Arachonomicon; the Book of Spiderkind (4e Sourcebook)/Campaigns
Campaigns
This chapter explains how spiderkind can be used in a campaign; both as simple monsters and as the theme of an entire campaign. It also give rules for exploring the underdark; the ultimate site for spiderkind adventures. Finally it presents some example NPCs which can be adjusted for your campaign, used as extra party members or even played as PCs for players.
Spiderkind Campaigns
Incorporating spiderkind in a campaign without building the campaign around the war of the spiderkind may seem challenging (and let’s face it; the war of the spiderkind won’t interest everybody), however, using spiderkind in a campaign isn’t as challenging as it seems. This section explores how to use spiderkind in a campaign; both as monsters and in campaigns or adventures based around them.
Spiderkind as Monsters
The easiest way to use spiderkind creatures is in the same way as any other monster. It is a simple matter to add a small spider colony to an existing dungeon or to have a group of ettercaps and chitines (with spider pets in tow) ambush the party in the middle of a forest. If you use spiderkind in this way, it is generally best to avoid the more intelligent spiderkind (such as draegloth, drow and driders, but not including chitines and ettercaps), as these are better suited to the role of masterminds. It is generally not a good idea to use drow once and not follow it up, as drow are usually involved in grand schemes. A possible exception to this is a simple drow surface raid; though a raiding party disappearing without trace may bring dark consequences from below ground...
Spiderkind Campaigns
The easiest way to base a campaign around the spiderkind is via the drow. The drow are master schemers, using many-layered plans, tricks and deceits to achieve their goals. The drow have many spiderkind followers, and even a spiderkind deity that almost every member of their race follows.
However, building a campaign around the drow is no simple task; a simple plotline in which the PCs work for Arachne against the followers of Lolth will rarely suffice, as the vast majority of players will not follow a spider deity simply for plot line reasons. You will therefore need to think of a good reason for the PCs to go up against the drow.
If one of your players does follow Arachne, you will need to be careful that you do not centre the campaign on that player. The aforementioned player will not need any further hook than the simple “Arachne has asked you to deal with the drow threat”, but your other PCs will probably need a more complex hook. If you have a group that all follow Arachne, your hook should be fairly straightforward, though the drow should make the first move; evil masterminds are not as effective if they are the one on the defence.
Followers of Lolth
You may wish to build a campaign featuring the PCs as followers of Lolth. In this case, you can build the campaign around the dangerous game of subterfuge that all drow play. Alternatively (as an interesting twist), you could force the followers of Arachne and the followers of Lolth together as mutual allies. Maybe the spiderkind have come under risk of extinction, and only in unity can they survive.
Underdark Exploration
The dark depths of the underdark is the perfect location to stage a spiderkind themed adventure. The underdark is the home of the drow, and is thus teeming with many varieties of spiderkind. It is also a popular destination for parties of adventurers with more wanderlust than sense. The underdark is, esentially, an underground labyrinth of deep caverns. This section contains rules for the exploration of the underdark (though it will easily work with any natural cave system). For more detailed information about the underdark, it is best to refer to underdark or books about real-world cave systems.
Light
As the underdark is, as its name suggests, dark, light sources are important to most adventurers (though not to the lucky few with darkvision!). However, in the depths of the underdark, carrying a light source is a risk, as light reveals your location to the denizens of the underdark.
Seeing Distant Light
Complete Darkness: In darkness, a light source can be spotted from a distance up to 20-times its radius of illumination. For example, a sunrod can be seen 400 squares away, while a candle can be seen 40 squares away. A light source can only be spotted from a distance 11 or more times its radius away with a perception check of DC 20.
Dim Light: In dim light, a light source can be spotted from a distance up to 10-times its radius of illumination. For example, a sunrod can be seen 200 squares away, while a candle can be seen 20 squares away. A light source can only be spotted from a distance 5 or more times its radius away with a perception check of DC 20.
Creatures outside the radius of illumiation, but close enough to the light source to see it automatically can see objects and creatures inside the light radius.
Spotting Distances
Often, line of sight will be blocked by natural formations in the underdark. When the party is travelling great distances, it is not easy to tell exactly how far they can see. In these cases, the table below can be used to randomly determine spotting distances in varous types of terrain.
| Terrain | Distance |
|---|---|
| Water-formed cave | 4d4 squares |
| Fungal Forest | 6d6 squares |
| Gorge or Shaft | 12d6 squares |
| Rift, Tunnel or Abyss | Limit of Sight* |
| * The radius of the party's light source. | |
Air
Many locations in the underdark have a poor air supply. With the exception of the rare creatures which do not need to beath, creatures and characters will be concerned about air supply in such places. Any area which is reasonably airtight can become stale or depeleted.
In general, a medium-size creature depletes a 2-square cube every 6 hours (a 1.6 square cube every hour), while a small creature needs half as much and a large creature needs four times more.
