Mothers Three (3.5e NPC)
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| Female giant spider wizard 10 | |
| NE Large vermin | |
| Init/Senses | +7/Listen +2, Spot +6 |
| Languages | Luskan, Khabarat, Gutnisk, Or |
| AC | 14, touch 12, flat-footed 11 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +2 natural) |
| hp | 57 (14 HD) |
| Fort/Ref/Will | +8/+7/+10 |
| Speed | 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 20 ft. |
| Melee | bite +9 (1d8+3 plus poison) |
| Base Atk/Grp | +8/+14 |
| Atk Options | +2 DC to enchantment spells |
| Special Actions | poison, web, spells |
| Spells Prepared | (CL 10th): 2nd—resist energy, hideous laughter (DC 19), touch of idiocy ×2 (DC 19), invisibility, fox's cunning
|
| Abilities | Str 15, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 15, Cha 7 |
| SQ | darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., vermin traits, school specialization (enchantment) |
| Feats | Eschew Materials, Greater Spell Focus (enchantment), Heighten Spell, Improved Initiative, Quicken Spell, Spell Focus (enchantment), Spell Penetration |
| Skills | Climb +27, Concentration +18, Craft (tailoring) +22, Decipher Script +22, Knowledge (arcana) +22, Knowledge (history) +22, Spellcraft +22 |
| Poison (Ex) | Injury, Fortitude DC 18, initial and secondary damage 1d6 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based. |
| Web (Ex) | Hecate can throw a web eight times per day. This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against targets up to one size category larger than her. An entangled creature can escape with a successful DC 18 Escape Artist check or burst it with a DC 22 Strength check. Both are standard actions whose DCs are given in the table below. The check DCs are Constitution-based, and the Strength check DC includes a +4 racial bonus.
Web-spinners often create sheets of sticky webbing from 5 to 60 feet square, depending on the size of the spider. They usually position these sheets to snare flying creatures but can also try to trap prey on the ground. Approaching creatures must succeed on a DC 20 Spot check to notice a web; otherwise they stumble into it and become trapped as though by a successful web attack. Attempts to escape or burst the webbing gain a +5 bonus if the trapped creature has something to walk on or grab while pulling free. Each 5-foot section has 12 hit points, and sheet webs have damage reduction 5/—. Hecate can move across her own web at her climb speed and can pinpoint the location of any creature touching her web. |
| Tremorsense (Ex) | Hecate can detect and pinpoint any creature or object within 60 feet in contact with the ground, or within any range in contact with her webs. |
| Female giant spider wizard 8 | |
| NE Huge vermin | |
| Init/Senses | +7/Listen +1, Spot +5 |
| Languages | Khabarat, Or |
| AC | 16, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (-2 size, +3 Dex, +5 natural) |
| hp | 90 (16 HD) |
| Fort/Ref/Will | +10/+9/+11 |
| Speed | 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 20 ft. |
| Melee | bite +12 melee (2d6+6 plus poison) |
| Base Atk/Grp | +10/+22 |
| Special Actions | poison, web, spells |
| Spells Prepared | (CL 8th): 1st—comprehend languages, true strike, burning hands (DC 14), magic missile, ray of enfeeblement (DC 14), reduce person (DC 14)
|
| Abilities | Str 19, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 13, Cha 6 |
| SQ | darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., vermin traits, school specialization (evocation) |
| Feats | Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Eschew Materials, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes |
| Skills | Climb +12, Concentration +21, Craft (tailoring) +22, Knowledge (local) +22, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +22, Spellcraft +22 |
| Poison (Ex) | Injury, Fortitude DC 20, initial and secondary damage 1d8 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based. |
| Web (Ex) | Selene can throw a web eight times per day. This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against targets up to one size category larger than her. An entangled creature can escape with a successful DC 20 Escape Artist check or burst it with a DC 24 Strength check. Both are standard actions whose DCs are given in the table below. The check DCs are Constitution-based, and the Strength check DC includes a +4 racial bonus.
