Homebrew drider Species Details

A **drider** is a nightmarish fusion of a dark elf (drow) and a giant spider, born from the twisted will of the dark goddess **Lolth**, the Spider Queen. These beings are the result of Lolth's cruel punishments, typically inflicted on drow who fail her tests or fall out of her favor. The transformation into a drider is one of the highest forms of disgrace and agony a drow can suffer, as it marks them as a failure in the eyes of their goddess and society. However, the curse also grants them tremendous physical and magical power, turning them into relentless hunters and outcasts of the Underdark.

### Physical Appearance
- **Upper Body:** The drider’s upper half is that of a drow, maintaining the sleek, graceful form that drow are known for. They possess dark, obsidian skin that shimmers in the shadows of the Underdark, with long, white or silver hair that contrasts starkly with their features. Their eyes glow a menacing red or violet, betraying their cursed nature and monstrous transformation. These eyes are often filled with a combination of intelligence, rage, and a deep, lingering sorrow from their lost drow heritage. Despite their monstrous form, many retain the haunting beauty of the drow, which only serves to make their appearance more unsettling.

- **Lower Body:** The lower half of the drider is completely arachnid, with a giant spider’s abdomen and eight powerful legs that allow them to climb and scuttle across any surface with terrifying ease. Their spider-like features include a spinneret, which allows them to produce thick, sticky webbing to trap prey or create intricate lairs deep within caverns. The lower body gives them incredible agility, enabling them to strike quickly from the shadows or retreat into the darkness with unnatural speed.

### Creation and Curse
Driders are created through Lolth’s divine intervention, usually following a drow’s failure to complete a deadly trial or demonstrate sufficient loyalty to the Spider Queen. The drow priestesses of Lolth are often subjected to these trials, where they must prove their worthiness to Lolth through acts of cunning, ruthlessness, and devotion. Those who fail are punished by being transformed into driders, a process that is both physically excruciating and mentally scarring. The drow undergoing the transformation watches helplessly as their lower body reshapes into that of a monstrous spider, their connection to their former life severed in an instant.

The transformation into a drider is not seen as simply a physical curse but as a symbol of spiritual failure. In the highly hierarchical and religious society of the drow, failure is a grave sin, and being marked as a drider strips them of any rights or standing they once held. Despite this, Lolth’s chaotic nature means that she sometimes grants her favor to powerful or cunning driders, using them as enforcers or spies when it suits her needs.

### Abilities and Strengths
Though the drider transformation is intended as a punishment, it enhances the victim's abilities to monstrous proportions. Driders

drider Traits

spider climb

spider climb

The drider can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

fey ancistry

The drider has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put the drider to sleep.

Spider Climb.

The drider can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

Sunlight Sensitivity.

While in sunlight, the drider has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Web Walker.

The drider ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.