Cursed Giant Spider

Family: Cursed Animals

Large beast, unaligned

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 59 (7d10 + 21)
Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
17 (+3)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)	2 (-4)	12 (+1)	4 (-3)

Skills Stealth +7, Perception +3
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Sound Sensitivity. Whenever the spider takes thunder damage or hears a loud sound, it must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. It can repeat its saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
• Spider Climb. The spider can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
• Web Sense. While in contact with web, the spider knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.
• Web Walker. The spider ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.

ACTIONS

• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage and, if the target is a creature, it must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, taking 9 (2d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is cursed with deformities that last until it receives magical healing. While deformed, the creature has its speed halved, and it has disadvantage on ability checks, saving throws, and attacks using Strength or Dexterity.
• Maddening Web (Recharge 5 6). Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. While restrained this way, the target must succeed on a DC 13 Intelligence saving throw at the start of each of its turns or take 7 (2d6) psychic damage as it sees an illusion of small spiders eating its flesh. As an action, a restrained target can make a DC 12 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 10; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).

ABOUT

Some curses are so horrible that they afflict not only the creature that is at the heart of it but take root in the entire land, spreading to even the wildlife and innocent animals in an area. Cursed beasts are the pitiful result of such curses.

A curse can manifest in numerous ways in a beast, but it almost always involves agonizing pain and results in unnatural and aggressive behavior. Often, a curse will greatly increases the beast’s physical prowess and give it various abilities related to the curse making a pack of cursed wolves or a cursed boar much more dangerous than their unspoiled kin.

While cursed beasts are, luckily, a rare phenomena, most scribes believe that their accursed state can be cured as one would cure a curse on any other creature.

However, due to the powerful nature of these kinds of curses, a simple spell will usually do little help to bring a beast back to its normal state, providing temporary relief at best, until the curse is ended at its root.

Druids often seek out and at tempt to cure cursed beasts, seeing’t heir existence as an affront to nature.