Buy me a coffeeEttercap
“Masters of Deception: Meet the Ettercap, the Sinister Humanoid Spiders Spinning Deadly Webs in the Shadows!”
Appearance: Ettercaps are grotesque humanoid spiders, standing on two legs, with long, spindly limbs. Covered in coarse, mottled fur resembling spider hair, their faces feature multiple eyes and a gaping maw filled with sharp, venomous fangs. Often adorned with web-covered clothing and crude trinkets, they are a nightmarish fusion of man and arachnid.
Behavior: Ettercaps are cunning and sinister, thriving in the dark corners of the wilderness. Masters of deception, they use their web-spinning abilities to trap prey. While not inherently evil, their isolationist nature makes them hostile to intruders, and they are known to form alliances with spiders and other dark creatures.
Habitat: They prefer dense forests, caves, and abandoned ruins where they can weave intricate webs to catch unsuspecting victims. Their habitats are often marked by an eerie silence, disrupted only by the rustling of leaves and the occasional skittering of spiders.
Modus Operandi: Ambushing prey by laying hidden traps in their webs, they patiently wait for victims to stumble into their snares. Skilled in camouflage, they mimic the appearance of natural surroundings to remain undetected. When threatened, they unleash their venomous bite and coordinate with their spider allies.
Motivation: Ettercaps are driven by survival instincts and territoriality. They seek to protect their domains from intruders and potential threats. Some may be coerced into serving darker forces, but their primary motivation lies in maintaining the balance of their ecosystems and ensuring their own safety.
Ettercap 5e
Ettercap Pathfinder
Ettercap CR 3
The ettercap, a sinister weaver of webs and harbinger of venom, lurks in the shadows, ready to ensnare its prey and unleash deadly poisons upon the unfortunate trespassers.
Medium monstrosity, neutral evil
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 52 (7d8 + 21)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (+2) | 15 (+2) | 16 (+3) | 7 (-2) | 12 (+1) | 8 (-1) |
Skills Stealth +4
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Tremorsense 10 ft., Passive Perception 11
Languages Understands Common and Undercommon but can’t speak
Spider Climb. The ettercap can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Web Sense. While in contact with a web, the ettercap knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.
Web Walker. It ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.
Actions
Multiattack. It makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or take 4 (1d8) poison damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) slashing damage.
Web (Recharge 5-6). Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 11 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).
Legendary Actions
The ettercap can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The ettercap regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Attack. It makes one claw attack.
Web (Costs 2 Actions). It uses its Web action.
Ettercap CR 3
This hideous purple creature walks upright like a man, but its face is that of a spider, and its hands are sickle-shaped claws.
XP 800
NE Medium aberration
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +9
DEFENSE
AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 30 (4d8+12)
Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +6
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee bite +5 (1d6+2 plus poison) and 2 claws +5 (1d4+2)
Special Attacks traps, web (+6 ranged, DC 15, hp 4)
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex 17, Con 17, Int 6, Wis 15, Cha 8
Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 18
Feats Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative
Skills Climb +14, Craft (trapmaking) +8, Perception +9, Stealth +7; Racial Modifiers +8 on Craft (trapmaking)
Languages Common
SQ spider empathy +7
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Poison (Ex)
Bite—injury; save Fort DC 15; frequency 1/round for 10 rounds; effect1d2 Dex; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution based.
Spider Empathy (Ex)
This ability functions as the druid’s wild empathy, save that an ettercap can only use this ability on spiders. An ettercap gains a +4 racial bonus on this check. Spiders are mindless, but this empathic communication imparts on them a modicum of implanted intelligence, allowing ettercaps to train giant spiders and use them as guardians.
Traps (Ex)
The ettercap is particularly skilled at crafting cunning traps with its webs. Deadfalls, nooses, and spear traps are the most common traps ettercaps build with their webs. An ettercap doesn’t require gold to build its traps, merely time.
- Ettercap Deadfall: CR 3; Type mechanical; Perception DC 20; Disable Device DC 20; Trigger location; Reset repair; Effect +10 melee (4d6), multiple targets (all targets in a 10-ft. square).
- Ettercap Noose*: CR 1; Type mechanical; Perception DC 20; Disable Device DC 20; Trigger location; Reset repair; Effect +15 CMB check (grapple).
- Ettercap Spear Trap: CR 2; Type mechanical; Perception DC 20; Disable Device DC 20; Trigger location; Reset repair; Effect +15 melee (1d6+6).
* See clarification on Ettercap Noose Trap at bottom of this page.
ECOLOGY
Environment temperate forests
Organization solitary, pair, or nest (3–6 plus 2–8 giant spiders)
Treasure standard
Ettercaps are typically 6 feet tall and weigh about 200 pounds. They are solitary creatures and rarely group with others of their kind, even to mate. When they do group, they tend to attract a variety of different spiders, forming a strange collective of ettercaps and arachnids. They are known for building cunning traps out of webs and other natural materials, using them to trap prey. They build shelters out of webbing, often high up in the trees away from other ground-based predators, and use monstrous spiders as lookouts and guardians.
Ettercaps are not brave creatures, but their traps often ensure that the enemy never draws a weapon. When an ettercap does engage its enemies, it attacks with its claws and venomous bite. It usually refuses to come within melee reach of any foe that is still able to move, and flees if an opponent gets free.
Section 15: Copyright Notice
Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. Copyright 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.