Homebrew Aranea Species Details

Shifty Arachnids


Aranea are intelligent, forest-dwelling arachnoids that are skilled in magic use. They have two true forms – that of a humanoid and that of a large, intelligent spider – and can shapeshift into a hybrid form that combines the two.

In humanoid form, an aranea resembles one other creature, usually being a human, drow, or drow half-elf. In their natural spider form, an aranea resembles a large spider, hut has an oddly-shaped lump on its back that houses its brain. Beneath its impressive mandibles, sprouting from the front of its body, are two small limbs, each about two feet long. Each of the small limbs has four fingers plus a single thumb (the fingers are many-jointed and the thumb has an extra joint). The hybrid form is humanoid with arachnid elements: fangs, two spinnerets (in the palm of each hand), and four eyes (the second pair often in the temples). Each finger and thumb typically has an extra joint as well. No two aranea have exactly the same hybrid form.

Peaceful Infiltrators


Aranea society is matriarchal, usually ruled by the queen who gives birth to the community. They would occasionally go into other communities disguised as healers or barbarians to trade or -- when the situation warranted doing so -- take a new mate to prevent inbreeding.

Araneas take great pains to conceal their dual nature, partly because of the unjust animosity felt toward them by other races. From birth, they are taught that they have two distinct identities. Individuals are forced to keep these two identities separate, never to reveal the secret to other races. Those who do are considered traitors; they are dealt with harshly and quickly by other araneas.

Due to old legends of their purported evil, araneas are almost universally despised as a sort of "bogeyman". A revealed aranea will most likely be hunted down by everyone in the area – especially other araneas. The pose of a "tame" aranea who has "converted to the cause of good" may be possible, but it would still be hunted by other araneas.

Aranea Traits

Areneas share certain racial traits as a result of their arachnid lineage.

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.

Alignment

Usually neutral. Aranea tend to focus on protecting themselves and those they care about.

Age

Aranea reach maturity around the age of 20 and can live for roughly 200 years.

Size

The aranea's spider form has a similar amount of mass to an average human, but their legs make them appear much larger. Your humanoid form has a size appropriate to its race. Your spider form size and hybrid form size is Medium.

Speed

You have a base walking speed is 30 feet, and have a climbing speed of 30.

Creature Type

You are a Monstrosity.

Spider Web Walker

You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check and ignore movement restrictions caused by webbing.

Spider Sense

Your darkvision has a radius of 60 feet and your blindsight has a radius of 10 feet. While in contact with a web, you know the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.

Aranea Instinct

You gain proficiency with the perception and stealth skills and expertise with Weaver's Tools.

Natural Armor

When you aren’t wearing armor, your base AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.

Shapechanger

As an action, you can shift between one of three forms; your spider form, your humanoid form, or a hybrid form. Your statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment you are wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. You are only able to take the form of a Drow, Half-Elf Drow, or Human when you take on a humanoid form using this trait.

Webbing

While in your spider form or hybrid form you are able to create webbing, the webbing has the following features to it: The web is sticky and sticks to any creature, object, or solid surface that it touches. The webbing can be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage). The webs are flammable. Any 5-foot cube of webs exposed to fire burns away in 1 round, dealing 2d4 fire damage to any creature that starts its turn in the fire.

Additionally you have the following options to use with your webbing:

Tetherline. While in your spider or hybrid form as a reaction when you jump or fall from a solid surface, you can attach a tether of webbing to the surface that can extend up to 120 feet and hold onto the tether, when falling while holding onto the attached tether you take no fall damage, a bonus action you can real up to 120 feet to where the tether is attached.

Swingline. While in your spider or hybrid form as a bonus action you can throw a length of webbing at a point on a surface, such as the ground or wall, it can see within 60 feet of you, attaching one end of the webbing to that point. You then reel in the webbing, pulling your to an unoccupied space within 10 feet of that point. When you moves in this way, opportunity attacks against you have disadvantage. If you pulled yourself at least 15 feet straight toward a creature, you have advantage on the next melee attack it makes against that creature before the start of its next turn.

Web Net. While in your spider or hybrid form as an action or bonus action you can shoot a mass of thick, sticky webbing at a point of your choice within 60 feet of you. The webs fill a 20-foot cube from that point for the duration. The webs are difficult terrain and lightly obscure their area.

If the webs aren't anchored between two solid masses (such as walls or trees) or layered across a floor, wall, or ceiling, the conjured web collapses on itself, and the spell ends at the start of your next turn. Webs layered over a flat surface have a depth of 5 feet.

Each creature that starts its turn in the webs or that enters them during its turn must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is restrained as long as it remains in the webs or until it breaks free.

A creature restrained by the webs can use its action to make a Strength check. If it succeeds, it is no longer restrained.

