You’ve got to hand it to the drow; if there’s a way to mix in spiders with something perfectly normal, they’ll do it. Case in point: inkizimu, or spider cats.
Okay, sure, us surface dwellers love our domesticated feline companions, too. But would any of us want an eight-eyed, eight-legged version of one that binds its prey in thick, sticky webbing? The mere thought of it chills me. Alas, whatever a house matron wants a house matron gets, I suppose, and such is the existence of spider cats.
While no larger than a normal house cat, spider cats are considerably more dangerous. They have the poor temperament of felines mixed with the stealthy, predatory nature of a large, poisonous spider. Supposedly, wild ones that unlucky adventurers have come across share a hive mentality, too, which they use to overcome the restrictions their diminutive size offers.
So the next time you’re wandering around the Underdark and you hear a cat’s meow, don’t follow it until you know for absolute certain that you’re not going to stumble into a nest of these buggers. Unless, of course, you want a purring, crawling monstrosity wrapping you up in its webbing and saving you in order to snack on your flesh for the next few months.
Spider Cat (Inkimizu)
Tiny monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 14 (4d4 + 4)
Speed 30 ft., climb 40 ft.
Abilities Str 4 (-3), Dex 14 (+2), Con 12 (+1), Int 3 (-4), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 5 (-3)
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4
Senses blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages –
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)
Keen Smell. The cat has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Spider Climb. The spider cat can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Web Sense. While in contact with a web, the spider cat knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.
Web Walker. The spider cat ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or take 2 (1d4) poison damage.
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Spider cats will be included as a Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition entry in a new book I’m working on for DMsguild.com titled, simply, CR 1/8.
It will be available for free download and reading until the book is published (probably by the end of this week).
Thanks for reading!