40d:Giant cave spider

Web in the open

Web inside a pit

These eight-legged beasts are not your ordinary harmless cave spider (those were just treats for your cat). Giant cave spiders are bigger than horses and will make treats of cats, other dwarf pets and the average careless adventurer. It would be rather easy to know when a giant spider roams in the area, for they usually build a huge spider web, sometime spanning several screens wide (pictures to the right), except these webs (as well as the spider) are not actually visible until a hapless creature becomes ensnared in one (at least in Fortress Mode).

Unlike most monsters in the world, giant spiders rely on more than just brute force. Using sticky web projectiles, paralyzing venom and powerful jaws, the giant cave spider has multiple methods of incapacitating its prey before going in for the kill. They do not feel pain or remorse or fear and cannot be stopped unless killed. For this reason, it's suggested that you engage them at a distance, bring plenty of drunks to distract it in adventure mode or simply try to overwhelm it with a high number of attackers.

Most giant spiders build their web over cliffs of some sort so caution should be taken against dwarves or the spider itself falling down to their death or into a big chasm.

When a dwarf comes into contact with a giant cave spider web, he becomes stuck and unable to move (effectively paralyzed) for a given amount of time, after the duration of which he becomes unstuck and is free to move again.

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Animals	Alligator • Beak dog • Bilou • Black-crested gibbon • Black-handed gibbon • Black bear • Bonobo • Cat • Cave crocodile • Cheetah • Chimpanzee • Cougar • Cow • Deer • Dog • Donkey • Elephant • Elk • Fox • Gazelle • Giant bat • Giant cave spider • Giant cave swallow • Giant cheetah • Giant desert scorpion • Giant eagle • Giant jaguar • Giant leopard • Giant lion • Giant mole • Giant olm • Giant rat • Giant tiger • Giant toad • Gorilla • Gray gibbon • Grimeling • Grizzly bear • Groundhog • Harpy • Hippo • Hoary marmot • Horse • Ice wolf • Jaguar • Large rat • Leopard • Lion • Mandrill • Mountain goat • Mule • Muskox • Naked mole dog • One-humped camel • Orangutan • Pileated gibbon • Polar bear • Raccoon • Rhesus macaque • Saltwater crocodile • Sasquatch • Siamang • Silvery gibbon • Tiger • Two-humped camel • Unicorn • Warthog • White-browed gibbon • White-handed gibbon • Wolf
Aquatic	Angelshark • Basking shark • Blacktip reef shark • Blue shark • Bluefin tuna • Bluefish • Bull shark • Carp • Cod • Coelacanth • Common skate • Conger eel • Frill shark • Giant grouper • Great barracuda • Great white shark • Halibut • Hammerhead shark • Longfin mako shark • Longnose gar • Manta ray • Marlin • Milkfish • Nurse shark • Ocean sunfish • Opah • Pike • Sea lamprey • Sea monster • Sea serpent • Shortfin mako shark • Spiny dogfish • Spotted wobbegong • Stingray • Sturgeon • Swordfish • Tigerfish • Tiger shark • Walrus • Whale • Whale shark • Whitetip reef shark
Humanoids	Antman • Batman • Blizzard man • Cave swallowman • Dark gnome • Fire imp • Fire man • Foul blendec • Frogman • Gremlin • Iron man • Leechman • Lizardman • Magma man • Merperson • Mountain gnome • Mud man • Nightwing • Ogre • Olmman • Ratman • Satyr • Slugman • Snailman • Snakeman • Strangler • Tigerman • Troglodyte • Troll • Werewolf
Semi-Megabeasts	Cyclops • Ettin • Giant • Minotaur
Megabeasts	Bronze colossus • Dragon • Hydra • Titan
Nonexistent	Centaur • Chimera • Griffon • Treant • Wizard