Chelicerae

Large aberration, neutral evil

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 153 (18d10 + 54)
Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
22 (+6)	17 (+3)	17 (+3)	14 (+2)	15 (+2)	14 (+2)

Saving Throws Dex +6, Wis +5, Cha +5
Skills Acrobatics +6, Athletics +9, Perception +5, Stealth +6
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages –
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)

Special Traits

• Magic Resistance. The chelicerae has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
• Spellcasting. The chelicerae is an 8th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). It requires no material components to cast its spells. The chelicerae has the following wizard spells prepared:
• Cantrips: acid splash, mage hand, minor illusion, true strike
• 1st level: burning hands, detect magic, expeditious retreat, ray of sickness
• 2nd level: hold person, invisibility, scorching ray
• 3rd level: animate dead, haste, lightning bolt
• 4th level: phantasmal killer
• Siphon Spell Slots. The chelicerae cannot replenish its spells naturally. Instead, it uses grappled spellcasters as spell reservoirs, draining uncast spells to power its own casting. Whenever the chelicerae wishes to cast a spell, it consumes a number of spell slots from its victim equal to the spell slots necessary to cast the spell. If the victim has too few spell slots available, the chelicerae cannot cast that spell. However, the chelicerae can also draw out spell slots from drained spellcasters or creatures without magic ability. Instead of moving, the chelicerae can inflict 1d4 Wisdom damage to any creature grappled in its mandibles, adding 2 spell slots to its spell reservoir for every point of damage inflicted. A victim reduced to 0 Wisdom cannot power any more magical abilities. Victims do not heal ability damage or regain spell slots while this grapple is maintained.
• Spider Climb. Chelicerae can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without requiring an ability check.

Actions

• Multiattack. The chelicerae makes one bite attack and two claw attacks.
• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 16). The target must also make a successful DC 16 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned. While poisoned this way, the target is unconscious and takes 1d4 Strength damage at the start of each of its turns. The poisoning ends after 4 rounds or when the target makes a successful DC 16 Constitution save at the end of its turn.
• Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) slashing damage.

About

A chelicerae resembles a massive spider perched on tall, stilted legs.

Most often, the disheveled body of a robed arcanist swings from its clenched mandibles.

Feed on Spellcasters. These massive arachnids are largely confined to the great forests and occasional wastelands, although rumors do persist of sightings in the dark alleys of magocratic cities, causing trepidation among the spellcasters there. Few creatures pose such a threat to spellcasters as chelicerae.

Carry Their Prey. Walking on high, stilted legs, these creatures resemble gigantic harvesters. More often than not, they are found with the grisly bodies of humanoids dangling from the chelicerae’s clenched mandibles.

Cocoon Arcanists. Chelicerae stalk isolated victims, striking them with a poisonous bite and then pinning its prey within its jaws. There, their helpless body can hang for days on end as the chelicerae pursues obscure and eldritch tasks. At best, victims wake up weeks later with no memory of the events, far from home, and drained of vitality and spells. Others are stored immobilized in a thick cocoon in a high treetop until their body and mind recover. A few unlucky victims are slain and animated as walking dead to protect the chelicerae.