Advanced Ettercaps
Meta/Background
It's possible that part of the reason I wanted to use ettercaps, not the most iconic monsters, is the influence of Baldur's Gate. I was building an encounter table for my level 5 party. Based on the terrain they would be passing through, I decided that ettercaps would be a possible encounter. Being level 5 the base model wasn't going to be much of a challenge, so enter the Feyslayer and the Etterqueen.
Feyslayer Ettercap
When fey creatures begin fighting back against an ettercap incursion, ettercaps will start adapting. One type of advanced ettercap is the feyslayer. . Their usual tactic is to charge for powerful foes, especially spellcasters, grab them, tackle them to the ground, and rip them apart. These monsters are very fast and agile, and will often stalk their prey only long enough to find an opening before rushing in and attacking with their poison bite and the pincer-like claws that sit at the end of each of their four arms.
Etterqueen
Etterqueens look like an enormous ettercapfrom the waist up, and something like a queen bee abdomen with stubby underdeveloped legs from the waist down.
Creating an Etterqueen When an etterqueen is spawned, by a cruel ritual performed by a colony of ettercaps allied with a number of phase spiders. First an ettercap is prepared by their bretheren repeatedly biting them over the course of several weeks. Eventually the chosen etterqueen-to-be will become blind and compliant to the whims of their torturers. At this point a potion is prepared from fresh fairy blood, and phase spider hemotoxin.
Upon drinking the preparation the ettercap will enter a state not unlike an insect entering a cocoon or chrysalis. Once an etterqueen chrysalis is metamorphosing, the odds of ettercaps transforming into feyslayers increases dramatically.
Feyslayer Ettercap
Medium Monstrosity, Neutral Evil
- Armor Class 16 natural armor
- Hit Points 90 (12d8+13)
- Speed 60, Climb 60
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 20 (+5) 13 (+1) 7 (-2) 12 (+1) 8 (-1)
- Saving Throws Dex +8
- Skills Stealth +8, Survival +4
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception: 11.
- Languages --
- Challenge 5 (1800)
- Spider Climb. The ettercap can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
- Web Sense. While in contact with a web, the ettercap knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.
- Web Walker. The ettercap ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.
- Stradling Charge. If the feyslayer ettercap moves at lease 20 feet, and hits with two claw attacks, the target must make a DC 15 saving throw or become grappled and prone as the ettercap rides their target to the ground. If the ettercap starts its turn grappling a creature, the grappled creature takes 4d4+4 damage
Actions
Multiattack. The ettercap makes four claw attacks and one bite.
Claw Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 2d4+2 slashing Damage
Bite Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 1d8+2 piercing damage + 1d8 poison damage. Target must make a DC 12 Constitution save or be poisoned until the end of the ettercap's next turn.
Etterqueen
Huge Monstrosity, Neutral Evil
- Armor Class 14 natural armor
- Hit Points 200 (25d8+75)
- Speed 10 ft. Climb 10 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 20 (+4) 11 (+0) 16 (+3) 7 (-2) 15 (+2) 8 (-1)
- Skills Stealth +3
- Damage Immunities poison
- Condition Immunities poisoned
- Senses darkvision 60, passive Perception +5
- Languages --
- Challenge 5 (1800 XP)
Spiderclimb Despite her enormous bulk, the etterqueen can still climb difficult surfaces, including hanging upside down on ceilings, without needing to make and ability check
Web Sense. While in contact with a web, the ettercap knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.
Web Walker. The ettercap ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.
Vile Progeny. A humanoid reduced to 0 hp by Etterqueen poison does not die, but instead metamorphoses into an ettercap over 3d4 days.
The etterqueen can hide in the dense webbing of her lair.
Actions
Stinger. Melee Weapon Attack +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 9 (2d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. If the target fails this save they are poisoned for 1 minute. A creature poisoned this way takes 5 (1d8) poison damage at the beginning of their turn.
Web. The etterqueen makes every creature in a 10 ft. square make a DC 14 Dexterity Saving Throw. On a failed save the affected creatures are restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained creature can make a DC 14 Strength check, escaping the webbing on a success. The effect also ends if the webbing is destroyed. The webbing has AC 10, 5 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and imunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage.
Legendary Actions
As a weaker boss monster, the etterqueen only has 2 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The etterqueen regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Web. The etterqueen uses the Web action.
Vanish in the Gossamer. The etterqueen melds into the webs in her lair, reappearing within 60 feet of where she vanished, and hides in the webbing.
Paralyzing Shriek (Costs 2 Actions). The etterqueen lets out an ear-piercing shriek. All opponents within 10 feet of the etterqueen must make a DC 14 Constitution save or become stunned until the end of their next turn.
The Queen's Lair.
Etterqueens lair in the deepest, most densely web-choked parts of ettercap infested forests.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the etterqueen takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects.
- The webs of the lair whip around and cling to the etterqueen's enemies. Each of the etterqueen's opponents must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, or be grappled until the next initative count 20. They can break free with a DC 14 strength check, or by destroying the webs grappling them. Webs have 10 AC and 5 hit points, vulnerability to fire, and immunity to bludgeoning, psychic, and poison damage.
- 1d3 giant spiders enter the etterqueen's lair, acting on initiative count 20 losing ties until they die. The etterqueen cannot use this lair action again as long as at least 1 summoned spider is still in combat.
- All ettercaps able to do so make a single bite attack against the nearest opponent.