Monster Monday - Lala Barina

Crimson water lapped at the boots of the druid as he waded beneath a parlor of similarly scarlet silk. He could hear his friends calling out warnings or demanding answers, but beyond that, he could hear it crawling above them. His eyes snapped upward, searching the threads, but he was too slow. It dropped from above, splashing into the water in front of him and sending him stumbling back to nearly crash into the dismal drink himself. Standing in front of him was a looming, spider-like creature covered in white fluff. Black claws dangled beneath its twitching head from which unnerving eyes watched the caster. Suddenly, it turned with a fanciful spin to present its abdomen. Hindlegs raked through its brilliant fluff, turning it from white to a ruffled red resembling a rose. The ferocity of the action sent hairs flying into the air where they lazily spun and drifted with ominous intent.

Lala Barina from Monster Hunter Wilds

Spinning scarlet silk, this sinister spider steps, sashays, and slides with supreme suppleness, setting stunning spines sailing before striking from suspenseful site.

If reading ain't quite your speed, check out the video on the lala barina! It's got some of my messy attempts at hunting this creature, which wasn't easy. I'm definitely going to have to sit down and try to figure out how to make Monster Hunter Wilds run better on my computer because I really want to hunt and make more of its monsters!

The lala barina was a fun one and an opportunity for me to build a more agile and fragile sort of creature. With it following right on the heels of quematrice, I built it as a level 5 creature but didn't follow any specific road map for it. It is a very nimble creature and I sought to reflect through a high Armor Class (and extreme AC for its components) while still making sure it packed some punches. You can see this with its high melee Strikes with its stinger having the fatal trait to reference the affinity and Critical Draw skills found on a number of its weapons. Even still, its damage is only moderate unless it has an enemy off-guard - at which point, it gets to trigger its Sneak Attack for a little bit of extra damage.

Unless it's a creature that specifically works in packs or groups, I often design to function fine on their own and then maybe better when they have buddies. To that end, I needed ways for the lala barina to inflict off-guard without help, which starts off with Dance Through Danger. This just lets it use its moderate Performance to attempt a Feint check, which will help it land blows and more damage. Alternatively, it has Fluff Abdomen, which spreads its infamous florets in a cone or emanation that then linger for 3 rounds based on the way that they hang in the air in Wilds. Creatures that enter or start their turn in the area must attempt a high DC save. Failure to do so exposes them to the lala barina's Paralysis, which is designed similarly to the Paralysis of the ghast. This means that it starts with a moderate DC, but it decreases at the end of each round.

The lala barina can also paralyze creatures, which does make them off-guard, with its stinger, and then has a few more maneuvers. Pirouette has some baseline use in avoid Reactive Strikes, but if the lala barina has its abdomen fluffed when it uses this action, it also spreads paralyzing hairs to creatures that it moves by. Alternatively, it can try to catch an incoming attack with a Dancing Deflection reaction - which might be a bit of a misnomer but is alliterative! This doesn't divert or reduce incoming attack, but does potentially paralyze the perpetrator as it exposes them to its hairs.

Pathfinder 2e:

PF2e Lala Barina

In regards to its gear, I was initially looking at making a weapon, but was inspired by the ballerina theme of the lala barina. It isn't often that I get the chance to include a skill on a creature that isn't Acrobatics or Athletics, and the lala barina with its Performance was one of those chances. As such, I decided to take the opportunity and build an item that grants an item bonus on Performance checks. Additionally, you can stir up the scarlet silk of this sinister spider with a Stunning Strut. I did want to involve that Performance some more and have it target a Reflex save as the enemies try to avoid these florets.

PF2e Lala Barina Gear

Blue's D&D 5e:

5e Lala Barina, Converted by Blue

ENCOUNTER HOOKS

Grotesque Gowns: The players need the aid of a seamstress/tailor who is willing to help in their quest but only after they venture out and collect lala barina silk for them. This requires the heroes to be somewhat cautious when it comes to fighting the lala barina in its nest so they don't ruin its silk. This could be changed to a performer that wishes to see the heroes fight a lala barina so that they can witness and take inspiration from its moves.

Terror of the Tarantella: A festival goes awry when a lala barina that had been captured as entertainment manages to escape. The town turns to the heroes to save them from the danger they have kind of brought on themselves. However, if the heroes take mercy on the spider, you might allow them to use Performance checks to try to lead the lala barina out of the town and back to the wilderness where it will scuttle away on its own.

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Have a monstrous Monday!