The drider, noting a few dangerous spellcasters, moves forward and casts a 3rd-level hold person, targeting Jodie and Temphalic. Each of them must make a DC 14 Wis save or be paralyzed.

Nickeline, gratefully not a target of the drider's spell, moves her flaming sphere to ram into the drider's backside again and leaps out to add a flash of holy fire to the mix as well.

OOC:
Bonus Action: Ram Flaming Sphere into drider: 4 Fire damage, Dex save (DC 13) for half
Action: Cast Sacred Flame: 4 Radiant damage, Dex save (DC 13) for none

Scare looks around goofishly, takes out his hunting rifle, aims, and shoots.

OOC: and 6 more fire damage (DC 13 dex save for half) if the drider (or some other creature) ends its turn within 5 feet of the flaming sphere

Dex saves
vs. Flaming Sphere: 16
vs. Sacred Flame: 21

Con saves for concentration (both DC 10 regardless of the outcomes of the Dex saves)
23
9

Quote from Mister_Whisker >>

Dex saves
vs. Flaming Sphere: 16
vs. Sacred Flame: 8

Con saves for concentration (both DC 10 regardless of the outcomes of the Dex saves)
18
13

The drider takes some damage from the sphere and full damage from the radiant flame (I think it's taken 11 damage total so far during this fight). But it manages to maintain its concentration. I should have mentioned it when the drider took his turn, but he did move to avoid ending his turn within 5 feet of the sphere.

Wis save: 22 in case of failure he use Chronic shift to reroll: 9

Jodie's Wis save vs. hold person: 19

Quote from Mister_Whisker>>

Not going to bother rolling the saves... 1/2 of 22 is still enough to kill a giant wolf spider. Temphalic's spell takes out 3 spiders instantly.

(OOC: If I understand correctly, that was 2 of the spiders adjacent to Hewelathan and 1 of the of the other spiders.)

Knowing that Perdita got away with the prisoner, Hewelathan-wolf now feels free to move.  He gives up the protection of Sanctuary and attacks the remaining giant wolf spider next to him, snapping at it with his massive jaws.  Then he moves to put himself between the party and the drider and the giant spiders, if possible, leaving the party a path to run behind him toward their escape route from the city.  He also tries to leave a clear margin between him and the enemies in case Jodie decides that she wants to cast Fire Storm before the party gets more mixed up with these foes.

Movement: Up to 50' of movement to position himself between the party and the spiders.
Action: Melee Weapon Attack, Bite: 28 Damage: 11 piercing
Free Action: None

Quote from Ben_Evolent

Round 2: Hewelathan

Quote from Mister_Whisker>>

Not going to bother rolling the saves... 1/2 of 22 is still enough to kill a giant wolf spider. Temphalic's spell takes out 3 spiders instantly.

(OOC: If I understand correctly, that was 2 of the spiders adjacent to Hewelathan and 1 of the of the other spiders.)

Knowing that Perdita got away with the prisoner, Hewelathan-wolf now feels free to move.  He gives up the protection of Sanctuary and attacks the remaining giant wolf spider next to him, snapping at it with his massive jaws.  Then he moves to put himself between the party and the drider and the giant spiders, if possible, leaving the party a path to run behind him toward their escape route from the city.  He also tries to leave a clear margin between him and the enemies in case Jodie decides that she wants to cast Fire Storm before the party gets more mixed up with these foes.

Movement: Up to 50' of movement to position himself between the party and the spiders.
Action: Melee Weapon Attack, Bite: 24 Damage: 16 piercing
Free Action: None

1.  Initial post showed attack 24 and piercing 16.  Not sure why the forum re-rolled and gave me the manipulation banner today.
2. I forgot to mention that Hewelathan is still maintaining Concentration: Pass Without Trace

Quote from Mister_Whisker >>

The drider takes some damage from the sphere and full damage from the radiant flame (I think it's taken 11 damage total so far during this fight). But it manages to maintain its concentration. I should have mentioned it when the drider took his turn, but he did move to avoid ending his turn within 5 feet of the sphere.

(OOC: I think that you missed the damage from Korba's Eldritch Blast in round 1.)

Quote from kevtr0n >>

Korba, seeing that his companions are now embroiled in a fight, summons his sword in a whirl of sand, but keeps his distance for the time being and from his sword shoots out an eldritch blast of sand towards the nearest spider.

Attack: 18 Damage: 6

Jodie is quite annoyed her confusion didn't have a stronger effect, though the situation with the drider has seemed to be worse than imagined.  Be bold, like with the dragon.  Jodie calls out to the drider in the fierce fey tone (11) "Call off the spiders or we'll burn your world down!  We claim this land for the dragon Cynurrarth!" 

