Weave of Arachne
A stealth descent into a temple where fate is woven wrong.
📜 Session Summary
| Style Shadowed temple infiltration for 6 level-8 PCs, with curse pressure and a hard unweaving finale. |
| Win Condition Steal or sever the rewritten fate-thread and leave Arachne bound to her own pattern. |
| Loss Condition The new tapestry fixes the party's names into obedient futures and spreads the curse to Misthaven. |
| Players 6 × Level 8 · 3–3.5 hrs · 3 encounters |
| Key Ally Melantho, Spider-Touched Novice (recruit Enc. 2) · Maguffin: Moonbone Shuttle |
Description
Nikarete the Unwritten hooks the party. Maguffin Moonbone Shuttle pays off in the finale against Arachne, Queen of the Wrong Weave. Recruit Melantho, Spider-Touched Novice along the way.
Infiltrate a loom-temple where a spider-queen is rewriting mortal fates in thread.
Major Beats
- Nikarete's missing future is visible as a blank space in every reflection.
- The temple punishes names, pride, and careless cutting.
- Melantho proves the cult has victims inside its guards.
- Arachne can be beaten by craft, humility, and escape as much as by blades.
Creature / Enemy List
| Creature | Easy | Med | Hard | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silk-Vowed Adept | — | med | hard | CR 3 · Temple guard |
| Fate-Spider Swarm | — | med | hard | CR 4 · Alarm hazard |
| Loom-Golem | — | med | hard | CR 7 · Pattern enforcer |
| Arachne, Queen of the Wrong Weave | — | med | hard | CR 10 · Boss weaver |
| Melantho, Spider-Touched Novice | — | 1 | 1 | Recruit Enc. 2 |
Encounter 1 — The Hem of the Temple
Overview
Enter through laundry tunnels, copied prayers, and webbed skylights without giving the temple a true name.
🗺 Terrain
Drain channel, hanging dyed silks, guard alcoves, skylight web, and novice dormitory door.
Mechanics
- Infiltration challenge: 6 successes before 3 failures at DC 15 using Stealth, Deception, Arcana, or Weaver's Tools.
- Speaking a true name aloud gives the Fate-Spider Swarm advantage when it appears.
- The Moonbone Shuttle lifts one alarm thread for an automatic success.
- Non-combat route: present a flawless false prayer to make Silk-Vowed Adepts escort the party inward.
Creature Cards
Nikarete the Unwritten
Cursed mortal poet, quest giver
Motivation. She wants her stolen future back before her unborn child is woven into Arachne's service.
Secret. One stanza of her poem insulted Athena and invited the loom-temple's attention.
Hard rule. She will not accept a rescue that simply transfers her curse to another innocent name.
Moonbone Shuttle
Loom tool, fate thief
Appearance: White bone shuttle threaded with a hairline of moon-silver.
Handout. "Pass under, pass over, pass through the lie; the third crossing remembers the true name."
Enc. 1–2. Lets a PC lift one thread without touching it, granting advantage on Stealth or Arcana at a loom.
Enc. 3. Can carry the true name through Arachne's web, severing the rewritten fate without killing her.
Silk-Vowed Adept
Medium Creature · CR 3 · Temple guard
AC 15 | HP 68 | Speed 30 ft.
Note. Will accept a perfect weaving sample instead of a fight.
Attack. Spindle blade +6 to hit, 12 slashing and marks a thread.
Fate-Spider Swarm
Medium Creature · CR 4 · Alarm hazard
AC 14 | HP 91 | Speed 30 ft.
Note. Tracks names spoken aloud in the temple.
Attack. Biting skein +6 to hit, 18 poison and disadvantage on next save vs curse.
Encounter 2 — Novices at the Pattern Wells
Overview
Search wells of reflected lives for Nikarete's stolen future while novices decide whether to betray the party.
🗺 Terrain
Three circular wells, thread bridges, bell-webs, novice worktables, and a sealed loom lift.
Mechanics
- Investigation/Arcana DC 16 finds the true name-knot; each failure adds 1 curse mark to a PC.
- Recruit Melantho by sparing her and showing the poem, which lets her lower a bell-web.
- The Loom-Golem animates if two bell-webs ring or if a fate-thread is cut with a mundane blade.
- The Moonbone Shuttle can move a curse mark from a PC onto a blank spool.
Creature Cards
Melantho, Spider-Touched Novice
Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Temple guide and curse-break witness
AC 14 | HP 62 | Speed 30 ft.
Role: Temple guide and curse-break witness
RECRUITMENT (Enc. 2). Spare her after she raises an alarm, then show her Nikarete's original poem.
Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.
Strike. Needle dagger +7 to hit, 10 piercing plus 7 poison; can lower one web alarm.
Loom-Golem
Medium Creature · CR 7 · Pattern enforcer
AC 18 | HP 152 | Speed 30 ft.
Note. Repeats the last action used against it unless the pattern is disrupted.
Attack. Warp beam +8 to hit, 22 force and restrains with thread.
Moonbone Shuttle
Loom tool, fate thief
Appearance: White bone shuttle threaded with a hairline of moon-silver.
Handout. "Pass under, pass over, pass through the lie; the third crossing remembers the true name."
Enc. 1–2. Lets a PC lift one thread without touching it, granting advantage on Stealth or Arcana at a loom.
Enc. 3. Can carry the true name through Arachne's web, severing the rewritten fate without killing her.
Fate-Spider Swarm
Medium Creature · CR 4 · Alarm hazard
AC 14 | HP 91 | Speed 30 ft.