Stale Air: Areas with half of the normal amount of air are treated as areas with stale air. A creature or character in a region of stale air must make an endurance check each round (DC 10 + 1 per minute). If the character fails a check, the character becomes dazed. The character cannot recover from this dazed condition until it reaches an area of good air.
Depleted Air: Depleted areas become deadly in a matter of minutes. See suffocation on page 159 of the dungeon master's guide.
Climate
Some regions of the underdark are dangerously cold, such as pools of water and parts of the underdark too deep to receive warmth from the sun, but not deep enough to receive warmth from the core. In such areas, creatures and characters must make an endurance check every eight hours the character spends in such conditions (DC 22). A failure causes the creature or character to loose a healing surge. If the creature or character has no healing surges, then that creature or character takes cold or fire damage equal to its level.
Caving
When moving through cramped natural tunnels, it is much harder to fight effectively. The following rules represent the dificulty of combat in cramped quaters (smaller than half a creature or character's space in hight or width).
Cramped Spaces
Cramped spaces are split into the five categories below. When in one of the below categories of cramped spaces, a creature or character takes the penalties associated with that category, as shown on the table below.
Narrow or Low: A narrow or low space is a space less than half the height of the creature or character in height (low) or less than half the width of the creature or character's space in width (narrow).
Narrow and Low: A narrow and low space is a space that is less than half the creature or chartacter's height in height and less than half the width of the creature or characer's space in width.
Crawl-Navigable: A crawl-navigable space is a quarter of the creature or character's height in height.
Awkward Space: An awkward space is less than a quarter of the creature or character's height in height or less than a quarter of the width of the creature or character's space in width.
Tight Squeeze: A tight squeeze is an area larger than the creature's head, but smaller than its shoulders. Fighting iks impossible in such a space.
| Constriction1 | Move Penalty | Attack Penalty | Ranged weapon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-Handed | Two-Handed | |||
| Narrow or Low | 1/2 Speed | -2 | -6 | Any |
| Narrow and Low | 1/4 Speed | -4 | Unusable | Any |
| Crawl-Navigable | 1 Square | -8 | Unusable | Crossbow Only |
| Awkward Space | Acrobatics (DC 15)2 1 Square | -8 (light blade only) | Unusable | Crossbow Only |
| Tight Squeeze | Acrobatics (DC 15)2 1 Square | Unusable | Unusable | Hand Crossbow Only |
| 1. A creature moving through any constriction grants combat advantage to all of its enemies. 2. A creature moving through these constrictions must make an acrobatics check to move 1 square. | ||||
Rappeling
In the underdark, it may be necessary to descend quickly. This can be accomplished by rappeling. To rappel, a creature or character must use a rope. The creature or character can move down the rope a number of squares equal to the character's move speed as a move action with an athletics check to climb (a creature or character can replace their bonus to athletics with their bonus to acrobatics) of DC 10. If the creature or character wishes to spend a double move action to move down the rope twice in one round, they instead make a single DC 20 athletics check (as above).
If the creature or character fails an athletics check, the creature or character falls. The creature or character can attempt to stop their fall as a move action. The creature or character takes an athletics check (as above). The DC is equal to 15 + 5 per previous check. On a success, the creature or character halts its movement, but takes 1d6 points of damage per 2 squares the character fell.
Spiderkind NPCs
This section presents some example NPCs which can be used in a spiderkind themed adventure or campaign. They are fully stated out characters, so they should be adjusted before being used as simple NPCs, but they can be used as extra party members or even PCs.
NPCs
Class Templates
You can apply the arachnomancer and spider rider classes as a template for NPCs, using the process for applying class templates described on page 182 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.
Arachnomancer
Power Source: Arachane.
| Arachnomancer | Elite Artillery |
| Defenses +2 Will | |
| Saving Throws +2 | |
| Action Point 1 | |
| Hit Points + 6 per level + Constitution score | |
| Weapon Proficiency Dagger, Quarterstaff | |
| Armor Proficiency Cloth | |
| Trained Skills Arachana plus one other skill from the arachnomancer class list | |
| Class Features Arachnomancer Tactics, Ritual Casting, Lesser Weaves | |
| Implements Holy Symbols Orbs, Rods, Staffs, Wands |
Spider Rider
Power Source: Arachane.
| Spider Rider | Elite Skirmisher |
| Defenses +2 Reflex | |
| Saving Throws +2 | |
| Action Point 1 | |
| Hit Points + 8 per level + Constitution score | |
| Weapon Proficiency Simple Melee, Longspear, Longsword, Longbow, Shortbow | |
| Armor Proficiency Cloth, Leather, Light Shield | |
| Trained Skills Arachana plus one other skill from the spider rider class list | |
| Class Features Fighting Style, Deadly Charge, Spider Empathy, Spider Mount | |
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