Homebrew Antharachnid Species Details

A mere corpse lies where my colleague once slept. Two large, bloody holes on his chest and a slit on his neck were all I needed to realise what had been done. Though the… creature had scurried away before I could even draw my axe, I know deep down in my soul that it will most certainly come back for both its meal and me. I pray now to you, Lolth, in hopes that you can guide it away from me. If… you even created these beings at all.
- Weary Adventurer, now deceased (cause of death: severe piercing wounds to chest)

Antharachnids are a species that evolved similarly to humans, though their origins come from a planet much harsher than ones typical to the common adventurer. Instead of evolving from primates, they instead evolved from a species of giant spider. Bodily proportions show a sizeable abdomen on the rear, as well as an array of six arms - three on each side - with three claw-like fingers, having the ability to hold objects worse than but still comparable to other humanoids. The remaining two limbs are legs used to support a bi-pedal form, with the claw-like appendages being replaced for a flat foot. Their strong exoskeleton also sports a much furrier set of hair than what is typical of spiders seen on other planets.

On the face, you can also find Antharachnid fangs, which are approximately the size of one hand and are on each cheek. Bites from these fangs are venomous, and have immense strength. When it comes to eyes, they sport five, but still have eyesight that is quite poor. This comes from instead using senses such as hearing, touch, and even tremorsense as an alternative.

Extraplanetary Origins

The home planet of the Antharachnids, known by some as Auril, is a mountainous winter wasteland on the ground, but does contain barely hospitable terrain high up in said mountains due to the strange nature of Auril’s extreme climates getting weaker and warmer with altitude.

The wildlife present in Auril - much like Antharachnids - tend to have thick, furry coats and strong skeletons/exoskeletons that are fairly difficult to break through. A strong ability to burrow is also a common trait among Auril’s inhabitants, as being able to dig through snow, dirt, or sometime even rocks is vital towards withstanding sudden wind storms that break through towards the habitable zones.

IMPORTANT NOTE - AURIL AS A PLANET NAME
Auril is considered by Northlanders in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting as the deity responsible for creating winter. If this is not the case in your campaign, you have the option to talk with your DM to theorise alternative origins to the home planet being named Auril and/or discuss an alternative planet name.
Additionally, it would also be in your best interest to talk with your DM to establish why the Antharachnids have moved (or been displaced) from Auril to your own planet.

Matriarchal Beliefs

Much like humans, Antharachnids gained their status as the dominant species of Auril by rapidly creating and expanding their communities and technologies. With this came their own set of societal beliefs, with one such belief being that of The Matriarch (also known as Her) and the matriarchal structure. Antharachnids believe their creation to come from a goddess in the form of their own, only that she was much larger and more powerful. As such, the females of the species are considered dominant, and are generally much rougher than males during most forms of intra-species interaction.

The role for females and males are also swapped than with what is traditional to humans. Females tend to perform riskier tasks, while males tend to the areas in which they have set up. While a male Antharachnid is still able to get into or even be awarded with a high-ranking position, such events are incredibly rare and are only given out to males which have demonstrated extreme prowess.

When it comes to communication, their language is known only by few as Splish (named by the first non-Antharachnid to hear it, being an abbreviation of “Spider English”). It is an extremely complicated language, coming off to unknowing as just clicking through the fangs and some screeches. While efficient to them, it is - unfortunately - extremely difficult to both understand and speak due to its nature.

Thrill of The Ambush

Antharachnids, both male and female, take great praise in their abilities as an ambush predator. Outside of their colonies, intricate structures are often constructed with the sole purpose of trapping prey. Of course, webbing is still a huge part of the process, but their webbing is also usable as a rope substitute if densely weaved. Antharachnids also tend to stay close by to traps they have created, either hiding in holes just out of view or burying themselves just under their preferred ambush spot.

An Antharachnid’s exterior is also somewhat alterable; coloured, crushable fauna is “applied” to their fur as a makeshift dye, which helps with blending into their surroundings. While their default colours are a snowy white with pastel blue stripes, the majority of older Antharachnids will have adopted a fur colour and pattern unique to them and their hunting environments.

Antharachnid Traits

Your evolutionary lineage provides an edge many others do not have.

Age

Antharachnids tend to live their lives on the shorter side, but they do brood a fair amount of young to compensate. They can walk only hours after hatching, and grow to adulthood by the age of 8. They live to be around 50.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You also have a climbing speed of 30 feet.

Size

Antharachnids grow to the size of a typical human. At adulthood, they stand at around 5-6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write the unique language of Splish.

Altered Eyes

Your eyes have a very different idea on what it truly means to see.

You have 120 feet of tremorsense. However, you are considered blind whence looking at distances that are more than 15 feet away from you.

You have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that are related to sight, but have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that are not related to sight.

Hexad Arm Structure

Having six arms greatly benefits you in a world where what you hold can turn the tide of a battle.

Your carrying capacity is tripled.

Creatures have disadvantage on strength Saving Throws related to resisting and escaping your grapples.

You may equip up to three weapons with the Light property, or two Light weapons and a shield. This increases to four (three + shield) weapons at level 7, five (four + shield) weapons at level 13, and six (five + shield) weapons at level 19.

Venomous Fangs

Your venomous fangs can be used to debilitate creatures that stand in your way.

You have a number of Natural Weapon charges equal to half your proficiency bonus.
When you successfully grapple a creature, you may use a reaction to expend a charge and bite the creature. This bite deals 1d8 poison damage and inflicts the poisoned condition until the end of your next turn. After biting a creature, you cannot bite it again until you are no longer grappling the creature.
The damage of the bite increases to 2d8 at 6th level, 3d8 at 11th, and 4d8 at 16th level.

Natural Webber

Although somewhat cumbersome for a bipedal creature, your abdomen is still able to see daily use.

You can produce up to 20 feet of webbing in one day. The amount of webbing you can produce increases at character levels 5 (30 feet), 11 (40 feet), and 17 (50 feet).