I can't believe it's not Drow! [3.5 Race, PEACH]

[GFawkes]

Arachnoids

Appearance: Arachnoids seem eerily human, at least from a distance. Close up, it is easy to see their six extra eyes around their main two, their prong like fingers, and their retracting fangs if you're unlucky. They also have two additional arms, though these arms are too weak to be practical and are usually crossed together underneath clothing. Autopsy has revealed vestigial bones for extra legs.

Lands: Arachnoids are nomadic, though they prefer to stay underground or in abandoned structures.

Culture: Arachnoid life revolves around the number eight. Every camp has eight tents, each tent holds eight families, each family is allowed eight members, children become adults on their eighth hatchday, and so forth. Surprisingly, most arachnoid don't worship Lolth, but instead choose more nature oriented deities.
The Arachnoid speech is similar to Thri-Kreen in that it is difficult for members of other species to replicate. It consists of a mixture of hissing and clicking fangs.

Relations: Arachnoids are suspicious of outsiders in the tribe, though they are willing to accept those who prove they mean no harm. Most other races hold the arachnoid in varying views from region to region.
Arachnoids have deeper relations with sub-terranian races. Dwarves view them as occasional allies, while drow see them as false gods.

Abilities:
+4 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -4 Charisma
Medium Size
Monstrous Humanoid
Land speed 40 ft, Climb speed equal to land speed
Darkvision 60 ft
Immune to web spells
+8 Racial Bonus to Climb checks, can always Take 10 on Climb checks
+4 on Spot and Search checks
+4 against being disarmed
LA +1

Spoiler

If this gets enough review, I might make a prestige class for it, Arachnoid Purist, which focuses on the more spidery aspects of the race

[Zeta Kai]

1) The name is okay, but it sounds like the kind of name that other races would call them, not a name that they would give to themselves. If you have thought much about the culture of these people, you may want to cook up an internal name for them. It can be fairly weird & difficult to pronounce, hence why other races would just call them Arachnoids.

2) The fluff mentions fangs, with an implication that they are used offensively, but there is no mentioning of a bite attack or a poison attack. Is this intentional?

3) The vestigial bones for extra legs is a nice touch. Kudos.

4) The obsession with the number eight is a bit hokey, at least to the degree with which it is used. What happens to a ninth family member? I'd tone this down, or find more plausible, less restrictive ways that this preoccupation could manifest.

5) There is no mentioning of alignment, but these creatures don't seem terribly evil. That's a good thing, IMO, but I'd like to get your thoughts on where you see them on the alignment spectrum. CN? TN? CG?

6) I understand the rationale behind the +4 DEX, but the reasoning for CON bonus & the CHA penalty elude me. They are not mentioned as being particularly hardy or especially unpleasant. Perhaps those should be toned down or eliminated, as it kinda clutters the design without contributing much.

7) The other stats seem basically fine, but I'd reduce the LA to +1. The abilities are not really worth more than +1LA, & you want people to want to play this race. Compare to dwarves, whisper gnomes, goliaths, & other trait-heavy races.

8) I'd be interested in seeing a PrC for this race, if for no other reason than to get more insight into their culture. Also, you might want to consider designing a racial paragon class; they're easy to make, & they provide quite a bit of flavor for any given race. Just a thought.

[GFawkes]

1. That was intentional. I'm working up what they'd call themselves. It's a little hard to pronounce for humans.

2. That was supposed to be part of the paragon class. That class would have the vestigial arms grow stronger, and gain a venomous bite attack.

3. Thank you.

4. That was something I thought up on the spot, I'll refine it later.

5. I see them as anywhere on the spectrum. While they stick to their own tradition, they care little for local laws.

6. For the CON bonus, spiders are resilient little things. As for the CHA penalty, their not exactly someone you want to spend extended time with, similar to Orcs.

7. Thanks for this feedback. I've never made a base race before, so I guessed at the LA.

8. A racial paragon seems like it would work better than a PrC. I'll make it a Paragon class, but leave notes on how to make it a PrC.