“There are many paths to understanding the Spider Queen. Some worship her, others fear her, but few fully comprehend her glory. The road I walk, however, offers the most thorough knowledge of Lolth’s generous blessings.”

—Derzen Vrinn, arachnomancer

By discarding the religious traditions dominating drow culture, the arachnomancer finds a different way to serve the Weaver of Webs. Through careful study, the arachnomancer comes to understand spiders in a unique and disturbing way, developing a rapport with the vermin. It doesn’t take long for the arachnomancer to shape his magical studies to awaken the Spider Queen’s blessings within himself, allowing him to assume the form of a monstrous spider.

BECOMING AN ARACHNOMANCER

To many, arachnomancers are expressions of the Flesh-Carver’s influence on the mortal world, but the fact is that only masters of arcane magic, not divine, can learn the techniques necessary to enter this class. Still, many drow clerics compromise their religious studies to dabble in arcane magic so that they too can know the power of the Spider Queen.

PLAYING AN ARACHNOMANCER

You are obsessed with spiders. They fill your dreams and your waking thoughts. The extent of your preoccupation does not stop with ordinary spiders: You are fascinated by all spiderkind, from the monstrous spiders of the Underdark to the dreaded bebiliths that the priestesses conjure for the most profane rituals.

Even when not studying spiders, you find ways to bring them up in conversation, dropping fascinating (to you) tidbits and trivia about different breeds of spiders, their mating habits, and their hunting habits, and going to great lengths to extol the virtues of vermin. Although the drow might tolerate or even appreciate such insights, your attraction to spiders does little to endear you to members of other races.

Combat

The greatest strength you have as an arachnomancer is the ability to assume the form of a monstrous spider. Although this ability greatly enhances your combat prowess, you are no more durable in your spider shape than you were in your original form. However, you gain the extraordinary abilities of your new form, including a poisonous bite and the ability to spin webs.

Even if you don’t fall back on your spider shape ability, you still have a number of assets. The first level you take in this class significantly improves your spellcasting options by granting you the bonus spells of the Spider domain. You sacrifice some of your spellcasting potential, but you still have a large enough array of spells to augment your other arachnomancer features and to eliminate foes.

Advancement

Images and icons of spiders have always been a part of your life. Your society taught you to venerate these creatures, to exalt them as the children of Lolth. It’s no wonder, then, you became obsessed with them.

What began as idle curiosity—a preoccupation with the movements of their graceful forms, the intricate beauty of their magnificent webs, and the trembling of their victims before they sink poison-bearing fangs into flesh—soon filled your dreams. You simply could no longer bear to be away from them.

You threw yourself into the study of spiders, interacting with them and allowing them to pierce your flesh so that you could experience the ambrosia of their venom. You bent your magical knowledge to their study and emulation, until one day you realized that the kinship you felt with these creatures was no longer yours alone: The spiders seemed to regard you as one of their own.

You find you have more in common with the vermin you study than with other creatures, and you even prefer the company of spiders to the mercurial drow. Though you might be distant and somewhat off-putting, the understanding of spiders that you have accumulated grants you unique status and freedom. The drow regard you as a favored servant of Lolth and indulge you in your pursuits.

One of the first feats you should take after entering this class is Natural Spell. This feat allows you to access your spells even when in spider form. As for skills, investing in Handle Animal improves your chances of training vermin, who can then serve you as minions, guardians, or companions.

Resources

Your best resource is the kinship you share with vermin. Spiders are likely abundant in your native environment (since they are drawn to dark elf communities), so you have no shortage of allies. If you are not a drow, you can join a nest of spiders, exerting your influence until the creatures accept you as part of the pack.

Clearly, drow veneration of all things arachnid grants some benefits. Few drow would dare cross such an obviously blessed individual.

ARACHNOMANCERS IN THE WORLD

“As if spiders and drow weren’t bad enough, there are spiders who think they are drow, and worse, drow who think they are spiders!”

—Osson Hjortgar, deepwarden

Where there are drow and spiders, there’s bound to be an arachnomancer. Given the nature of drow culture, the arachnomancer class is a logical expression of drow values and religious beliefs. As such, there’s at least one arachnomancer in any drow community.

Organization

Each arachnomancer arrives at his understanding of spiders in a slightly different way, although many study the nature and capabilities of these creatures for similar reasons. Naturally selfish, would-be arachnomancers conceal their knowledge from others, perhaps out of some misguided belief that they are somehow special to the Spider Queen and gifted with unique insight into the vermin. Some simply aim to exploit Lolth’s creatures by tapping into the power of these monstrous arachnids.

Despite their guarded, selfish nature, arachnomancers enjoy a certain amount of reverence from Lolth’s church. Few high priestesses dare harm established arachnomancers directly, regardless of any affront they might present. Instead, arachnomancers become tools in the priestesses’ secret power grabs and intrigues. Most arachnomancers find themselves in the employ of influential drow matriarchs and showered with gifts, comforts, and the fulfillment of every desire, with only the occasional mission or appearance to interrupt their foul studies.

NPC Reactions

Arachnomancers are reclusive individuals. To the common drow, the arachnomancer is a pure expression of Lolth, the visible hand of the Spider Queen. Thus, drow of all stations are friendly or even helpful toward these individuals.

Outside the safety and security of the drow city, however, arachnomancers find a less tolerant world. To those who have suffered depredations at the hands of the dark elves, arachnomancers epitomize the abominable nature of drow civilization. This revulsion crosses nearly all racial boundaries, leading to invariably hostile attitudes.

ARACHNOMANCER LORE

Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (dungeoneering) can research arachnomancers to learn more about them. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.

DC 10: There is a breed of Underdark spellcasters that dabble in spider-magic.

DC 15: They call themselves arachnomancers with good reason. They can transform themselves into spiders.

DC 20: Arachnomancers are specialized spellcasters, typically wizards, who invest their magical energy to better understand the characteristics of spiders. Through their studies, they learn to assume the form of spiders, imbuing them with the senses and capabilities of the objects of their obsession.

Characters interested in finding an arachnomancer will have little luck unless they are willing to explore the Underdark, and even then, they must often enter a drow city. There, they might find a few clues about a local arachnomancer with a Gather Information check, but extensive questioning is almost guaranteed to raise the suspicions of the community. This activity will bring the arachnomancer to the PCs—and he is not likely to have conversation on his mind.

ARACHNOMANCERS IN THE GAME

The arachnomancer class offers arcane spellcasters a chance to expand their combat capabilities in new directions. Although entry into this class does diminish spellcasting capabilities, it offers a suite of powers to compensate for the loss: Indeed, arachnomancers retain their usefulness even after their daily allotment of spells is exhausted.

Players who enjoy tinkering with their characters and having a broad range of options available to them might be attracted to this class. The arachnomancer class requires commitment, so characters branching into this class do so for the long term, in order to access the greatest transformations at high levels.

Adaptation

To the drow of Eberron, spiders and their kind are sacred but ultimately just reflections of the scorpion, a creature blessed by their strange deity Vulkoor. Arachnomancers hold a place in society similar to that of driders: They are seen as chosen servants of the Mockery, of whom it’s believed Vulkoor is a part.

With a little work, you can adapt this class so that it reflects the traits of scorpions rather than spiders. Replace handle spiders with handle scorpions (functioning like the aforementioned ability, but with scorpions). Additionally, the prestige class does not offer access to the Spider domain, nor does it grant the webwalking ability. Instead, it improves spellcasting ability at all eight levels rather than six. Finally, instead of transforming into a spider, the arachnomancer changes into a similarly sized monstrous scorpion.