Spider, Astroid

    These ten-legged ebon shaded beasts build webs between asteroid rocks to trap their prey, they are not truely spiders but look much like such that they have gained the moniker of asteroid spider from sailors. Its legs are spaced evenly around its globe-shaped body. The sensory organs are on top of the globe-shaped body, with the eyes that are on top of stalks. The top of the globe is covered with a hard shell, like that of an insect, but the underside is soft.

    Combat: Against the black background of wildspace, the asteroid spider is unlikely to be seen. It attacks only those creatures or objects that disturb its web. The attack is made with up to six of its legs (the other four are used to hold onto the web or other surface). Each leg inflicts 1d3 points of damage.
    Until the mouth is trying to bite, only the top of the body (AC 18) is exposed. The vulnerable underbelly (AC 13) is held close to the web. When the mouth attacks, the belly of the spider is an easy target.

    Improved Grab (Ex): The spider must make three or more successfull attacks in a single round to use this ability. If the spider gets a hold, it deals automatically damage the following round or the spider may transfer the victim to it's mouth and try an bite attack with a +4 circumstance bonus.

    Poison (Ex): A successful bite requires a Fortitude Save (DC 15). Failure means the victim is paralyzed for 2d6 minutes. Paralyzed victims are bundled up in webbing in a single round. The spider then carts the body off to the lair to have a more leisurely meal.

    Black Web (Ex): They spin webs miles long between their lair and the nearby asteroids and space junk. These sheets of webbing are strong enough to trap any huge or smaller creature or ship that is not traveling at spelljamming speeds. The webs are black, just like the spiders, and require a spot check, DC 22, to be seen against a dark void of wildspace. Those that fail the check or have no way to avoid the web are ensnared in it. Use the rules for Monstrous Spider Webs from the Monster Manual page 210 for the effects of its web. The web sheets can be up to 160 square for large sized asteroid spiders and 320 square feet for huge sized, a colony of asteroid spiders can create massive spans of webs!

    Skills: Asteroid Spiders have a +10 racial bonus on Hide checks.

In the Spheres
    Asteroid spiders are only found in asteroid belts or in regions of space junk from which the anchor thier webs. Asteroid spiders sometimes wait years between meals. They can go into a form of suspended animation, only waking up when their webbing is disturbed. In this state they use little or no air. After a meal, they expand their web a bit and then return to this catatonic state.
    The asteroid spiders value the air of their victims. They spin a large cocoon of webbing within the air space of a captured ship. When completed, it is sealed and carried to the lair, where it is deflated. The colony carries the cocoon back and forth to the ship, filling and emptying it until the ship only has a thin bubble of air left.

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