Monstrous spider

Monstrous spider

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a monstrous spider is one of the most common types of Giant spider.

Publication history

The large spider, the huge spider, and the giant spider first appeared in the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the original Monster Manual (1977).^[1]

The large spider, the huge spider, and the giant spider appeared in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977).

The large spider, the huge spider, and the giant spider appeared in the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989),^[2] and reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993) with the gargantuan spider.^[3]

The tiny monstrous spider, the small monstrous spider, the medium monstrous spider, the large monstrous spider, the huge monstrous spider, the gargantuan monstrous spider, and the colossal monstrous spider appeared in the third edition Monster Manual (2000),^[4] and in the 3.5 revised Monster Manual (2003).

Description

Githyanki, orcs, goblins, undead and other such lowly, evil races often use Monstrous spiders as mounts, and attack creatures.

There are bound to be Monstrous spiders serving the goddess Lolth.

Monstrous spiders cannot speak, and they are regarded as neutral in alignment.

Critical reception

The large monstrous spider was ranked seventh among the ten best low-level monsters by the authors of Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. They described the monstrous spider as the "scariest and most representative" of the large number of low-level D&D monsters which are big bugs. They also credit J. R. R. Tolkien with the idea of a spider the size of a horse.^[5]

References

1. ^ Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual (TSR, 1977)
2. ^ Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (TSR, 1989)
3. ^ Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1993)
4. ^ Williams, Skip, Jonathan Tweet, and Monte Cook. Monster Manual. Wizards of the Coast, 2000
5. ^ Slavicsek, Bill; Rich Baker, Jeff Grubb (2006). Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. For Dummies. pp. 373. ISBN 9780764584596. http://books.google.com/books?id=xNU7E01MCEgC&pg=PA361&dq=%22mind+flayer%22&lr=&as_brr=3&client=opera#PPA361,M1. Retrieved 2009-02-12.