The D&D Giant Spider 5e is a low-CR creature, but that doesn’t mean it lacks in fear factor. Many people are terrified of the regular, friendly type of spider that hides in your home and just wants to be loved. Scale one up to the size of a wolf, give it fangs that could take an arm off, and understandably, you get a foe that many will think twice about tackling – however squishy its stats might say it is.
Though the class of DnD monsters that’s just ‘regular animal but larger’ can sometimes seem a bit boring compared to iconic monsters like the Beholder or Mindflayer, the Giant Spider 5e is anything but. It has a versatile set of abilities that can make for extremely memorable encounters right at level 1 (though it’s probably best used as a boss monster at this level). You might face a group of D&D Giant Spiders dropping from trees in a forest; you might get trapped in a web while exploring a dungeon, or you might sneak into a Giant Spider 5e nest to rob a treasure from a previous victim.
Yes, the Giant Spider 5e is an excellent and underrated monster, and all DMs should have one ready to throw at a low level party (in the game – do not throw spiders of any size in real life). Here’s all you need to know about this hulking creepy-crawly – everything required to run or fight a Giant Spider 5e in D&D.
| Name | Giant Spider |
| Challenge Rating | 1 (200 xp) |
| Armour Class | 14 (natural armor) |
| Hit Points | 26 (4d10 + 4) |
| Speed | 30 ft, climb 30ft |
| Strength | 14 (+2) |
| Dexterity | 16 (+3) |
| Constitution | 12 (+1) |
| Intelligence | 2 (-4) |
| Wisdom | 11 (0) |
| Charisma | 4 (-3) |
| Skills | Stealth +7 |
| Proficiency Bonus | +2 |
| Senses | Blindsight 10ft, Darkvision 60ft, Passive Perception 10 |
| Abilities | Spider Climb, Web Sense, Web Walk |
| Attacks | Bite, Web |
Giant Spider 5e abilities
Giant spiders, and you’ll be shocked to hear this, have the abilities of a spider. They can do whatever a spider can, including spinning webs of any size and catching criminals just like flies. It’s no surprise that they’re one of the monsters with ‘Spider Climb’, allowing them to scuttle up surfaces and run along ceilings without difficulty.
The Giant Spider 5e’s other abilities both concern their webs. They have Web Walk which means they don’t get slowed down or stuck in webbing (that would be pretty embarrassing), and Web Sense, which means while touching a web, they can detect any other creature that’s also in contact with it.
Giant Spider 5e attacks
For a Challenge Rating 1 monster, the D&D Giant Spider 5e can lay down a surprising amount of hurt. Its Bite attack (+5 to hit, reach 5ft) does 1d8 +3 piercing damage, but if you’re hit by it, you also have to make a Constitution saving throw (DC 11). Fail that, and you’ll take an extra (2d8) poison damage. At low levels, that’s nasty!
If you’re dropped to 0 HP by this attack, then even after you regain hit points, you’ll remain poisoned and paralysed for an entire hour, so any unharmed party members will have to wait around and doodle on your face till it wears off.
The Giant Spider 5e also has a web attack. A 30/60ft ranged ability that also has +5 to hit, and will restrain its target. The restrained foe can make a DC 12 Strength check to escape, or they or a pal can attack the webbing, which has AC 10, 5 HP, and is vulnerable to fire, but immune to psychic, poison, and bludgeoning damage.