Wait - Where Are the Webcrawling Spiders in 4e?

As revealed in the last log post for my all-girl party, they are about to embark on a quest into a dark forest crawling with spiders. I've been walking around all week with visions of web-draped trees in my head and thoughts of the girls fighting their way through hordes of creepy crawlies. I also plan to get some use out of Mearls' fancy skill challenge wandering monster checks in the forest.

So imagine my disappointment when I cracked the 4e Monster Manual and found exactly one spider at their level, and that one modeled off the wolf spider rather than the web-spinning variety.

I figured I needed at least one giant web-crawling spider before game day, and I thought others might get some mileage out of it, so here it is:

Giant Webby Spider

This aggressive web-spinning spider uses webs as weapons against its prey. This type of spider often waits in its web for passing creatures to become entangled, or drops onto prey passing beneath.

Level 5 Controller
XP 200

Giant Webby Spider
Medium natural beast (spider)

Initiative +6 Senses Perception +5; tremorsense 5
HP 63; Bloodied 31
AC 19; Fortitude 16, Reflex 18, Will 17
Speed 6, climb 6 (spider climb)

mBite (standard; at-will) ✦ Poison

+9 vs. AC; 1d6 + 4 damage, and the target takes ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends).

RWeb Net (minor; at-will)

Ranged 5; +9 vs. Reflex; the target is restrained (save ends).

AWebbed Terrain (standard; recharge 6) ✦ Zone

Area burst 2 within 5; +8 vs. Reflex; the target is immobilized (save ends). The zone is filled with spider webs and is considered difficult terrain until the end of the encounter.

Web Walker

A giant webby spider ignores the movement effects of spider webs and difficult terrain related to spider swarms.

Alignment Unaligned Languages -
Skills Stealth +11
Str 14 (+4) Dex 18 (+6) Wis 17 (+5)
Con 15 (+4) Int 1 (-3) Cha 8 (+1)

Giant Webby Spider Tactics

A giant webby spider often attacks from ambush with webbed terrain and web net, then moves to attack the victim of the web net.

That was simple and really kinda fun. I might do some more monsters this week. The selection of 4th-8th level monsters for the kinds of encounters I'm planning for the next stage of the campaign is kind of thin.