Note. Tracks names spoken aloud in the temple.
Attack. Biting skein +6 to hit, 18 poison and disadvantage on next save vs curse.
Encounter 3 — Arachne's Unfinished Tapestry
Overview
Confront the spider-queen at the great loom while the party's futures appear in unfinished thread.
🗺 Terrain
Colossal vertical loom, web balconies, suspended name-spools, shuttle rails, and a moonlit tear in the roof.
Mechanics
- At initiative 20, Arachne weaves a doom line; 4 doom lines finish the curse unless disrupted.
- The Moonbone Shuttle carries Nikarete's true name through three crossings to sever the false fate.
- Win by completing the three crossings, binding Arachne in her own pride-knot, or escaping with the true thread.
- Killing Arachne leaves the tapestry thrashing; someone must still unweave or bear the curse.
Creature Cards
Arachne, Queen of the Wrong Weave
Large Creature · CR 10 · Boss weaver · Boss
AC 17 | HP 188 | Speed 40 ft.
Role: Boss weaver
Note. Preferred victory is unweaving the false fate, binding her loom, or escaping with the true thread.
Hard encounter focus. Win condition may be steal, escape, disable, or drive-off — not always kill.
Multiattack / Assault. Fate thread +9 to hit, 18 psychic plus 10 poison and swaps two creatures' positions.
Advance (1). Move up to half Speed.
Strike (1). One attack from Assault.
Moonbone Shuttle
Loom tool, fate thief
Appearance: White bone shuttle threaded with a hairline of moon-silver.
Handout. "Pass under, pass over, pass through the lie; the third crossing remembers the true name."
Enc. 1–2. Lets a PC lift one thread without touching it, granting advantage on Stealth or Arcana at a loom.
Enc. 3. Can carry the true name through Arachne's web, severing the rewritten fate without killing her.
Melantho, Spider-Touched Novice
Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Temple guide and curse-break witness
AC 14 | HP 62 | Speed 30 ft.
Role: Temple guide and curse-break witness
RECRUITMENT (Enc. 2). Spare her after she raises an alarm, then show her Nikarete's original poem.
Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.
Strike. Needle dagger +7 to hit, 10 piercing plus 7 poison; can lower one web alarm.
Loom-Golem
Medium Creature · CR 7 · Pattern enforcer
AC 18 | HP 152 | Speed 30 ft.
Note. Repeats the last action used against it unless the pattern is disrupted.
Attack. Warp beam +8 to hit, 22 force and restrains with thread.
⚖️ Difficulty Scaling
As Written ★ — 6 Players, Average Level 8
- Baseline for this guide. Numbers, DCs, and win tracks assume six PCs at average level 8.
Library Standard — 6 Players, Average Level 8
- Identical to As Written — this guide’s baseline is already 6 PCs at average level 8.
Easier
- APL 4–6: reduce minion counts ~30%; DCs −2; boss loses one recharge or legendary option.
Harder
- APL 10–12: boss HP +25–35%; +1 legendary action; add a lieutenant or extra wave.
📋 Appendix — Cards
Nikarete the Unwritten
Cursed mortal poet, quest giver
Motivation. She wants her stolen future back before her unborn child is woven into Arachne's service.
Secret. One stanza of her poem insulted Athena and invited the loom-temple's attention.
Hard rule. She will not accept a rescue that simply transfers her curse to another innocent name.
Moonbone Shuttle
Loom tool, fate thief
Appearance: White bone shuttle threaded with a hairline of moon-silver.
Handout. "Pass under, pass over, pass through the lie; the third crossing remembers the true name."
Enc. 1–2. Lets a PC lift one thread without touching it, granting advantage on Stealth or Arcana at a loom.
Enc. 3. Can carry the true name through Arachne's web, severing the rewritten fate without killing her.
Melantho, Spider-Touched Novice
Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Temple guide and curse-break witness
AC 14 | HP 62 | Speed 30 ft.
Role: Temple guide and curse-break witness
RECRUITMENT (Enc. 2). Spare her after she raises an alarm, then show her Nikarete's original poem.
Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.
Strike. Needle dagger +7 to hit, 10 piercing plus 7 poison; can lower one web alarm.
Silk-Vowed Adept
Medium Creature · CR 3 · Temple guard
AC 15 | HP 68 | Speed 30 ft.
Note. Will accept a perfect weaving sample instead of a fight.
Attack. Spindle blade +6 to hit, 12 slashing and marks a thread.
Fate-Spider Swarm
Medium Creature · CR 4 · Alarm hazard
AC 14 | HP 91 | Speed 30 ft.
Note. Tracks names spoken aloud in the temple.
Attack. Biting skein +6 to hit, 18 poison and disadvantage on next save vs curse.
Loom-Golem
Medium Creature · CR 7 · Pattern enforcer
AC 18 | HP 152 | Speed 30 ft.
Note. Repeats the last action used against it unless the pattern is disrupted.
Attack. Warp beam +8 to hit, 22 force and restrains with thread.
Arachne, Queen of the Wrong Weave
Large Creature · CR 10 · Boss weaver · Boss
AC 17 | HP 188 | Speed 40 ft.
Role: Boss weaver
Note. Preferred victory is unweaving the false fate, binding her loom, or escaping with the true thread.
Hard encounter focus. Win condition may be steal, escape, disable, or drive-off — not always kill.
Multiattack / Assault. Fate thread +9 to hit, 18 psychic plus 10 poison and swaps two creatures' positions.
Advance (1). Move up to half Speed.
Strike (1). One attack from Assault.