Jump to content

Aranea

From Wikibooks, open books for an open world
Aranea
Characteristics
AlignmentNeutral
TypeMagical beast
ImageWizards.com image
StatsOpen Game License stats
Publication history
First appearanceX1 The Isle of Dread

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the aranea is a spider-like magical beast that lives in temperate forests. Its natural form is that of a spider of monstrous size, with two small humanlike arms below its mandibles.

Description

[edit | edit source]

An aranea is usually neutral in alignment. It has the ability to change its shape into that of a humanoid, or a spider-humanoid hybrid. It has the poison and webspinning ability of a spider, as well as the ability to cast spells like a sorcerer.

Publication history

[edit | edit source]

The aranea has appeared in the following publications:

  • It first appeared in 1981 in the Dungeons & Dragons modules X1 Isle of Dread,[1] and X2 Castle Amber.[2]
  • It description was later reprinted in AC9 Creature Catalogue (1986).
  • The aranea appeared in second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994), which was later reprinted in Monstrous Compendium Annual Three (1996).
  • In the third edition in the Monster Manual (2000),[3]
  • In the revised 3.5 Monster Manual (2003).
  • As a player character race in the book Savage Species (2003), and later in Dragon #351 (January 2007).

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. Cook, David, and Tom Moldvay. The Isle of Dread (TSR, 1981)
  2. Moldvay, Tom. Castle Amber (TSR, 1981)
  3. Williams, Skip, Jonathan Tweet, and Monte Cook. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2000)
[edit | edit source]