Large Outsider (Chaotic, Evil)

Hit Dice: 12d8+36 (90 hp)

Initiative: +1 (Dex)

Speed: 40 ft, climb 20 ft

AC: 26 (+1 Dex, +15 natural)

Attacks: Bite +19 melee, 2 morningstars +16 melee; or 2 claws +18 melee, bite +16 melee; or composite shortbow +12 ranged

Damage: Bite 1d6+8 and poison and improved continuous wounding, morningstar 1d8+4; or claw 1d4+8, bite 1d6+4 and poison and improved continuous wounding; or composite shortbow 1d6+8

Face/Reach: 5 ft by 10 ft/5 ft

Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, poison, improved continuous wounding, haunting chant, web, summon demons

Special Qualities: Damage reduction 30/+3, SR 24, see invisible, demon qualities, telepathy, darkvision 60 ft

Saves: Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +11

Abilities: Str 27, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 18, Wis 16, Cha 16

Skills: Climb +28, Concentration +15, Diplomacy +15, Hide +22, Jump +20, Knowledge (any two) +16, Listen +15, Move Silently +13, Search +16, Sense Motive +15, Spot +15

Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground

Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 15

Treasure: Standard coins; double goods; standard items

Alignment: Always chaotic evil

Advancement: 13-17 HD (Large); 18-36 HD (Huge)

The raklupis serve the Queen of Chaos as her generals and advisors. Two stand in for Miska the Wolf-Spider in his absence. About a dozen or so are scattered throughout the planes searching for the Rod of Seven Parts.

   The raklupis appears as a 10-foot long, sleek, spider with a hard, smooth shell covering its abdomen and back. The creature’s wolf head is covered with fur, and a triple row of sharp looking spines runs down the back of the neck to the spider body. The fur is black or gray, and the shell and spines can be almost any color and are always vividly marked with swirls, bands or spots of contrasting colors. Two humanoid arms jut from the base of the wolf neck. The arms are covered in tufts of dark hair.

COMBAT

Raklupis readily employ all manner of weapons in combat, favoring the morningstar or flail above others. They, like their cousins, are masters of ambush, and will usually begin combat by hurling a glob of venom at their foes.

   Spell-Like Abilities: At will—alter self, darkness, fear, scare, telekinesis, and teleport without error (self plus 50 pounds of objects only); 3/day—invisibility, mirror image, shapechange, and unholy blight. These abilities are as the spells cast by a 12th-level sorcerer (save DC 13 + spell level).

   Poison (Ex): Bite, Fortitude save (DC 19); initial and secondary damage 2d6 temporary Strength.

   Improved Continuous Wounding (Ex): A creature bitten by a raklupis loses 1 hit point per hour per bite as the wound festers into a putrid, tissue destroying sore. The hit point loss can be stopped by casting neutralize poison. The lost hit points cannot be cured normally or magically until neutralize poison has been cast to stop the loss.

   Haunting Chant (Su): 3/day—all within 30 feet are affected as by mass charm cast by a 12th-level sorcerer (save DC 21).

   Web (Ex): Eight times per day a raklupis shoot a web from its abdomen. This attack is like a web spell, with a few exceptions. The range is 50 feet, and the webs are permanent, nonmagical, and cannot be dispelled. The DC for evading or breaking free from the webs is 19, and there is a 75% chance that the webbing won’t burn if any sort of fire is applied to it (check each round).

   The raklupis can perform one of the following special tactics with its webs once per round.

   Entangle: Cone, 30 feet, as the entangle spell cast by a 12th-level sorcerer.

   Sticky Glob: A raklupis can create an adhesive glob of silk about the size of a human fist. The creature will usually perch on a ledge and lower this glob to a range of 50 feet, swinging it as a pendulum. When a creature is hit (or touches the glob) it becomes stuck to the strand and the raklupis reels in its prey at the rate of 20 feet per round.

   A strand is strong enough to hold the raklupis and one creature of the same size.

   Fear Glob: A raklupis can fire a small glob of sticky webbing up to 30 feet away. Any creature hit by this globe must make a successful Will save (DC 19) or flee in terror for 1d6 rounds.

   Glitterdust: A raklupis can fire cone of thread, 60 feet long, affects any in the area as by the glitterdust spell cast by a 6th-level sorcerer (save DC 19).

   Blindness/Deafness Glob: Glob of poison filled webbing, 30-foot range, bursts in a 20-foot radius. Those that fail a Fortitude save (DC 19) are affected as by blindness and deafness for 1d6 rounds.

   See Invisible (Su): A raklupis can continuously see invisible creatures as the spell cast by a 12th-level sorcerer.

   Demon Qualities (Ex): Immune to poison and electricity; cold, fire, and acid resistance 20.

   Telepathy (Su): Raklupis can communicate telepathically with any creature within 100 feet that has a language.

   Summon Demons (Sp): Once per day a raklupis can attempt to summon 2d10 kakkuu, 1d8 spithriku, 1d4 phisarazu, 1d2 lycosidiliths or raklupis with a 50% chance of success.

   Skills: The raklupis’ coloration gives it a +8 racial bonus to Hide checks.

   Feats: The raklupis gains the Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting feats as bonus feats.

The Raklupis Spyder-Fiend first appeared in the Rod of Seven Parts Boxed Set (Skip Williams, 1996).