What is a Drider in Pathfinder 2e?
What is a Drider in Pathfinder 2e? The first fleshwarping process mastered by the drow remains both their most successful and most infamous: the drider. Fusing the body of a drow with that of a giant spider, driders are a sexually dimorphic fleshwarp—the only fleshwarp known to be able to produce young. While female driders have the upper torsos of elegant drow women with mouths featuring sharp poisoned fangs, male driders have hideous, mutated countenances that further blend the humanoid form with that of a spider; the difference in appearance is perhaps a reflection on the matriarchal nature of drow society. In combat, all driders are equally dangerous.
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Table of Contents
Fleshwarping
Although the fleshwarping process was originally intended to be a punishment for drow who fell from grace. Though the significant powers and strengths gained from the horrifying transformation are attractive to some drow, an increasing number of lower-ranking citizens in drow cities volunteer themselves for the painful procedure. In return for mandatory time (typically measured in decades) serving as a guardian, soldier, or other public servants, such volunteer driders are later allowed to lead their own lives, typically in caverns located in a city’s periphery.
The painful truth is that most driders, they do not live long enough to see this reward, for the drow have a penchant for working their fleshwarped slaves to death or deploying them in deadly war missions in which survival is only a remote possibility.
Drider Arcane Magic
Most driders use arcane magic, but driders who use divine magic are well known, while a rare few use occult or primal magic. A drider’s innate spells remain the same regardless of the magical tradition, but those who use different types of magic as prepared spells may well have entirely different spells prepared than the drider presented below.
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The Spider’s Den
The adventurers stumble upon a hidden entrance to an underground cavern while exploring a dense forest. Inside, they find a vast network of tunnels and chambers, all covered in thick, sticky webs. As they delve deeper, they encounter Driders and their spider minions. The adventurers must navigate through the labyrinth, battling Driders and solving intricate web-based puzzles.
The Web of Deceit
In the bustling city of Vael, a series of mysterious disappearances have the citizens living in fear. The city council has traced the disappearances to the city’s underground sewer system. The adventurers are hired to investigate, only to discover a colony of Driders led by a powerful Drider sorcerer, who has been abducting citizens for a dark ritual.
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Adventure Ideas
The Weaver’s Web
In the depths of the Underdark, a Drider named Zilvra has established a lair, weaving intricate webs of magic and deceit. She has been abducting surface dwellers and transforming them into her own twisted minions. The adventurers are hired by a desperate family whose son was taken in the night. They must navigate the treacherous tunnels, avoid deadly traps, and confront Zilvra in her lair to rescue the lost boy and put an end to her wicked plans.
The Spider’s Shadow
A Drider sorcerer, Thalrix, has been terrorizing a small frontier town, using his arcane magic to control the minds of the townsfolk. The adventurers are brought in to investigate the strange behavior of the townsfolk and uncover the dark influence of Thalrix. They must break his hold over the town and drive him back into the Underdark.
The Silk Road
A trade route through a mountain pass has been disrupted by a Drider named Vexlara and her spider minions. The adventurers are hired by a merchant guild to clear the route. They must traverse the dangerous pass, fight through Vexlara’s minions, and defeat the Drider herself to ensure the safety of the trade route.
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About the Author:
Dwight Scull has been playing tabletop role-playing games (starting with Dungeons and Dragons 3.5) back in 2001. He started being a dungeon master around 2005.
He loves to play many different types of TTRPGs, including Pathfinder, GURPS, Shadowrun, Vampire: The Masquerade, Mage: The Ascension (and other White Wolf Games), Nights Black Agents, and others.
Fan of mysteries, light horror, co-op board games, true crime, sci-fi, and fantasy.