Web-spinners often create sheets of sticky webbing from 5 to 60 feet square, depending on the size of the spider. They usually position these sheets to snare flying creatures but can also try to trap prey on the ground. Approaching creatures must succeed on a DC 20 Spot check to notice a web; otherwise they stumble into it and become trapped as though by a successful web attack. Attempts to escape or burst the webbing gain a +5 bonus if the trapped creature has something to walk on or grab while pulling free. Each 5-foot section has 12 hit points, and sheet webs have damage reduction 5/—. Selene can move across her own web at her climb speed and can pinpoint the location of any creature touching her web. |
| Tremorsense (Ex) | Selene can detect and pinpoint any creature or object within 60 feet in contact with the ground, or within any range in contact with her webs. |
| Female giant spider | |
| CE Gargantuan vermin | |
| Init/Senses | +3/Listen +20, Spot +24 |
| Languages | Or |
| AC | 21, touch 9, flat-footed 18 (-4 size, +3 Dex, +12 natural) |
| hp | 120 (16 HD) |
| Fort/Ref/Will | +12/+8/+5 |
| Speed | 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 20 ft. |
| Melee | bite +16 melee (3d8+10 plus poison) |
| Base Atk/Grp | +12/+31 |
| Special Actions | poison, web |
| Abilities | Str 25, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 5 |
| SQ | darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., vermin traits |
| Feats | Ability Focus (poison), Improved Natural Armor ×2, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Toughness, Weapon Focus (bite) |
| Skills | Craft (tailoring) +20, Listen +20, Spot +24 |
| Poison (Ex) | Injury, Fortitude DC 22, initial and secondary damage 2d6 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based. |
| Web (Ex) | Arteme can throw a web eight times per day. This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against targets up to one size category larger than her. An entangled creature can escape with a successful DC 20 Escape Artist check or burst it with a DC 24 Strength check. Both are standard actions whose DCs are given in the table below. The check DCs are Constitution-based, and the Strength check DC includes a +4 racial bonus.
Web-spinners often create sheets of sticky webbing from 5 to 60 feet square, depending on the size of the spider. They usually position these sheets to snare flying creatures but can also try to trap prey on the ground. Approaching creatures must succeed on a DC 20 Spot check to notice a web; otherwise they stumble into it and become trapped as though by a successful web attack. Attempts to escape or burst the webbing gain a +5 bonus if the trapped creature has something to walk on or grab while pulling free. Each 5-foot section has 12 hit points, and sheet webs have damage reduction 5/—. Arteme can move across her own web at her climb speed and can pinpoint the location of any creature touching her web. |
| Tremorsense (Ex) | Arteme can detect and pinpoint any creature or object within 60 feet in contact with the ground, or within any range in contact with her webs. |
NOTE: Hecate, Selene and Arteme are NPCs in the Years of Gold setting, and the entry reflects that. They should be easy enough to adapt to games and campaigns in other settings, but remember to check them over for Pansaer-exclusive content. The CRs of the three have been calculated keeping nonassociated class levels in mind.
History
Spawned in the depths of the Carag Ka'thull, Hecate is the eldest of all giant spiders in Pansaer. Her sister Selene was born a few hundred years later and her other sister Arteme a few hundred years more after that. The exact age of Hecate is lost to the years - not even she herself is certain - but is certainly closer to a millennium, if not more, where Arteme is only a few hundred years old. They make up the Mothers Three - the undisputed rulers of spiderkind on Pansaer.
Hecate's age and gender alone would make her the undisputed matriarch of the giant spiders of her mountain, but her incredible magical prowess seals the deal. She has not spent her long centuries in idle luxury, but rather in deep study: over the years, dozens if not hundreds of wizards have been kidnapped by the spider queen's cronies, and brought to Carag Ka'thull to be milked dry of every last drop of knowledge they possess.
Younger but also larger than her sister, Selene is queen regent to her elder sister. In her youth, she traveled the length and breadth of the Caragos Eavorn, seeking arcane knowledge to share with her sister. After long years of study abroad, she returned to her sister's dwell, and has not left since, for her bulk has grown much too obvious to hide. Now she rules besides her sister, a deadly enforcer and interpreter of her sister's quiet commands.
Arteme, the youngest of the Mothers, is still old by the reckoning of men, and is grotesquely large. Her comparatively few years mean she hasn't mastered the Word and the Law like her two elder sisters, and although she tries and tries, it appears she just doesn't have the natural talent for it. Thus, she has accepted her role as a physical threat, complementing her frailer sisters.
The three didn't truly trust each other to begin with, since attempted coups are everyday in the race's history, and in those days their power could have been challenged by a spider great enough. However, all of the sisters shared a love for tapestry and tailoring of beautiful cloth from their own silk and of fabric brought from far-away lands, and it was this hobby that brought the three together and eventually united them. Now, they are as unchallengeable as the mountain itself.
