Ungoliant encounter

[Sk8ter274]

Anyone who's read the LOTR sillmarillion knows who Ungoliant is

I like to incorporate my player's background into the campaign and one of them just so happen to have burned down an ancient temple of lolth along with several VIP in the clergy to cover his his escape

Long story short, he's meant to be part of a sacrifice to summon and empower an aspect of lolth aka a giant spider the size of ungoliant.

I want to make the encounter unique by having it be a vertical fight. Like this from one of my favorite anime
https://youtu.be/BU6uRecef3A

I've got 4 to 5 players and they be lvl 12 by the time they fight her and only the tabaxi paladin has a climbing speed.

I still need to make the statblock, but suffice to say she's going to be gargantuan with a spider breath weapon. Obviously the vertical part of the environment should be a cakewalk for her and not the players. I just don't know how I'd go about it other than if she reaches the top/surface they have unleashed essentially a tarasaque on the world.

Suggestions?

[brian 333]

Webs.

Not all spider-silk is sticky. Messenger lines that vibrate when touched or support strands which hold a web up wouldn't work as well if they were sticky, and the strands that are sticky are by comparison very thin.

Clever players can use webs to move about, but moving in a web virtually guarantees the webspinner knows where the victim is. When moving in a web, cutting sticky lines with a sharp blade should be easy. It would slow the character down and give him a mess to wash off himself afterward.

Tag-lines are left behind by a spider. These are only sticky where the spider wants to anchor them. The purpose of tag-lines is to catch the spider if it falls. It may also serve as a way to find its way home in the dark.

The spiderweb would create a 3d maze characters would have to traverse to get to the spider, and it would impede movement. A character should be made to feel as if getting stuck is likely, such as by continuously forcing saves which are secretly easy to beat, but they would likely only get stuck if they slip and fall through multiple layers. On the other hand, paralytic poison allows the spider liesure to cocoon the character, rendering movement impossible.

[Sk8ter274]

Webs.

Not all spider-silk is sticky. Messenger lines that vibrate when touched or support strands which hold a web up wouldn't work as well if they were sticky, and the strands that are sticky are by comparison very thin.

Clever players can use webs to move about, but moving in a web virtually guarantees the webspinner knows where the victim is. When moving in a web, cutting sticky lines with a sharp blade should be easy. It would slow the character down and give him a mess to wash off himself afterward.

Tag-lines are left behind by a spider. These are only sticky where the spider wants to anchor them. The purpose of tag-lines is to catch the spider if it falls. It may also serve as a way to find its way home in the dark.

.

I like that idea.

Perhaps there are webs all along the walls of the shaft that allow the players to move up and down without climbing, albiet at half speed because of the stickyness, with a lair action from ungoliant that shakes loose parts of the walls and the players have grab onto these tag lines to avoid being knocked down the shaft as Ungoliant climbs up.

Or

It does all that, but now the players have to climb these tagline or otherwise make their way back to Ungoliant's level to continue the fight as they dodge debris and hairs , I know certain tarantulas shoot thier hair as a defense that causes irritation to predators.

Love this idea

Keep em coming, friends

[brian 333]

What does the spider normally eat? Ungoliant are goblins, of course, but whatever yours eats will have dried up husks cocooned, along with whatever they are carrying. Perhaps even a live one here or there in varying States of being digested by her enzymes.

[Analytica]

What if it is really, really dangerous, but blind, so that it will know where PCs are only when/as they touch web? This way they could be in for an excitingly hard fight but there is a way eventually out by avoiding the webs thus becoming unseen to the creature?

[Metastachydium]

gargantuan with a spider breath weapon

(Is that… A breath weapon that consists of spiders?)


What does the spider normally eat? Ungoliant are goblins,

You're thinking Shelob; Ungoliant ate light itself (and arguably vitality or somesuch).


of course, but whatever yours eats will have dried up husks cocooned, along with whatever they are carrying. Perhaps even a live one here or there in varying States of being digested by her enzymes.

I kind of like the idea that such a quasi-divine creature would be more like Ungoliant than her lesser spawn and eat something more abstract than liquefied organic matter; but still cocoon and drink dry creatures for the heck of it (that would also explain why the thing would bother with anything smaller than Large-sized; it doesn't need that kind of sustenance, it merely needs enjoys the thrill of the hunt and to experience the horror of its squirming prey).

Edit: Hm. You could, in fact, lean into the Ungoliant angle mechanically, I think. The term "lair action" tells me this is 5e. If I remember correctly, creating supernatural blobs of darkness around oneself is possible over there, and the life draining can be modelled quite well by that shtick where an attack reduces maximum hp.

[Sk8ter274]

Okay

It's starting to take form. Here's what I have so far

1. 100ft diameter circle with sticky webs along shaft that enable movement speed ala semilike webwalk feature, but at half speed as well disadvantage on dex saves
2. Tag lines that crisscross across the shaft at normal speed, but standing on them grants ungoliant (name pending) advantage on attack and web attack because of vibration
3. Lair action to shake area to cause players to fall off tagline forcing them to climb back up to reengagein the fight or dislodge debris from the sides and fall on players
4. Spider breath weapon/web breath - swarms of spiders cover and semiblind players unless they use an action to shake them off/ web in a cone that restrains players and grants advantage to ungoliant
5. Multiple types of poison with bites. Perhaps a d4 table to add to the suspense
6. Maybe magical resistance to spell 3rd and lower

Any additional suggestions?