Homebrew Aranea Species Details
The aranea or "werespiders" were used as magically developed, shapeshifting, spies against the drow in the "Night Wars." After their "usefulness" ran out, their own Calishite creators tried to hunt them into extinction, and a later emperor of Calimshan unjustly blamed them for the plague of Almraiven. They turned to worshipping the Tanar'ri demon patron of spiders, Zanassu, for protection, who was later replaced by the drow god Selvetarm. As a result, most of them are neutral, peaceful, pacifistic, and weary of other races, but those who take their worship seriously could be dangerous and evil individuals.
While they are not true lycanthropes, the aranea can transform between the appearance of a humanoid and a giant monstrous spider. Their humanoid form is that of a Calishite human, a Calishite half-elf, or, in some rare cases, a drow. The form and gender they can take are fixed at birth.
When taking up a trade, they tend to lean towards becoming barbarians, druidistic healers, and thieves looking for basic necessities for their tribes, but a few of them might become fiendish warlocks and clerics to Selvetarm. As an inherently magical race, they are more likely to become sorcerers than humans.
Aranea Traits
The aranea has a spider form and a hybrid form. They are also able to cast four innate spells related to their connection to spiders, and they are inherently afraid of fire.Ability Score Increase
Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age
Araneas reach maturity around the age of 20 and can live for roughly 200 years.
Alignment
Most aranea tend to lean toward peaceful neutrality and focus on helping their community, but those who see no other way or get tired of watching their kin being killed on mass for no reason often take up service with demons or dark gods to use their forbidden power for revenge, thus losing themselves in the process.
Creature Type
You are a Humanoid.
Size
You are medium sized in human and hybrid form, and large sized in Giant Spider.
Speed
Your walking speed is 30 feet. You gain 30 feet of climbing speed in Giant Spider and hybrid form.
Low-Light Vision
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 and you are able to discern colors even in darkness.
Poison Resistance
The aranea can shrug of poison as they produced their own since they were born.
Arachnid kin
You know the Poison Spray cantrip. You can use the Speak with Animals spells at will, but only on spiders. Starting at level 3, you can cast the Animal Friendship spell for spiders only. Starting at level 5, you can cast the Web. Once you cast Animal Friendship (spiders only) or Web with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.
- Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race).
Spider Form
As an action, you can shapeshift into a Giant Spider but you keep your current hit point amount, hit point maximum, proficiency bonus, and ability scores. Your base armor becomes 11+ your Dexterity modifier. You temporarily gain 10 feet of blindsight. You cannot use tools, weapons, or armor in this form. You can bite like a Giant Spider would but the damage of your poison and the DC of your poison depend on your level and ability scores. Your bite's has the Finesse weapon property. The DC of your poison becomes 8 + your Constitution modifier + proficiency. The damage of the poison is 1d6 + your Constitution modifier at level one, 1d8 + your Constitution modifier at level 3, 2d8 + your Constitution modifier at level 5, and finally 2d10 + your Constitution modifier at level 8. In this form, beasts within 30 feet of you that are medium-sized or smaller are frightened of you, except for spiders. You can speak, but all of your Charisma-based checks are at a disadvantage unless they are targeted at spiders, ettercaps, or a servant of Lolth. You cannot cast spells with somatic components in this form. Shifting back to your humanoid form takes an action.
Hybrid form
As an action, you can assume your humanoid form with four spider-like eyes, fangs, and spinnerets on your hands and feet. In this form, you have a climbing speed of 30 feet, and you can walk on giant spiderwebs without sticking to them. You can cast spells, wear armor, use items like normal in this form, and use your poisonous bite (described in the spider form) as an action. In this form, you frighten most people, and your charisma-based checks are at a disadvantage unless they are made against a spider, ettercap, or a servant of Lolth.
Pyrophobia
Whenever you take fire damage from an open flame or lava that is equal to or greater than half of your hit point maximum, you become frightened until the source of the open flame is gone or you're removed from the presence of it. On each of your turns, you can try to regain your composure by succeeding on a DC 15 wisdom check.
Languages
Your character can speak, read, and write Common and Elven.
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