Appearance and personality
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| Hecate's venom is deadly, but it's her mind that makes her a true monster. |
Ordinary giant spiders never stop growing as they get older, but not so with Hecate. Her growth has been a mental one: her intellect is far beyond others of her kind, making her an incredible enchanter and a mind few can match. Unlike most giant spiders, she appears frail and wiry - akin to a harvestman spider. Her carapace is dark blue, like most of the spiders of the deep, and she's easy to recognize from the light-blue markings that are characteristic of her lineage. Hecate's speech is quiet, slow and contemplative, and she is loathe to speak her mind quickly.
Selene is larger than her elder sister, and of the three sisters she is the only one appropriately sized for her age. Her intellect is not quite as spectacular as her elder sisters, but she possesses a wicked cunning and ability to device plans on the fly quite unlike her sister matriarch. Selene is stoutly built, somewhat resembling an orb-weaver spider, although she is larger in bulk than most of them. She is rash and impulsive, but nonetheless very capable of sharp thought and snap decisions. She is the one to speak up and to pass on the matriarch's messages.
The youngest of the sisters is nonetheless much larger than her two sisters, strangely: through some quirk of nature, she grows much faster than her race on average, and in only a few hundred years is as large as a house. She shares the light-blue markings of her sisters, and her massive frame is in the shape of a gargantuan, dark blue tarantula. She is surprisingly shy and only ever talks to her sisters, but is an absolute monster when she deems it necessary.
Followers and allies
All giant spiders of Carag Ka'thull - and indirectly all giant spiders on Pansaer - answer to grand matriarch Hecate, meaning the Mothers have quite an army to command. Independent and traitorous creatures that they are, most non-Carag Ka'thull spiders probably wouldn't answer the queen's summons, but certainly wouldn't work or fight against her.
Each of the three sisters has spawned offspring of her own, and these sons and daughters function as their closest and most trusted bodyguard. Hecate's children, few in numbers and invariably daughters, are all skilled wizards, and are taught by Selene (Hecate herself is too occupied with ruling, as well as wholly inadequate as a teacher). Selene's offspring are cunning and rash like their mother, and often serve as generals and leaders of spider packs. Arteme's children are every bit as massive as their monstrous mother, and function as living siege engines when needed.
Furthermore, the arcane gifts and dark secrets the Mothers Three have uncovered over the years means they can call upon dark forces to further their plans. Hecate is especially gifted at summoning living shadows to serve her will, and Selene, gifted tailor that she is, constructs incredibly well-crafted web golems. Many of the shadows and golems are sent to guard far-off fortresses and lairs the sisters themselves can't watch over.
Recent activity and plans
The plans of the Mothers Three span centuries, owing to the long lifespan of the giant spider race, and are thus hard to guess. It's clear something is happening in Carag Ka'thull: the numbers of spider servants forced to join Hecate's armies are growing by the day, and clerics of Groke, most in attune with the spider race, feel a disturbance in the will of their deity.
Hecate's plan, known only to her and her sisters, is to commence an arcane ritual of epic proportions, with ceremonies taking place simultaneously all over Pansaer. The culmination of the ritual is to be the summoning of a malevolent arachnid force, taking the form of an endless sea of poisonous spiders that sweeps over the continent, leaving the world barren of all other races. Thus, the sisters could rule forever.
Combat
Hecate, Selene and Arteme are almost invariably together, and thus fight together when a fight presents itself (which is rarely, considering how well-hidden and -guarded they are). Their positioning is simple: Arteme, as the strongest and most durable, takes the front and holds foes off, Selene positions herself between foes and Hecate, and the matriarch herself stays back.
Hecate unleashes a barrage of mind-altering effects and compulsions, and thanks to her incredibly prowess can usually bring foes down by herself. If this happens, the three will toy with their prey, often sending them on a task to fulfill before they feast on their innards. Selene is a skilled evocator, and unleashes powerful damaging spells if her sister's charms will not work. These are complimented by Arteme, who crushes foes under her massive girth, pinning them down with grapple checks and biting them to inflict them with her lethal poison.
Running away is infeasible to the three, as they consider themselves the absolute rulers of the mountain (entirely forgetting that there are many other horrific things hiding in the deeps). Any fight that involves the Mothers Three will take place in the heart of their stronghold, and thus the opponents they fight will be at the mercy of the many traps they place: clouds of poisonous fume, invisible webs and so on. The number of bodyguard and other guardians will also be great, so a fight with the three will definitely be one to remember.
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