Stone spider

A stone spider was a stone construct that had the form of a spider.

Description
Stone spiders were monstrous spider constructs, and were somewhat similar to ordinary monstrous spiders in behavior. They were adept climbers, and had decent darkvision as well as tremorsense. These white bulky creatures had mostly pale features.

Combat
Compared to normal monstrous spiders, they were far better armored and took a lot less damage in combat. Their poisonous bite was difficult to resist, but the potency of their poison was only as strong as that of small monstrous spiders.

Ecology
These spiders seemed to naturally lurk in dark places, often underground. However, it also was possible to summon such spiders by use of the stone spiders spell. A cleric could target up to three pebbles and transform them into such creatures. All had to be the same size, but they could range from tiny to huge. They obeyed the will of their masters, but if no specific commands were given, they simply attacked their enemies.

History
In 1350 DR, the powerful Zhentarim wizard, Manshoon, kept several stone spiders in his tower, as did Kalistes. Around this time, they were known to lurk in the Web Dimension. Kalistes' stone spiders were able to petrify foes.

In Stardeep in the 14 century DR, Gage of Laothkund encountered an enormous stone spider. "Dozens of pale, stone-hard eyes fixed on his own... Its flesh was stone, as if a statue come to life."

- Excerpt from Stardeep

The drow deity Selvetarm was often represented by a black stone spider idol (as such, his cavernous temples were dominated by such idols). The dome of the Apostolaeum of the Spider That Waits in the Spider Swamp of Calimshan was crafted into the shape of a stone spider. A statue of Lolth in Muiral's Gauntlet had stone spiders crawling across it.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * ''Stardeep
 * Video games
 * Pools of Darkness