The projection shimmered as the Widowspine Spider materialized in front of him.
Eight legs unfolded with deliberate precision as the creature emerged from the display. It was about the size of a large dog, with a dark green carapace that had copper highlights along the edges. Translucent egg sacs clustered along its abdomen caught the light as it moved. The spider positioned itself carefully on what appeared to be an invisible surface, each movement calculated rather than frantic.
Evan watched it adjust its stance and grimaced slightly. "Well, that's going to freak people out." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not exactly a fan of spiders myself. This thing's pretty much my worst nightmare come to life."
Widowspine Spider
Type: Ambush Predator
Intelligence: Low
Traits: Wallclimber, Webspinner, Brood Layer
Behavior: Prefers elevated positions. Strikes from above. Lays egg clusters.
Abilities:
Brood Drop – Drops from above while releasing spiderlings from a burst egg sac. Targets in the landing area are slowed and become priority targets for the hatchlings.
"One lands. Dozens follow."
Lingering Webfield – Creates a web patch that slows movement and delays skill cooldowns. The web persists briefly after the spider is killed.
"One step, then another—until even those feel too slow."
Clutchguard Instinct – When injured below 50% HP, automatically drops an egg cluster that hatches aggressive spiderlings focused on whoever dealt damage last.
"Injure her, and she leaves you something to remember her by."
He made some mental notes about placement. These would work best positioned overhead where players wouldn't immediately spot them. Ceiling beams, tree branches, anywhere that people wouldn't think to look up right away. The idea wasn't to hide them completely, just to make them easy to miss on first glance.
"I'm thinking narrow corridors," he said, studying the projection. "Places where people are focused on what's ahead of them instead of what's above. Even if it doesn't kill anyone, dropping a bunch of baby spiders on a group is going to cause some chaos."
He could already picture players trying to navigate a tight passage, only to have one of these land on them from above. The psychological impact alone would be worth it, never mind the tactical advantage.
"This should work pretty well as an opener. Hit them fast, let the spiderlings keep them busy, then bring in something else to finish the job." He paused and shook his head. "Though honestly, if something like this dropped on me in real life, I'd probably just quit gaming altogether." A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Then again, the screaming alone is going to be worth it. Nothing quite like watching someone's voice crack when they're trying to call out tactics while a giant spider is sitting on their head."
The spider continued its slow movements as he dismissed the projection with a wave of his hand.
The display shifted, and a new figure took shape. The Hollow Revenant appeared gradually, like it was walking through fog.
The creature was humanoid but clearly undead, wrapped in the remains of old armor that had seen better days. It carried a rusted sickle in one hand and a cracked crossbow in the other. Despite its deteriorated appearance, it moved with purpose, like it still remembered what it was supposed to be doing.
As it settled into position, the Revenant lifted its head toward Evan. When it spoke, its voice was dry and quiet.
"The harvest came too late that year. We did what we had to do."
Evan raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected dialogue from this one. The voice sounded tired more than threatening, like someone recounting an old regret.
Hollow Revenant
Type: Undead
Intelligence: Faded (Fragmented Memory)
Traits: Ranged Combat, Memory Fragments, Conditional Dialogue
Behavior: Patrols set routes. Occasionally speaks about its past.
Abilities:
Witherstep – Drains stamina from nearby players and slows their health regeneration. The effect builds gradually during prolonged fights.
"You don't feel it at first. Then suddenly, you're tired."
Shatterbolt – Fires a crossbow bolt that fragments on impact, dealing area damage and disrupting spellcasting.
"It was meant for one—but the echoes catch the rest."
Harvest Swing – Slow but wide sickle attack that hits multiple targets and causes bleeding.
"It doesn't swing to kill. It swings because it always has."
Evan let the projection continue running while he observed its behavior. The Revenant moved in a predictable pattern, but it would pause at certain spots like it was remembering something. Those pauses would give players time to position themselves, but they might also want to listen to what it had to say.
"The lore people are going to love this," he muttered. "They'll spend hours trying to piece together its backstory from whatever it says during patrols."
He watched it complete another circuit. The Revenant wasn't particularly dangerous on its own, but it had staying power. It could wear down a group over time while other threats moved into position.
"This works as a standard encounter. Not too challenging, but persistent enough to drain resources before the real fights." He nodded to himself. "Plus the dialogue gives it some personality."
He ended the projection and called up the next one.
The ground trembled as the Cryptbear emerged from the display. Chains scraped against stone as the massive creature came into view.
The thing was enormous, easily the size of a large horse. Its fur was matted and discolored, and moss had begun growing in patches across its body. Most notably, it had a coffin lid strapped to its back with heavy chains. The makeshift armor looked like it had been clawed and beaten from the inside.
Evan whistled low. "Okay, that's bigger than I was expecting." He studied the creature as it shifted its considerable weight. "And definitely not trying to be subtle about it."
Cryptbear
Type: Undead
Intelligence: Animal (Instinctual)
Traits: Heavy, Aggressive, Territorial
Behavior: Remains dormant until players get too close, then becomes highly aggressive.
Abilities:
Pallbearer's Charge – Charges in a straight line, trampling everything in its path. Victims are knocked down and temporarily unable to cast spells.
"Momentum, not malice. But the result's the same."
Coffin Slam – Slams forward using the coffin lid as a weapon, creating a shockwave that knocks players back and deals extra damage to shields.
"The dead bear weight. This one hurls it."
Gravetether Roar – Roars to bind one player in place for several seconds. Movement is severely limited and escape attempts cause damage.
"When it roars, even courage retreats."
He watched the Cryptbear lumber around the projection space. Everything about it emphasized mass and momentum. It wasn't going to outmaneuver anyone, but it didn't need to. Once it started moving, it would be hard to stop.
"This is built to soak up damage and keep coming," he said. "It's not going to surprise anyone, but it doesn't have to. The threat is right there in front of you, and you still have to deal with it."
He imagined a party trying to kite it through a narrow dungeon corridor. They could probably slow it down if they were smart about it, but if they made a mistake and let it get close, it would flatten them.
"Good anchor for larger encounters. Let the other mobs do the fancy stuff while this thing just keeps walking forward." He paused. "Though I suspect most people will just try to slow it and burn it down before it reaches them."
The Cryptbear settled into a resting position, but even motionless it looked like it could spring into action at any moment.
"Yeah, this rounds out the set nicely," Evan said, then dismissed the final projection.