Soul Merger

Monsterpedia

Giant Spider (Common)

Monster Level - II

Soul Type - Composite

Intelligence - Animalistic

Strength - Strong

Magic - Weak

Rarity - Common

Spiders are a common fear among humans, and giant spiders have appeared even in pre Fall writings as 'something to be feared.' Unfortunately the common tropes offered by literature don't match the terrifying reality. Because the most commonly encountered giant spiders aren't crafty webspinners, but jumping spiders.

Standing about four feet tall and eight feet long, giant spiders are a serious threat. Their bite contains a potent neurotoxin, that can paralyze or kill a human. They can leap over fifty feet (assuming the room is tall enough), and climb any surface. And of course they're very creepy to most people, and absolutely terrifying to some.

Fortunately they have considerable weaknesses. Their exoskeleton is decent, but a well placed blow will break through easily. And they aren't smart enough to deliberately target the weak points in armor instead settling for a 'keep biting until it works strategy.' Common practice is to target the mandibles, since they're close and not any stronger than the rest of the body. Disabling those will render the spider unable to attack. If you can find a good angle, preparing a spear or other trap to meet their lunge is also very effective.

While the common types of giant spiders don't spin webs, they still will cocoon their victims. If you see spider signs, don't just look for webs along your path, but ambushers looking to leap from the shadows.

Merge

Common Name : Jumper

Benefits : Uncanny leap, improved balance, mild venom

Weaknesses : Hyper Awareness

Fortunately for the sanity of everyone involved, the giant spider merge doesn't give many physical alterations. In fact the most common change is a smattering of freckles around the eyes, and a slight increase in canine size. There's reports of increased muscle mass in the legs, but since most people who willingly pick the merge do it to get greater leg strength, that may be just a natural merge alteration.

As the name suggests, jumpers get the ability to make great leaps six feet high and twenty five feet long for an average jumper. While this is mostly a magical phenomenon, as there's no way any muscle increase could allow for such movement, training and practice do seem to improve the leaps that can be made. They also have greatly improved balance, allowing safer movement in slippery or precarious situations. (Though the key word is safer, not safe) This makes the merge favored among people who work in high places or who have to cross small rivers or ravines constantly.

For the sake of completeness we must also point out that they get a mild venomous bite, which can cause serious shock in people who are allergic to it. However the bite itself is probably a lot more dangerous.

The downside of this merge however can range from 'meaningless' to 'life ruining.' The enhanced balance comes at the cost of being hyper aware of movement in the area. A jumper can notice the tremors from a cart passing nearby, and depending on how on edge they are, this could jolt them out of a sound sleep, or prevent them from relaxing. Most jumpers sleep in hammocks to reduce tremors, and those who are high strung should avoid the merge.

Giant spider merges are sometimes favored among inland river boaters and loggers because it allows them to rapidly hop between boats, logs, or the shore in relative safety.