Homebrew Aranea Species Details

"Ah, the Aranea. Poor creatures keep to themselves. You'd never know one until you looked real close. They didn't ask for a bad reputation but if you ask me, I prefer them around for their extraordinary tapestries! Master weavers they are. They go for gold!" 
-Khemid Dumien, travelling Calashite merchant

Aranea, are spiderlike humanoids whose people originated and evolved from the werespiders of the Spider Swamp. Despite their predatory reputation as monstrous creatures, most aranea now appear like most humans who are peaceful weavers and most often keep to themselves while blended in large populations of human societies.

Web Tangled History

Aranea are pragmatic spider folk whose reputations from the ancient calashites and drow have driven them into hiding for centuries. There isn't much known of the aranea's origination besides stories that are filled with dangerous and inaccurate accusations of terror.
Some legends tell of calashite wizards creating the aranea by magically combining the essence of people and spiders, into what most called werespiders, as a means for defense. Successful, they used the aranea to drive out their enemies, but due to superstition and fear, the calashites betrayed the aranea and drove them out from their lands. These stories have been retold and reimagined throughout human cultures in Faerun, with different iterations from coast to coast, telling of the terrible aranea monsters that will hunt down farmer's livestock and steal their children who are bad.
Another legend from the drow who tell of the aranea being the first creations of Lolth after being cast out of Arvandor, before she perfected the drow. Due to their skills for caring for the spiders she held divinity over, drow would seek aranea out to farm and care for their spiders. Because of this legend, most drow see the aranea being beneath them and tolerate the aranea as a representation of Lolth's will and divinity.

 

Magical Adaptation

Through magical and evolutionary means, aranea closely resemble humans to the common eye, rather than their previous monsterous forms from centuries ago. They can't pass for human under close scrutiny because there's always some hint of their spider nature, such as their dialted or pinpoint pupils, colorful irises, pointed teeth, or their long and pointed fingers. Aranea skin tones cover the full range of human and elvish coloration, but due to their spiderblooded nature they also include various cool undertones of blues, purples, or greens. Because most races only know of the aranea being giant spider-like monsters from stories, they can often pass as elvish to those who wouldn't know any better.
Some aranea show their spider-like heritage through their mannerisms or personality, such as walking tiptoed, moving and fidgeting their fingers like spider legs, or shifting their eyes around without moving their head, out of caution.

 

Woven into Culture

Lacking a homeland, aranea know that they have to make their own way in the world to survive. Aranea are rare but they can be found throughout most corners of Faerun, from the largest cities on the Sword Coast to the hostile cities of the Underdark. Aranea can easily blend in large cities but are somewhat less welcome in some elven forests, due to superstition and their association to the evil elven spider goddess, Lolth.
Aranea that settle within cities or towns will often take up trades that involve their natural talents of weaving while others that live in the wilderness may become hunters, trappers, foresters, or adventurers visiting civilization rarely. Aranea that dwell within the Underdark may live off of raising giant spiders for drow cities. In most parts of the world, though, aranea are uncommon enough that one might live for years without meeting another.

 

Protective Colony

Aranea are a solitary people and will put in more work to blend into other communities than to form their own. Due to their spider heritage, aranea are territorial and take great pride in their homes and families they establish. More than often, their families will reside or support the same home for generations and they'll refer to this as their Colony. Though rare, an aranea colony would only move into close proximity to another if they offered a different set of skills or trade to their shared community, lest they risk a territorial confrontation that could lead to exposure of both aranea colonies. Aranea often can tell another apart.

 

Aranea Names

Aranea usually have names appropriate to the culture in which they were raised or established in. An aranea surname may use a word to reflect a characteristic from their spider heritage that they or their colony share.
Heritage names: Black, Blue, Brood, Brown, Cluster, Farmer, Funnel, Garden, Golden, Goliath, Harvest, Hunts, Jumping, Orb, Recluse, Redback, Spitting, Spinner, Trapper, Velvet, Webbing, Weaver, Widow, Wolf

 

Aranea Traits

Your aranea character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase.

Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Age.

Aranea mature at the same rate humans do and can live up to 200 years.

Alignment.

Aranea have an innate tendency towards a neutral alignment. They love freedom and tend to lean towards the gentler aspects of chaos but some that are raised or used in the Underdark within drow society tend towards evil.

Size.

Aranea match humans in average size and weight. Your size is medium.

Speed.

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision.

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. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of grey.

Innate Spellcasting.

You know the poison spray cantrip. You can cast animal friendship an unlimited number of times with this trait, but you can target only spiders with it. Starting at 3rd level, you can also cast Web with this trait. Once you cast it, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Web Walker.

You ignore movement restrictions caused by webbing.

Poison Immunity.

You are immune to poison damage and the poison condition.

Languages.

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