Copyright 2011 Wizards of the Coast.

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This is a vale-specific group, but it includes at least one deep-cut reference to early AD&D.

The Lore

Deep beneath the Nentir Vale, lies the infamous drow city of Erelhei-Cinlu. Though forgotten by the people of the surface, it sends the occasional raiding party there to meddle in its affairs and capture slaves. The city was directly connected to the Vale by a tunnel that emerged in the Ogrefist Hills, but this tunnel collapsed three years ago. And when it did, it trapped one of those raiding parties on the surface.

This group, who calls themselves the Hunter Spiders, initially made camp in the Ogrefist Hills to await rescue, but for some reason the houses of Erelhei-Cinlu didn’t make any serious attempt to clear the blocked passage. This was especially concerning for the group’s leader Ti’irtha, who was the daughter of House Despana’s matron.

After a few months, and much thought, the group decided no rescue was coming and moved east into Harken Forest. They knew the forest had seem many skirmishes between elves, eladrin and drow in the past, and figured it might contain an entrance to another part of the Underdark named Torog’s Highway. From there they could journey home.

Ti’irtha asked for Lolth’s guidance and was directed to a bramble-choked region of the forest north of King’s Road, known as Spiderhaunt Thicket. The place turned out to contain many ancient elven and eladrin ruins, as well as large populations of giant spiders and undead fey. The Hunter Spiders soon put to work the many captives they had acquired in their raid searching for the Underdark entrance that surely had to be here. They’ve been there ever since.

The drow themselves focus their efforts in maintaining and increasing the numbers of their enslaved workforce. They mainly prey on the King’s Road to the south of the Thicket, linking Fallcrest to Harkenwold. When movement there grows too sparse, they prey on the Trade Road to the north, which links Fallcrest to Thunderspire. It’s a less ideal hunting ground for them because there’s fierce competition from the Raven Roost bandits. When pickings are slim on both roads, they get a bit more desperate and prowl the outlying farms of Fallcrest, giving rise to rumors of obsidian demons who snatch people from their beds.

Lolth’s guidance did not come without a price, of course. This is the goddess of betrayals and of the cycle of abuse, as we discussed in previous Let’s Reads. Shortly after the Hunter Spiders arrived on the Thicket, Ti’irtha and her consort Vhaelor found a hidden shrine to Lolth while exploring the region alone. Seeing that as the sign it was, Ti’irtha murdered Vhaelor and ofered his blood to Lolth on the altar. For her devotion, she was “rewarded” with transformation into a werespider.

As a band of elite raiders straight out of the original drow city-state, each of the Hunter Spiders is an extremely powerful and skilled individual. But there are only 24 of them left from the original party, and they have no way of replenishing their numbers. They’re not interested in conquest or in surface intrigue - their main goal is to return home. This makes them one of the rare evil factions in D&D that might be truly amenable to negotiation. If they party can offer them a way of returning to the Underdark, they really will pack up and leave, possibly even freeing their prisoners in the process if that’s part of the asked price for the information. However, they’re all wise in the ways of Lolth, which means that getting them to trust you is a challenge in itself (and almost impossible if you do intend to betray them).

The Numbers

The Hunter Spiders are all drow, which means they all have Darkvision and their powers tend to be shadow and spider-themed. They’re placed at mid-Paragon tier, so they’re heaviweights in the Vale power scale, but as mentioned above they are few and have no way to bring in reinforcements. It should be possible for you to come up with a breakdown of how many of the 24 drow left use each of the three “generic” stat blocks below. And we also get stats for Ti’irtha.

Drow Darklasher

This is an assassin employing shadow-themed magic and a really sharp dagger. It’s a Level 15 Lurker with 114 HP.

All of the darklasher’s attacks deal 2d10 extra damage against targets granting combat advantage to it. The dagger does solid damage but has no other riders. It can also attack at range using a Lashing Darkness spell, which can only target a creature that can’t see the drow. This deals heavy force damage and slides the target 1 square.

Instead of attacking the darklasher can use Shadow Levitation to shift 4 squares into the air and gain total concealment plus a fly speed of 4 (hover) for a turn or until immediately after it attacks.

Another way it has to become unseen is its Cloud of Darkness encounter power, a minor action that creates a zone of darkness in a Close Burst 1 around the caster. The zone lasts until the end of the encounter, blocks line of sight for everyone except the darklasher, and if any creature other than the darklasher enters the cloud completely, it becomes blinded while inside. The zone can be dismissed as a free action.

