Jade spider

Jade spiders were constructs of the drow.

Description
Jade spiders looked like a 15 ft (4.5 m) high, smoothly-sculpted spider statue that was capable of fluid movement. 20 ft (6 m) diameter and 5ft (1.5 m) high versions existed too, those weighed 45,000 lb (20.000 kg).

The spiders got their name because of the sharp-tipped mandibles and saw-edged legs which were made of a particular sort of magically-treated jade.

Umber hulks did not willingly approach jade spiders within 60 ft (18 m). To be more precise, they did not approach the magically-treated jade, as it was not just nauseating to umber hulks but also dangerous, since it corroded their hides.

Abilities
Jade spiders were mindless and therefore fearless. For example, fulfilling self-destructive orders was something they always did as ordered.

They fought by slashing their enemies with their legs and biting. Both attacks were dangerous for the former caused bleeding wounds that did not stop bleeding without magical or professional application of mundane medical skills. The latter was in a sense even more dangerous for it could cause the petrification of those bitten by the jade spider.

Their abilities to resist magical effects was dependent on the strength of the wizard who created the jade spider. They were completely immune to the spell transmute rock to mud and differed in this point from other stone constructs like stone golems. They had a strong resistance against non-magical attacks, but while they were not turned into a creature of different composition with a stone to flesh spell, they lost said resistance for 6 seconds if exposed to that spell.

A jade spider also had magical abilities. First, it could detect creatures as though under a see invisibility spell and it could throw green-glowing, magical webs made of energy up to eight times per day. Being caught by these webs was like being caught by a forcecage spell.

As a general rule, jade spiders had a series of routine commands programmed into them. There were rumors about devices that could take control over a jade spider in battle.

Ecology
Jade spiders were created by drow wizards. They were used to protect locations, such as city gates, temples, vaults, or noble residents.

Only the oldest and most physically weak drow wizards were completely inducted in the secret of the creation of jade spiders. While there were many of those, their communities did their best to keep the secret from spilling out. For example, written records of how to create the jade spiders were stayed in the academies for wizards or noble households of said wizards until they died or became liches. The process was first, to sculpt the spider from multiple blocks of rocks that weighed 50,000 lb (23,000 kg) and cost 80,000 gp. The creator needed some mundane skills as a mason. The creator also needed to cast the spell animate objects, enchant an item, permanency, stone shape, wish, geas, limited wish, polymorph any object, flesh to stone, bestow curse, and forcecage.

History
As mentioned above, there were always rumors that devices existed that could hijack the control over jade spiders. These rumors were true. The Jaezred Chaulssin, a Vhaeraunite order of assassins, used them during the Silence of Lolth and turned the jade spiders of Menzoberranzan against its defenders.

After the Spellplague in the 15 century DR, Tier Breche was guarded by two 15 ft tall jade spiders.

Drow ships in wildspace each carried from four to twenty-four jade spiders to use against their primary enemy in wildspace, the neogi, because of the jade spiders' demoralizing effects on the neogi's favored slaves, the umber hulks (see "Description" section above).

Novels

 * Condemnation
 * Extinction
 * Night of the Hunter

Connections
Jadespinnen