Ettercap Spider Herder

Encounter: Ettercap Spider Herder

Setting: Any rough wilderness terrain with brush, trees, rocks, abandoned structures, gullies, or other places where webs and spiders can remain partially concealed. This encounter does not depend on water.

A solitary ettercap is moving through the region with eight giant spiders. The ettercap is considerably smarter than the spiders and uses them as hunting animals, scouts, and living traps. It does not seek a stand-up fight unless the party is already entangled or divided.

Ettercap (1)

Use normal AD&D ettercap statistics.

The ettercap is cautious, patient, and opportunistic. It prefers to let the spiders expose themselves first while it remains concealed nearby.

It understands the giant spiders well enough to direct them through gestures, movement, scent, web-tugs, and familiar behavior.

Giant Spiders (8)

Use normal giant spider statistics.

The spiders are distributed around the encounter area rather than grouped together. Several may initially be hidden above ground level, behind brush, among rocks, or in existing webs.

The ettercap attempts to bring them against isolated targets rather than allowing the party to concentrate attacks on one cluster.

Initial Signs

The encounter should provide warning before combat.

Possible signs include:

• Large strands of webbing stretched unusually low between shrubs or trees.
• Small animal carcasses wrapped in silk.
• A recently abandoned web with something still twitching inside.
• Ordinary spiders moving away from one particular patch of terrain.
• A horse or other animal becoming reluctant to continue.
• A faint repeated clicking or scraping sound from somewhere ahead.
• Someone noticing that several apparently separate webs seem to form a loose perimeter around the party's route.

If the party stops to investigate, the ettercap may remain hidden and allow them to move farther into the prepared area.

Ambush

The ettercap attempts to arrange the spiders around the party before committing them.

Ideally:

• Two spiders approach or reveal themselves from the front.
• Two circle toward the rear.
• The remaining spiders attack from cover or elevated positions once the party begins concentrating on the obvious threat.
• The ettercap remains concealed until it sees an opportunity to attack a restrained, isolated, wounded, or lightly armored target.

If possible, the spiders use webbing or terrain to divide the party rather than simply rushing into melee.

Hints That the Spiders Are Being Directed

Characters should have opportunities to recognize that this is not ordinary spider behavior.

• Spiders that would normally compete or scatter instead reposition cooperatively.
• One spider may retreat immediately after an apparently meaningless clicking or scraping noise.
• Several spiders pause simultaneously before changing tactics.
• A spider deliberately drives prey toward another concealed spider.
• Webs appear placed to channel humanoid-sized creatures rather than merely catch small prey.
• Tracks may reveal one humanoid creature repeatedly moving among the spider trails.

A ranger, druid, character familiar with giant spiders, or anyone making careful observations should have a good chance to conclude that something intelligent is controlling the encounter.

Ettercap Tactics

The ettercap avoids becoming the obvious target.

It uses cover and webbing, changes position whenever possible, and waits until the spiders have occupied the party's attention.

Preferred targets are:

• Characters caught in webs.
• Characters separated from the group.
• Wounded characters.
• Spellcasters or missile users hanging behind the front line.
• Pack animals or mounts if attacking them would create confusion.

The ettercap should not sacrifice itself for the spiders. If several spiders are killed quickly, the party discovers it, or the young dragon becomes heavily involved, it reassesses immediately.

If badly wounded or obviously outmatched, it flees and abandons the surviving spiders.

After the Ettercap Flees

Without the ettercap directing them, the remaining giant spiders behave much more like normal predators.

Depending on circumstances, they may:

• Continue attacking nearby trapped prey.
• Retreat into cover.
• Scatter.
• Attempt to drag a wounded creature away rather than continue a general battle.

This sudden deterioration in coordination can itself confirm that the ettercap had been controlling them.

Optional Lair Trail

If the party searches after the encounter, surviving spiders or the ettercap may leave a trackable route toward a temporary lair.

Possible contents include:

• Silk-wrapped animal carcasses.
• The remains of one or two humanoid travelers.
• Ordinary equipment taken from victims.
• Several large egg sacs.
• A crude ettercap sleeping nest.
• A small amount of coin or jewelry still attached to wrapped victims.

This can remain merely an incidental wilderness detail unless the party chooses to pursue it.

Encounter Purpose

This is another ordinary wilderness danger rather than one of Gannicky's planned defenses.

Unlike the faerie and giant toads, however, this encounter should feel methodical and predatory. The central realization is that the party is not simply fighting eight giant spiders: someone intelligent is arranging them.