So it seems that Darklashers can behave kinda like artillery. Set up a cloud of darkness and stay inside, using Lashing Darkness to hit people from afar and either disrupt their maneuvers or pull them into the cloud for a stabbing boosted by combat advantage. If forced out, use Shadow Levitation to fly away and hide.

Drow Spider Totemist

Another drow spider-themed spellcaster to add to our ever expanding collection. This one is a Level 16 Controller (Leader) with 154 HP. It projects an aura named Dark Pact Mobility (5) which allows bloodied allies inside to automatically succeed at saves against slowing or immobilizing effects.

The totemist has this name because their main weapon and implement is a handheld spider totem. Their basic melee attack is a Totem Bite that deals light physical damage and inflicts 10 ongoing poison damage (save ends). Their ranged attack is a Venom Ray that targets Reflex, deals poison damage, and immobilizes for a turn.

The totemist can also summon a Spider Swarm (recharge 5+), creating a zone in a Close Burst 2 around themselves. Enemies grant combat advantage while inside, and if they end their turns there they take 10 poison damage. The zone lasts until the end of the encounter, or until the totemist casts the spell again.

Drow Razorscourge

A drow soldier armed with a razor scourge, showing us that drow end up sounding edgy even when they try to come up with a practical descriptive name. They’re Level 17 Soldiers with 163 HP.

The scourge has Reach 2 and marks for a turn on a hit. It can also be used for an Ensnaring Lash that deals less damage but grabs on a hit (escape DC 23). While the grab lasts, the target takes 20 ongoing damage. The drow can still make basic attacks while it has a victim grabbed, but the grab ends when automatically when it uses Ensnaring Lash again.

If an enemy marked by the razorscourge and within melee reach of it deals damage to one of its allies, the drow can react with a Retributive Flogging and make a basic attack against the enemy.

And finally, razorscourges are the only stat block in this entry that have access to the traditional drow Darkfire encounter power, a minor action attack that deals no damage and exposes the target, making it grant CA and nullifying its cover and concealment for a turn.

Ti’irtha, Drow Werespider

Ti’irtha is a Level 17 Elite Skirmisher with 288 HP. She has ground and Spider Climb speeds of 7, and Resist Poison 10. She follows a lot of the same rules for “mammal” lycanthropes.

This means she has Regeneration 10 that shuts down for a turn when damaged by silver, can change shape between a drow and a giant spider with a minor action, and has sets of attacks specific to each form.

In human form, her basic attack is Dark Caress, a touch spell that deals physical damage and inflicts Poison Vulnerability 5 (save ends). If the target was granting her CA, that save is rolled at -5.

In spider form, her basic attack is a bite that deals poison damage and exposes the target to the Spider Queen’s Curse (see below). She can also shoot a whole frigging’ Spiderweb in an instant, a minor action Area 1 Within 5 attack that restrains those it hits until they escape (DC 23). The area becomes difficult terrain for the rest of the encounter. This recharges when she is first bloodied.

As an Elite, Ti’irtha can make Double Attacks, and shift between attacks (1 square in drow form, 3 in spider form).

Ti’irtha has an incentive to shapeshift constantly in a fight, setting enemies up with Dark Caress and knocking them down with Spider Bites. The Spiderweb is an excellent opener since restrained enemies make the whole process much easier.

Spider Queen’s Curse

This isn’a monster, but it’s a Level 17 Disease that’s more treacherous than typical lycanthropy. It follows all the normal rules, but the effects are very on-brand for Lolth. The Maintain DC for your Endurance rolls is 16 and the Improve DC is 23.

If Ti’irtha or another werespider bites you, roll a save at the end of the encounter. If you fail, you contract the Curse at stage 1. This makes you feel really good! You gain +1 to Fort, Ref and Will, and makes you recover an extra 2d6 HP whenever you spend a healing surge. Yes, even when this expenditure is from something like a cleric’s Healing Word.

If you progress to Stage 2, you feel even better! The defense bonus remains, that recovery bonus increases to 3d6, and you get a -2 penalty to your Endurance rolls. Someone else might find that concerning, but you don’t. I mean, it’s all good things so far, right?

If you progress to stage 3, you immediately die and a swarm of monstrous spiders bursts from your corpse.

By the time you’re fighting Ti’irtha or someone like her, you’ve had easy access to Remove Affliction for about ten levels, so here’s a disease that tempts you into letting it develop. You can spend all that money and those healing surges now for a bit of safety, or you can ride the high a bit longer to benefit from better defenses and healing. It’s okay, you can stop anytime you want.