Spider Turtle

The Spider Turtle is an unusual type of demon. It, in the very best, is considered a sub-demon. A more accurate description would be a demon arachnid. This creature was found living in the pits of Hades. It has very little intelligence and very little free will. Most demons won't even admit that this creature is even a demon. However, weapons and spells that effect demons still have the same effect on these creatures as they would a regular demon.

These creatures are similar to spiders in many ways such as having eight legs, venomous fangs, and their ability to spin webs. They only reason they are referred to as a turtle is the extremely hard shell which they wear. When feeling threatened the Spider Turtle will retreat into its extremely durable, almost impenetrable shell. A Spider Turtle can feel threatened by a powerful foe or simply in an unfamiliar territory. Spider Turtles only feel truly comfortable when in their natural environment deep in the pits of Hades.

When in their natural environment of Hades, they often do things such as catch small gargoylites in their webs and then slowly feed upon them. But when in a different realm, such as the Palladium world, Spider Turtles tend to be far more timid. They come out of their shells as little as possible, usually only when something catches their attention or ordered to do so by a master or powerful demon. Even then, they usually don't do much other than try to quickly seal off an area where enemies are approaching and then try to hide somewhere.

When there is nowhere to hide, they typically try to destroy any object cutting through their webbing by using their corrosive spit. More than anything else, they prefer to be left alone when out of their home realm. If they ever receive too much damage or even a big jolt they'll usually crawl back into their shell. Once they retreat into their shell, they are nearly impossible to hurt and may not come back out for days. This is usually because they feel the hassles of other realms just aren't worth their trouble.

This is not as much cowardice as much as them not enjoying other realms. They only feel comfortable inside their shells because it reminds them of home. Despite their short attention span when dealing with anything in this realm, they are among the favorite tools of Shadow-Walkers as they feel they are a good method to cover a retreat.

Size: 5 inches (0.1 m) when hiding within its shell, with its legs fully extended it can reach up to 1 foot and 7 inches (0.5 m).

Weight: 60 to 80 pounds (27.2 to 36.3 kg)

A.R.: 6, 20 when hiding in its shell.

Hit Points: 5D6

S.D.C.: 3D6 (the shell is unbreakable)

P.P.E.: 2D6

Horror Factor: 4 (only from initial shock of it coming out of its shell).

Equivalent O.C.C.: None.

Combat: Three attacks per melee, only one attack if their webbing is used in a wide spray.

Bonuses: +2 on initiative, +2 to strike, +4 to parry, +4 to dodge, +2 to entangle with webbing.

Damage: Remember, all demons have supernatural P.S.; however the Spider Turtle is so small that it cannot deal much damage with it. Leg strike 1D6 damage, bite 1D4 plus 2D6 points of additional damage each melee round for 1D4 melee rounds unless a save vs. poison (16 or higher) is made.

Corrosive Spit: 4D6, which damages anything it hits, including weapons. Indestructible items are one of the few materials that cannot be harmed by this spit. This spit has a 5 foot (1.5 m) range. It can only be used once per melee round and up to 5 times per day.

Natural Abilities: Prowl 70%, climb 95%/85%, track by smell 40%, nightvision 60 feet (18.3 m), see the invisible, leap 10 feet (2.4 m) high and 15 feet (4.6 m) long, and its corrosive spit (see damage for details).

Web Spinning: Spider Turtles are able to spin webs like many other spiders. They can also spray this webbing in a quick burst that covers an area up to 5 feet (1.5 m) by 5 feet (1.5 m). This causes the Spider Turtle to use up all the attacks for that round and can no longer use their webbing at all for the next hour. This webbing is extremely sticky and there is a 75% chance any object trying to cut through quickly will get caught in it. It will take a melee round to pull it free again. The only sure way to cut through it is to take time and saw through it slowly. This can take up to 1D4 melee rounds.

Speed: 20

Average Life Span: 8 years.

Value: 50 gold for alchemical purposes due to its demonic nature; double the price if still alive so its webbing can be used as well.