Jorogumo

Jorogumo are spiders that take the form of beautiful woman to lure young, virile men to their deaths. In its natural form, it is a vividly colored orb weaver spider. It is a solitary creature, and will usually attack and kill any other jorogumo that attempt to enter its territory, not wanting to share its prey with others. It uses its looks and various magic spells to convince men to follow it to its elaborate nest. These nests are often build just beyond the boundaries of a town or village. The jorogumo spends nights entertaining in taverns and inns and most often targets travellers who will not be noticed if they go missing.

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Medium shapechanger, neutral evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)

Hit Points 34 (7d8+2)

Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft. (Spider or Hybrid Form Only)

STR 14 (+2) DEX 16 (+3) CON 12 (+1) INT 14 (+2) WIS 11 (0) CHA 16 (+3)

Skills Stealth +6

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14

Languages Common

Challenge 3 (700xp)

Traits

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.

Shapechanger. The jorogumo can use its action to polymorph into a spider-humanoid hybrid, or a woman, or back into its true form, which is a large spider. Its statistics are the same in either form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.

Innate Spellcasting (Human Form Only).  The jorogumo’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save 16, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The jorogumo can innately cast the following spells requiring no material components:

At will: Charm Person

(3/Day): Darkness

(1/Day): Dominate Person

Actions

Multiattack (Human or Hybrid Form Only). The jorogumo makes two weapon attacks with a dagger.

Dagger (Human or Hybrid Form Only). Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage.

Bite (Spider Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 9 (2d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.

Web (Spider or Hybrid Form Only, Recharge 5–6). Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 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).

• The Jorogumo will typically seek out and isolate prey who they find would be the most susceptible to their seductive feminine wiles.

Monster Art and Stat-Block by Sarah Will.