“David Drayton: What do you know about this mist?
Wayne Jessup: I don’t know, man, I’ve got nothing to do with it.
David Drayton: That’s not what the MP said in the pharmacy before the spiders came out of his skin.”
–The Mist (2007)
Note: The following bear a remarkable resemblance from the creatures from the movie – but came out of nightmare I had in 1998 – I converted them to GURPS for my Dream Wars campaign. Enjoy.
Meldein Spiders
Meldein spiders are a found in swamps. They typically reach the size of a small dog and are really only dangerous when they’re swarming during mating season. They possess a terribly corrosive bite and despite the fact that they look like spiders they have both teeth and a digestive system optimized for a carnivorous diet. They also have the capability to spin corrosive webbing, which if given enough time can eat through metal or even stone! They can even retract the webbing they spin to bring prey closer to them.
For Any Game…
ST: 8 HP: 8 Speed: 6.00
DX: 12 Will: 11 Move: 6
IQ: 4 Per: 13 Weight: 25 lbs.
HT: 12 FP: 12 SM: -4
Dodge: 10 Parry: 11 DR: 1
Acidic Bite (14): 1d-2 impaling + linked 1d-2 corrosion (10 one-second cycles).
Acidic Blood (-): When attacked meldein spiders bleed on those who inflict anycutting, impaling, or piercing injury. It bleeds on the weapon that wounded it – or his foe, if attacked with Claws, Teeth, etc. – which immediately begins to corrode inflicting 1d-2 corrosion damage (10 one-second cycles). Until the spider stops bleeding (see Bleeding, p. B420), the acid drips on everything nearby. Anyone grappling the spider automatically takes damage, anything else in the spider’s hex takes damage on a 9 or less. Roll once every second.
Corrosive Silk (14): As Silk entry but has a linked attack of 1d-2 corrosion (10 one-second cycles).
Pull (-): As a ready maneuver, the spider can pull a bound subject. Roll a contest of ST. If any side can brace itself, it gains +2 per pair of legs. Should the puller win, the pulled moves a number of yards towards it equal to the the margin of victory.
Silk (14): No damage (see Binding, p. B40). Range −/20. Optionally the spider may choose to hold onto a line of silk, see Pull.
Traits: 360° Vision; Ambidexterity; Appearance (Hideous); Binding 8 (Engulfing; Extended Duration, x300; Link; Reduced Range, x5; Retractable; Sticky); Clinging (Move 6); Combat Reflexes; Corrosion Attack 1d-2 (Always On; Aura; Blood Agent, Reversed; Cyclic, 1 second, 10 cycles; Melee Attack, C); Extra Legs (Eight Legs; Cannot Kick); No Physical Attack (Arms)*; Semi-Upright; Super Climbing 3; Super Jump 1 (9-yard jump†); Wild Animal.
Skills: Brawling-14; Innate Attack (Projectile)-14; Jumping-12; Stealth-14; Survival (Swampland)-12.
Notes: Four front legs count as a single pair of arms for manipulation purposes.If the GM is using Intrinsic Fright Check GURPS Horror, (p. 139), Meldein spiders have a modifier of +0.
* See Modifying Beings With One or Two Arms under Extra Arms (p. B53).
† This is for a combat jump, outside of combat doublethis value.
For Dungeon Fantasy…
ST: 8 HP: 8 Speed: 6.00
DX: 12 Will: 11 Move: 6
IQ: 4 Per: 13 Weight: 25 lbs.
HT: 12 FP: 12 SM: -4
Dodge: 10 Parry: 11 DR: 1
Acidic Bite (14): 1d-2 impaling + linked 1d-2 corrosion (10 one-second cycles).
Acidic Blood (-): When attacked meldein spiders bleed on those who inflict anycutting, impaling, or piercing injury. It bleeds on the weapon that wounded it – or his foe, if attacked with Claws, Teeth, etc. – which immediately begins to corrode inflicting 1d-2 corrosion damage (10 one-second cycles). Until the spider stops bleeding (see Bleeding, p. B420), the acid drips on everything nearby. Anyone grappling the spider automatically takes damage, anything else in the spider’s hex takes damage on a 9 or less. Roll once every second.
