v0.34:Giant cave spider

xTATTEREDx  · +FINE+  · *SUPERIOR*  · ≡EXCEPTIONAL≡  · ☼MASTERWORK☼

Giant cave spider

S
Urist likes giant cave spiders for their mystery.
Biome
Underground Depth: 1-2
Variations
Cave spider - Giant cave spider
Attributes
Alignment:	Savage
Building destroyer: Level 1
· No Stun · No Pain · Webs · Syndrome
Tamed Attributes
Pet value	2,500
· Exotic pet · Non-Breeding
Not trainable
Size
Birth:	20,000 cm3
Mid:	100,000 cm3
Max:	200,000 cm3
Age
Adult at:	Birth
Max age:	20-30
Butchering returns (Value multiplier ×4)
Food items
Meat	19
Fat	18
Brain	1
Heart	1
Intestines	1
Raw materials
Skin	Chitin

v50.12 · v0.47 · v0.34.11 · v0.31 · v0.28 · v0.23 This article is about an older version of DF. More Info · V

A large underground monster with eight legs and sharp, venomous fangs.

Giant cave spiders (also known as GCS) are far different from your regular cave spiders; those are just treats for your cat. Giant cave spiders are as big as grizzly bears and will make treats of cats, dwarves, and the occasional careless adventurer. You can find giant cave spiders in, obviously, caves, caverns and most underground areas. They are the most dangerous creature in the caverns, excluding some forgotten beasts, as they feel no pain, cannot be stunned, can poison creatures and have the ability to shoot webbing to ensnare their prey.

They do not pose a big threat to a fortress when undisturbed, but when a dwarf does disturb one, Armok bless the soul of the unlucky dwarf.

Giant cave spiders are not a rarity with dozens present in the underground caverns, deep below the surface. They can be extremely hard to kill. On occasion, however, a lucky dwarf might pound one to death within a few attacks by punching its skull into its brain, which can be a godsend after an unfortunate cavern breaching exercise.

Webs are quite useful when they aren't being used in an attack against you. Giant cave spider silk is worth twice as much as plant-derived textile and, given the proper setup and victims, can be produced in endless amounts.

If you see a giant cave spider in adventurer mode, an announcement, "You've spotted a Giant Cave Spider!" will appear.

Fighting

Giant cave spiders should not be engaged in melee by a lone dwarf, especially if its armor is lacking. Even if the attacked dwarf is fully armored it will eventually die of hunger or thirst due to being webbed. Even a legendary axedwarf will be unable to do anything, due to the immobilizing webs and subsequent deadly bite. You may attempt to flank a giant cave spider with two melee dwarves, one serving as bait and the other killing the giant cave spider, but it is not a foolproof tactic and you will probably lose one or two dwarves. Marksdwarves, cage traps, and weapon traps are a better solution.

To give you a feeling of how deadly they are in melee, a lone giant cave spider can take on and completely incapacitate any of the semimegabeasts, is the most dangerous predator of the caverns competing with the cave dragon, and fight equally with the weakest megabeasts like rocs or hydras.

Giant cave spider venom appears to be a neurotoxin which causes progressive paralysis and is ultimately fatal due to suffocation as the victim's diaphragm succumbs and ceases to function. The poison's effects set in relatively quickly, with complete paralysis after 720 seconds (10 time units) and with death usually occurring after 1300 seconds. In terms of Fortress mode, and depending on the speed of the victim, the venom will paralyze an infected dwarf within two steps and they will die of suffocation soon after.

Giant cave spider venom is only deadly on relatively small creatures, unlike giant desert scorpion venom. It only tends to induce mild paralysis of members on large things such as giants.

Due to the spider only attacking the head of a webbed dwarf, a pair of dwarves with steel helmets and weapons is more than a match for a lone GCS. The coding for all creatures sets headshots as the number one priority if possible, and the web ensures that a headshot is indeed always possible. You may want to avoid using untrained dwarves for this though, because the spider will still counterattack if the dwarf misses, potentially landing a blow on an unprotected area of the dwarf.

