This eight-legged monster glides with ease upon the calm water surfaces.
Giant Skate Spider CR 5
XP 1,600
N Huge vermin
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft. (aquatic only), Perception +0
AC 16, touch 9, flat-footed 15 (+1 Dex, +7 natural, -2 size)
hp 66 (7d8+35)
Fort +10, Ref +3, Will +2
Immune mind-affecting effects, vermin traits
Speed 50 ft.
Melee bite +11 (2d6+8 plus grab and poison)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
SA poison
Str 27, Dex 13, Con 20, Int -, Wis 11, Cha 3
Base Atk +5; CMB +15; CMD 26 (34 vs trip)
SQ water walking
The save DC is Constitution-based.
Oil-covered hairs at the bottom its feet allows a skate spider to glide across the surface of still or slow-moving water. It can move on water at its normal land speed but will sink if it moves less than half of its normal movement in a turn. Fast moving water is treated like difficult terrain for the skate spider. A skate spider cannot swim and can drown if it becomes submerged in water.
Environment temperate
Organization solitary or family (2-10)
Treasure none
A skate spider is capable of hunting on land or water. Tiny hairs and secreted oils on the bottom of its feet allow this spider to skate along the surface of lakes, ponds and moving streams without incident. Stopping, however, causes it to sink. If it successfully attacks a creature while on the water, the skate spider has to grab its prey with its fangs or else the meal sinks.
A skate spider is dark brown in coloring. It possesses a faint odor of decay, from the bits of its last meal mingling among the hairs that keep it afloat. They feed on creatures that come near river banks and lake shores. The giant skate spider is 15 ft. long and 500 pounds. Larger and smaller varieties of skate spiders exist.
Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations, copyright 2010 Jon Brazer Enterprises; Author Steven Helt.