Ether Spider

Ether Spider Creature5

N Large Beast Ethereal

Senses Perception +12; darkvision

Languages Aklo

Skills Athletics +12, Stealth +15

Str +5, Dex +4, Con +3, Int -2, Wis +1, Cha +7

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AC 21; Fort +12, Ref +15, Will +10

HP 75

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Speed 40 feet, climb 20 feet

Melee [one-action] fangs +15 (magical), Damage 1d10+7 piercing plus ether spider venom and Grab

Ranged [one-action] web +14 (magical, range increment 30 feet); Effect ethereal web trap

About

Ether spiders are deadly predators from the Ethereal Plane resembling giant arachnids. Rather than building webs of silk, ether spiders shape the raw essence of the Ethereal Plane, weaving it in complex patterns that drift through the misty void. From these ethereal nests, whole families of ether spiders can scout the adjacent Material Plane, watching for easy prey in dark or remote corners of the land of mortals. Once an ether spider has spotted a meal, it anchors its nest and waits on the Ethereal Plane for its prey to draw near. As soon as its victim is within reach, the ether spider shifts to the Material Plane, clamps its fangs onto its prey, then shifts back to the Ethereal Plane to wait as its venom works through the creature’s system. Ether spiders move between the planes with ease, making them extremely dangerous to those who cannot see or attack ethereal enemies.

Ether spiders are not mindless or evil-they are simply hungry. If a prospective meal can sate an ether spider’s incredible appetite through other means, they might be able to bargain for their life. Ether spiders are especially interested in items, information, or allies who can help them against their enemies.

As many as half a dozen ether spiders might dwell in the same ether web.

Although ether spiders enjoy one another’s company, they don’t form the same bonds as most humanoids, and they are more likely to feast on the corpse of a fallen sibling than save one from certain doom.

Ether spiders dwell in vast nests adrift in the Ghost World, where they are more likely to let down their guard. Travelers who find a floating ether spider commune should have an easier time of making peaceful contact to trade with or even befriend these strange arachnids. The nests drift on metaphysical currents and are rarely seen in the same vicinity twice. Sometimes a point of interest on the neighboring Material Plane compels them to tether their nest to an area, creating a semipermanent home, and those who learn its location can return to it repeatedly.