Spider Form

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Spider Form
Level	3
School1	Transmutation
School2	Poison
Source(s)	Book of Changes Book of Envenomations
Casting noise	3
Spell noise	0

This spell temporarily transforms the caster into a venomous, spider-like creature. Spellcasting is slightly more difficult in this form. While in this form, you can cling to walls.

In Spider Form you are granted:

• A venomous unarmed attack with base damage 5
• A +5 bonus to dexterity
• Tiny size (improves EV)
• A speed bonus: base movement delay is set to 8 (10 is normal for humans)
• A large bonus to stealth: the racial modifier is set to 21 (15 is normal for humans)
• AC of 2
• Clinging to walls (see below)
• -10% to spell success
• A to hit bonus
• Vulnerability to poison. Any amount of poison is doubled. Can be negated with a source of poison resistance, but it's impossible to be resistant to poison.

In spider form, you cannot wield a weapon, and you are only allowed to wear jewelry (other worn items will meld with your new form). The duration of the transformation is 10 + random2(power) + random2(power), capped at 60 turns. While spider form is active, you will cling to adjacent orthogonal walls, allowing you to cross deep water and lava. If the wall is dug or your transformation ends, you will fall of the wall (possibly causing you to drown!).

Mummies and Ghouls cannot memorize this spell. Vampires can memorize this spell, but cannot cast it if they are satiated or less.

Note that Species with innate movement speed modifiers (spriggans, centaurs, nagas, etc.) do not retain these modifiers when transformed; Spriggans are actually slower in spider form. As with all transformations, you lose all effects from melded armour and weapons, except the movement penalty from Ponderousness. Cheibriados worshipers still receive a speed boost without angering their god, but not as much as in previous versions, where transformations turned off Ponderous armour.

The Shining One doesn't seem to mind if you cast this spell, but you will incur penance if you poison a monster.

Strategy

This spell is quite useful for low level Transmuters. Although the base damage is low, most monsters you encounter early in the dungeon are not poison resistant. Monsters will also have a harder time hitting you because of the evasion bonuses, but beware that when they DO manage to land a hit, it might hurt quite a bit because of spider form's low AC. The movement speed bonus and cling ability also make this spell useful for escaping from trouble.