a man crawls silently from the depths of its funnel-shaped web.
Giant Spider CR 1
XP 400
N Medium vermin
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +4
Defense
AC 14, touch 13, flat-footed 11 (+3 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 16 (3d8+3)
Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +1
Immune mind-affecting effects
Offense
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee bite +2 (1d6 plus poison)
Special Attack web (+5 ranged, DC 12, hp 2)
Statistics
Str 11, Dex 17, Con 12, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2
Base Atk +2; CMB +2; CMD 15 (27 vs. trip)
Skills Climb +16, Perception +4 (+8 in webs), Stealth +7 (+11 in webs); Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Stealth (+8 in webs), +16 Climb
Ecology
Environment any
Organization solitary, pair, or colony (3–8)
Treasure incidental
Special Abilities
Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 14; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; effect 1d2 Strength damage; cure 1 save.
The statistics above are for a web-spinning spider. Hunting spiders lose the web ability but gain a +8 racial modifier on Acrobatics checks. All giant spiders have a +2 racial bonus on poison save DCs.
Other species of giant spiders exist, as detailed below.
| Species | CR | Size | HD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet spider | 1/4 | Tiny | 1d8 |
| Giant crab spider | 1/2 | Small | 2d8 |
| Giant black widow | 3 | Large | 5d8 |
| Ogre spider | 5 | Huge | 7d8 |
| Giant tarantula | 8 | Gargantuan | 10d8 |
| Goliath spider | 11 | Colossal | 14d8 |
An awful, scuttling mass of legs and mandibles scrambles forward out of the darkness.
Spider Swarm CR 1
XP 400
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft.; Perception +4
Defense
AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dex, +4 size)
hp 9 (2d8)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +0
Defensive Abilities swarm traits; Immune mind-affecting effects, weapon damage
Offense
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee swarm (1d6 plus poison and distraction)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks distraction (DC 11)
Statistics
Str 1, Dex 17, Con 10, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2
Base Atk +1; CMB —; CMD —
Skills Climb +11, Perception +4; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception; uses Dexterity for Climb checks
Ecology
Environment any
Organization solitary, pair, tangle (3–6 swarms) or colony (11–20 swarms)
Treasure none
Special Abilities
Poison (Ex) Swarm—injury; save Fort DC 11; frequency 1/round for 2 rounds; effect 1d2 Str; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based.
The sight of a carpet of swarming spiders is unsettling indeed—particularly when the swarm is made up of spiders each the size of a gold coin and possessing blade-like mandibles capable of lacerating flesh with sickening ease. A swarm of spiders is a colonial mass of arachnids that relies on overwhelming much larger prey with sheer numbers rather than catching smaller snacks. While spider swarms spin webs, these webs are incapable of catching larger prey and typically serve the swarm as a lair rather than a method of capturing dinner.