Monster Monday - Trapweaver

The rogue and fighter gave a shout as the wizard traced over the ancient remnants, entirely oblivious to the threat that lurked in the shadows above her. It landed heavily, knocking the mage from her feet who pushed and kicked against the ground, crawling out of the way. Through the dust, a collective of electric blue eyes glimmered and shone before turning into a dark, ominous crimson. There was a buzz of electricity and as the dust cleared, they were treated to the sight of a metallic spider with jutting mandibles that sparks leapt between. Its eyes gleamed and a pointed leg came down towards the wizard – only for the fighter to intercede, catching the blow on his shield. He grunted at the force behind the blow, skidding slightly before managing to throw the limb aside. The head of the metal monstrosity twitched and turned almost quizzically before a spray of webbing shot towards the wizard, pinning her in place before it turned its focus on the fighter in front of it.

This is a collaboration with Cameron McLoud, who provided the D&D 5e version of this creature, and features the art of spooky-activity.

Trapweavers are stealthy guardians who leave webs around their lairs and watch from high perches, stalking across ceilings or other lofty points to gain a vantage over others. It is aided in these efforts with a high Stealth though its more reliant on its web catching prey than spotting them, as evidenced by its low Perception. Its high Dexterity affords it a high Armor Class but based on its moderate Constitution, it only has moderate Hit Points. It does have a host of immunities as a construct and per Cam’s design, it has a number of resistances and weaknesses. The trapweaver also has Components, which can be targeted at an AC that is 1 point below extreme. The nature of these components can be used to eliminate its abilities, but targeting its spinnerets can disable its web Strike and leave the trapweaver briefly tangled in its own strands. Speaking of, this web uses a moderate attack bonus given its range and ability to lock enemies down – which could completely cripple melee characters – whereas its actual damaging Strikes both use a high attack bonus. Its claws have agile and therefore only deal low damage whereas its jaws deal moderate damage and come with Weaver Venom.

This poison uses a moderate DC, as most poisons I make do after experiencing them in the games I run, and it deals fairly basic damage with an advancing clumsy condition. However, I took some inspiration from Cam’s design, which allowed the trapweaver to switch up the effects of its fangs, and included Tailor Toxin. This is admittedly a substantial departure from the 5e design, but it plays better into PF2e, allowing the trapweaver to change the condition of its poison – whether it be enfeebled for brutish warriors, stupefied for casters, or drained just for some more damage. If players remove the toxin catalyzer component, they also cancel its venom and thus the point of its Tailor Toxin. In addition to this poison, I did also include the other feature of the fangs that Cam included in the form of Electrify. I love little buff abilities like this – the issue is always making sure that they’re worthwhile. In this case, the trapweaver will likely want to use it when it can get at least two Strikes in a turn. Each of its Strikes goes up by about one step from this extra damage except for its web, which goes from an average of 0 damage to an average of 7 damage. Taking out the trapweaver’s charge cell component will remove this ability as well as its electricity resistance.

I sought to represent the 5e Drop Pounce action with Predatory Leap, which has some similarities with the bulette’s Leaping Charge. This features a Long Jump that forces enemies it lands near to have to make a high DC Reflex save or be knocked prone. This doesn’t seem like much, especially for two actions, so the trapweaver also gets a Strike as part of this – and two Strikes if it jumped down from a higher position. These Strikes use MAP normally but if its landing is successful, it should have some off-guard victims to target. And if those enemies are knocked prone, it might have the advantage to make use of its Reactive Strike! Of particular note, if you have a high perch at the start of a turn, you could use Electrify followed by a Predatory Leap down upon foes. This will grant two Strikes to begin with that benefit from the extra electricity damage but Electrify lasts until the start of the trapweaver’s next turn, so if a prone target stands, the Reactive Strike will get that extra damage as well!

Pathfinder 2e:

D&D 5e:

ENCOUNTER HOOKS

Arachna Power: A rider has managed to tame or somehow seize control of a trapweaver. This so-called spider rider could take advantage of a reach and trip weapon so the trapweaver can immobilize downed foes or Reactive Strike them while they’re prone. The rider fights to get back to his mechanical mount if dislodged and the trapweaver might be surprisingly servile – or turn on its rider the reins have slipped.

Like a Bridge Over Troubled Webs: The heroes attempting to cross a chasm when they are attacked by a trapweaver that has claimed it as home. It seeks to knock them from whatever bridge or log reaching across the gap, which may force the heroes to fight across the trapweaver’s webbing that it has strung up in its abode. The trapweaver takes advantage of the cliff walls, scuttling away from foes when threatened and potentially trying to cut it own webbing to drop them to their deaths.

I have a quick but fun little video on the trapweaver if you'd like to check that out as well as an encounter featuring it. If you're interested in joining the discussion on what creatures/builds I'm working on or just discussing your own homebrew works, check out our Discord! If you want to get some teasers or help us get to our yet unlisted milestones for extra content, check out the Twitter.

Have a monstrous Monday!