Chitine

Chitines were humanoids that resembled spiders and were found in the Underdark.

Description
Chitines were about tall and had four arms, each of which had an extra joint. Each of their hands and feet were embedded with claws, which allowed them to climb most surfaces. Their faces held faceted eyes and mandibles attached to their mouths. Chitines could spin webs from an opening in their stomach, and their skins secreted an oil which prevented them from sticking to their own webs.

Combat
When possible, chitines used their webs to create pitfall traps to catch enemies unawares. Their ambidexterity and hooks in their hands made them extremely difficult to disarm. They were, however, sensitive to sunlight and bright lights. Chitines would often wear web armor made from their own hardened web.

Society
Chitines were adept at using their webbing as construction materials to build their homes. They usually lived in villages of 40–60 individuals inside a cavern filled with maze-like webs connecting domed houses located on the walls, ceilings, and floors. In the center of the cavern was always a temple to Lolth. The leaders of each village were choldriths, chitine priests that were in fact a different species. Chitines did not practice arcane magic.

Chitines were found throughout the upper and middle-Northdark, but the majority lived in several connected villages (at least seven in total) known cumulatively as Yathchol, located beneath the Far Forest. A few drow houses kept chitines as slaves, including House Melarn in Menzoberranzan and some inhabitants of Sshamath. A few chitines also lived in the Spiderhaunt Wood in Shadowdale.

Chitines hated drow and driders.

History
In the 13th century DR, chitines were created by Ched Nasadan wizards of House Mylyl as failed slave experiments. . In the, the chitines rebelled from drow enslavement and founded Yathchol.

In the, the Forgotten Ones&mdash;driders of T'lindhet&mdash;negotiated a defense pact with a group of chitines and planned to attack T'lindhet. In that same year, the nobles of House Teh'Kinrellz were saved from destruction because they were out on a chitine hunt during the fall of Ched Nasad.

In the, the Selvetarm-worshiping drow Dhairn agreed to provide the secrets of creating chitines to the dracolich Daurgothoth as part of a deal in exchange for magic items and the use of Dolblunde as a base of operations.

Notable chitines

 * Krellum Three-Arms, carrion crawler trainer of Chortoj in Yathchol.
 * Qod Backspeaker, member of the Guild of Underdark Guides.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * The Glass Prison • Storm of the Dead • Sacrifice of the Widow
 * Video Games
 * Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
 * Card Games
 * Spellfire: Master the Magic