Homebrew Drider Species Details

Physical Description

Driders are drow who have failed Lolth's trials and were both blessed and cursed with a new, spider-like form. They possess the upper bodies of drow, and the lower bodies of giant spiders. Their drow halves retain all of their typical physical features, including dark blue skin resembling polished obsidian, stark white or pale yellow hair, and very pale eyes that retain the same color shades as regular drow eyes would. The spider half of a drider is typically black and chitinous, propelling the creature along the ground atop eight wicked, spindly spider legs. Due to the space taken up by their spider halves, most driders tend to be up to 8 ft tall, and almost as wide.

History

Driders are drow servants of Lolth who undergo a painful process after failing one Lolth's test. Failure in the procedure usually results in death. Most are evil, but rarely, a drider may break this role. A drider appears much like a centaur, except exclusively for drow and with a spider's body rather than a horse's. Because of this, driders have a venomous bite and can shoot webbing at their foes, as well as ignoring any movement restrictions.

While one might think this form might elevate a drow's status, this is actually a great shame, because the drow see driders as beings so absolutely weak and pathetic that Loth herself had to step down to make them better, and are usually shamed and exiled from drow society, if not killed. Driders can be found scattered across the hostile wilderness of the Underdark, surviving off what meager prey that can manage to kill. Driders can grow to despise their drow brethren for making them outcasts and try forgetting their pasts, although trusting them is still unwise since they are as likely to help you as they are to turn you in to the drow in hopes of redeeming themselves, though usually, this hope will only lead them to disappoint. Driders are rarely found outside of the Underdark, but desperation can lead to some driders living on the surface, though usually as hermits, pirates, or other nefarious professions. Like the drow most driders have evil and hatred pounded into their being, although their transformation can bestow them with humility, and in some cases, even a different perspective. Driders are a complicated and dangerous lot to be sure, but no matter what happened to them and what they've experienced, they are still drow, and one who would mess with the drow surely has a death wish.

Society

Driders mostly live independently or with others of their kind in order to be more in touch with the spiders they worship. They are rejected by the majority of drow society and either move to the outskirts of the city to act as the lowest of the drow caste system and as the first wave of defense, or take their chances as group hunters in the harsh terrain of the Underdark.

Drider Names

Though driders are sexless, their upper half gives away the kinds of names they once had. Before becoming a drider they will often have drow names and may keep them after their fall from Lolth's grace. Some change their names, taking on titles in their rejection of their past.

Titles: Doomweaver, Foeslayer, Dazzlebees, Liferenderer, Moonlust

Drider Traits

Your Drider character has a variety of natural abilities

Arachnid Build. 

You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push or drag.

Spider Climb .

You can walk on difficult surfaces such as walls, or upside down on ceilings without needing to make an ability check, with your hands free and at full movement

Drow Magic

You know the dancing lights cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the faerie fire spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the darkness spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells

Ability Score Increase

Your strength, dexterity, and constitution are each increase  by 1

Age

While a drider is often created while an adult, if not they mature at the same rate as humans and can live to be 750 years old.

Alignment

Tend to be as evil or neutral, the teachings of drow made them wicked but often their transformations give them some form of humility. May choose any Alignment

Size

Driders can be 7 to almost 9 feet tall and half as wide. Your size is Medium

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Your speed is not reduced by webbing.

Superior Darkvision

Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 120 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.

Spider Senses

You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Fey Ancestry

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Trance

Elves don’t need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is “trance.”) While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.

Languages

You can speak, read and write, Common, Elvish, and Undercommon.

Web Attack

You are immune to the affects of your own web. Your webs are flammable and if ignited burn up in 1 round, dealing 2d4 to all targets within contact. Your web DC of 10 + dexterity modifier + Constitution Modifier and  has the following characteristics AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage.

You have 5 + proficiency bonus  charges of webbing that you can use before having to take a short or long rest.

You may use charges of your web to prepare a trap, restrain a creature, or create difficult terrain.

Web Trap. You can trap an area. Preparing a trap requires 5 minutes and 1 charge of your web for a medium or smaller creature, or four times as much for a large creature. You cannot trap creatures huge or larger. Upon entering the trap, a creature must make a strength saving throw vs your web DC to avoid becoming restrained. The creature remains trapped for the next 24 hours or until the webbing is removed or destroyed by another creature.

Web Attack. You may make a ranged attack against a creature within range. On a hit the target is restrained and can break free on a successful Strength check equal to your web dc.The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed 

Sticky Ground. You may also aim your web at the ground to make an area difficult terrain. This uses 1 charge per 5 square feet. The ground in the affected area becomes difficult terrain for the next 24 hours or until the webbing is removed or destroyed