Giant Spider 5e
The giant spider is a Large beast of challenge rating 1 (200 XP) with AC 14, 26 hit points and 30-foot walking and climbing speeds in the 2024 rules. Its Bite has a +5 bonus and deals 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing plus 7 (2d6) poison damage, and its Web restrains a target that fails a DC 13 Dexterity save.
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Giant Spider stat block
Large Beast, Unaligned
| Armor Class | 14 |
| Hit Points | 26 (4d10 + 4) |
| Speed | 30 ft., Climb 30 ft. |
| Challenge | 1 (200 XP; proficiency bonus +2) |
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (+2) | 16 (+3) | 12 (+1) | 2 (−4) | 11 (+0) | 4 (−3) |
- Saves and skills: Perception +4, Stealth +7
- Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 14
- Languages: None
Traits
Spider Climb. The spider can climb difficult surfaces, including along ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Web Walker. The spider ignores movement restrictions caused by webs, and it knows the location of any other creature in contact with the same web.
Actions
Bite. Melee Attack Roll: +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) Piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) Poison damage.
Web. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 13, one creature the spider can see within 60 feet. Failure: The target has the Restrained condition until the web is destroyed (AC 10; HP 5; Vulnerability to Fire damage; Immunity to Poison and Psychic damage).
How to run the giant spider
Strike from above: Spider Climb lets the spider wait on a ceiling or high in a dark cave, and its passive Perception of 14 means it usually notices the party before they notice it. Open with Web from up to 60 feet away. It recharges on a 5 or 6, a 33.33% chance each turn, so expect one web early and maybe one more later.
Bite what is stuck: A restrained creature gives advantage to attacks against it, which lifts the spider's +5 bite against AC 15 from 55% to about 80% to hit. Each bite averages 14 damage counting the poison. Web Walker also tells the spider where every creature touching the same web is, so webbed corridors and nests favor it.
How to counter it: In the 2024 rules a webbed target stays restrained until the strand is destroyed, and a strand has only AC 10 and 5 hit points with vulnerability to fire, so any fire damage frees an ally fast. A character with a +2 Dexterity save still fails the DC 13 save half the time. Add a few spiders and check the result with the encounter calculator, and read up on the restrained condition before you run it.
Giant Spider: 2014 vs 2024
| 2014 Monster Manual | 2024 Monster Manual / SRD 5.2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Senses | Blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 | Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14 |
| Bite | +5 to hit, 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing; DC 11 Constitution save or 9 (2d8) poison, half on a success | +5 to hit, 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing plus 7 (2d6) poison, no save |
| Web | Ranged attack, +5 to hit, range 30/60 ft.; DC 12 Strength check to break free | DC 13 Dexterity save, range 60 ft.; restrained until the web is destroyed |
| Traits | Spider Climb, Web Sense, Web Walker | Spider Climb, Web Walker (now includes sensing creatures on the web) |
| Challenge | 1 (200 XP) | 1 (200 XP) |
Giant Spider FAQ
What CR is a giant spider in 5e?
A giant spider is challenge rating 1, worth 200 XP, in both the 2014 and 2024 rules.
How much damage does a giant spider do?
In the 2024 rules its bite deals 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing plus 7 (2d6) poison damage, about 14 total on a hit. In the 2014 rules the poison was 9 (2d8) on a failed DC 11 Constitution save, or half on a success.
How do you escape a giant spider web?
In the 2024 rules the target stays restrained until the web is destroyed; it has AC 10, 5 hit points and vulnerability to fire. In the 2014 rules the restrained creature could also use its action on a DC 12 Strength check to burst the webbing.
Can a giant spider walk on ceilings?
Yes. Spider Climb lets it climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without an ability check.
Related
Monsters of similar challenge
- Baboon (CR 0)
- Badger (CR 0)
- Bat (CR 0)
- Cat (CR 0)
- Crab (CR 0)
- Deer (CR 0)
- Eagle (CR 0)
- Frog (CR 0)
- Giant Fire Beetle (CR 0)
- Goat (CR 0)
- Hawk (CR 0)
- Hyena (CR 0)
Rules are summarised in our own words; monster stat blocks are reproduced from the SRD. This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2 ("SRD 5.2") by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Card icons by Lorc and Delapouite from game-icons.net, licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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Contains content from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.