[Dark Arts] Aranha - The Spider's Curse

[Cyndikate 2303]

After a recent discussion with many players and receiving great support. I decided to post this lore.

If you find anything that you find OP or questionable, let me know and I will fix it immediately. I also wish to know in what way is it overpowered. If there is anything you dislike, explain why so I can fix it. I ask that you don’t review the lore again until you are satisfied with the changes made
 

The Aranha Lore:

 

 

 

What is the Aranha? What is the purpose of it?

 

The Aranha is both a curse with a pinch of dark arts magic where the user becomes cursed by either the spider queen, or her cursed spiders. The cursed will be driven by instinct and the desire to hunt, is given magical abilities that match the theme of the spider. She can create webs, poisons, and have spiders as pets.

 

The reason for this lore, and the Aranha’s purpose is simple. 

The Aranha’s purpose is to constantly create RP for others. The lore is written so the player is forced to go out and roleplay every day and not hide in a cave with 5 other people. If she doesn’t go out, she can’t care for her spiders, and she can’t maintain her health and her sanity and she will eventually die. To play the Aranha correctly, you are required to constantly interact with others.

Roleplaying the Aranha would put more strain on the player than it would its victims.

The Aranha’s role is simple: To play the role of an assassin and a dangerous hunter. The Aranha is a hunter, a creature. She will create the theme of a spider.'

Aranha players will have a chance at complex character development. If they are looking for a change of character or a change of roleplay, the Aranha is also designed to do just that. The Aranha is designed for players who want to create roleplay.

Stages of the Aranha.

 

 

First stage: [Week 1]

 

Seven RL days after the being bitten, the victim because so ill that she will be bedridden for days. Symptoms include weakness, muscle pain, headaches, nausea or vomiting. The victim will have a black rash throughout their body, indicative of that of the spider's curse. Their skin will be pale. The symptoms will clear up in 7 RL days. In that time period, clerics would have the easiest time cleansing the taint. Any cleansing after the first two weeks of taint will become significantly and progressively harder.
 

On the second stage, [Week 2]

 

The victims body would begin to attract spiders. Those spiders would be feeding off the user’s taint, nourishing them and causing them to grow in size. The victim would be physically weakened as a result. The victim would now begin to have an increased appetite and a constant need to eat, even if he or she isn't hungry. The nourishment of meat begins to give the Aranha more energy for physical and emotional stability, and more nutrients for baby spiders to feed until they grow old and strong enough to wean from her and onto their preferred prey. The Aranha would eat almost anything living, including insects or even sapiens.

The Aranha would have already learned to communicate with their spiders. She can speak to them, understand them and know what they want. She can form a close bond with those spiders. She will also be fascinated by them. She might even form an addiction to spiders.

This is where she will start to learn how to create string. With practice she would eventually learn to make her own sticky webs

The Aranha will gain visions and dreams about her spiders. When she sleeps, she will gain their visions, dream about them hunting. This is similar to warging in Game of Thrones. The only difference is that she cannot control the spiders, just dream about them.

Her digestive system would undergo some changes. Allowing her to eat anything organic and living without getting sick. That includes rotten meat. However the transformation would also lead to increased appetite and frequent hunger episodes. The Aranha would begin to crave meat.

While her body begins to form her own poisons, The Aranha becomes resistant to poisons herself. Her bodily fluids are all venomous. An attempt to eat an Aranha can have deadly consequences. She now also has the ability to poison her foes with her bite. Her saliva now contains a toxin that slowly destroys muscle tissue.

 

Week three: [Week 3]

 

 

The cravings of meat become harder and harder to control. The Aranha has now formed the difficult to control predatory instinct. She craves the hunt and would look for an opportunity to strike her prey. The Aranha would be most active at night, scouring farmlands and killing livestock. or even in towns, waiting for the opportune moment to strike the elf foolish enough to walk alone.

The Aranha would gain the command over her spiders in the hunt. By this stage, the Aranha should have enough taint to grow her spiders into medium size.

The Aranha taint is nearly developed, and if it is not cleansed yet, this will be the final week where cleansing is possible.
 

Week 4 [stage 4] -

 

At this stage, it is already completely developed, and it would be too late to completely remove the taint. But they and their spiders can be significantly weakened by Clerics or Holy entities.
At this stage, the inner spider grows stronger, and the thrill and need for the hunt intensifies.


