Aranea Widowmaker

**Aranea Widowmaker**

Prime Requisite: DEX

Requirements: INT 12, CON 12, DEX 12

Hit Die: d8

Maximum Level: 13

*An aranea is an intelligent, shape-changing spider with sorcerous powers. It is not necessarily an evil creature, though its spidery nature, combined with its longevity, lends itself to plotting.*

-*Barbarian Conquerors of Kanahu* p 65

**Weapons and Armor:** An Aranea in its humanoid or hybrid forms is proficient in all weapons and armor. All fighting styles are available to them. In spider form they cannot wield weapons or shields, as their hands are only suited to manipulation rather than force, and may only wear armor custom-made for that form. When wearing leather armor or lighter garb, an Aranea Widowmaker may move silently, hide in shadows, and backstab as a thief of the same level. If wearing armor heavier than leather, these abilities are not available.

**Racial Powers:**

* **Web (1st and 3rd) -** Once every 8 hours, an Aranea in spider or hybrid form may throw a Web as the spell. this ability is not magic, and therefore does not require spell declaration and cannot be dispelled. At 3rd level, Aranea develop the ability to do this twice every 8 hours.
* **Shapeshifting -**An Aranea has three forms: a giant spider, a specific demihuman form, and a hybrid form of the two. An Aranea can change forms in one round, though doing so while wearing armor or clothes can cause harm or damage to the Aranea or the armor. An Aranea has no 'true' form; attempts to dispel magic will not undo transformations, nor will killing it. In spider or hybrid form it can be identified by its features, but magic will not detect it as a transmogrified creature. Despite its ability to evade such detections, weapons or spells that deal extra damage to shapeshifters will still recognize it as such. Should an Aranea be under the effects of a polymorph spell, it can revert to a form of its choice in one round.
	+ In spider form, an Aranea is a giant spider, weighing about 150 pounds with a large hump on its back containing its brain and two small arms below its mandibles each with many joints in the hand. it has a 150' movement speed, 75' when climbing.
	+ In demihuman form, an Aranea always appears to be a specific individual of a demihuman race. While the form is real, it is shallow; an Aranea receives no changes to its saving throws, movement speeds, or other abilities that the imitated race possesses, and has a movement speed of 120' and a normal load of 5 stone, as a human.
	+ In hybrid form, an aranea has a movement speed of 90'; its appearance resembles its demihuman form, but fangs, spinnerets, and other such features, varying from one individual to the next, can be noticed by anyone succeeding on a throw to detect secret doors.
* **Poison-** Those bit by an Aranea in spider or hybrid form suffer d6 damage and must make a save vs Poison; on a failed save the victim dies in 1 turn.
* **Infravision 60'**
* **Patient Bloodline-**as Elvish Bloodline

**Class Powers:**

* **1st Level: Cleave**- one attempt per round per level.
* **1st Level: Move Silently, Hide in Shadows**, and **Backstab** as a thief of the same level.
* **2nd Level: Learn and Cast Arcane Spells**
* **3rd Level: Improved Climbing -**The Aranea Widowmaker gains a climb speed of 75' while in its hybrid form.
* **3rd Level: Better Poison -** An Aranea Widowmaker's techniques for injecting poison into the blood of the unaware improves with experience. Should an Aranea Widowmaker succeed in a Backstab attack with its poisonous bite, the poison is fatal immediately on a failed saving throw rather than in one turn.
* **3rd Level:** **Invisibility -** Once per 8 hours as the spell, but only targetting the Widowmaker itself
* **5th Level, 7th, and 9th Level:**Aranea are very idiosyncratic when it comes to magic research. All Aranea Widowmakers learn to **Craft Scrolls, Brew Potions, and Conduct Minor Magical Research** at these levels, but pick which research method is gained at which level.
* **9th Level: Hideout-**as a thief
* **11th Level: Advanced Shapeshifting-**An Aranea Widowmaker that lives long enough develops new applications for its innate shapeshifting. its existing spider and hybrid forms gain the phase spider's ability to become ethereal and visit the Shadow World. An Aranea Widowmaker's shapeshifting additionally develops so they can now imitate the appearance of any particular demihuman (or giant spider) form, with hybrid forms still detected as such on a detect secret doors throw at a -4 penalty.
* **12th Level: Craft Permanent Magic Items**

**Arcane Spell Progression**

Spell Level
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
 10
 11
 12
 13

**Aranea Widowmaker Saving Throws**

Paralysis
Death
Breath
Wands
 2-3
 4
 5-6
 7
 8-9
 10
 11-12
 13

**Class Proficiency List** (select one at 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th Levels):

Alertness, Battle Magic, Beast Friendship, Black Lore of Zahar, Combat Reflexes, Combat Trickery (disarm), Command, Elementalism, Familiar, Fighting Style, Loremastery, Magical Engineering, Mystic Aura, Naturalism, Passing Without Trace, Quiet Magic, Precise Shooting, Prestidigitation, Running, Second Sight, Sensing Power, Skirmishing, Sniping, Swashbuckler, Transmogrification, Unflappable Casting, Wakefulness, Weapon Focus, Weapon Finesse