Phase spider

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a phase spider is a magical beast akin to a predatorial version of the ethereal filcher.

Publication history

The phase spider first appeared in the original Greyhawk supplement (1975).^[1]

The phase spider appeared in first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the original Monster Manual (1977), under the "spider" entry.^[2]

The phase spider appeared in second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons under the "spider" entry in Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989),^[3] and reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).^[4] The phase spider was detailed for the Planescape setting in the Guide to the Ethereal Plane (1998).^[5]

The phase spider appeared in the third edition Monster Manual (2000),^[6] and in the 3.5 revised Monster Manual (2003).

The phase spider appeared in the fourth edition Monster Manual 2 (2009).

The phase spider appeared in the fifth edition Monster Manual (2014).

Description

The phase spider resembles a giant, two eyed, spindly legged spider with the same dark green and white coloration of an ethereal filcher (though it is a bit more blue than green). While the filcher transports between the Ethereal Plane and the Material Plane for the purpose of stealing, the phase spider does this for the purpose of hunting. It looks for a likely spot in the Ethereal Plane, and then teleports (its form of teleportation is known as "phasing", hence the name) to the Material Plane, presumably ambushing travelers it expected to be there, bites and kills them, and then quickly retreats back to the Ethereal Plane.

They cannot speak, being animals.

They are regarded as neutral in alignment.

References