Homebrew Aranean Species Details
Hideous in appearance and mind, the Clutch of Aranea are the direct descendants of the living god-beast Aranea, an incomprehensibly large spider being who has terrorised the material plane since the Primordial Age. Those early Elves who were seduced by Aranea's power joined her in her quest to rend the Gods from the skies and devour them, ushering in her dominion over the plane. She was defeated and driven underground by the Gods, their loyal subjects and the Skathari, a meddlesome beetle-folk also native to their home in the far East of Arda, and following her retreat underground she has spend a near eternity building an army to strike once again. An army composed almost entirely of her sickening humanoid offspring, the Araneans.
Arachnid Physiology
Araneans began as Elves like most of the Primordial Beast-Folk, seduced by Aranea they were granted a fragment of her power and a body suited to harbour such energy. That body is one in Aranea's likeness, a sickening spider-like body featuring six arms, two legs and eight eyes specialised to see well in the dark. Araneans have a light, hairy exoskeleton and padded hands and feet that allow for them to climb on almost all surfaces effortlessly, with powerful mandibles designed to hold prey still while they slowly devour them with their hideous mouths. Female Araneans are noticeably larger and more robust than their male counterparts, despite this all Araneans are wiry and graceful to behold, slender to the extreme with sharp, jutting limbs and sunken, emotionless faces. The additional "hands" that Araneans have cannot be used to manipulate objects and instead only exist to allow these beings to climb and cling to surfaces even when entirely upside down with no effort. Male Araneans typically have their additional arms broken at birth and bound to their bodies so that they never fully develop, enforcing their position as lesser beings.
Araneans have to mask their appearance to operate on the surface and as such have access to a powerful version of Disguise Self which lasts 24 hours however it can only grant them a singular humanoid (typically Elven) appearance and nothing else. This spell cannot be used to mask their additional limbs and as such many Araneans take to wearing large cloaks or complex clothing to hide their arms about their bodies comfortably.
Some "high-born" female Araneans have humanoid upper-halves with fully arachnid lower bodies (however these are not playable). These are known as "Princesses" and are considered to be the truest Araneans, those fortunate enough to bear the most resemblance to their Queen.
All Araneans can produce webs from a specialised orifice on their lower bodies. These webs can be utilised for shelter however most Araneans use them for trapping and transporting prey.
The Eternal Hive
Araneans exist for one reason and one reason only, to serve Aranea. All of Aranean society with its various alien intricacies and apparent cruelty exist purely to forge towards the eventual goal of realising Aranea's goal of total domination. Males typically serve as servants, hunters and guardians to their female superiors until they are injured or simply outlive their utility, where they are then bred and used as feed for the resulting offspring. Females are typically expected to lead male hunters, eat and breed as much as possible and cultivate power wherever they can so that they can better serve their Queen.
Strictly hierarchical even without the direct presence of their Queen, Aranean society ranks all males as a permanent underclass of fodder and cattle where females are ranked on their size, "purity" (the more spider-like the better!) and the number of children (and slaves) they have produced and accumulated. Any attempts to undermine this hierarchy are often met with immediate, unrelenting punishment and typically result in the perpetrator being murdered and used to feed the loyal.
Those few Araneans who exist in the alien land above their subterranean homes are either forsaken outcasts who have shamed their race and Queen and now live lives of fear and solitude, most of whom rarely survive the first year, or are instead agents working on behalf of their Queen, scouting the surface in preparation to strike. Araneans assess most situations rather simply. If doing something would benefit Aranea then it should be done regardless of the consequences or cost. If Aranea would be indifferent towards the situation, does it stand to immediately benefit the Aranean themselves (or indeed their leader)? Finally, if the Aranean would simply like to do it then they should. Araneans view themselves as above the considerations and concerns of all other races and care not for what horrors they may inflict in the pursuit of their will. Appeals to emotion and empathy are wasted on Araneans, who view both as tools used by the weak to manipulate the strong.
Lords of the Dark Below
Of the major subterranean races in the known world (Dwarves, Deep Elves and Araneans), the Araneans are the least numerous and are matched only by the Deep Elves in their illusiveness. Almost all record of their existence has been destroyed and most surface-dwellers presume them to be a horror story told to children to frighten them. Unlike the Deep Elves however the Araneans have entire cities beneath the surface of Eastern Arda with functional government, schools for training magisters and feudal-style trade with their neighbouring Aranean settlements. These settlements are typically built around a Princess who produces the majority of its population herself, besides the centremost city of Telam, where Aranea is thought to reside.
