Monster: Barrow-Spider

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Barrow-Spider

A massive spider formed of pieces of bleached chitin, webs, and bones.

CR 7; XP 3,200
NE Large undead
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +17

Defense
AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 17 (+3 Dex, +8 natural, –1 size)
hp 91 (12d8+36)
Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +10
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4, web walker; DR 5/—; Immune undead traits

Offense
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee bite +14 (3d6+7 plus necrotic venom)
Ranged web +11 touch (entrap)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks entrap (DC 16, permanent, hardness 2, 10 hp), ghost web, web spray (DC 16)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th, concentration +14)
1/day—call spirit (only creatures that died or were interred in the barrow where the spell is used)

Statistics
Str 22, Dex 16, Con —, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 15
Base Atk +9; CMB +16; CMD 31 (43 vs. trip)
Feats Defensive Combat Training, Improved Initiative, Intimidating Prowess, Run, Toughness, Vital Strike
Skills Acrobatics +15, Climb +14, Intimidate +23, Knowledge (religion) +16, Perception +17, Stealth +14
Languages Common, Undercommon

Ecology
Environment any
Organization single, pair, or pack (3–12)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Ghost Web (Su) A barrow-spider's web and web spray affect incorporeal creatures. An incorporeal creature entrapped within a barrow-spider's web can be attacked with non-magical attacks (dealing half the damage), and non-damaging magical effects ignore 50% chance of not affecting incorporeal creature.

Necrotic Venom (Su) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 16, frequency 1/round for 10 rounds, effect 1 point of damage, the victim dies if it drops to 0 hp, cure 1 save. A barrow-spider bite injects the victim with negative energy. Creatures that die while affected by the necrotic venom decay quickly and animate as webbed bones 1d4 hours later. This is a death and poison effect. The saving throw DC is Constitution-based.

Web (Ex) A barrow-spider can spit a strand of a milky oil that immediately hardens into an elastic web with length of up to 60 feet. It can be used as a ranged touch attack to deliver the entrap special attack, to perform ranged dirty trick, disarm, pull, reposition, or steal maneuvers, to turn single square into a difficult terrain, or to attach the webbing to the ceiling allowing the barrow spider to climb it.

Web Spray (Ex) Once per hour, a barrow-spider can rear and spray mass of webbing as a standard action, covering 30-ft. long cone-shaped burst in webs, turning the squares affected into a difficult terrain. Creatures within the area that fail a Reflex saving throw (DC 16) are entrapped within the webs.

Web Walker (Ex) A barrow-spider ignores difficult terrain and entanglement caused by webs.

Barrows are often infested by spiders, large and small. Sometimes, the necrotic energies of the Underworlds corrupt spiders thoroughly as they feast on flesh, bone, weak undeads, and spirits, turning them into unliving monstrosities of chitin, bone, and negative energy, and develop a malicious sentience.

While they no longer need to feed, they enjoy consuming decaying flesh, but they are intelligent and patient enough to occasionally deal with intruders into their barrows in a potentially non-violent matter. They manner of negotiation leaves much to be desired though, as they are used to threaten others into submission unless convinced of the intruders superiority, and they rarely desire anything beyond eating and toying with their prey.


Webbed bones are skeletons with advanced template that retain proficiency with whatever weapon and armor they carried when killed. They are usually uncontrolled, roaming the barrow and attacking living creatures that come near them but they never attack barrow-spiders unless some other force commands them.