Ettercap

Ettercaps are humanoids with an affinity toward spiders and varying amounts of spiderlike traits. They can have between two and four arms and anywhere between two and eight eyes.

Ettercap bodies are often similar to the types of spiders they tend. Those that raise tarantulas are often hairy, and those that watch cellar spiders are likely to have long, spindly legs.

Ettercaps can be found in all environments, although they are most commonly found deep in forests or underground.

Spider Wranglers

Ettercaps train giant spiders as mounts, using their wall crawling abilities to maneuver inside caves and among trees. They have different breeds of spiders for labor, travel, and war.

Ettercap spider mounts are very versatile and loyal, but most above-ground cultures are too afraid to use them. While not as fast as horses, spider mounts have the added versatility of being able to operate in all terrain.

Giant spiders also make great pets, as long as you can feed them.

Read the Webs

Ettercaps perform a type of divination using spider webs. They will let a spider spin a web, then view the web and search it for omens. Imperfections in the web indicate bad omens, while insects caught in the web indicate good omens.

Spidersilk

Ettercap are the finest purveyors of spidersilk. Because they spend so much time in proximity to spiders, they are able to easily harvest spidersilk in larger quantities than normal. They can also use their own webbing as a binding agent for spidersilk.

Spidersilk is very light but highly durable. It’s a prized possession among spellcasters and those that wear light, loose clothing.

Trap Hunters

Ettercaps have a wide array of traps that they use for hunting.

Most of their traps are binding or restraining in nature and could lie untriggered for weeks. Ettercap hunters make daily rounds of their traps, checking to see if they’ve caught anything.

Ettercap hunters have trap competitions, where they compete to see who can create the most elaborate working trap. These traps are rarely practical but are instead meant to show off their engineering knowledge.

Ettecap Traits

You gain the following traits as an Ettercap.

• Ability Score Increase. You gain a +2 and +1 bonus to two different ability scores of your choice, or +1 to three different ones.
• Age. Ettercaps mature and age at the same rate as humans.
• Size. Your size is Medium.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Undercommon.

Major Features

Choose two of the following major features. You can exchange one major feature for two additional minor features.

• Multiple Limbs. You have two pairs of functional arms. You can interact with one additional object or feature for free during your turn. You can drink or administer potions as a bonus action instead of an action. If you play with a rule that already allows you to do this, you can instead drink or administer a potion with one of your free actions. Your extra arms work as normal arms and can hold weapons and armor, but you don’t gain any additional attacks with them. You only gain the benefits from using one shield.
• Spider Climb. You have a climb speed of 30 feet. You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
• Spider Magic (Magic). You know the poison spray cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the beast bond spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the web spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. You don’t require material components for these spells. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
• Tremorsense. You can detect and pinpoint the origin of vibrations within 10 feet of you, provided that you and the source of the vibrations are in contact with the same ground or substance. You can’t detect flying or incorporeal creatures with this sense.
• Web. As an action, you can spit webbing at a Large or smaller creature within 30 feet of you. Make a ranged weapon attack with proficiency against the target. On a hit, the target is restrained by the webbing. A restrained creature can use an action to make a Strength check to escape the webbing. The DC is 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. The webbing is also destroyed if it takes any fire damage. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Minor Features

Choose two of the following minor features, or four if you only chose one major feature.

• Assassin Weapons. You are proficient with the net, whip, and dart. If you would gain proficiency in these weapons from another ability, you instead gain the following features: the weapon damage die of the whip increases by one size (d4 to d6), the range for your net increases by 5 feet (10/20 ft.), and the range of your darts becomes 30/120 ft.
• Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Fluent. You can speak, read, and write two additional languages of your choice.
• Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
• Spider Friends. You can communicate simple ideas with spiders, and spiders are not automatically hostile toward you.
• Survivalist. You have proficiency in the Survival skill.
• Trained Tools. You have proficiency in two tools of your choice.
• Web Walker. You ignore the movement restrictions and penalties caused by webbing.