The Aranha can now be able to take on the form of a spider. Spider form cannot be used at will until late stage 5. Spider form occurs when the Aranha becomes overcome by her instincts. This ability requires an extensive amount of mana to perform. The spider is an assassin. At the spider’s form, the Aranha is completely consumed by the her instincts[until late stage 5, it’s difficult to control.] The spider wants to hunt, and it doesn’t discriminate who it wishes to hunt, and it doesn’t care who it kills. Despite being dominated by instinct, it is still more patient and calculated than her humanoid form.

Any allies of the Aranha would be greatly advised to keep their distance from her as the Spider's desire is to kill, and devour. Spider Aranhas are so dominated by their instincts that they forget who they are, and unable to discern who their allies and enemies are.

The Spider’s form possesses strong mobility, but is still as frail as the human’s form. It behaves like that of a regular spider that can poison. The spider will be of the size of a normal minecraft character. The spider can climb any terrain permitted with MC mechanics, hiding in the shadows until it waits for a good opening before swooping down from the kill. However, the spider must be careful as simply showing herself is a risky move. She is very vulnerable to attack, and she stands little chance in prolonged combat, especially when her target has group support.

Its legs are sturdy enough to carry living things double its size and weight. And her web is strong and durable enough to lift her up, and allow her to escape situations.

In addition to this, the Aranha would carry enough taint to develop her spiders into much larger ones, only being able to control up to three.
 

[stage 5 - 10 weeks to 22 weeks.]

 

The Aranha would gain a bonus, and this ability is rare even amongst the highest Aranha. She would be able to give off her taint to others via her spiders, giving her victims the curse. She can also give lower level Aranhas such abilities by transferring enough taint into her victims and teaching them how it’s done. Most Aranhas at this stage are leaders of a coven if they have one, and they are also at a capacity to recruit more into his or her family. However, the spider queen must teach them how to curse victims herself.

The Aranha will attempt to control her spider form, and her Aranha’s instinct as by the 12 week stage, she should be able to easily contain some of her primal instincts, but not completely.
 

Unleashing the Aranha’s Instinct

 

The Aranha is a being of craving and bloodthirst. An Aranha is a hunter. He or she is always craving for the hunt. A prevalent trait in this case would be a craving to kill and eat anyone she finds easy prey. The inner Aranha doesn't care who she desires to hunt, whether it be friend, family or foe. The Aranha could be reckless crazed hunter, or a calm and calculated one. Every Aranha is different. The Aranha is no longer a creature of logic, but of instinct. The Aranha’s instinct would do whatever is necessary for its own survival.

An Aranha from Stage 2 on would be severely plagued by these urges to hunt, kill and eat. You would hunt if your instincts dictate it. Your instinct will tell you what to kill, when to kill, etc. The only way to relieve these urges is through hunting or through consumption of meat.(unless full, not as effective)Many would often be nocturnal hunters. If the Aranha wishes not to go after man (assuming he can control that urge) then he or she can settle for livestock such as live chickens. Urges can be surpressed, but it is difficult and could potentially exhaust the Aranha physically and mentally. Continuous suppression and ignoring the urges will only serve to worsen the instincts, the instinct would become so severe that the Aranha could go insane, and potentially shift into a spider.

The Aranha’s instinct is most prevalent when she sees an injured or dying target, or even upon the scent of blood.

Consumption of meat is recommended for temporarily suppressing the instinct. Meat is a requirement for the health of the Aranha and her spiders, especially those who feed off their mother. One week without consumption may cause severe weakness, hysteria and if too much time has passed without meat, the Aranha would die.
 

The Aranha's spiders revealed.

 

Small Spiders –

The small spiders are the basic form of what the Aranha’s attract. They greatly depend on the Aranha’s tainted blood to survive and grow. They are too weak to survive on their own, and they have a lifespan of up to 7 days. The Aranha only has enough taint to feed up to four small spiders. Within 5 days, they have the potiential to mature into medium sized spiders with enough consistent feeding and care..(Stage 3 or later.)

Size: .25” to 3” in length.
Poisons: Very weak.

Small Spiders venom only contain the following poisons
1.) Stinging and prolonged pain
2.) Minor Fatigue.
3.) Itching and Black rash
 

Medium Spiders.

