Red widow

Red widows were an evil and predatory species of humanoid shapechangers unique to the Domains of Dread. There was no known evidence of these creatures living in the Realms.

Description
Red widows had two forms they could switch between. Their true form was that of a giant spider, measuring tall, similar in appearance to a black widow save for an inverse coloration&mdash;bright crimson, with a black hourglass pattern on its back. They only assumed this form when they were about to make a kill.

The other form of a red widow was that of a human woman of tremendous allure and beauty, sporting long, flowing red hair. In this guise they typically dressed in clothing that was provocative, but enabled them to blend in with local society.

Personality
Red widows were a highly intelligent species.

Abilities
Like most arachnids, red widows carried a deadly poisonous bite, could spin webs, and could climb sheer surfaces. They also could command and summon spiders to their aid, most commonly mundane spiders, followed by large spiders and huge spiders, and most rarely giant spiders. These spiders were found to adore the red widow and would do anything necessary to protect them, including sacrificing themselves.

Combat
Red widows preferred to lure unsuspecting prey close, seducing them under the cover of darkness, rather than engaging in open combat. Once they had a victim in a passionate embrace, they would transform into their true form and bite them.

Society
The average lifespan of a red widow was twenty to thirty years.

These creatures could reproduce by mating with humans. After mating with one they would proceed to kill the human, then implant the fertilized eggs in his corpse, typically having a brood of two to eight eggs. These eggs gestated over the course of a week, feeding upon the fluids of the corpse they were implanted in. After a year of existence as a large spider they matured, gaining the ability to shapechange into their human form. With only rare exceptons, red widows did not remain with their mother once mature.

Diet
Red widows subsisted upon the blood and other bodily fluids of those they killed. They typically held on to a slain victim for up to a week, hiding it in their lair and feeding upon it, eventually discarding the corpse far from their lair once it was dehydrated and partially decomposed.

Habitats
Red widows often made their homes within humanoid cities and towns, wherein they moved around in their human guise.

Languages
These creatures did not possess their own unique language, but were fluent in most languages they encountered.

Relationships
Red widows were known to act as servants of the deity Lloth.