What is a Drider???

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i have only played the BG series and i have heard the drow go on about becoming driders (sofalein and viconias brother whatever he called) so my question i ssimple what exactly is a drider???

 

Short version: Half drow, half spider.

Long version: Let someone else fill you in on that.

 

It's a drow that is part drow and part spider. I think it still retains the drow head, but the body transforms into that of a spider.

 

ohhhhh so thats why them drow aint to keen on the idea lol

 

Well, he keeps the head and the torso, but the lower part of the body becomes that of a spider's, actually.

 

actually that be pretty cool, all those extra legs could come in handy

 

From the Monster Manual II (1st ed AD&D):

"The drider is a special creation of Lolth's magick. When drow of promising ability reach 6th level or slightly higher, Lolth will summon them and put them through a specially devised test. The drow that fail become driders.

A drider appears to be a cross between a giant spider and a drow elf. The torso, gead and arms of a pale, bloated drow sprout 8 spider legs. Due to the bloated form, it is impossible to distinguish the sex of a drider, but 60% of those encountered will be female. (persumably because of Lolth's trials are geared towards females)

a drider retains whatever drow abilities it possessed before the transformation; therefore, all driders have magical or clerical ability - magic use for males, clerical for females.

Driders are outcasts from drow communities and thus bear them no great love. They are seldom found in numbers, prefering to operate alone. Driders will be accompanied by 2-12 huge spiders 10% of the time. Generally living undeerground, they will often stalk their victims until the right opportunity for a kill presents itself. Their diet consists mainly of the blood of their victims, as they have acquired a spider's tastes."

Hope this helps!

 

That test is described a bit in the Drizzt books. Not tooo detailed, but it does appear and failure is drow transformation.
There, though, every drow in training had to go through the test. A drider that a drow becomes retains its previous class. So, if a fighter5/wizard1 is transformed into a drow, it'll just add some abberation (i think it's abberation) levels on top of it. They also gain a few spell-like abilities iirc. Darkness spell being one of them.
I hope someone can confirm all this, i'm not too sure about it all, i just glanced at them, hope i recalled correctly.

There are also all sorts of other of reasons drow make one of their own into a drider, besides this test.

 

Also Matron Mother have the power (through Lolth) to transform their own blood to driders. This happened to one of the characters in a Drizzt novel.

 

yeah, if a Drow angers Lolth he or she can be Dridered.

 

And there are some of them in IWD2. They look sort of like a centaur, but with a spider body instead of a horse.

 

thats interesting information..cool..i remmember getting overwealmed by driders like it was yesterday...it accually was yesterday when i was playin iwd2..hehe..im so sorry

 

If they keep all there powers and abilities just look like that, i reckon they could become a more powerful race than the drow, surly they move faster, and proabably have a understanding with spiders better than the drow, really i think driders could raise an army in a retaliatory strike against the drow. It may be folish to try but i bet the illithid would side with them as well as all the spiders, if the driders could swallow whatever pride they had left thye may even be able to get duegur and them gnome who name i can't spell to side with them, i think that would be a pretty cool thing to happen. the war between drow and driders, be kinda funny.

 

If anybody here has been playing D&D games for long enough, the Driders appeared in a very (Very) old game called Unlimited Adventures which was one of the first ever computerised D&D games. In that they actually hung out with the Hill Giants... I dunno if this bears any resemblance to the modern Drider, but I just thought it was interesting...

 

Well in Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures, all the games are customized and made by us users, so you can put monsters in wherever you want. For marketed D&D games, I first saw them in Secret of the Silver Blades. They were so funny, blasting lightning bolts all over the place and making use of their magic resistance to avoid damaging themselves too much. And they had a poisonous (presumably spider) bite that paralyzes on hit if you fail a saving throw. But they were out of place in that game, they seemed like just another cool monster to kill. In fact I didn't realize they were half drow half spider until I played the sequel to that game, when drow were introduced.

Oh yeah, and I have never seen a drider cast clerical spells in a game yet, so I'm a bit skeptical about what someone said earlier.

 

Some driders in IWD II cast cleric spells. I think the reason driders cant go up against the drow is that the higher level powers of a cleric, wizard or fighter own those of the drider levels.

Remember the drider form is a punishment for failure. So those who remain drow will actually be more powerful.

 

Thats the only reason why I didn't think they could, but then if they got the allies and there new form must give adavntages, they are proably faster, and i would reckon they find difficult terrains easier to cross. If i was a Drider i would certainly try it.
Also as was said before not all the drow were punsihed for failure, some for angering the matron mothers for example. i belive sofalien has a dialouge where he says for his betrayal he would become a drider and he a capable figher and a handy mage as well so he would be one kick ass drider, and imagine if they caught drizzt and made him one, that would be one powerful Drider.

 

You all seem to forget one thing.

IF Drow vs. Driders = Draw (which I believe is not) then what do you think Drow + Lolth vs. Driders is?

 

Good point