Drider

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Dungeons & Dragons creature
Drider
Type Aberration
Image Wizards.com image
Stats OGL stats

In the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game, driders were formerly dark elves (also known as drow); aberrations that have been transformed from the waist down so they have the body of a spider. The transformation is typically a punishment for offending their goddess, or failing a test of Lolth.

Contents

[edit] Ecology

Only high-level priestesses in good standing with Lolth are able to initiate the transformation of a dark elf into a drider. This transformation is very painful, and lasts at least 12 hours. Driders develop a poisonous bite. Their digestion changes and they must drink blood of living creatures for sustenance.

Driders still maintain the spells and special abilities they had developed as a drow. Thus there can exist any character class of drider. They retain intelligence and memories. This usually makes them bitter, spiteful creatures. Some hunt for magic powerful enough to undo the transformation.

[edit] Environment

Driders are most commonly found in the Underdark.

[edit] Typical physical characteristics

Driders are centaur-like creatures, appearing as drow from the waist up, with their lower portions replaced by the abdomen and legs of immense spiders.

In previous editions, driders appear sexless due to bloating, but able to magically reproduce. Currently, in 3.5, driders seem to retain their gender and characteristics after the transformation, but fertility is debatable.

[edit] Alignment

Driders are always chaotic evil.

[edit] Society

Driders play many roles in drow society. The dark elves both fear and are revolted by driders. After transformation, they are usually pushed to the wild area around a drow city. Driders are usually found in company with tiny, huge and giant spiders.

Driders speak Common, Elvish, and Undercommon. In the first and second editions of the game, Driders spoke Drow.

[edit] Driders in Eberron

In the Eberron campaign setting, driders exist as creatures independent from the drow society. Because Vulkoor, the principle drow deity in Eberron, has an affinity for scorpions rather than spiders, the societal role occupied by driders in other settings is instead filled with the scorrow, a tauric race hybridizing drow with scorpions.[1][2] Scorrow also replace the similarly centauroid scorpionfolk within the setting.[3]

[edit] Driders in other media

[edit] Everquest

The EverQuest creatures called drachnids are basically driders.

[edit] Drowtales

In the Drowtales universe, driders come in three "breeds":

  • Ne'kalsaider — Civilized driders that were actually born as driders. From the waist up they are attractive drow, but have 4 pairs of red eyes, and fangs.
  • Waelinder — Cursed newborn driders. At birth, they are sane yet neutered. They look like drow, except they have 7 eyes (the normal 2, a large central eye, and 4 crystal sized ones, all red) and no hope. Few survive and 99% of them go mad, alone in the tunnels.
  • Streekaider — Wild driders who have fallen to madness. Their simple minds still remember the cruel treatment they received. They are some of the most dangerous creatures of the underdark. Even their upper halves become more spider-like at this stage.

[edit] Second Life

There are various drider avatars in Second Life, most being made by Hunter Stern. Hunter Stern also is founder of the inworld group in Second Life called "The High Council of Driders." Stern's driders range from 10 meters across to over 50 and 60 meters.

You can see some Driders lurking in the depths of the virtual online cities, and are most commonly mistaken as "Mutants", rumored to inhabit the lower levels of cities such as Nexus Prime.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Collins, Andy (2004-07-09). Scorpions. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2006-12-11.
  2. ^ Baker, Keith (2006). Secrets of Xen'drik. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-3916-8. 
  3. ^ Wyatt, James (2005). Player's Guide to Eberron. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-3912-5. 

[edit] References

  • Misso, Ches. "Entering the Drider's Web." Dragon #128 (TSR, 1987).


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