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White Widow Spider

by Jamie Baty

Quest for the Silver Sword 16
Medium Vermin
Hit Dice: 3d8+3 (16 hp)
Initiative: +3 (+3 Dex)
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armour Class: 15 (+3 Dex, +2 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4
Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d8 +2 and cryotoxin)
Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d8 +2 and cryotoxin)
Space/Reach: 5 ft. /5 ft.
Special Attacks: Cryotoxin, singing web
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60ft., tremorsense 60ft.
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 0, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: Climb +12, Hide +9, Listen +2, Move Silently +9, Spot +6, Survival +2
Feats: Dodge, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Cold forests, hills, mountains
Organisation: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Medium); 7-9 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: -

The white widow is a horrible spider that lives in the arctic and alpine regions of the world. It is roughly 6ft in diameter (including legs) and stands about 3 1/2 ft tall.
The white widow's web doesn't entrap foes like a normal spider web. The web looks like sparkling, frozen strings of water, and it creates an eerie, ethereal song when the wind blows through it.

Combat
The white widow prefers to ambush those foolhardy enough to investigate the source of the windsong created by its web. It will leave its frozen victims alive until it is ready to feed upon them.

Cryotoxin (Ex): A white widow's bite delivers a special poison the freezes the victim solid. A fortitude save is allowed vs DC 12 (Con based) to avoid the effect.
A frozen victim is alive, but cannot move or take any actions and looks dead. The frozen state is permanent unless the victim is thawed out (exposed to a heat source for at least 1/2 hour) or a neutralise poison or heal spell is cast upon the victim.

Singing Web (Su): A white widow's web creates a song when the wind whistles through it. Anyone who hears the song (all within 120 ft) must make a Will save vs DC 12 (Cha based, +5 racial bonus) or be lulled into a state of lethargy. In this state, the victim suffers a -2 penalty to attack rolls and skill checks, and moves at half speed. This saving throw must be made each round the characters can hear the song (either until the save is failed or the web is destroyed).
Any character succumbing to the song suffers the penalties until the web is destroyed. The web is AC10 and will be destroyed when it takes 4 hp of damage. This is a sonic, mind-affecting special attack.

Tremorsense (Ex): A white widow can detect and pinpoint any creature or object within 60 feet in contact with the ground.

Vermin Traits: Vermin are mindless - they have no intelligence score and are immune to all mind-affecting effects. They have no sense of morality and are always neutral. They have 60ft. darkvision and any treasure they possess (which is usually none) consists of the property of former victims.

Skills: White Widows have a +4 racial bonus on Hide, Move Silently and Spot checks and a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. A White Widow can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.