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Jorogumo (Jor-Oe-Goo-Moe)

Driders of the Seishin Isles, jorogumo are spider like monsters with the upper body of a beautiful woman. Often disguising themselves as young maidens, the jorogumo seek out humans to eat, settling within towns and cities and using its form to trick naive mortals into entering it's home--and web--where it will consume them.  

Elder Spiders

Like many of the creatures who live withing the Seishin Isles, when a spider reaches the age of 400, it undergoes a change, transforming it into a jorogumo, and granting it a mortal form. Once a spider has completed their transformation into a jorogumo, they must seek out new pray to maintain their new formed, the likes of insects and birds no longer sustaining themselves.  

The Entangling Bride

More often than not, a jorogumo seeks to prey upon young hansom men, finding that their are the easiest targets that fall for their mortal disguises. While exceptions exist, the jorogumo plays with a youths desire to find love, enticing them into their residence with the promises of companionship and marriage, earning them the title of Entangling Bride, along with another, more vulgar name.   The common disappearances of young adult's would normally be a cause for concern, and it would be expected that a jorogumo wouldn't be able to maintain their disguise within a settlement for a long period of time, however, with the aid of local spiders, any who suspect that one may be a jorogumo, or that attempts to expose one to the rest of a town will find themselves charred by flames, as the spiders go about sabotaging any and all opponents of the jorogumo, allowing the bride to maintain their operation, even within a bustling city.  

The Queen of Venom

Jorogumo are gifted with a total immunity to any and all forms of poison and venom, and can produce a deadly venom with which a jorogumo can either quickly kill their prey, or paralyze them, and slowly consume them as they consciously witness their own demise over the course of several days.  

homebrew by Team Brievary

Jorogumo CR: 5 (1,800 XP)

Large monstrosity (yokai), neutral evil
Armor Class: 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 132 7d10+28
Speed: 30 ft , climb: 30 ft

STR

15 +2

DEX

16 +3

CON

18 +4

INT

14 +2

WIS

11 +0

CHA

16 +3

Skills: Perception +5, Stealth +7
Damage Immunities: poison
Condition Immunities: charmed, frightened, poisoned
Senses: Blindsight 10 ft., Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 11
Languages: Common
Challenge Rating: 5 (1,800 XP)

Innate Spellcasting. The jorogumo's innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 15). The jorogumo can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: animal friendship (spiders only), detect magic, minor illusion

3/day: bestow curse, charm person, pass without trace


Spider Climb. The jorogumo 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 jorogumo knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.   Web Walker. The jorogumo ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.

Actions

Multiattack. The jorogumo makes three attacks, one bite attack, and two tarsus attacks.   Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 4 1d4+2 piercing damage plus 9 2d8 poison damage.   Tarsus (Spider Form). Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 9 2d6+2 piercing damage.   Web (Recharge 5–6). Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 12 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).   Change Shape. The jorogumo magically polymorphs into a Medium female humanoid, or back into its true form. It's statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.

 

Basic Information

Anatomy

Jorogumo can appear in many forms, but the consensus is that their hybrid form, where their lower body consists of that of a spiders is their true form. While they can appear as full spiders, full humans, and humans with spider limbs emerging from their backs, their true form consists of the upper torso and of a humanoid female, starting from the hips, and including the typical amount of appendages, though often they have 8 eyes, unlike normal humanoids.   From the waist down, the jorogumo appears to mostly be a giant spider, with their waist connecting to a partial cephalothorax connected to 8 legs, and often some pedipalps, along with the spider abdomen, but missing any actual spider head and facial features, such as the eyes.  

Growth Rate & Stages

Starting out as normal spiders, if one can reach the age of 400 years within the Seishin Isles, a spider can transform into a jorogumo, growling larger, developing transformational capabilities, along with innate magical abilities, and changing its prey to that of mortal men.  

Additional Information

Average Intelligence

Jorogumo are often quite witty, utilizing strategy to avoid the detection of normal creatures and humanoids in order to hunt within plain sight. This allows them to better blend in with society, walking around under the guise of a normal humanoid, and track their new pray, tricking them into eventually entering their web, where they will never be heard from again.  

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

Jorogumo will often employ and protect younger spiders who have yet to reach the point of transformation, treating the spiders as their personal surveillance and assassins, even utilizing them to commit arsons if the jorogumo believes it's called for.  
Scientific Name
Homo Aracnid
Origin/Ancestry
Fey
Lifespan
800 years
Average Height
6'3" - 7'
Average Weight
176lbs - 198lbs
Average Length
9'3" - 10'2"
Geographic Distribution
Stat Block Link
Jorogumo
Jorogumo Venom (Injury)
This poison must be harvested from a dead Jorogumo. A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 28 (8d6) poison damage on a failed save and being paralyzed for 1 minute, or half as much damage on a successful one.

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Cover image: wuxia by RRRobin -

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