[Creature] Droned the shadows in ethereal tones...

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Sanctusarach

Tiny Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 2d10 (11 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 20 (+4 dex, +4 natural, +2 size), touch 16, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/-9
Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d3-3 plus eternal stupor)
Full Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d3-3 plus eternal stupor)
Space/Reach: 2 1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Eerie chant, eternal stupor, spell-like abilities, web of lies
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., detect evil, holy pass, low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 5, Dex 19, Con 10, Int 7, Wis 16, Cha 12
Skills: Climb +12, Hide +20, *Jump +14, Listen +4, *Move Silently +14, Perform (sing) +5, Spot +11
Feats: Ability focus (eternal stupor), Weapon Finesse(B)
Environment: Any land or underground
Organization: Cloister (9–40)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Any good
Advancement: 3 HD (Tiny), 4-8 HD (Small), 9-12 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: -

A spider the side of a grown man's spread hand scuttles slowly across the underside of a worn beam of the chapel roof and descends on an unseen strand. Its black carapace is leathery seeming, and covered in stiff dark brown bristles. Around its mouth is a slight crust of dried wax.

The sanctusarach were once normal spiders, but after hundreds of generations living and dying within the holy and unholy places, sipping upon the tallow of ceremonial candles, they were altered.

Though few realize it at first, they are lucky to have such creatures, the sanctusarach continuously going about the day eating other vermin and cleaning and repairing their holy home. All they ask for in return is to have free reign of the structure. Often the spiders last long after the church is abandoned, continuing to upkeep it on the chance it will once more be used. True believers notice not their webs, but often the clergy make a request of the sanctusarach to spin their webbing within certain areas to keep out evil intruders. Little restraint is shown however if the structure is abandoned, the enterior coated from floor to ceiling in their webs.

A sanctusarach weighs only a pound or two. They speak Abyssal, Celestial, Common, and Infernal, along with their own deep, droning language that uses the echos of large spaces to their advantage.

Combat
Unless hungered a sanctusarach is not a particularly eager combatant, prefering to scare away intruders with their song. If this is ineffective they scurry forth on their webs to bite and entrap their victim in the webs. Once completely bound up the webbing is cut and the trespasser pulled out by the combined efforts of the temple's population.

Detect Evil (Sp): A sanctusarach can use detect evil, as the spell. This ability is always on.

Eerie Chant (Su): A sanctusarach possesses a strangely deep and resonate voice. They gain a +4 bonus to intimidate checks. As a full round action it may chant an unnerving tune in the odd language of their own. Those within 60 feet that hear the chant must succeed on a DC 12 will save each round or be effected in a way thats dependent on their alignment. Evil creatures that fail their save are panicked and neutrals frightened. The save DC increases by 1 for every two sanctusarach that join the first. This is a mind-affecting, sonic fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Eternal Stupor (Su): The bite of the sanctusarach afflicts its victim with Eternal Stupor. They must succeed on a DC 13 fortitude save or take 1d6 poins of dexterity damage. The victim also becomes incredibly drowsy and cannot charge or run. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Holy Pass (Su): A sanctusarach may pass through the structure of a holy dwelling as if incorporeal. They must end their turn outside a solid surface or they take 1d6 points of damage and are shunted to the next closest space.

Spell-like Abilities: At will - Ghost Sound, Mending, Prestidigitation. Caster level 5th. Save DC's are Charisma-based.

Tremorsense (Ex): A sanctusarach can detect and pinpoint any creature or object within 60 feet in contact with the ground, or within any range in contact with sanctusarach webs.

Web of Lies (Ex): Sanctusarach often live within the highest rafters and towers of the church, lowering themselves silently on silk strands and leap onto their victims passing beneath. A single strand is strong enough to support the spider and one creature of the same size.

Sanctusarachs can throw a web eight times per day. This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against targets up to two size categories larger than the Sanctusarach. These webs appear as glistening strands of razor wire to evil-aligned beings, strangely shadowy to neutral-aligned beings, and completely incorporeal and invisible to good-aligned creatures, not affecting them in any way.

An entangled creature can escape with a successful Escape Artist check (DC 11) or burst it with a Strength check (DC 16). Both are standard actions. The check DCs are Constitution-based, and the Strength check DC includes a +4 racial bonus. If the creature entangled is evil-aligned both DC's increase by another +4 and they take 1d6 points of damage each round they do not remain perfectly still.

Sanctusarachs often create sheets of sticky webbing from 5 to 60 feet square. They usually position these sheets to snare flying creatures but can also try to trap prey on the ground. Approaching creatures must succeed on a DC 20 Spot check to notice a web; otherwise they stumble into it and become trapped as though by a successful web attack. Attempts to escape or burst the webbing gain a +5 bonus if the trapped creature has something to walk on or grab while pulling free. Each 5-foot section has 6 hit points, and sheet webs have damage reduction 10/evil.

