Homebrew Aranea Species Details
Hagan shook his head. "How can we trust her? Every one of 'em is a shut-in, and...you know what they really are. It isn't natural. What's to stop her from bitin' us in our sleep and draggin' us back to whatever hole they crawl out of."
"Look." Sigurd whispered in return. "I don't like this anymore than you do, but a yard of that silk is worth more than we usually see in a month between the two of us. This is our chance to make some real coin! Besides, look at her. She couldn't weigh more than..."
Vanera shifted uncomfortably onto her back foot. She could only barely make out what the two might be saying between the bits of hushed words she could distinguish, but it wasn't promising. This was her third attempt today at bartering for passage through the Camsiet Mountains, and it was going much the same way as the others. Finding honest help might prove to be even more difficult than navigating the cliffs.
In the minds of those that are aware of the Aranea, they exist in a constant state of duality. Marveled over for the other worldly beauty that many possess and considered valuable trade partners for their unrivaled silk production, they are also feared and scorned by many who believe their ability to shape shift into spiderlike beings indicative of their true, evil intentions. Because of this, the many different clusters of Aranea that exist in the world most often choose to hide themselves from outsiders, and those that do interact with their neighbors are considered reclusive to a fault. However, the rare individuals that leave their cluster to venture out into the wider world often find themselves counted as valuable allies amongst adventuring groups for their sharp minds and natural aptitude for arcane magic.
Uncertain Feywild Origins
Aranea possess a number of physical features that hint at some ancient Fey connection or ancestry, including silvery white hair, eye colors in icy hues of blues and purples, slightly larger canine teeth than most others of humanoid decent, and pointy ears that, while not nearly as prominent as those of the elves, are certainly reminiscent of them. They vary greatly in skin colors between clusters, with shades of olive and dark brown being featured prominently by those inhabiting desert lands and savannahs and much more pale tones common in the highlands and mountain. While not quite as slender as the elves, they are slightly more so than their human counterparts, weighing between 100 and 180 pounds. They can range from just under 5 feet tall to a little over 6 feet, with women on average slightly taller and heavier than the men. While the men can grow facial hair, it is always as white as the hair on their head, and although bare to the naked eye, all Aranea have extremely short, fine hairs covering the whole of their body that makes their skin exceptionally soft and highly sensitive to touch and vibration.
Closely-knit Clusters
Aranea exist in many small villages, known as clusters, scattered across the realms with little to no contact with other clusters or much of the outside world. Over many hundreds, if not thousands, of years, each village has refined its ability to blend in with the surrounding ecosystem, allowing for a protection and seclusion that has kept them hidden from most of the troubles plaguing other civilizations. Despite this, many communities have developed a rich culture of beautiful and elegant architecture, complex cuisines, and musical traditions rivaled only by that of the weaving arts. Even the most humble of Aranea can boast a mastery over silk that few humans, or even elves, could ever hope to achieve.
These clusters often consist of a handful of large families, with one family matriarch presiding over the others as a communal leader. Many generations may pass before a member of a cluster even considers leaving, and more often than not, they are forced out by circumstance rather than choosing to do so. While there are many reasons a member may be forced out of a cluster, they are rarely done so with malice or ill-will. Aranea are a highly social race and once an individual has left their cluster, they will typically try to find a small group to integrate with and, eventually, start a new cluster of their own founding.
Aranea Traits
Your Aranea character has a number of natural abilities as a result of their fey and arachnid ancestry.Ability Score Increase
Your Dexterity score increases by 1, and your Intelligence score increases by 2.
Age
Aranea mature at the same rate as humans but live a few years longer.
Size
Aranea range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and tend to have a slightly slimmer build than humans. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.
Darkvision
You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Keen Sight and Touch
While in your hybrid or spider form, you gain advantage on Perception checks that rely on sight and touch.
Shapechanger
You can use an action to polymorph into a spider-humanoid hybrid or into a spider, or back into your true form, which is humanoid.
You can stay in your hybrid or spider form for a number of hours equal to half your character level (rounded down, but not less than one). You then revert to your normal form. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. Your Hit Points carry over between forms.
You can use this feature once per long rest.
Spider-Humanoid Hybrid Form
While you are transformed, your game statistics remain the same, but you gain a Strength of 15 (if your score isn't already higher), a +1 bonus (natural armor) to your AC, and a climbing speed of 30 ft. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining some of those of an Aranea Spider.
Attack and damage rolls for natural weapons are based on Strength.
Spider Climb: You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Web Sense: While in contact with a web, you know the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.
Web Walker: You ignore movement restrictions caused by webbing.
Web (Recharge 5–6): Ranged Weapon Attack: range 30/60 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 13 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; HP 8; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).
- At level 7, you gain a +2 to AC.
- At level 13, you gain a +3 to AC.
Spider Form
While you are transformed, your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of an Aranea Spider, but you retain your alignment, personality, Hit Points, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of an Aranea Spider.
Attack and damage rolls for natural weapons are based on Strength.
Spider Climb: You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Web Sense: While in contact with a web, you know the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.
Web Walker: You ignore movement restrictions caused by webbing.
Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 4 (1d6+1) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.
Web (Recharge 5–6): Ranged Weapon Attack: range 30/60 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 13 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; HP 8; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).
- At level 7, your spider form gains a number of improvements. You now have an AC of 16, +2 to STR, DEX, and CON, as well as Stealth +6 and a Proficiency Bonus +3. Additionally, your Bite now does 6 (1d8+2) piercing damage, 13 (3d8) poison damage, and the creature must now make a DC 12 Constitution save.
- At level 13, your spider form is even further improved. You now have an AC of 19, +4 to STR, DEX, and CON, as well as Stealth +7 and a Proficiency Bonus +5. Additionally, your Bite now does 8 (1d10+3) piercing damage, 22 (4d10) poison damage, and the creature must now make a DC 13 Constitution save.
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