Ettercap
Encyclopedia
An ettercap is one of a race of bestial spider
-men aberrations
in the Dungeons & Dragons
game.
.
. These original ettercaps had human-like faces, mouths, hands and feet. This version's ettercaps were also covered in a layer of short hair and had large noses.
was universally white colored, except for the brown tips of the fur that bristled from its shoulders. These ettercaps were also drastically less muscular than all the other versions of ettercaps.
The ettercap was detailed in Dragon
#343 (November 2006), in the "Ecology of the Ettercap", which also included the ettecap matriarch and the ettercap brood swarm.
ous claws instead of hands and feet. They are not particularly intelligent. Ettercaps possess the capability to shoot sticky webs, can inject a paralyzing poison from their fangs, and have an affinity for spiders. They are cowardly and vicious, and prefer to set traps to ensnare their enemies.
, which are as loyal to it as a dog
to a human
master
. Aside from their spiders, ettercaps generally live alone (with the exception being an ettercap's mate). Female ettercaps are more intelligent than the males of the species, and may sometimes gain class levels.
Ettercaps most commonly live in temperate
forests, near trails and paths where prey commonly passes. They construct cocoon-like structures high in the treetrops of the forest and obscured by the surrounding foliage. From the entrance to these lairs, ettercaps send long strands of web that connect the ettercap's home to the traps it has placed in the area and to the lairs of other arachnid creatures.
It has been suggested that ettercaps are the descendants of a group of mad druids , tainted and transmogrified by their association with a powerful demon into a form resembling the predatory arachnids their cult once revered. While the vast majority have completely reverted to pure animal instinct, a rare few are claimed to demonstrate the intellect and capacities of an insane human.
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
-men aberrations
Aberration (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, aberration is a type of creature, or "creature type". Aberrations generally all have bizarre anatomies, strange abilities, alien mindsets, or any combination thereof....
in the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
game.
Publication history
The name is derived from the Danish word for spider, edderkop, and is related to attercop, an archaic word for poisonous spider, used in J.R.R. Tolkien's The HobbitThe Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
Ettercaps first appeared in Dungeons and Dragons in the first edition AD&D Fiend FolioFiend Folio
Fiend Folio is the title shared by three products published for successive editions of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
. These original ettercaps had human-like faces, mouths, hands and feet. This version's ettercaps were also covered in a layer of short hair and had large noses.
Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)
This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the ettercap, in the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
The ettercap appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989), and is reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993). The ettercaps of second edition retained the hairy bodies and human mouths/hands/feet of their predecessors. These ettercaps were described as having reptilian eyes that were usually of a reddish hue. They were colored a splotchy brown-grey mix, with an orange furred underbelly.Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)
The ettercap appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000). The ettercap of the third edition Monster ManualMonster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
was universally white colored, except for the brown tips of the fur that bristled from its shoulders. These ettercaps were also drastically less muscular than all the other versions of ettercaps.
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)
The ettercap appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).The ettercap was detailed in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#343 (November 2006), in the "Ecology of the Ettercap", which also included the ettecap matriarch and the ettercap brood swarm.
Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)
The ettercap appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), including the ettercap fang guard and the ettercap webspinner. Fourth edition ettercaps have four arms and legs and a carapace. In addition, they now wield basic weaponry and wear armor or clothing.Pathfinder RPG (2009-)
The ettercap appears in the Pathfinder Bestiary (2009), in its more traditional form. A hideous purple creature that walks upright like a man with a face like that of a spider. It has two arms and its hands are sickle-shaped claws. Known for being particularly skilled in trap making and delivering poisonous bites.Description
Ettercaps resemble hunched, grey-purplish humanoids with distended white bellies, spider-like faces (fangs and eyes and such), long skinny arms, short stubby legs, and two sharp, black chitinChitin
Chitin n is a long-chain polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine, a derivative of glucose, and is found in many places throughout the natural world...
ous claws instead of hands and feet. They are not particularly intelligent. Ettercaps possess the capability to shoot sticky webs, can inject a paralyzing poison from their fangs, and have an affinity for spiders. They are cowardly and vicious, and prefer to set traps to ensnare their enemies.
Society
Ettercaps are very fond of spiders and other arachnids and often keep them as others keep bees. From time to time, however, an ettercap has a number of monstrous spiders as petsPETS
PETS may be an acronym for:* Pet Travel Scheme, which allows animals to travel internationally without quarantine* Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act...
, which are as loyal to it as a dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
to a human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
master
Master (form of address)
Master is an archaic masculine title or form of address in English.- In English and Welsh society :Master was used in England for men of some rank, especially "free masters" of a trade guild and by any manual worker or servant employee to his employer , but also generally by those lower in status...
. Aside from their spiders, ettercaps generally live alone (with the exception being an ettercap's mate). Female ettercaps are more intelligent than the males of the species, and may sometimes gain class levels.
Ettercaps most commonly live in temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
forests, near trails and paths where prey commonly passes. They construct cocoon-like structures high in the treetrops of the forest and obscured by the surrounding foliage. From the entrance to these lairs, ettercaps send long strands of web that connect the ettercap's home to the traps it has placed in the area and to the lairs of other arachnid creatures.
It has been suggested that ettercaps are the descendants of a group of mad druids , tainted and transmogrified by their association with a powerful demon into a form resembling the predatory arachnids their cult once revered. While the vast majority have completely reverted to pure animal instinct, a rare few are claimed to demonstrate the intellect and capacities of an insane human.