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| Give me death or give me knowledge... |
Art Mostly By Me: I used a photograph of a spider and made distance marks to allow me to make a pic with the correct perspective and proportions. From the marks I drew a spider around them.
Of Literature and
Wars (Fluff)
They stalk halls
devoted to the written word, collectors of bound volumes, tablets,
and scrolls. In this city of infinite variation, they scour the
streets to possess all that might be known or imagined. This devotion
is akin to religion, for which they will war and murder to fulfill
their literary faith. Literary Spiders and Library Sphinxes, two
sides in a war for facts and fantasy.
The origins of their
enmity is little more than competition for a limited resource, though
each could name an endless list of the other's wrongs. Through
brokering information, they have built up monetary empires that they
use to purchase what cannot be discovered or stolen.
Literary
Spiders (Fluff)
They are the
ancestors of diminutive arachnids who made their homes in dusty
corners of seldom visited libraries. Despite their rigorous attention
to the histories of innumerable races and cultures, they have little
in the way of knowledge of their own history.
Their entrance into
sentience lacks a single progenitor, rather it is the first act that
has made it into memory, when the first spider transcribed words on a
page into their web. While the name of this first scribe is lost, the
words they transcribed are not: There are no eyes here / In this
valley of dying stars / In this hollow valley. These words are a
prayer to Literary Spiders, and incantation for inspiration and
strength.
From this first act
of replication, the Literary Spiders began their journey towards
meaningful thought. This journey, however, took untold ages in the
lifespan of spiders, and their histories do not mark the time between
the first repetition and the first cognition.
The first true
cognitive act was to construct stories, written into their webs,
repetitions of the dreams that all spiders find in their sleep.
Simple at first, these stories gained breadth and greater meaning as
these spiders constructed silken novels in unused halls and abandoned
houses. As these stories grew, so did their forms, bodies pushed to
greater size by need or hidden force.
From nameless halls
they went out into the world, finding only temporary homes before
being driven out by need or ignorant violence. In the Dreaming City
on the Rem Sea, they found their first home, constructing libraries
and conservatories for aspiring storytellers. Like so many, they were
driven out from their homes, many among a horde of refugees fleeing
the Marchen as they laid waste to the Rem Sea and the cities near its
shores. With the multitude of lost souls, they found a new home in
the Infinite City, and in it a new source of stories to hoard.
Hidden within their
library fortresses are Father Lore and Mother Secrets, the leaders of
the Literary Spiders. With more similarities to demigods than mortal
beings, they possess incredible amounts of arcane power and
knowledge. While they were once 'married', they are no longer, having
parted company over a disagreement about the merits of the 'Dada' art
and literary movement. After nearly destroying numerous city blocks,
the City Works Agency brokered an 'amicable' parting of ways. Now,
they only communicate through intermediaries.
Personality
and Proclivities
To judge such
creatures by human standards would be unfair, but if one were to,
they'd be judge odd and perhaps slightly silly. The size of large
dogs, they go about as most spiders do, without clothes. This however
is not to say they go about 'nude', as they have adopted certain
fashionable human affectations.
Strutting about
their libraries and the infinite streets, donning human headwear and
eyewear, though they need neither. Their choices do not fall along
gender lines, but rather along the individual spider's strange
tastes. The single commonality of style choice among all Literary
Spider is that they can almost always be found to be toting around a
floating rubber balloon.
While this may
appear to an absurdity, it is actually a shrewd choice on the part of
the spiders. These balloons actually contain a spell, much as a
scroll might contain one. By pointing the charm weighing down the
balloon at a target and popping the balloon, the user (or spider)
releases the stored spell.
Much like their
balloons, the spiders' strange and oftentimes amusing accessories are
more than simple affectations. Their eyewear and headwear is almost
always enchanted to provide protection as well as a host of any other
beneficial abilities. It goes without saying that the spiders are
always prepared.
Strange
Accessories
3.PF
Feat
Inflate Balloon
(Item Creation)
You can create
enchanted balloons.
Prerequisite:
Caster level 3rd.
Benefit: You
can create an enchanted balloon of any spell that you know. By
popping the balloon (Standard Action that Doesn't Provoke an
Attack of Opportunity) they can activate the spell stored in the
balloon. As part of creating the balloon, they also create a charm
that is used to aim the spell. Creating a balloon takes 2 hours if
its base price is 250 gp or less, otherwise creating a balloon takes
1 day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. To make a balloon, you
must use up raw materials costing half of this base price. See the
magic item creation rules in Magic Items for more information.
Balloon
The balloon has AC
13, 1 hit point, and a break DC of 7.
The DC to determine
the spell stored in the balloon is equal to 15 + the spell level of
the balloon (although this DC might be higher for rare or unusual
balloons).
The price of a
balloon is equal to the level of the spell × the creator's caster
level × 50 gp.
OSR
/ LotFP / AD&D
Given the correct
training, any mage or cleric can create a magic balloon. The cleric
or mage must know and be able to cast the spell in order to make a
spell balloon.
OSR
/ LotFP
It takes Spell Level
x 2D6 Days to create a spell balloon and costs 50 gp (OSR) / sp
(LotFP) per day.
AD&D
To create a spell
balloon the base chance is 75% minus 1% per level of the spell, BUT
plus 1% for each level the spell caster possesses. While it is up to
the GM as to the cost of creating a spell balloon, here is a general
rule of thumb. spell × the creator's caster level × 60 gp.
Pits
and Perils
At 9th
level a Wizard may create a magic balloon. The wizard must know and
be able to cast the spell in order to make a spell balloon out of it.
