Spider's Nest

Version 0.28: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

The crumbling, web-choked caverns of the Spider Nest are packed with poisonous arthropods and assorted creepy-crawlies. A dungeon features only one of the Spider Nest and Snake Pit branches. The entrance to this branch can be found between levels 2 and 4 of the Lair of Beasts. This branch is 4 levels deep. This branch contains the gossamer rune of Zot.

The Spider's Nest branch is a crumbling 4-floor branch filled with all manner of poisonous arachnids and insects. Adventurers willing to brave it are rewarded with the gossamer rune of Zot on its lowest floor. Stairs to the Spider's Nest can be found somewhere on Lair:2-4, assuming your game doesn't generate the Snake Pit instead.

Layout

The Spider's Nest's floor plan is generally very chaotic and haphazard; with the exception of a few vaults and the large area in which the rune lies, you will mostly be exploring narrow tunnels choked with rock or larger caverns with no real sense of order. Choke points are uncommon, and the swift monsters found here will often have opportunities to surround you. No matter where you go, you will constantly be running into webs and pools of shallow water, slowing your exploration and making combat much riskier.

Useful Info

Melee characters should heavily reconsider venturing in without poison resistance; most of the enemies here move quickly and have poisonous bites or stings, and unless you're extremely cautious you'll always be attracting the attention of multiple opponents at once. If you insist on entering anyway, expect to use a lot of potions of curing. Also, you may wish to limit your use of Tab to automate combat, as your character will not take web traps into consideration when charging into combat. That being said, with solid physical defenses (30+ AC and above average EV or SH) and poison resistance, few of the actual spiders will be able to really challenge you.

Although stealthy characters will have a fairly easy time sneaking up on individual spiders, the sheer number of opponents you'll be sneaking around makes it very difficult to maintain secrecy for long. Expect to engage in some actual combat before you finish up here.

Ranged fighters and casters have a relatively easy time of things, as most spiders are fragile, resistance-free, and can be safely taken out from a distance. As almost everything here is vulnerable to poison, spells like Poisonous Vapours and especially Olgreb's Toxic Radiance will clear the Nest with ease. Mephitic Cloud will also be effective, but expect the noise to awaken many off-screen opponents. Be aware that most enemies in the Spider's Nest hit about as hard as yaks and tend to be quite fast -- lightly armored characters should pick their fights carefully. A caster's biggest threat is the ghost moth - which not only is fast, hits hard, and is invisible, but also drains your MP just by seeing you.

Most enemies found in the Spider's Nest have lousy willpower, so bringing a scroll of fear or two may save you from otherwise unmanageable hordes. The same is true for a wand of paralysis or charming - even without any Evocations training, you have about a 50-50 chance to affect most spiders. Going invisible works on almost every enemy here, though the sun moth's (1-tile) halo will easily reveal you.

Many threats complement the swarm of spiders. Emperor scorpions and the aformentioned ghost moth hit hard and move fast. Entropy weavers inflict rather heavy corrosion, making you easy prey to everything else. Pharaoh ants and the particularly strong broodmother both aid in the swarm; adding more and more monsters into the fray. Finally, Jorogumo and Steelbarb worms will try and ensnare and enbarb you, respectively -- like you'd be able to run away, anyways.

Do not underestimate the final vault on Spider's Nest:4 — not only is it full of more dangerous creatures, but a moth of wrath can turn a posse of jumping spiders, wolf spiders, and emperor scorpions into a deadly tide of chitin extremely quickly.

Useful Traits

• Strong physical defenses
• Poison resistance
• Corrosion resistance
• See invisible
• Ways to become invisible

Optional:

• Cold resistance, useful for fighting pharaoh ant-created simulacra
• Negative energy resistance, to reduce damage from Jorogumos' Bolt of Draining
• Electricity resistance, to make spark wasps less deadly

Monsters

s Wolf spider	s Redback	s Tarantella	s Jumping spider	s Orb spider
s Scorpion	s Emperor scorpion	s Demonic crawler	B Boulder beetle	y Ghost moth
w Torpor snail	B Entropy weaver	B Giant cockroach	w Worm	B Radroach
y Hornet	y Spark wasp	y Moth of wrath	B Pharaoh ant	w Steelbarb worm
H Jorogumo	s Broodmother	s Culicivora	y Sun moth

Uniques

i Agnes	S Aizul	H Arachne	H Asterion
R Azrael	d Bai Suzhen	@ Donald	@ Frances
g Jorgrun	@ Josephine	@ Kirke	@ Louise
R Mara	@ Nikola	8 Roxanne	@ Rupert

History

• In 0.28, the Spider's Nest overwent an overhaul; changing existing inhabitants while adding many new ones. The branch was also made normal noise again (instead of quiet).
• In 0.26 boulder beetles came back as rare inhabitants.
• Prior to 0.19, boulder beetles and wasps inhabited the Spider's Nest.
• In 0.17, Spider's Nest is shortened to 4 floors. Goliath beetles, Boring beetles and Giant mites are obsolete, Entropy weavers and Torpor snails are new inhabitants.
• Prior to 0.11, the Spider's Nest was a simple 1-floor sub-branch with similar monsters and some treasure (occasionally including ambrosia), but no rune.