Araneans believe that they are the superior race in the Material Plane and as such view all other beings as servants, food or prey. Their short interactions with other races typically end in outright violence, with the Araneans either taking slaves or simply eating their prey there and then. Araneans believe that their societal system is superior to all others and in rare non-aggressive encounters with outsiders are known to attempt to impose their norms, rules and expectations upon other groups wherever possible.
Decorum and etiquette are immensely important to Araneans, with even small disrespects being met with outright hostility particularly towards outsiders. Araneans are typically softly spoken and polite however direct and hostile their words may be and they are considered to be masters of deception and subterfuge. Araneans highly value cunning, selfishness and, perhaps most importantly, magical prowess as measures of a beings usefulness outside of their race's typical values.
The Endless Hunger
Araneans can only eat liquefied meat proteins and typically tend to devour entire kills as soon as they are dead. They wrap their prey in webbing and then slowly dissolve them over an hour (depending on the size of the creature) before "drinking" them, a necessary process due to the distinct lack of teeth that Araneans have. Food is hierarchically organised as with everything else in Aranean society, with the meat of female Araneans being the utmost delicacy in Aranean society and as such only devoured by Princesses and the Queen herself. Other Humanoids are typically reserved for females, where males are expected to survive on subterranean creatures that they can capture and what females allow them to consume.
Araneans only need to eat a medium sized creature equivalent once a week to stay satisfied however female Araneans are known for their insatiable appetite and will eat as much as they can wherever possible. If an Aranean goes longer than a week without eating they are known to go almost entirely feral, attacking and consuming the first creature they can successfully incapacitate to satisfy their hunger.
Araneans can eat any recently killed (within one day) beasts and humanoids, however they are known to prefer the taste of Elves and Humans above all else. Everything is consumed at once, however Araneans cannot consume stone, metal or magical items and typically regurgitate these if they are accidentally consumed. Typically a beings armour, weapons and other equipment remain inside the ominous web-mummy that is left in the wake of this brutal act.
Aranean Names
Araneans typically have strange, impossible to pronounce names that are best suited for the unique clicking sounds that only they can produce. Araneans make little effort to alter these names to benefit others and as such speaking the "true" name of an Aranean is borderline impossible. This being said, Araneans typically adopt Elven or even Human names when in their chosen, singular disguise and as such their names match these conventions instead.
One stand out trait in Aranean naming is that female Araneans typically precede their true names with the word/phrase An Arane, which is close to the Elven for "Of Spiders". Men are not allowed to take this title
Aranean Traits
Your Aranean character has the following racial traits.Sunlight Sensitivity
You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Perception checks that rely on sight when you, your target, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
Poison Resistance
Araneans are resistant to poison damage and immune to the poisoned condition.
Ability Score Increase
Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age
Araneans reach maturity around 1 year old and are thought to be able to match Elven lifespans. Male Araneans rarely live past the age of 40.
Alignment
Araneans are almost exclusively Lawful Evil. They seek to dominate the surface-world and supplant their God-Queen as the ultimate ruler of the material plane.
Size
Araneans typically stand around 6-7 feet tall, with females sometimes growing to almost 8 feet tall. Despite this they are very slender in build and typically lightweight for their height. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a climbing speed of 30 feet. You can innately climb on any non-slick surfaces including completely upside down with no issue.
Bite
Your large fanged mandibles are a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Dexterity modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Advanced Dark Vision
You have Dark Vision with a radius of 120 feet, your field of vision is greatly enhanced
Innate "Magic"
You gain three uses of the Web spell at level 3 which recharge after a short or long rest. Araneans must reserve one use of this webbing to create a suitable environment for them to sleep and another to adequately consume food. All Araneans can cast a variant of Disguise Self which lasts 24 hours and can be cast immediately with no preparation. This spell can only be used to grant the Aranean access to a single, unchanging Human or Elven appearance and cannot hide their additional arms.
Child of Darkness
Natural Armor
You have a dark, hairy exoskeleton which covers your entire body. When you aren’t wearing armor, your 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.
Dissolving Bite
In battle, you can throw yourself into a vicious feeding frenzy. As a bonus action, you can make a special attack with your bite. If the attack hits, it deals its normal damage plus an additional 1d6 acid damage, and you cannot use this feature again until you have completed a short or long rest.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice. You also have access to the unique Aranean language.
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