Corrosive Silk (14): As Silk entry but has a linked attack of 1d-2 corrosion (10 one-second cycles).
Pull (-): As a ready maneuver, the spider can pull a bound subject. Roll a contest of ST. If any side can brace itself, it gains +2 per pair of legs. Should the puller win, the pulled moves a number of yards towards it equal to the the margin of victory.
Silk (14): No damage (see Binding, p. B40). Range −/20. Optionally the spider may choose to hold onto a line of silk, see Pull.
Traits: 360° Vision; Ambidexterity; Appearance (Hideous); Binding 8 (Engulfing; Extended Duration, x300; Link; Reduced Range, x5; Retractable; Sticky); Clinging (Move 6); Combat Reflexes; Corrosion Attack 1d-2 (Always On; Aura; Blood Agent, Reversed; Cyclic, 1 second, 10 cycles; Melee Attack, C); Extra Legs (Eight Legs; Cannot Kick); No Physical Attack (Arms)*; Semi-Upright; Super Climbing 3; Super Jump 1 (9-yard jump†); Wild Animal.
Skills: Brawling-14; Innate Attack (Projectile)-14; Jumping-12; Stealth-14; Survival (Swampland)-12.
Classification: Dire Animal.
Notes: Four front legs count as a single pair of arms for manipulation purposes.
* See Modifying Beings With One or Two Arms under Extra Arms (p. B53).
† This is for a combat jump, outside of combat doublethis value.
For Monster Hunters…
ST: 8 HP: 8 Speed: 6.00
DX: 12 Will: 11 Move: 6
IQ: 4 Per: 13 Weight: 25 lbs.
HT: 12 FP: 12 SM: -4
Dodge: 10 Parry: 11 DR: 1
Fright Check: +1
Acidic Bite (14): 1d-2 impaling + linked 1d-2 corrosion (10 one-second cycles).
Acidic Blood (-): When attacked meldein spiders bleed on those who inflict anycutting, impaling, or piercing injury. It bleeds on the weapon that wounded it – or his foe, if attacked with Claws, Teeth, etc. – which immediately begins to corrode inflicting 1d-2 corrosion damage (10 one-second cycles). Until the spider stops bleeding (see Bleeding, p. B420), the acid drips on everything nearby. Anyone grappling the spider automatically takes damage, anything else in the spider’s hex takes damage on a 9 or less. Roll once every second.
Corrosive Silk (14): As Silk entry but has a linked attack of 1d-2 corrosion (10 one-second cycles).
Pull (-): As a ready maneuver, the spider can pull a bound subject. Roll a contest of ST. If any side can brace itself, it gains +2 per pair of legs. Should the puller win, the pulled moves a number of yards towards it equal to the the margin of victory.
Silk (14): No damage (see Binding, p. B40). Range −/20. Optionally the spider may choose to hold onto a line of silk, see Pull.
Traits: 360° Vision; Ambidexterity; Appearance (Hideous); Binding 8 (Engulfing; Extended Duration, x300; Link; Reduced Range, x5; Retractable; Sticky); Clinging (Move 6); Combat Reflexes; Corrosion Attack 1d-2 (Always On; Aura; Blood Agent, Reversed; Cyclic, 1 second, 10 cycles; Melee Attack, C); Extra Legs (Eight Legs; Cannot Kick); No Physical Attack (Arms)*; Semi-Upright; Super Climbing 3; Super Jump 1 (9-yard jump†); Wild Animal.
Skills: Brawling-14; Innate Attack (Projectile)-14; Jumping-12; Stealth-14; Survival (Swampland)-12.
Notes: Four front legs count as a single pair of arms for manipulation purposes.Use the skills listed under Cryptids in the Know Thy Enemy box in Monster Hunters 1 (p. 16). One champion should be able to handle three to four spiders.
* See Modifying Beings With One or Two Arms under Extra Arms (p. B53).
† This is for a combat jump, outside of combat doublethis value.