The Beast Fears Fire - Marauders
Marauders [Violence 2]
Impulse - Marauders gonna Maraud.
Modern species of spider, as it turns out are a lot more modern than most people expect. About 1000 years ago, there was only one species of great spider that learned how to change forms over the course of a generation or two in order to meet certain challenges. How they go about this is something that the spiders don't like to advertise; it does involve application of magic in some aspects and requires the spider to molt (an exhausting, often dangerous process that a great spider has to do several times during life), occasionally multiple times.
It's possible, also, for a spider to change their form significantly over the course of their lifetime, though it is difficult. In modern times, the most common form that individual modifications take on is in the form of marauders.
Marauders are more common among spiders who have significant contact with other communicative races, particularly those who observe the martial traditions of those other races. Marauders are enthusiastic self-experimenters with a bent toward developing beneficial martial adaptations. It's hard to say exactly why marauders go in for this; it's too widespread to simply be individual expression, but the adaptations tend to be highly personalized and probably not of greatest strategic value to the spiders as a whole (tactical values can be variable as well). The most satisfying explanation is that this is some sort of spider version of a fad. There is evidence that they've done similar things before.
Harm 2/Peril [Varies] or 3 Marauders are much stronger than most other spiders and develop nasty fangs first and foremost. Venoms and other more esoteric excretions come next, and these can vary by the methods the spider used to alter its physiology and the aptitude for applying these methods. As always, these adaptations are individual.
The following are a list of the more common adaptations that marauders exhibit.
Might as well Jump
You can jump great distances, allowing you to reach some inaccessible areas without facing Disaster or Hardship. Additionally, you can use your leaping ability in a violent confrontation. If you do this, face Violence.
On a Hit, you can cause Harm to a distant or inaccessible target, take up a distant or inaccessible position, or become a distant or inaccessible target to your opponent.
On a Hard Hit, you can cause Great Harm or Dismay enemies as well.
On a Miss, suffer Harm and a Soft Move as you screw up your jump and and in a worse position.
Say it and Spray it
You can spit venom, acid or a combustive fluid at people you don't like. Face Violence.
On a Hit you cause harm to your opponent, as well as an appropriate Peril (Poisoned, Sick, Melting, On Fire).
On a Hard Hit, you cause Great Harm or Harm and Dismay to your opponent as well as an appropriate Peril.
On a Miss, things backfire a little and you suffer the Peril.
Spider Light
You have bioluminescent glands that allow you to illuminate areas (not really terribly useful to you, but if you've sight dependent allies, they might be grateful), and the ability to strobe briefly in a fight, which, again, kind of bright for you, but can really mess up sight dependent enemies. If you decide to use them as such, face Violence.
On a Hit, you can either inflict or avoid Harm and bestow the Peril Blinded on all sight-dependent creatures in your immediate vicinity (you are also blinded, for what little that is worth).
On a Hard Hit, you can choose not to blind up to three people in the area, if you want.
On a Miss, you overstimulate yourself and end up dazed for a moment while your enemies inflict Harm on you.
Refined Weapons
You have concentrated on making the defensive capabilities you already had more potent. You gain an additional 3 die steps to augment your carapace, silk and venom.
Is he strong? Listen, bud...
The really odd thing about marauders, to the view of outsiders is that they seem to think that developing personal weapons makes them easier to relate to for outsiders. Marauders tend to be, even more than money spiders, the sort who are interested in interacting with other species for their own sake, and tend to be the spiders most likely to develop relationships with individuals of other races.
I'm not saying they are often successful at it, but they do try.
Impulse - Marauders gonna Maraud.
Modern species of spider, as it turns out are a lot more modern than most people expect. About 1000 years ago, there was only one species of great spider that learned how to change forms over the course of a generation or two in order to meet certain challenges. How they go about this is something that the spiders don't like to advertise; it does involve application of magic in some aspects and requires the spider to molt (an exhausting, often dangerous process that a great spider has to do several times during life), occasionally multiple times.
It's possible, also, for a spider to change their form significantly over the course of their lifetime, though it is difficult. In modern times, the most common form that individual modifications take on is in the form of marauders.
Marauders are more common among spiders who have significant contact with other communicative races, particularly those who observe the martial traditions of those other races. Marauders are enthusiastic self-experimenters with a bent toward developing beneficial martial adaptations. It's hard to say exactly why marauders go in for this; it's too widespread to simply be individual expression, but the adaptations tend to be highly personalized and probably not of greatest strategic value to the spiders as a whole (tactical values can be variable as well). The most satisfying explanation is that this is some sort of spider version of a fad. There is evidence that they've done similar things before.
Harm 2/Peril [Varies] or 3 Marauders are much stronger than most other spiders and develop nasty fangs first and foremost. Venoms and other more esoteric excretions come next, and these can vary by the methods the spider used to alter its physiology and the aptitude for applying these methods. As always, these adaptations are individual.
The following are a list of the more common adaptations that marauders exhibit.
Might as well Jump
You can jump great distances, allowing you to reach some inaccessible areas without facing Disaster or Hardship. Additionally, you can use your leaping ability in a violent confrontation. If you do this, face Violence.
On a Hit, you can cause Harm to a distant or inaccessible target, take up a distant or inaccessible position, or become a distant or inaccessible target to your opponent.
On a Hard Hit, you can cause Great Harm or Dismay enemies as well.
On a Miss, suffer Harm and a Soft Move as you screw up your jump and and in a worse position.
Say it and Spray it
You can spit venom, acid or a combustive fluid at people you don't like. Face Violence.
On a Hit you cause harm to your opponent, as well as an appropriate Peril (Poisoned, Sick, Melting, On Fire).
On a Hard Hit, you cause Great Harm or Harm and Dismay to your opponent as well as an appropriate Peril.
On a Miss, things backfire a little and you suffer the Peril.
Spider Light
You have bioluminescent glands that allow you to illuminate areas (not really terribly useful to you, but if you've sight dependent allies, they might be grateful), and the ability to strobe briefly in a fight, which, again, kind of bright for you, but can really mess up sight dependent enemies. If you decide to use them as such, face Violence.
On a Hit, you can either inflict or avoid Harm and bestow the Peril Blinded on all sight-dependent creatures in your immediate vicinity (you are also blinded, for what little that is worth).
On a Hard Hit, you can choose not to blind up to three people in the area, if you want.
On a Miss, you overstimulate yourself and end up dazed for a moment while your enemies inflict Harm on you.
Refined Weapons
You have concentrated on making the defensive capabilities you already had more potent. You gain an additional 3 die steps to augment your carapace, silk and venom.
Is he strong? Listen, bud...
The really odd thing about marauders, to the view of outsiders is that they seem to think that developing personal weapons makes them easier to relate to for outsiders. Marauders tend to be, even more than money spiders, the sort who are interested in interacting with other species for their own sake, and tend to be the spiders most likely to develop relationships with individuals of other races.
I'm not saying they are often successful at it, but they do try.
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