Coppiceback Spider
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 93 (11d10+33)
Speed 40 ft. climb 40 ft.
Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +6
Skills Stealth +6, Perception +4
Senses blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages —
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
Actions
Reactions
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"That tree was not there yesterday—and it has far too many roots." — Ranger Elira Voss
Lore & Description
Appearance
The coppiceback spider is a massive, low-bodied arachnid whose abdomen is the color of damp leaf mold, mottled with pale lichen and amber fungal spots. Eight unnaturally long legs rise from its body like crooked saplings, each joint furred with moss and capped in rough brown bark. Thin twigs sprout from its limbs, bearing small clusters of leaves that tremble whenever it moves. Its many black eyes gleam beneath a canopy of bristles, while pale spinnerets trail ropes of webbing that resemble torn strips of tree root.
Behavior & Origins
Coppiceback spiders are ancient forest predators that learned to grow symbiotic bark, moss, and vines over their limbs, becoming living pieces of the woodland. They patiently imitate saplings beside game trails, then drop from the canopy or unfold from the undergrowth when prey is close. Druids sometimes tolerate them as guardians of sacred groves, but the spiders become violently territorial when logging, fire, or grave-robbing threatens their hunting grounds. A particularly old coppiceback called Old Briar has built its lair around the ruined watchtower of Greymantle and has begun wrapping captured travelers in its upper branches, where it stores them alive for later feeding.
Running Coppiceback Spider
Tactics
The coppiceback spider begins hidden among trees, using Entangling Web to divide the party or restrain the most dangerous target before striking. It attacks from a wall, trunk, or ceiling and uses Branch-Leg attacks to knock prey prone while remaining out of easy reach. When badly wounded, it retreats across vertical surfaces toward a prepared webbed nest, using Sudden Rootstep to avoid pursuit; it fights to the death only if its egg sac or lair is threatened.
DM Tips
- Telegraph its presence with sap that bleeds from seemingly ordinary trees, web-strung branches, and animal carcasses suspended far above the trail.
- Describe its legs as subtly changing position when the characters look away, and have it remain perfectly still until the ambush begins.
- For a weaker party, reduce its hit points to seventy-five and lower the Entangling Web save DC to 13; for a stronger party, give it a second reaction each round or add two swarms of forest spiders to its lair.
- Use vertical terrain: the spider is most threatening when it attacks from trunks, ceilings, and branches rather than standing in an open clearing.
Loot
- Coppiceback Bark Shard — A plate of living bark shed from the spider's leg. When pressed against a tree, it points toward the nearest active web nest for 24 hours.
- Amber Venom Sac — A carefully removed venom sac worth 150 gp to an alchemist. If mishandled, it bursts and releases enough toxin to poison one creature within 5 feet.
- Greymantle Survivor's Token — A weathered brass watch badge found among the spider's wrapped trophies, proving that at least one missing patrol member reached the lair.