The Medium spiders will at this point wean off their Aranha and go hunt on their own. They mostly prefer small animals such as rabbits and chickens, but can devour larger targets with the Aranha’s help. They have a lifespan of 10 days. Within 7 days, they have the potential to mature into larger sized spiders with enough consistent feeding and care.(Stage 4 or later.)

Size: 3” to 1.5’
Poisons – Varied.

Poisons include [ Med spiders only.] [Only one poison will be given per spider. Decided by obtaining the /roll value of their corresponding venom. This must only occur the day the spiders reach this stage. This area is subject to change[]
1.) Extreme pain, tachycardia, and hyperhidrosis
2.) Paralysis, Loss of Muscle Control, and Asphyxiation
3.) Hallucinations, weakness, and dizziness.
4.) Slow acting necrosis
5.) Hemorrhaging, and Exsanguination

 

Large Spiders –

Large spiders lose the utility they had from their medium spider stage in exchange for pure power. The Large Spiders serve as the Aranha’s sword and shield, and will go to lengths to protect him or her. They have a lifespan of 2 weeks.

Size: 2’ to 3’ in height.
Poisons: None
 

Benefits of the Curse:

• The Aranha would gain new abilities, including creating her webs, use of poisons, and caring for her spiders through the use of her taint.
• She has a stronger digestive system, allowing her to eat anything organic without falling ill. Including rotting flesh.
• The Aranha would be more resistant to poisonous materials.

The Drawbacks of the curse:

• The Aranha's tools are not well equipped for prolonged combat. They are usually not good on their own, especially when they greatly rely on their spiders to do their fighting for them.
• The Aranha would be plagued by the instinct of a hunter and a spider. The instinct doesn’t discriminate who it wants the Aranha to kill. If not properly contained, she could succumb to instinct and kill her own loved ones. It takes a strong will to resist the instinct and retain their composure, even if it’s exhausting. A weak mind, or one that is scattered, unstable or unsound will be vulnerable to the Aranha’s unbearable instinct.
• The Aranha has a heavy reliance on the spiders they care for. The opponent should kill her spiders first before attacking her since she is very vulnerable without her pets.
• The Spider’s form is very risky and dangerous, as its role is to assassinate. Meaning it needs to find an opprotunity to go in for the kill, swoop in, kill her targets and quickly escape. She cannot perform combat very well her form. Foes are advised to bait her into attacking, and immediately kill her, as simply showing herself makes her vulnerable.
• On an OOC level, Aranhas would be very difficult to roleplay and play well. This requires creativity and a lot of patience with the character as you are essentially required to go out and roleplay. You also have to RP out your urges to kill, whether you are acting on it, or trying to surpress it. You also have to keep track of your spiders, and their lifespan.
• The curse changes a character so much that they would have a difficult time adjusting to society. The instinct and potential insanity prevents the Aranha from ever having a normal and functional life.
• Their ultimate weakness is holy beings or objects - Though the Aranha can be killed with a simple strike of the sword, holy beings such as War Clerics and Ascended would have an easier time dealing with the Aranha.

--
Abilities of the Aranha. [Anything with a ? is still questionable]

• -Creating webs, and ordering spiders to do her bidding. Caring for her spiders well enough to grow to the size of her hip and have a longer lifespan.
• -Spiders will gain new abilities. Spiders will only contain basic poisons.
• -Spider form under specific circumstance, and only available at a Tier 4 stage. [6 weeks]
• -Being able to transfer their spider’s curse to others. [Requires Tier 5, and being taught by a higher level Aranha.] and at the same time, she can remove the curse from her future generations(Unless she is the spider queen, she can only lift the curse from others she gave it to.).
• -When the Aranha bites her targets, she will secrete toxins into the victims body to break down muscle tissue, gradually disabling parts of the user's body starting from where it was bitten. Causing extreme pain.

Roleplaying guidelines

• The Aranha is a creature of instinct. Conforming to society can be difficult due to being plagued by the Aranha's instincts. Just remember that your urges will mostly kick in when you come across someone who is injured, ill, sick, or seems physically unable to defend themselves, such as a child or the elderly.
• You are dependant on consistent hunting to keep your sanity, and in order to maintain the care of your spiders. You need to hunt to survive.
• Remember to roleplay in a way that a wild animal would act. Aranhas especially one of spider form have very powerful predatory instincts.
• Remember to show some amounts of fear when in the presence of Cleric and Ascended. Your Aranha can sense them.

