The Tome of Lore:  Table of Contents

Spider Troll

One of the more nightmarish, though thankfully rare, denizens of the wild is the fearsome spider troll. Although more troll than spider, these eight legged abominations have the upper torso, arms, and head of a troll that rise out of an over-sized, black and green abdomen.

Spider trolls are trolls, not arachnids. They are believed to have been created by powerful, dark magic ages ago. While they possess the ability to spin webs, they lack the sting and venom of a deadly spider.

These creatures are slightly more intelligent than forest trolls, and despite their appearance, they bear many of the same (and unsavoury) characteristics of their more common kin.

While rumours abound that some spider trolls possess magical powers, it is known that the eight-legged trolls have the innate ability to summon and control different species of spiders.

Spider trolls dwell in sprawling, subterranean tunnel networks that they dig themselves. These tunnel lairs are usually festooned with their all-but-invisible webs, which snare any creature that unwittingly wanders into them.

Spider trolls attach their webs to the walls and ceiling of their lairs. The webs are designed to detect even the slightest air currents, which cause them to drop down onto anything passing by.

Sometimes, the webs in a spider troll's lair are inhabited by small, green and yellow arachnids called ' rakers '. These venomous spiders will swarm and incapacitate anything snared in a spider troll web. Spider trolls are immune to raker venom and take full advantage of the service the small spiders provide.

Spider trolls are savage, fierce, and relentless combatants. They are believed to be fearless, and they will always fight to the death.