Spell Weaver

These creatures are enigmatic in the extreme. Outside of the fact that they covet magic items, little is known about them. Most encounters with spell weavers occur when they attempt to purloin magic items from other creatures.

A spell weaver is a scrawny, hairless, six-armed creaure about 5 feet tall. It is humanoid in shape, with a vaguely birdlike face and large, dark eyes. A long neck allows it to twist and turn its face in any direction. Usually only one spell weaver is encountered at a time, but occasionally these monsters organize themselves into a raiding party to seize a particular item. Such a raid is extremely well planned and is usually the result of months of investigation conducted through a combination of scrying and simple spying—an activity made easier by the spell weaver’s invisibility power.

Spell weavers do not communicate with anyone except their own kind. This means, of course, that no one has ever had a meaningful conversation with a spell weaver, so nothing is known about the background, motivations, or society of these creatures other than what their actions reveal. Occasionally, for reasons that no one else understands, a spell weaver leaves a written note where a humanoid can find it. Such messages are invariably rambling and often completely incoherent, so they usually raise more questions than they answer.

Spell weavers do not speak, but they can communicate with one another telepathically across a distance of 1,000 miles.

Combat

A spell weaver is pathetically weak in melee but powerful in magic. Its ability to cast multiple spells simultaneously makes it a dangerous opponent indeed. A spell weaver usually remains invisible until it is ready to attack, then uses plane shift to escape, hopefully in possession of the magic item for which it came.

Spell-Like Abilities: Always active⁠—​see invisibility; at will⁠—​detect magic, invisibility; 1/day⁠—​plane shift. Caster level equals spell weaver’s effective sorcerer level; save DC 13 + spell level.

Spells: A spell weaver casts spells as a sorcerer two levels higher than its Hit Dice. (That is, a spell weaver with 10 Hit Dice casts spells as a 12th-level sorcerer; spells known 9/5/5/4/3/2/1; spells/day 6/7/7/7/6/5/3; save DC 13 + spell level, or 15 + spell level for Abjuration and Evocation spells.) A spell weaver prefers combinations of spells that focus on attacks, defense, and transportation.

Chromatic Disk: A spell weaver is never without its chromatic disk. This 6-inch-diameter indestructible disk glows with colors that slowly shift through the spectrum. This object stores ten additional spell levels of energy that the creature can tap and use as it wishes⁠—​the spell weaver could, for example, cast two extra 5th-level spells in a day, or three 3rd-level spells and one 1st-level spell, or any other combination of extra spell levels that adds up to ten, so long as no single spell is higher than 5th level. (For this purpose, two 0-level spells are equivalent to one 1st-level spell.) To tap this spell energy, a spell weaver must hold the chromatic disk in at least one of its hands. The disk automatically recharges itself to full power every night, at midnight. A spell powered by the disk is cast as though the caster had the Spell Focus feat for the spell in question.

Only a spell weaver can utilize a chromatic disk. Should any other creature pick one up and try to tap its energy (by employing the Use Magic Device skill, for instance), it explodes, dealing 4d10 points of damage to everything within a 30-foot radius.

Immunity to Mind-Affecting Effects: Because its alien mind functions differently than those of other creatures, a spell weaver is immune to all mind-affecting spells and effects.

Shielded Mind (Ex): Attempts by creatures of other races to communicate telepathically with a spell weaver, or to read its mind, always fail. A creature making such an attempt must succeed at a Will save (DC 17) or be affected as if by a confusion spell (caster level equals spell weaver’s effective sorcerer level) for 1d6 days. This effect can be dispelled or removed with a heal or panacea effect.

Spell Weaving (Ex): These monsters are infamous for their ability to cast more than one spell at a time. Casting a spell occupies a number of the spell weaver’s arms equal to the spell’s level (maximum 6th). A spell weaver can cast more than one spell simultaneously, as long as the sum of the spell levels is six or less. It could, for example, cast one 6th-level spell, one 4th-level and one 2nd-level spell, one 3rd-level and three 1st-level spells, six 1st-level spells, or any combination of spells whose levels add up to six or less. (A single 0-level spell occupies one arm.) A spell weaver can still cast a spell of 7th level or higher if it possesses sufficient sorcerer levels (see Spells) but it cannot use spell weaving while doing so.

Telepathy (Su): Spell weavers can communicate with each other telepathically at a range of up to 1,000 miles. See Telepathy.

Source: Monster Manual II, page 187. This creature’s statistics block has been updated to version 3.5 as given in the D&D® V.3.5 Accessory Update for Monster Manual II. Added panacea to spells that could remove confusion in shielded mind entry. Added last sentence in spell weaving entry for clarification.