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.

Presumably, a dwarf with an axe or other sharp weapon would be able to free another dwarf trapped in a web.^[Verify]

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