Phase Spiders are Way Cooler than You Think
Ever heard of Phase Spiders? They’re a size large ethereal spider tucked away in the very back of the Monster Manual, with the beast statblocks. Why do I bring them up? Well, they have a 6 Int. As seen with Hook Horrors, a creature with an Int of 6 can in fact learn a language.
Why does that matter? It isn’t like an eight foot spider can hold a quill. And you’re right. It can’t. But what if they developed a rudimentary writing system by dipping their super skinny feet into berry juice (as ink) or used their venom as a sort of ink. It wouldn’t be too far fetched. Apes have a 6 Int and can learn sign and use tools.
“But Dryad,” you might be saying, “Why do I care about intelligent spiders?”
And to that I would say, “Sit down and listen, I have an idea.”
So we’ve established Phase Spiders can grasp some form of rudimentary language. Well, they can also see into the Ethereal Plane (because they’re constantly hopping between it and the Material). Let me set up a scenario for you.
A group of adventurers arrive in a town that’s paying monster hunters to slay “evil spirits” in the ruins in the woods. People have been vanishing. These ‘evil spirits’ are gigantic spiders, writing on the ruins. People can’t decipher their writing, and think it’s some kind of evil omen.
Someone kills the spiders. Either the party or another hired group. It isn’t easy. But people keep going missing. There were, in fact, evil spirits in the ruins (perhaps a banshee or a few malevolent ghosts). The spiders could see into the Ethereal, and tried writing messages to warn the townsfolk. The town thought it was the spiders and killed them off, and now they have a spirit problem to deal with.
Why would the spiders bother warning the town? Well, it’s possible they gain some food source or protection from other monsters, with the town around.
Anyways. Phase Spiders.
TL;DR Phase spiders can write and be mistaken for evil spirits.
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