Tarantella, Giant
by Travis LaneyLarge Magical Beast
| Hit Dice: | 4d10+4 (26 hp) |
| Initiative: | +3 |
| Speed: | 30 ft., Climb 20' |
| Armor Class: | 14 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +2 natural) |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +4/+9 |
| Attack: | Bite +7 melee (1d8+2 and dance) |
| Full Attack: | Bite +7 melee (1d8+2 and dance) |
| Space/Reach: | 10 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | Poison |
| Special Qualities: | Darkvision 60 ft. |
| Saves: | Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +1 |
| Abilities: | Str 15, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 2 |
| Skills: | Climb +11, Hide +3, Jump +2, Spot +4 |
| Feats: | Alertness, Weapon Finesse |
| Environment: | Warm forests and deserts |
| Organization: | Solitary or group (2-3) |
| Challenge Rating: | 3 |
| Treasure: | 1/10 coins; 50% goods, 50% items |
| Alignment: | Usually neutral |
| Advancement: | 5-7 HD (Large) |
| Level Adjustment: | -- |
A tarantella is a huge hairy magical spider that looks like a 7' long tarantula.3
Dance (Su): the poison of a tarantella does not cause ability damage, like other spiders. Instead, on a failed save throw (Fort DC 13, Constitution-based) it causes its victim to have painful spasms that resemble a frantic dance. The dancing victim suffers a -4 penalty to AC and a -10 penalty on Reflex saves, and is denied any AC bonus granted by a shield. The dancing subject provokes attacks of opportunity each round on its turn. The effects of the venom last for 2d6 minutes, or until a neutralize poison spell is cast on the bitten character.
This dance has a magical effect on onlookers. Anyone watching the dance must make a Will save (DC 13, Constitution-based) or begin to dance in the same way. Onlookers will continue to dance for as long as they can see the bitten victim's dancing.
A character may dance for a number of rounds equal to his Constitution score. After this amount of time, a character must make a DC 10 Constitution check each round or become exhausted. The DC of the Constitution check increases by 1 for each consecutive round until it ultimately fails.
Exhausted characters move at half speed and take a -6 penalty to Strength and Dexterity. After 1 hour of complete rest, an exhausted character becomes fatigued (-2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity, cannot run or charge). After 8 hours of complete rest, fatigued characters are no longer fatigued. See pg. 300 of the DMG for more information.
The tarantella first appeared in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rulebook, by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson (1981).
This 3.5 Edition conversion is (c) 2007 by Travis Laney
1. Cook, D., 1983. The Master of the Desert Nomads. Random House, Inc.
2. Gygax, G. and Arneson, D., 1983. Dungeons & Dragons Expert Rulebook. Random House, Inc.
3. Allston, A. 1991. Rules Cyclopedia. Random House, Inc.