Web Strand. While in your spider or hybrid form as an action or bonus action you can shoot a 90 foot long string of thick, sticky webbing at a point of your choice within 90 feet of you at an object or creature. If shot at a creature the creature must make a Dexterity saving throw or be grappled by the webbing. If the creature is grappled then you can use your action or bonus action to pull the creature directly towards you if the creature is large or smaller. If you shot the webbing at a loose object you can use your webbing to pull it 60 feet towards you as long as the weight of the object does not exceed your carrying capacity.

Blinding Web. While in your spider or hybrid form as an action or bonus action you can shoot a shot of thick, sticky webbing at a point of your choice within 60 feet of you at a creature that is large or smaller and has eyes. The creature the creature must make a Dexterity saving throw or be blinded by the webbing. A creature blinded by the webbing can use its action to make a Strength check. If it succeeds, it is no longer blinded.

Silencing Web. While in your spider or hybrid form as an action or bonus action you can shoot a shot of thick, sticky webbing at a point of your choice within 60 feet of you at a creature that is large or smaller and has a mouth. The creature the creature must make a Dexterity saving throw or is unable to make sounds with it's mouth or move it's mouth due to the webbing. A creature muted by the webbing can use its action to make a Strength check. If it succeeds, it is no longer muted and can move it's mouth normally.

Disarming Web. While in your spider or hybrid form as an action or bonus action you can shoot a shot of thick, sticky webbing at a point of your choice within 60 feet of you at a creature that is large or smaller and that is holding an object. The creature the creature must make a Strength saving throw or the creature drops the object and the object is flung 30 feet away in the direction you shot the web at if the object's weight isn't more than your carrying capacity and isn't large or larger. You can instead of having the object flung away, you can pull the object towards you, if you have a free hand you can pull the object into your hand if it can fit in your hand.

Weaving. While in your spider form or hybrid form as an action or bonus action you can create 50 feet of spider silk rope or 200 feet of spider silk thread. 20 feet of thread can be used to craft 1 square foot of fabric worth 1 Gold.

Extra Arms

While you are in your hybrid form you can have up to six extra smaller arms, you can use them to manipulate an object, open/close a door or container, pick up or set down a Tiny object as a bonus action, or wield a weapon with the light property.

Poisonous Bite

While you're in your spider or hybrid form when you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace one of your attacks with a poisonous bite. When you hit with it, you deal 1d6 + your Strength modifier piercing damage, the target then must succeed on Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 poison damage poison damage. This poison damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 3rd level (2d6).

Aranea Magic

You can cast the light and detect magic at will. You can also cast silent image and sleep. Once you cast any of these spells with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast these spells using any spell slots you have.

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 Lineage

Choose a spider type that you have a connected lineage to, you gain the following features based on the spider type:

Jumping Spider. You gain proficiency in dexterity saving throws and expertise in the acrobatics and perception skills, you have advantage on perception skill checks that rely on sight. In addition you can jump up to twice your walking speed as a bonus action.

Hunting Spider. Your walking speed increases by 15 feet, you can walk on the surface of water as if it were solid ground. In addition you can dash or disengage as a bonus action.

Diving Bell Spider. You have a swim speed equal to your walking speed and can hold your breath up to 6 hours while underwater. In addition you have advantage on any grappling checks while underwater. In addition you while you are near the surface of water that is at least eight feet deep while you are underwater, as an action you can make a bubble from the surface, as a bonus action you can wrap this bubble around a creature within five feet of you that is underwater and medium or smaller, while the bubble is wrapped around the creature it is able to hold it's breath up to 6 hours while underwater, the bubble disappears after 6 hours or if it exists the water. You can also wrap this bubble around an object that is medium or smaller, while the bubble is wrapped around the object, the object always remains dry while underwater.

Orb Weaver Spider. While moving on a web your speed increases by 15 feet, any creature that is large or smaller has disadvantage on saving throws and ability checks against your webbing, you have advantage on any grappling checks against any creature that is grappled or restrained by webs. In addition you have advantage on performance checks made to make art with webbing.

Trap Door Spider. You have a burrowing speed of 20 feet and tremorsense of 20 feet, you can make stealth checks as a bonus action. In addition, while you are hidden, if a creature approaches you within your melee attack range, you can make a melee attack as a reaction, on a successful hit you can grapple the creature without an ability check.

Tarantula Spider. You have proficiency in Strength saving throws, proficiency in the athletics skill, you gain a +1 bonus to your armor class. In addition you gain advantage on any Strength checks.

Widow Spider. When you use your Poisonous Bite on a creature, you inflict an extra 1d6 poison damage on the failed Constitution saving throw and the creature is poisoned until the end of it's next turn.

Spitting Spider. As an action you can make a ranged weapon attack on a target within 60 feet of you with your poisonous spit, on a hit the target takes 1d8 poison damage. In addition when you make ranged attacks you ignore disadvantage based on range.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, and one language of your choice.

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