The Bloated Purple Spiders of the Neighbouring Vales: Spiders of Leng

The horrific spiders of Leng are another product of H.P. Lovecraft’s novella “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath.” Lovecraft provided scant details on this monster, and Paizo included a version in the Pathfinder Bestiary 2. Sandy Petersen will provide a CR 12, but only slightly less nasty version in his Cthulhu Mythos for Pathfinder Kickstarter.

The Kickstarter also included a great Leng spider miniature that I painted last week, as seen in the picture to the right. The sculpt is absolutely fantastic and approximately Huge size. I experimented some more with a glazing technique—using many, very thin layers of semi-translucent paint to gradually build up color. I am reasonably happy with the results. On one hand, I wish I had gotten a little more of a reddish hue for the bloated body. But on the other hand, the sepia wash settled in a way to make the “skin” seem uncomfortably real. I decided it was best to leave be.

The following 3.5e version is a straight back-port from the Pathfinder rendition, but I might revisit this to incorporate some Petersen elements once that book comes out.

The following text is Open Game Content.

Leng Spider

This immense purple spider has a legspan of nearly forty feet and a hideously bloated body, yet still moves with fluid grace.

Dark Aspirations. The spiders of Leng have long warred with that realm's more humanoid denizens, yet this does not make the spiders allies of sane life. These spiders see themselves as deserving of true positions of power, and the only creatures they suffer to live apart from their kin are their magically controlled slaves.

Bound to Leng. Fortunately, the spiders have no intrinsic way to travel to the Material Plane, and must use portals or other methods to visit this world.

Artistic Trap Builders. Leng spiders construct lairs of dangerous and haunting beauty made of webs and other materials found nearby.

A Leng spider's body is 18 feet long and weighs 6,000 pounds.

Leng Spider CR 14

Usually CE Huge magical beast (extraplanar)

Init +13; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft.; Listen +21, Spot +21

Languages Aklo; tongues

Defense

AC 29, touch 17, flat-footed 20
(+9 Dex, +12 natural, -2 size)

hp 202 (15d10+120 HD); fast healing 10

Fort +17, Ref +18, Will +10

Immune cold, confusion and insanity effects, poison, sonic; SR 25

Offense

Spd 40 ft., climb 40 ft.

Melee mwk flail +22/+17/+12 (3d6+8), bite +16 (2d6+4 plus poison)

Ranged mwk bolas +23 (1d8+8)

Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.

Special Attacks web (+24 ranged, DC 25, 15 hp), web weaponry

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th)

At will—arcane sight, dispel magic, fabricate (webs only), freedom of movement, tongues

3/day—air walk, invisibility, major image (DC 19)

1/day—charm monster (DC 20), insanity (DC 23), mirage arcana (DC 21), veil (DC 22)

Tactics

During Combat Leng spiders fight intelligently and delight in luring prey into deadly traps.

Morale A Leng spider withdraws if reduced to half its normal hit points.

Statistics

Str 26, Dex 29, Con 26, Int 21, Wis 17, Cha 22

Base Atk +15; Grp +31

Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Iron Will, Point-Blank Shot

Skills Balance +11, Climb +16, Concentration +26, Jump +23, Knowledge (any one) +23, Listen +21, Spellcraft +23 (+25 to decipher scrolls), Spot +21, Tumble +20, Use Magic Device +24 (+26 with scrolls)

Ecology

Environment any

Organization solitary, pair, or cult (3–6)

Treasure double standard

Advancement 16–30 (Huge), 31–45 HD (Gargantuan)

Special Abilities

Poison (Su) Injury, Fortitude DC 25, initial and secondary damage 1d4 Con plus confusion for 1 round. A Leng spider's venom causes flesh to blister and rot away and the mind to experience vivid and horrific hallucinations—these visions cause the poisoned creature to react in an unpredictable manner, as if confused. The hallucination element of this poison is mind-affecting. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Web Weaponry (Ex) A Leng spider is talented at using its webs to construct masterwork weapons. This technique of weapon creation allows the spider to effectively create a flail or bolas by attaching a heavy object such as a rock or chunk of metal to a cord of webbing. The spider attaches one end of this webbing to a leg and can then wield the weighted cord as a masterwork flail or a masterwork bolas. It can only wield one such weapon at a time—it must use its other legs to walk. If a Leng spider drops or loses a web weapon, it can create a new one as a full-round action, provided it has access to heavy-weight objects of the correct size (such as loose rocks or skulls).

Skills A Leng spider has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.

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