Wraith-Spider

A wraith-spider is a smudge of darkness roughly shaped like a spider, its eight legs fading into black mist. It is more shadow than substance, yet its ghostly mandibles leave real wounds. A ring of tiny red eyes circles its body, watching every direction at once.

They have no language and ignore speak with dead, though packs coordinate silently by instinct. They obey commands spoken in common or drow, as well as anyone able to command or control undead, and they always serve some stronger master.

The bite deals 1d4 points of chilling cold and drains one level, with the matching loss of hit points, fighting skill and spells. Only new experience or restoration recovers it.

The bite is also venomous. For 2-5 rounds the victim saves vs. poison each round, losing 1 point of Constitution on every failure. Neutralize poison purges the venom and restores the lost points; slow poison only postpones it for its duration. Otherwise Constitution returns at 1 point per week, or 1-4 points per heal spell. Reaching 0 Constitution means death and a 25% chance of rising as a wraith-spider. Their victims cannot be raised with raise dead, unlike those of other wraiths, but a heal followed immediately by resurrection works.

Cold, sleep, charm and hold have no effect, and only silver or magical weapons hurt them. Holy water burns them like acid for 2d4 points per vial. They are turned as shadows.

Their webs glow a dim, eerie green. Touching one inflicts 1d4 points of cold, and the victim must save vs. paralyzation or be stuck for 1-6 rounds, suffering the cold again each round. Normal blades cannot cut the strands; only silver or magical edged weapons do, or a successful bend bars/lift gates roll rips them apart.

They were made to guard treasure or particular halls in drow strongholds, and they stay excellent sentries under any master, piling their victims' belongings onto the hoard. Created in batches, they usually appear in packs, but since not every victim rises as a new spider (sages wonder what a slain ordinary or giant spider would become), losses sometimes leave one on its own.

Guarding and killing are their only purposes, and tied to their posts, they barely touch the wider world. Some credit a renegade wizard with inventing them, though the drow more likely bred them long before to fight the duergar.