Wood Spider
Wood spiders are malicious elementals that lurk in the branches of trees overhanging roads and trails. They love nothing more than to wait for lone travelers or small groups to come near and then to move through the foliage and underbrush, shifting and changing landmarks to lead its victims astray. Wood spiders will torment travelers by leading them deep into the woods, until those travelers lay down to sleep or succumb to exhaustion and starvation. The spiders then lower themselves on drag lines of woven wood, bind their victims in cocoons of wood and leaves and inject their poison into them, slowly turning their victims into living wooden statues.
If a wood spider is spotted or caught while it is hidden, it will offer its victim advice couched in riddles or wager information on simple-seeming puzzles. Wood spiders might seem polite helpful, but this act belies their vicious nature. They are consummate liars, wrapping truth in lies like a mortal spider cocoons a fly. Their voices are as venomous as their bite. Their words are crafted as carefully as their webs. Even if the wood spider's real motives are known, its riddles and puzzles are a type of simple magic that can mislead even the most wary.
The bodies of wood spiders are tight bundles of branches, brisling with growing twigs. Each of their eight legs is a jointed limb with jagged, broken ends. Most wood spiders are the size of a grown man's head, but they can grow as large as a horse. They do not weave webs like mortal spiders do, but they can use Essence to bend plants and trees together into patterns to distract and confuse their victims.
Sanctum: Wood spiders dwell in hollow logs or hollow cavities in living trees, though they seldom visit these sanctums except to heal from injury.
Motivation: To confuse and befuddle those venturing in the woods.
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 6, Stamina 5, Charisma 2, Manipulation 5, Appearance 1, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4
Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 3, Temperance 2, Valor 2
Abilities: Archery 3, Awareness 4, Craft (Wood) 3 (Weaving +2), Dodge 5, Integrity 3, Larceny 3, Linguistics (Native: Old Realm; Others: Forest-Tongue, Low Realm, Riverspeak) 3, Lore 2, Martial Arts 2, Resistance 2, Socialize 3, Stealth 5
Backgrounds: Sanctum 1
Spirit Charms:
- Dematerialize—A wood spider may dematerialize for 40 motes.
- Harrow the Mind—A wood spider may create illusions in the minds of a single target, which distracts and confuses its victim. The spirit must pay 10 motes of Essence and one temporary Willpower to activate this ability for a scene. The Storyteller then makes a (Manipulation + Performance) roll for the wood spider against the target's Mental DV, adding a number of automatic successes equal to its Temperance. Only one success is necessary to create the illusion, but each additional success adds to the difficulty of any roll made to break free of the illusion.
- Landscape Hide—Wood spiders may pay six motes and one temporary Willpower to merge their bodies in with leaves and branches.
- Measure the Wind—Wood spiders assess every potential victim with this one-mote Charm.
- Natural Elemental Powers—Wood spiders have all the powers that are natural to elementals.
- Paralyze—One of the spirit's attacks becomes charged with supernatural energy, temporarily stunning its foe. This power costs six motes to activate, and when the attack is made, instead of dealing damage, the target's player must make a (Stamina + Resistance) roll with a difficulty equal to the wood spider's Valor. Failure leaves the victim at -2 dice to all non-reflexive rolls until the tick when the wood spider next acts. This power has no effect on beings with an Essence higher than the spider.
- Principle of Motion—Wood spiders usually maintain a pool of four extra actions.
- Words of Power—A wood spider may spend five motes of Essence to activate this Charm for a scene. The wood spider begins to chatter in an endless stream of nonsense words and may make attacks against its victim rolling its (Manipulation + Valor). This attack deals two levels of bashing damage plus extra successes, soaked only by Stamina. For each health level of damage taken, the victim receives a one-die penalty to all its actions for nine ticks.
- Wood spiders have the First Excellency for the following Abilities: Craft, Dodge, Larceny and Socialize.
Join Battle: 8
Attacks:
- Bite: Speed 3, Accuracy 8, Damage 4L + poison, Defense 4, Rate 1
- Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 10, Damage 6B, Defense 2, Rate 2
- Dragon's Suspire: Speed 10, Accuracy 9, Damage 12L, Range 10, Rate 1
Soak: 6L/8B (Wooden skin, 3L/3B)
Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap
| Dodge DV: 7 | Willpower: 5 |
| Essence: 3 | Essence Pool: 55 |
Cost to Dematerialize: 40
Other Notes: Poison [Wood Spider Venom] (4L/hour, 3, –/–, -4). Any being who dies from the damage of this poison has her body turned to a living wood statue. Wood spiders' Dragon's Suspire is a flurry of razor-sharp leaves.