Description and Biology
The eight-legs are terrestrial spiders mutated by prolonged exposure to radiation, to the point that they develop not only greater size but also human-level intelligence. The mutations that they have experienced probably extend beyond these two features, but even so, the basic anatomy and biology of spiders is unlikely to have changed much and we’d still expect, for example, the internal organs to be in roughly the right place.
I have previously discussed spider biology and anatomy in the context of giant spiders in fantasy, so I won’t go over all the details again here. But a few points do bear examining. While the typical eight-legs are larger than any real-world spiders, they are not beyond the upper limit for a land-dwelling arthropod, so, while they probably wouldn’t be very strong, it’s not implausible that they could move about and function. Most spiders rely at least partially on tracheae to breathe, which might well be a problem at that size, but tarantulas don’t, having a full set of lungs, so they could either be descended from those or have mutated to a similar anatomy. (They don’t look like tarantulas, but, again, they have mutated, so this may not mean much).
The brain must necessarily have enlarged and developed new capabilities, but there’s nothing inherent in the layout of a spider’s brain that would make this impossible. Whether something the size of a typical eight-legs could really be as intelligent as a human is perhaps more debatable, but it might not require that much leeway. They don’t have the eyes suited for binocular vision that hunting spiders do, so, as with web-spinning spiders, touch and vibration may be more important to them than sight. The webs they spin do not seem to be sticky, so that’s probably something they lost along the way - perhaps it was ineffective against their larger prey. And, again, not all real-world spiders do produce sticky silk, so it isn’t much of a stretch.
The eight-legs’ leader is described as a “queen”, which might be taken to imply that they are eusocial creatures, like bees or ants. Needless to say, this isn’t something that happens with real-world spiders, which are largely solitary. But the eight-legs have evolved to develop a complex society and it’s conceivable that becoming eusocial was a part of that – or it could just be that they happen to be matriarchal and monarchical.
The Great One is a slightly different matter but, as usual, I am not covering individuals here, just typical members of the species.
Game Attributes
Because of their small size and spindly appearance, never mind the anatomical constraints, it’s a fair bet that the eight-legs are considerably weaker than the average human. They’re probably fairly fit, living as they do in a harsh environment, but their exoskeleton doesn’t look thick enough to be any more resilient than leather. Having no opposable thumbs would limit their ability to use tools directly and this may affect their skill set, but since they use humans as slaves, they must have enough theoretical understanding of such things to direct them properly. Somebody, after all, has constructed their underground tunnel complex and provided it with furnishing.
So far as one can tell, their tech level is relatively low. However, they are probably quite sophisticated when it comes to more academic knowledge; it’s merely that they don’t need much in the way of technology to achieve their goals, and don’t want to encourage their slaves to develop such things. Their society is stratified and orderly, implying a lawful alignment, and they’re clearly quite callous.
Special Abilities
Most significantly, of course, the eight-legs are powerful psychics. They are telepathic, which is presumably their primary means of communication among their own kind, and can send out blasts of deadly psychic energy. By attaching themselves to a human victim they can mentally control them, albeit not perfectly. Whether this works on other beings we don’t know, but it seems logical that it would be extendable at least to other vertebrates, although they may require some familiarity with the victim’s mental processes to be effective.
While doing this, they can turn themselves invisible, likely by affecting the mind of the viewer, rather than doing anything to actual light rays – so they would still be visible to cameras or sonar, for example. They can also teleport. The range for this is essentially unlimited if they can obtain enough energy by working together and perhaps gaining the cooperation of the odd meditating monk at the other end, but is otherwise likely quite short.
5E - Eight-Legs
Small monstrosity, lawful evil
Armour Class: 13 (natural)
Hit Points: 18 (4d6+4)
Speed: 20 ft.
STR 6 (-2) | DEX 14 (+2) | CON 12 (+1) |
INT 10 (+0) | WIS 14 (+2) | CHA 12 (+1) |
Saving Throws: Wisdom +4, Charisma +3
Skills: Intimidation +3, Perception +4
Senses: Passive Perception 14.
Languages: Telepathy 60 ft.
Invisibility: The eight-legs can make itself invisible until it attacks or loses concentration.
Teleport (Recharge 6): As an action, the eight-legs can teleport up to 40 feet to an unoccupied space it can see or is very familiar with.
Ride Victim: The eight-legs can take control of a living target as if using the Dominate Person spell. It must maintain a grip on the victim or the effect ends, but the effect lasts indefinitely so long as it does so.
Psychic Blast (Recharge 5-6): Ranged Attack: +4 to hit, range 20 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (4d6) psychic damage.
Challenge: ¼ (50 XP)
BRP - Eight-Legs
STR 2D6 (7) | CON 3D6+3 (13-14) | SIZ 1D6 (3-4) |
INT 2D6+6 (13) | POW 2D6+9 (16) | |
DEX 3D6+3 (13-14) | CHA 3D6 (10-11) | |
Hit Points: 9 | Move: 8 | |
Base SR: 6 | Damage Bonus: -1D6 |
Armour: 1-point chitin
Skills: Climb 80%
Combat Skills: Projection 60% (psychic blast, range 10 metres, 2D6 damage)
Psychic Abilities: The eight-legs can send telepathic messages to an individual within sight and can teleport to a location within 15 metres that it can see or is familiar with. It can also make itself invisible, so long as it does not attack. By attaching itself to the back of a victim, and succeeding in a POW v POW roll, it can take control of their actions. The victim may roll to throw the effect off if it, or the eight-legs, is injured. The control ends if the eight-legs is somehow dislodged from the victim’s back.
GURPS - Eight-Legs
ST 6 | DX 12 | IQ 10 | HT 12 |
Thrust: 1d-4 | Swing: 1d-3 | ||
Speed: 6 | Move: 4 |
Advantages: Damage Resistance-1, Eight Legs, Innate Attack-3 (Malediction, based on Will, Fatigue), Invisibility (switchable), Mind Control (contact agent), Night Vision-1, Telesend, Warp, Will+4
Disadvantages: Horizontal
Skills: Climbing-15, History-10, Innate Attack-14, Intimidation-12, Jumping-12, Psychology-9, Stealth-11, Survival (quarry-like planets)-12
Savage Worlds - Eight-Legs
Agility: d8 | Smarts: d6 | Spirit: d10 |
Strength: d4 | Vigour: d8 |
Skills: Athletics d4, Intimidation d6, Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Survival d4
Powers: Bolt, Invisibility, Puppet, Telepathy, Teleport
Pace: 4 Parry: 2 Toughness: 4 Size: -2
STA - Eight-Legs
Control: 10 | Fitness: 8 | Presence: 10 |
Daring: 9 | Insight: 9 | Reason: 8 |
Command: 2 | Security: 1 | Science: 0 |
Conn: 0 | Engineering: 0 | Medicine: 0 |
Stress: 9 | Resistance: 0 |
Attacks: Psychic Blast (ranged, 2^, ignores Resistance)
Invisibility: The eight-legs can make itself invisible until it attacks or loses concentration.
Teleport: The eight-legs can teleport to an unoccupied space it can see or is very familiar with.
Ride Victim: The eight-legs can take control of a living target if it makes a successful Presence + Command roll, resisted by the target as appropriate. It must maintain a grip on the victim or the effect ends, but the effect lasts indefinitely so long as it does so.
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