QRWs and RP scenarios. - To be added soon.

[Rig 17590]

I supported it back in the day, I don't see why this isn't a thing by now tbh. 

[Areon 947]

I'm afraid of spiders.

[Cyndikate 2303]

I'm afraid of spiders.

Enough reason to bring it in play. The fear factor.

[Areon 947]

Enough reason to bring it in play. The fear factor.

This makes me more uncomfortable than the confederate flag.

[meg 1994]

This makes me more uncomfortable than the confederate flag.

You want to hear something even more uncomfortable? Crabs are just armored spiders.

 

What I want to know is what role does this fill that isn't really already there between frosties and other spooks. 

[Mouse 324]

Some of the ideas are good, but I feel as though a lot of the statements made are far fetched and are what most races/groups would HOPE for. If it actually plays out the way you'd think, i'd be surprised. I dunno about this. We'll see I guess.

[Areon 947]

Crabs are just armored spiders.

 

I'm never watching spongebob again.

[Cyndikate 2303]

 

You want to hear something even more uncomfortable? Crabs are just armored spiders.

 

What I want to know is what role does this fill that isn't really already there between frosties and other spooks. 

 

 

For starters the only spooks around that actually make some presence are the Frost Witches.

 

While frosties make some presence, they don't have the tools to create as much threat as the Aranha. Unlike the Frost Witches, The Aranha isn't as subtle in the hunt. The Aranha attacks are more direct, instead of relying on deception. The concept of spiders are kinda freaky for some people. It creates the fear factor that other spooks don't do. Nobody's afraid of the frosties at all. It's just touch skin, and shank.

 

On paper, the Aranha is a powerful creature to deal with, but not to the point of it being OP.

 

Not only would the Aranha create a stronger presence than the spooks, but it's also a source of character development for players looking for a change of pace. That's also the purpose of the curse itself.

 

Come to think of it. I have made some considerations about the lore that would mean the difference between the Aranha and other spooks.

 

Everyone wants to kill the spooks. What if I designed the concept that you can't just engage a spook and automatically expect to win? Opponents have to be smart and on their toes to best it. And the Aranha would be best fought as a cooperative group?

[Mouse 324]

For starters the only spooks around that actually make some presence are the Frost Witches.

 

While frosties make some presence, they don't have the tools to create as much threat as the Aranha. Unlike the Frost Witches, The Aranha isn't as subtle in the hunt. It creates the fear factor that other spooks don't do. Nobody's afraid of the frosties at all. It's just touch skin, and shank.

 

Not only would the Aranha create a stronger presence than the spooks, but it's also a source of character development for players looking for a change of pace.

 

Come to think of it. I have made some considerations about the lore that would mean the difference between the Aranha and other spooks.

 

Everyone wants to kill the spooks. What if I designed the concept that you can't just engage a spook and automatically expect to win? Opponents have to be smart and on their toes to best it.

Im not afraid of spiders. So does this make this race irrelevant?

[Cyndikate 2303]

Im not afraid of spiders. So does this make this race irrelevant?

No. It's in the roleplay. A good roleplayer knows how to make you tick and shiver.

[Peanut Butter Jelly 24]

Imagine a clash between the frosties and the aranha. Pretty cool!

[Mouse 324]

No. It's in the roleplay. A good roleplayer knows how to make you tick and shiver.

You just contradicted your statement about witches haha. Its up to the roleplayer :)

[Cyndikate 2303]

You just contradicted your statement about witches haha. Its up to the roleplayer :)

Well ****, it's 2am. My thoughts are scattered. Maybe when I get up, it would be clear.

 

I'm saying the frosties don't have the tools to become as much threat like the Aranha can. Correct me if I'm wrong. The lore is designed so the Aranha is a true threat. I'll elaborate on that in the morning, for now. I'm tired.

[Mouse 324]

Well ****, it's 2am. My thoughts are scattered.

 

I'm saying the frosties don't have the tools to become as much threat like the Aranha can. Correct me if I'm wrong.

You're wrong. Frost witches arent just women with cold skin.