Homebrew Ettercap Species Details
Ettercaps are humanoid spiders that tend, feed, and watch over spiders the way a shepherd oversees a flock of sheep. They lair deep in remote forests.
Fine strands of silk stream from glands in an ettercap’s abdomen, letting it shoot sticky strands of webbing to bind, entrap, or strangle its victims. It can also use its webbing to fashion elaborate snares and nets, which often festoon its lair.
Quiet Killers. When travelers and explorers venture into an ettercap’s territory, the ettercap stalks them. Some meet their end wandering blindly into traps or sections of forest enclosed by webs. Others, the ettercap garrotes with strands of web or envenoms with its poisonous bite.
Sylvan Despoilers. Though they dwell in the wilds, ettercaps have no desire to live in harmony with nature. A forest infested with ettercaps transforms into a gloomy place, choked with webs and infested with giant spiders, giant insects, and other sinister predators. Creatures that wander too far into such a wood are soon lost in a maze of webs that dangle with the bones and lost treasures of the ettercaps’ victims.
Enemies of the Fey. Ettercaps are natural enemies of fey creatures. The foul creatures set web snares to catch sprites and pixies, which they hungrily devour, and will encase a dryad’s tree in webbing in a vain attempt to trap the dryad. Otherwise timid fey will sometimes approach outsiders for help in dealing with an ettercap infestation, being ill-equipped to deal with the malevolent creatures themselves.
Ettercap Traits
EttercapAbility Score Improvement
When you determine your ability scores, increase one of those scores by 2, and increase a different one by 1. These increases can’t raise a score above 20. You follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. If you are replacing your race with a lineage, replace any Ability Score Increases you previously had with these.
Bite
The ettercap has a poisonous bite. It can make a melee attack against a creature for 1d6 + STR. On a hit the target must make a Constitution saving throw against a the ettercap's save DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier or be poisoned.
Claws
The ettercap can make an unarmed attack with its claw. The damage is 1d4 + STR slashing. The ettercap is considered proficient with this.
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 gray.
Language
You speak common and can choose 1 other language of your choice. You can also convey and understand simple messages from beasts of an insect nature.
Skill Versatality
You choose one of three skills and gain proficiency in that. Choose either Perception, Stealth, or Survival.
Spider Climb.
The ettercap has the following traits:
Spider Climb. The ettercap can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Web Sense. While in contact with a web, the ettercap knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.
Web Walker. The ettercap ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.
The ettercap has a climbing speed equal to its walking speed.
Web
The ettercap produces web and can utilize it in different ways. The ettercap can learn new ways to use its webbing as it levels up. Choose one of the following at level one, again at level three, and the last at level five.
Web Shot. As a single action, you can make a range attack (30/60 ft.) against one Large or smaller creature. On a hit the creature is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained creature can make a Strength check against 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier, escaping from the webbing on a success. The effect also ends if the webbing is destroyed. The webbing has AC 10, 5 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage. The ettercap can use this ability and Web Garrote ability in any combination equal to its Constitution modifier. This resets after a long rest.
Web Garrote. As a single action, you can make a melee attack against one Medium or Small creature against which the ettercap has advantage on the attack roll. On a hit the target takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (Escape DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier). Until this grapple ends, the target can’t breathe, and the ettercap has advantage on attack rolls against it. The ettercap can use this ability and Web Garrote ability in any combination equal to its Constitution modifier. This resets after a long rest.
Web String. As a single action, you can make a range (30/60) or melee attack against a solid object using Dexterity as the attack modifier. If the object is in melee range and is stationary, the attack hits automatically. On a hit the target is attached to one end of the web string and the ettercap to the other. As an action the ettercap can pull the object closer to itself or you can climb the web string towards or away from the object. Another creature can also climb the web string but must make an Athletics (Strength) check to see if it is able if it doesn't have a climbing speed. The web string has a max weight of the ettercap's max load carrying capacity. If it exceeds the weight it breaks automatically. You can take a second action on a subsequent turn to repeat the attack to attach the end of the string the ettercap is holding to another solid object. The ettercap can also use this as a reaction to avoid fall damage. If the ettercap has fallen over 20 feet the string breaks at half the max load capacity for the ettercap. The ettercap can produce up to a max of 20 x its constitution modifier. It must take a long rest before it can produce more. The webbing has AC 10, 5 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage. If it isn't destroyed it remains for days equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1).
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