Homebrew Anadi Species Details

I couldn't find any conversions I liked 100% so I cobbled this together using "leddragon7", "TheWiseOne07", and "Dung1e" Anadi Species, and added a bit of head canon lore to the "Society" section in the description.

Anadi people are reclusive, sapient spiders who hail from the jungles of southern Garund. Though they act in many ways like natural-born shapeshifters, their twin forms actually stem from carefully developed magic.

As a communal and peaceful people, Anadi ancestors endeavored to establish trade with the neighbors of their homeland. However, these Anadi soon learned that most others found their appearance to be extremely objectionable. Wishing to avoid conflict, ancient Anadi retreated into isolation until they could find a solution. The answer came when their greatest scholars innovated a fusion of transmutation and illusion magic that allowed them to assume a humanoid form. The technique was developed, perfected, and eventually taught to the overwhelming majority of Anadi.

Early efforts with their new approach to diplomacy have yielded much better results, though sporadic contact means that some outsiders whisper false legends about Anadi, such as claims that they are humans who transform into monstrous spiders at moonrise. Even contemporary explorers have reported Anadi as human-spider hybrids. The Anadi people of the current day strive to slowly but surely create a world where they no longer need to hide their true nature.

You Might...

• Only reveal your true form to people who have earned your trust.
• Openly express sympathy for misrepresented and unfairly stigmatized cultures.
• Provide for those you hold dear and defend them from danger without hesitation.

Others Probably...

• Appreciate your willingness to seek nonviolent solutions to complicated problems.
• Have a strong reaction to seeing your natural form.
• Assume you have an affinity for druidic magic, given your ability to transform.

Physical Description

Anadi in their true form resemble human-sized spiders with a variety of colorations. Some tones look simple or muted while other remain striking and vibrant, with most patterns inherited from an Anadi's parentage. A typical Anadi measures five feet in length from their front legs to their rear legs when standing comfortably.

All Anadi possesses the ability to transform into a humanoid guise. This form can resemble any humanoid lineage, but it's usually one that blends in with the region of an Anadi's hatching. Anadi reach physical maturity after 13 years, going through multiple phases of molting along the way. A typical Anadi lives to be about 80 years old.

Society

Anadi live in a communal society, sharing peaceful lives farming mushrooms or weaving warm blankets. Their culture places great value on cooperation and mutual respect. Due to this cultural upbringing, Anadi often have issues facing severe conflict and often come off to other ancestries as very shy. Their history of dealing with arachnophobia in other peoples—which Anadi understand is often instinctual and very difficult to control—likewise means that Anadi do their best to be accommodating and comforting, even in situations that aren't necessarily fair to them. When an Anadi comes of age they perform the ceremonial ritual where they obtain their humanoid form; part of the ritual involves weaving a garment of choice out of their own silk, then blessing it by a priest of Grandmother Spider. Each garment is unique to the Anadi that made it, and every garment serves as a reminder of the connections around them.

Web Marriages

Anadi's are communal when it comes to courting one another and raising their young. Most relationships are triads or tetrads that make up a single household and share domestic responsibilities. Such partnerships often extend to members' work outside of the home; one family could consist of three hunters who coordinate group hunts, while another might have four sages who spend as much time together in the library as at home. These “web marriages” play a large role in anadi society; members of a web marriage vote in blocks during local elections and defend one another to the death in times of strife.

Beliefs

The cooperative nature of Anadi society and their dislike of violence means many Anadi lean toward good alignments. They're more often neutral than chaotic or lawful, though the latter aren't unheard of. Legends say Grandmother Spider rescued Anadi people from servitude and brought them to Faerûn, becoming their patron deity in the process. Her values of mutual care and playful trickery interweave into Anadi culture, and even those who don't worship her tell tales of her adventures.

Grandmother Spider

Many Anadi villages believe deeply in the teachings of Grandmother Spider, the goddess of twilight, weaving, illusion, and family. The most devout Anadi believe that this goddess, sometimes called Nana Anadi, long ago led their ancestors from servitude. The legend goes that when the Anadi were frightened by the darkness, Grandmother Spider plucked the dewdrops from her web to hang in the sky and light the night for them.

Adventurers

Anadi who answer the call to adventure often do so to learn more about the world at large. Common Anadi backgrounds include artisan, emissary, herbalist, hunter, and scholar. Anadi adventurers who want to support their communities often become clerics or druids. Rogue remains a popular choice among those who seek to hide their true form. Anadi who wish to continue their magical traditions tend to become wizards or sorcerers.

Names

Anadi names are given by the members of the web marriage that raised them. Each parent contributes a single syllable, usually the first, from their own name. Older anadi who feel their identity has settled often take on or are given a phrase-title to honor them as well. Anadi who live among human populations rarely take a cover name, but some might adopt one if their given name strongly contrasts the norm in the local culture.

Sample Names

Altava, Anavachti, Strings-On-The-River Inkeelah, Kerialnamu, Maracha, Leaves-Shelter-Her-Feet Naiala, Orvasa, Reloana, Rivuken, Velachamon

Anadi Traits

Anadi Traits

Ability Score Increases

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and a different one by 1, or increase three scores by 1. None of these increases can raise a score above 20.

Age

Anadi reach physical Maturity after 13 years, going through multiple phases of molting along the way. A typical anadi lives to be about 80 years old.

Size

A typical Anadi measure five feet in length from their front legs to their rear when standing comfortably. Your size is medium.

Speed

You have a 30 foot movement speed, while in your spider form you have a climb speed equal to your walking speed.

Change Shape

As a bonus action, you change from your innate spider form to your humanoid shape or vice versa. Each shape has a specific, persistent appearance. In your humanoid shape, you cannot use the natural weapon attack granted by your race or climb as you usually do, but gain the ability to hold and interact with objects as a humanoid generally would and have the size and speed of the adopted race. In your spider shape, you ignore movement restrictions caused by webbing and other difficult terrain caused by an uneven surface, such as low foliage or rubble, and climbing poses no restriction to your movement, but you can't use weapons, shields, or other held items that would require a degree of manipulation, and you are limited in what item interactions you can make. The only item interactions you can take are to cast a spell with somatic components, weave silk or webbing, or simple Interact actions such as opening an unlocked door. Your spider legs can't perform actions that require fingers or significant manual dexterity, including any action that would require a check to accomplish. The DM might determine other manipulate actions are/aren't appropriate for your spider appendages. You cannot use this bonus action if you are wearing armor. If you are wearing clothes or magic items that are not armor they shift as well to fit your new form.

Fangs

While in your spider form you have fangs as a natural weapon that deal 1d6 piercing damage and have the finesse trait.

Web Walker

You have advantage on checks and saving throws against terrain effects that would restrain you, such as terrain from the web and entangle spell.

Web Weaver

Gain proficiency in weavers tools. Additionally, you can produce a soft silk in your spider form which can be woven into useful items. If you spend a day of downtime, you're able to produce and weave enough silk to make a single garment that costs 1 gp or less. You also gain expertise in sleight of hand.

When you reach 3rd lvl, you can cast the web spell once without expending a spell slot. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can't cast it in this way again until you finish a Long Rest. You can also cast it using spell slots you have of the appropriate (2nd) level. If you do not have a spellcasting modifier from your class, this spell uses Wis as its spellcasting modifier.

Languages

You speak Common and Anadi and can communicate basic ideas with spiders and other arachnids.