Ettercaps were a race of bestial, spider-like aberrations located throughout Faerûn. They were primitive, hunting aberrations that had an affinity with spiders.[citation needed]
Description[]
An adult ettercap stood 6 ft (1.8 m) tall and weighed 200 lb (91 kg). Ettercaps resembled hunched, grey-purplish humanoids with distended white underbellies, spider-like faces (fangs and eyes and such), and two sharp, black chitinous claws instead of hands and feet.[7]
Personality[]
They were not particularly intelligent. They were cowardly and vicious, preferring to set traps to ensnare their enemies.[7] Much like spiders, ettercaps tended to be solitary creatures, only gathering to mate. When ettercaps did socialize, it was with monstrous spiders, which they kept as pets and guards.[citation needed]
Abilities[]
Ettercaps possessed the capability to shoot sticky webs.[7] Like spiders, they used webs as traps to capture prey, which was then injected with paralytic venom from the ettercap’s bite.[citation needed]
History[]
It was suggested that ettercaps were the descendants of a group of mad druids, tainted and transmogrified by their association with a powerful demon into a form resembling the predatory arachnids their cult once revered. While the vast majority had completely reverted to pure animal instinct, a rare few claimed to demonstrate the intellect and capacities of an insane human.[7]
Society[]
Ettercaps were very fond of spiders and other arachnids and often kept them as others kept bees. From time to time, however, an ettercap had a number of monstrous spiders as pets, which were as loyal to it as a dog to a human master.[7]
Language[]
Ettercaps possessed a fairly simple, spider-derived language of their own. It was focused around basic and real-world concepts, not equipped for the discussion of abstract ideas. They were capable of understanding other languages, such as elven, but could not speak them due to lacking the right vocal cords.[8]
Usages[]
A crafting recipe for a wand of lightning found in the arcane Imaskarran Tome of Resonance included ettercap's silk gland, fenberries, and the spell of lightning bolt.[9]
Appendix[]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Adventures
- Dungeon #29, "Nymph's Reward" • Scepter Tower of Spellgard • Hoard of the Dragon Queen • The Rise of Tiamat • Storm King's Thunder
- Novels
- Baldur's Gate • The Glass Prison
- Video Games
- Baldur's Gate • Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn • Neverwinter Nights • Baldur's Gate III
- Card Games
- AD&D Trading Cards
- Board Games
- Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Begins
- Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
- The Lady in Flames
Further Reading[]
- Paul Leach and Russell Brown (May 2006). “The Ecology of the Ettercap”. In Erik Mona ed. Dragon #343 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), pp. 66–71.
External Links[]
Ettercap article at the Baldur's Gate Wiki, a wiki for the Baldur's Gate games.- Ettercap article at the NWNWiki, a wiki for the Neverwinter Nights games.
References[]
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014-11-7). Hoard of the Dragon Queen: Online Supplement (PDF). WOTC. p. 8. Retrieved on 2015-10-14.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 131. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 107. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 106. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
- ↑ Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 114. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
- ↑ Don Turnbull (1981). Fiend Folio. (TSR Hobbies), p. 35. ISBN 0-9356-9621-0.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 David "Zeb" Cook, et al. (1989). Monstrous Compendium Volume Two. (TSR, Inc). ISBN 0-8803-8753-X.
- ↑ Brad Gardner (May 2009). The Lady in Flames (DALE1-4) (PDF). Living Forgotten Realms (Wizards of the Coast), p. 10.
- ↑ BioWare (June 2002). Designed by Brent Knowles, James Ohlen. Neverwinter Nights. Atari.
Connections[]
Magical spiders: Bloodsilk • Electric • Glass • Gaze • Goblin • Pet of Kalistes • Spellgaunt • Steeder
Planar spiders: Demonweb terror • Fire • Myrlochar • Phase • Shadow • Tomb • Vortex
Constructs: Arachnar • Bone spider • Jade spider • Retriever • Spiderwalker • Stone spider
Outsiders: Bebilith • Darkweaver • Greelox • Inferno spider • Red widow • Yochlol
Creations of Lolth: Abyssal widow • Chwidencha • Drider (Vampire) • Shunned
Humanoids: Aranea • Chitine • Choldrith • Ettercap • Werespider
Miscellaneous: Kitthix • Neogi • Rhylfang • Susurrus
Undead spiders: Wraith spider
