the ecology of. I realize that this is an edition specific question as the ettercap is different across the editions. Not to worry as i care not about editions. I am looking to pick and choose what i like so please share any and all thoughts on the ettercap.
Of particular interest to me is "It has been suggested that ettercaps are the descendants of a group of mad druids" which comes from the wiki definition. A female ettercap that is a druid would make things interesting.
One criticism I have of the wikipedia article is over reliance on illustrations in its various appearances throughout D&D's publishing history for the changing physical description. The original illustration in the 1e Fiend Folio depicts them as being more humanoid, but the description says they have two poisonous fangs protruding one on each side of the mouth, which is describing something more spider-like than depicted. The fangs get more prominent in the illustration from the Monstrous Compendium and Monstrous Manual but the ettercap is still pretty humanoid. In the illustration by Michael Kaluta from 3e is the first time (that I'm aware of) that it gets a look that is as much spider-like as humanoid, and the head is definitely more spider-like. Even though the article says it was 4e that introduced the 4 armed ettercap, it was actually in one of the 3.5 books that it first appeared, although I've never seen any accompanying text that gave that description (although it may still exist). That's the end of that rant.
The druidic origin comes from the "Ecology of the Ettercap" article in Dragon # 343. If you don't have it, the article ties it to an ancient, secret, druidic cannibalistic ritual, now long forgotten (or forbidden). One sect in particular that practiced this ritual began worshiping a demonic spider entity. Some say it was a bebilith or servant of Miska the Wolf-Spider. The cult increasingly began living around and as spiders, drinking venom and demonic potions, grafting giant spider parts to their bodies. They kept living like this, even after their demonic patron died/abandoned them. Eventually, these inbred, spider-grafted, venom-drinking, web-living druid hillbillies became the first true ettercaps.
EDIT: The Ecology of... article also has stats for an Ettercap Matriarch, which is a CR15 monster with druidic spells and class features.
Thanks for the summary, Smillan! I went back to look at the illustrations I have - remarkable how they've changed from the Fiend Folio picture (which as you note, doesn't really show the side-fangs). I like the idea of a druidic origin, and especially your summation: "inbred, spider-grafted, venom-drinking, web-living druid hillbillies"! Cue the banjo music.
I find the ettercap interesting from a linguistic standpoint too - while it's a Scots word for spider, it's also used a metaphor for a bitter, spiteful person, which is why I can easily see them being bitter druids who chose to embrace the negative aspects of spiders, perhaps in hatred of humankind. And the Scots word derives from the Middle English attercop (poison spider), which appears in The Hobbit as one of Bilbo's insults for the giant spiders of Mirkwood. [end nerd digression]
thats great smillan. i will download the issue tonight after work. It sounds like that has the exact information i will be using. Redhand befriends and recruits ettercaps. I will have to fill in the blanks with the how but i think these could be very formidable with the traps and a few druid spells.
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