Spiders

Carnivorous insects of various sizes and abilities stalk the Sword Coast. Spiders rely solely close range attack, so you should try to keep them away from your party so you don't have to deal with their poisonous attacks. While they are naturally immune to web spells, you can keep still entangle them and pick them off at your leisure, safe from their poison.

Huge Spiders (18 hp, 270 xp) - Mostly dangerous because of their poison, huge spiders, such as those in Landrin's cellar in Beregost, are a challenge to a neophyte party, but they are the weakest of the arachnid family.

Giant Spiders (35 hp, 450 xp) - A more ferocious spider, giant spiders have considerably more hit points than their huge cousins, and poison that acts much quicker.

Spiders are most dangerous in close quarters, like in Landrin's basement in Beregost, pictured here.

Wraith Spiders (27 hp, 1,400 xp) - Another giant-sized poisonous spider, wraith spiders are even more deadly than giant spiders, as they are only vulnerable to magic weapons.

Phase Spiders (44 hp, 1,400 xp) - These dangerous spiders can cast dimension door at will, which they often use to transport themselves into attacking range of your characters. Their poison is extremely deadly and quick acting.

Sword Spiders (45 hp, 2,000 xp) - Unlike other forms of spiders, sword spiders do not rely on poison to bring down their victims, but rather use their tremendous speed to attack with their razor sharp limbs in hand-to-hand combat.

Squirrels

Even this harmless squirrel can serve as a scout to draw out enemy attacks.

Found in forested areas, these small rodents are only dangerous to peanut hoarders concerned about losing some of their collection. Squirrels are another animal that you can charm and use as bait to lure enemy attacks.

Tasloi

(8 hp, 35 xp) - Yet another race of small, malevolent humanoids. Tasloi work in packs, but unless encountered in huge numbers, tasloi aren't much of a threat to a well-equipped party. They like to use spears, which allows them to attack from a bit of a distance, making them more dangerous than xvarts. If encountered in numbers, use spells like sleep, entangle, hold person, and color spray to take out large groups of them simultaneously.

Next: Monsters and Animal Types, continued
 

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