Those caught within these webs cannot knowingly tell lies, though they are not forced to speak.

Sanctusarachs can move across its own web at its climb speed and can pinpoint the location of any creature touching its web.

Skills: Sanctusarachs have a +8 racial bonus on Climb, Hide and Spot checks. A sanctusarach can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. Sanctusarachs use their Dexterity modifier for Climb checks.

*Sanctusarachs have a +10 racial bonus on Jump checks. They also have a +8 racial bonus on Move Silently checks when using their webs.

[Grey Knight]

I like it! Sounds like something I might use, although I'd change the name (not sure what to). Now we just need some es for it to hunt... has anyone created a monster for those yet?

Nitpick: Does "can pinpoint the location of any creature touching its web" only apply when the sanctusarach is also touching the web?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Originally Posted by Grey Knight

Nitpick: Does "can pinpoint the location of any creature touching its web" only apply when the sanctusarach is also touching the web?

Or if the web is touching a surface the spider is in contact with. That bit was straight from the Monsterous Spider entry in the Monster Manual.

[Grey Knight]

Originally Posted by The Vorpal Tribble

Or if the web is touching a surface the spider is in contact with. That bit was straight from the Monsterous Spider entry in the Monster Manual.

Ah, I see it.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Yup, there you go.

[Chavik]

this would be good for my campaigns, I love setting my players up in abandoned churches and temples.

[cferejohn]

Cool idea! I might make an evil version as well.

Oh, typo under "eternal stupor". You call it "tupor".

[Eerie]

One tiny problem. Spiders are predators. Why the hell would they sip on the tallow in the first place?

Oh, and sorry for raising the dead.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Originally Posted by Eerie

One tiny problem. Spiders are predators. Why the hell would they sip on the tallow in the first place?

Do you know what tallow is?

[The Tygre]

What's it like when the Homebrew demons speak to you in your sleep?

[Eerie]

Originally Posted by The Vorpal Tribble

Do you know what tallow is?

Yes. A spider won`t eat it, unless he was totally crazy to begin with.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Originally Posted by Eerie

Yes. A spider won`t eat it, unless he was totally crazy to begin with.

So you are asking why the hell a carnivore would drink liquified animal fat?

[Eerie]

Originally Posted by The Vorpal Tribble

So you are asking why the hell a carnivore would drink liquified animal fat?

Even though apparently one species of a vegetarian spider was discovered in 2008, I`m willing to bet any amount of money that no spider will eat a candle.

Look, I actually like the monster. But you got to change the background.

[Leon]

Given what it is as a Magical creature i think what a normal spider would do is long past worrying about, it can phase through walls yet not eat a candle?

Looks good VT



Could they be persuaded to move to another temple or would they not want to leave the known home - also what would there reactions be to the Temple being destroyed by a good/Neutral force for what ever reason


(as i write this a largish spider just skittered across the room...)

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Originally Posted by Eerie

Even though apparently one species of a vegetarian spider was discovered in 2008, I`m willing to bet any amount of money that no spider will eat a candle.

Look, I actually like the monster. But you got to change the background.

Or maybe I could keep true to the old story that spawned it and the subsequent usages in literature?

"Can you tell me why, when other spiders die small and soon, that one great spider lived for centuries in the tower of the old Spanish church and grew and grew, till, on descending, he could drink the tallow of all the church lamps?" - Van Helsing, Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Frankly I don't think it's even too much of a stretch even if it wasn't a myth. Spiders drink liquefied insect innards. Some even kill toads and birds and the like. Tallow is almost exactly what they live off of to begin with.

Could they be persuaded to move to another temple or would they not want to leave the known home - also what would there reactions be to the Temple being destroyed by a good/Neutral force for what ever reason

They might move, but they would be as reluctant as getting folks to leave the only home they've ever known, which has been used for many generations.

[Eerie]

Originally Posted by The Vorpal Tribble

Or maybe I could keep true to the old story that spawned it and the subsequent usages in literature?

"Can you tell me why, when other spiders die small and soon, that one great spider lived for centuries in the tower of the old Spanish church and grew and grew, till, on descending, he could drink the tallow of all the church lamps?" - Van Helsing, Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Frankly I don't think it's even too much of a stretch even if it wasn't a myth. Spiders drink liquefied insect innards. Some even kill toads and birds and the like. Tallow is almost exactly what they live off of to begin with.

As a biologist, the idea makes me cringe.

Could you just make the background a myth? Like, people think Sanctusarachs were created from ordinary spiders who drank tallow, but actually they came into being in a different way... I don`t know, maybe some evil cleric forced spiders to drink magical tallow...

BTW, why no LA? Playing as one of those guys could be cool.