Materials: 60
gp
Time Taken: 1
Week
Into
the Odd
Given the right
knowledge and materials, an Explorer can create magic balloons. How
the Explorer gains the knowledge is up to the GM, but here are some
possible balloons an Explorer can learn to create:
Fire Ray: 1D10
damage and ignores armor.
Cold Breath:
Target takes 1D6 Damage and is
frozen in place until they pass a Str save.
Protective Aura:
Grants 3 armor for an hour.
Webby Balloon:
Strands spread between two
surfaces up to 20ft apart. Those within only move very slowly unless
they pass a dex save lasts for 10 minutes.
Clarifying Pop:
Everyone hearing the pop of the
balloon can perfectly understand one another, despite language
barriers. This effect lasts for an hour.
Frightening Pop:
Target must make a Will save or
lose D6 Will.
It
costs 25 Shillings to create a balloon.
Weird
Mathematics
 |
| I named this one 'Mr. Oswald Webworth'. Art Mostly By: Me |
Roughly the size
of a large dog, a brown furred arachnid, standing perfectly still
while clutching the string to a red balloon in its right pedipalp
(small front leg near the mouth). Atop its head, at a jaunty angle,
is a red-banded bowler hat, over its largest right eye a monocle. A
reedy voice asks, “What are you doing?”
OSR
/ LotFP / AD&D
Type: Magical Animal
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Stories, Vegetables, and Meat.
Intelligence: Very High (Int: 17+)
Treasure: Hat of Protection +2, Magic Balloon w/
Random Spell, and Eyewear of Comprehend Written Languages.
Alignment: Neutral (Though generally affable the
majority of the time.)
No. Appearing: 1 OR 2 to 4 (1D3+1) A group is
called a 'Knitting'
Armor Class: 18 / 2
Movement: 40 ft (Can climb any surface)
Hit Dice: 5
THAC0/To-Hit: 13 / +7
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage: 1D6+2 (Bite) plus Poison (The poison
causes 1D8 points of temporary Strength damage as well as 2D4 points
of normal damage.)
All Saves: 12
Spell Resistance: 15%
Experience: 3,500
Special Abilities
/ Attacks -
Jumping: They
can jump 80 feet forward or 40 feet vertically.
They are skilled
mages, the average Literary Spider is a Level 3 Wizards.
Memorized Spells:
1st -
Shield, Magic Missile, and Sleep
2nd –
Forget Invisibility
Construct Web:
They can construct sticky traps
horizontally or vertically so as to entrap any creature which touches
the web. Some will lurk above a path in order to drop upon prey. The
web is as tough and clinging as a web spell. Any creature with 18
or greater strength con break free in 1 melee round, a 17 strength
requires 2 melee rounds, etc. Webs are quite flammable
DnD
3.PF
CR
4
XP
1,200
Medium
N
Magical Animal
Init
+4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +4
Defense
AC
18, touch 13, flat-footed 11 (+4 Dex, +1 natural, +2 Deflection, +4
Mage Armor)
HP 36
(3d8+3d6+12)
Fort
+5, Ref +5,
Will +4
Offense
Speed
30 ft., Climb
30 ft.
Melee:
Bite +3 (1d6 plus poison)
Special
Attack: Web (+7 ranged, DC
12, hp 2)
Statistics
Str
11, Dex 19, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 13
Base Atk
+3; CMB +3; CMD
16 (27 vs. trip)
Skills
Race
Climb
+19, Perception +7 (+11 in webs), Stealth +10 (+14 in webs), ; Racial
Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Stealth (+8 in webs), +16 Climb
Class
Appraise +10, Craft
(Book) +10, Knowledge Arcana +10, Knowledge History +10, Knowledge
Religion +10, Linguistics +8, Spellcraft +9.
Languages:
Common, plus any 5 the DM sees
useful.
Feats
Toughness
and Craft Balloon
Ecology
Environment:
Any (Usually Libraries)
Organization:
Solitary, Pair, or Knitting (2 - 4)
Treasure:
Hat of Protection +2 and Eyewear of Comprehend Written Languages
Special
Abilities
Poison
(Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 14; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds;
effect 1d2 Strength damage; cure 1 save.
Spells
– Wizard Level 3
Level
0:
Acid Splash, Read Magic, Detect Magic, Message
Level
1: Magic
Missile, Mage Armor, Color Spray
Level
2: Summon
Swarm, Scorching Ray
 |
| An earlier version of 'Mr. Oswald Webworth'. Art Mostly By: Me |
Pits
and Perils
Attacks: 1
Level: 5
Move: 50'
Size: M
Side: N
Number: 1,
2 to 4 (1D3+1 'Knitting')
Treasure: Hat
of Protection (Acts as Leather +2) and Eyewear of Comprehend Written
Languges
Special
Abilities:
Poison:
Must
save at -1, failure results in paralysis for 1 turn.
Climb:
It
can climb any surface.
Webs:
Can
spin webs that can hold a Medium sized creature for 1D6 rounds.
Spell
Casting
Level
3 Wizard
SP:
4
Spells
Known: 6
Spells:
Bolt, Null, Rout (P&P II), Bane (P&P II), Ring (P&P III),
and Void (P&P III)
Into
the Odd
Str: 12 Dex: 16
Will: 17 HP: 9 Armor: 2 (Hat of Protection)
Driven to acquire
and protect rare books...
Spit Web:
Requires a Str Save at (-1) or
become stuck for 1D6 rounds.
Bite: 1D6
Damage plus Poison.
Poison: Strength
save or lose 1D8 Strength.
Arcane
Mastery – Can cast 1 spell
a round.
Fire Ray: 1D8
damage and ignores armor.
Cold Breath:
Target takes 1D4 Damage and is
frozen in place until they pass a Str save.
Protective Aura:
Grants 3 armor for an hour.
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