Jodie flashes the firestorm lute and points the headstock towards the giant spider that advanced and tried to web Hewey.  She aims to hit one or two other giant wolf spiders while keeping her confused one untouched.  A minor chord reverberates from the lute and is compressed into ball of energy.   The sphere then erupts into a thunderous boom. DC 14 Con or 12 thunder

Jodie looks over to see who is in peril.  Surely Korba will guard our retreat but risks poison and entaglement.  Jodie recites an inspiring verse (bardic inspiration to Korba)

Korba in front in the dark but alone
We accured traverse much worse.
Poison has no bite, webs miss flight
Or make the Drider lose his bone.

Jodies moves an additional thirty feet away from the drider towards Ruby, well out of range of another hold person.

Both Temphalic and Jodie were able to avoid being paralyzed by the Drider's spell.

Meanwhile, Hew's jaws tear a giant wolf spider in half.

Jodie is able to catch two giant wolf spiders with her shatter
Con save: 16
Con save: 9

The first spider passes the save and takes half damage. The dies in the thunderous boom.

Initiative order:
Korba
Temphalic
--
Drider  - 17 damage
--
Hewelathan
Nickeline
Jodie
--
GS 1 - dodge
GS 2 - dodge
GS 3 - dodge
GS 4

GWS 1 - dead
GWS 2 - dead
GWS 3 - dead
GWS 4 - confused
GWS 5 - dead
GWS 6 - dodge, 6 damage
GWS 7 - dodge
GWS 8 - dodge
--
Ruby
Hildegard

Nickeline is up!

Keeping his distance and backing away from the spiders as they approach, Korba looses another sand blast towards the nearest Giant Wolf Spider.

Attack: 16 Damage: 6

Tamphalic decides to go for the big dude this time, casting Maximilian’s Earthen Grasp DC14 strength save or 9 Bludgeoning damage and be restrained.

If the drider's save is successful he uses chronal shift to get a reroll.

((Has the drider been hexed yet as getting out of the hand on failed save is a strength check instead of saving throw?))

Quote from Secretfool >>

Tamphalic decides to go for the big dude this time, casting Maximilian’s Earthen Grasp DC14 strength save or 9 Bludgeoning damage and be restrained.

If the drider's save is successful he uses chronal shift to get a reroll.

((Has the drider been hexed yet as getting out of the hand on failed save is a strength check instead of saving throw?))

 Tamphalic also moves away from the wolf spiders on his left, to between Korba and Jodie.

Drider Strength save: 6

Quote from Mister_Whisker >>

Drider Strength save: 12

The drider fails its save and screeches something in Undercommon (nothing of any particular importance, it's just a string of curses). I think all of the remaining Giant Wolf Spiders took the dodge action, so all attack rolls against them are at disadvantage.

It casts dispel magic with its action, freeing itself from Tamphalic's spell... though only after taking the 9 points of damage.

Initiative order:
Korba
Temphalic
--
Drider  - 26 damage
--
Hewelathan
Nickeline
Jodie
--
GS 1 - dodge
GS 2 - dodge
GS 3 - dodge
GS 4

GWS 1 - dead
GWS 2 - dead
GWS 3 - dead
GWS 4 - confused
GWS 5 - dead
GWS 6 - dodge, 6 damage
GWS 7 - dodge
GWS 8 - dodge
--
Ruby
Hildegard

Hewelathan: Round 3

Hewelathan-Wolf isn't eager to "bite off more than he can chew," and he's also curious about why so many of the spiders are hanging back.  Is the drider truly not interested in attacking them if they leave it alone, or have they provoked it enough now that it won't let them get away?  In any case, he really doesn't want to rush these spiders by himself and force his companions to come rescue him if he gets surrounded.  It seems like Tamphalic is a bit of a straggler at this point, so he moves a little farther west in case the Giant Wolf Spiders decide to attack Tamphalic.   

Hewelathan growls and glares at the spiders and the drider, but he simply tries to act as a big, furry shield to his companions this round, dodging any attacks directed at him.  While he does that, he tries to glance around at the buildings to their south and east.  He's looking for a spot that would accommodate his size but perhaps is narrow and with an intact roof so that they could prevent more than one of the Giant Spiders from attacking them at a time.  He also keeps an eye open for any spiders or other creatures who may have been drawn to the sound of the fight so far.  Perception 18  

Movement: (I'm assuming that he starts from the position mentioned in OOC message #923.)  Move 25 - 30 ft. west and south, ending about 10' south of the Giant Wolf Spider that's south of the Drider in the map in post #1218.
Action: Dodge
Free Action: Looking around for better positioning if they get swarmed.

Concentration: Pass Without Trace

Edited to add the concentration line.

Jodie takes out her longbow and aims an arrow in the direction of the giant spider that attempted to web Perdita.  

Longbow: 16 

The arrow (presumably) hits and Jodie spins the longbow about in a defensive flourish to confuse attackers.

Damage: 8 + 4 (flourish)

20 AC until next turn.

Jodie scans (22) the perimeter, looking for danger elsewhere.  "Shall we make our escape?  Clean off a few more spiders and I'll grant Hewelathan the gift of flight and he can take Ruby and Tamphalic on his back while we stealth out of here..."