Fortunately (or unfortunately...), giant cave spiders tend to take time to kill their prey, giving you time to kill the GCS and save the dwarf, if you are similarly inclined of course. You may however not be able to save the dwarf from the GCS poison.

Capturing

Due to the considerable value of giant cave spider silk, many players attempt to capture a live spider and set up a silk farm to boost their fortress's economy. While simply opening a path to the caverns and lining it with cage traps may eventually work, a much more effective method is to take advantage of one peculiar behavior of building destroyers: simply build a wooden door within the caverns and surround it with cage traps (to a distance of at least 2 tiles), and any giant cave spider (or giant toad, giant olm, cave crocodile, etc.) that wanders relatively close enough to the door will immediately charge toward it and be captured. Or, if you have enough mechanisms, cages and dwarfpower to spare, cage trap all of the cavern exits. If you are extremely lucky, a migrant will arrive with an already tamed GCS. Be aware that since they lack a [CHILD] tag, giant cave spiders will not breed.

Farming Silk

Giant cave spiders can be a very lucrative and nearly-inexhaustible source of silk thread for your weavers. The general idea is to expose the spider to a target, causing it to spew webs which can later be collected. Well-designed silk farms can maximize safety and production, and greatly increase fortress wealth.

Live training

Pit an entirely metal-armored dwarf (the metal used seems to be unimportant) against a wild giant cave spider. Enjoy as the dwarf gets webbed, then the GCS attempts to bite the dwarf, but fails due to armor.

As it will never attempt any other attack, the GCS will keep biting metal, fail to injure the dwarf, and each attack will train your dwarf in armor using far faster than training or sparring.

As you probably don't want to kill something as rare and precious as a giant cave spider for just training armor user on a dwarf, you may want to set the training area on a lever-linked bridge, then pull the lever and fling/let fall the GCS on cage traps, therefore separating harmlessly the dwarf and the GCS.

Raws

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V · T · E Creatures
Races	Dwarf • Elf • Goblin • Human • Kobold Subterranean animal people Amphibian man • Antman • Bat man • Cave fish man • Cave swallow man • Olm man • Reptile man • Rodent man • Serpent man
Birds	Albatross (man, giant) • Barn owl (man, giant) • Bushtit (man, giant) • Cassowary (man, giant) • Cockatiel (man, giant) • Crow (man, giant) • Eagle (man, giant) • Emu (man, giant) • Great horned owl (man, giant) • Grey parrot (man, giant) • Hornbill (man, giant) • Kakapo (man, giant) • Kea (man, giant) • Kestrel (man, giant) • Kiwi (man, giant) • Loon (man, giant) • Lorikeet (man, giant) • Magpie (man, giant) • Masked lovebird (man, giant) • Osprey (man, giant) • Ostrich (man, giant) • Parakeet (man, giant) • Peach-faced lovebird (man, giant) • Penguin (little, emperor, man, giant) • Peregrine falcon (man, giant) • Puffin (man, giant) • Raven (man, giant) • Snowy owl (man, giant) • Sparrow (man, giant) • Swan (man, giant) • White stork (man, giant) • Wren (man, giant)
Bugs	Bark scorpion (man, giant) • Brown recluse spider (man, giant) • Damselfly (man, giant) • Grasshopper (man, giant) • Jumping spider (man, giant) • Louse (man, giant) • Mantis (man, giant) • Moon snail (man, giant) • Mosquito (man, giant) • Moth (man, giant) • Slug (man, giant) • Snail (man, giant) • Thrips (man, giant) • Tick (man, giant)
Desert	Desert tortoise (man, giant) • Gila monster (man, giant) • Leopard gecko (man, giant)
Domestic	Alpaca • Blue peafowl • Cat • Cavy • Chicken • Cow • Dog • Donkey • Duck • Goat • Goose • Guineafowl • Horse • Llama • Mule • Pig • Rabbit • Reindeer • Sheep • Turkey • Water buffalo • Yak
Mountain	Chinchilla (man, giant) • Dark gnome • Hoary marmot • Mountain gnome • Mountain goat • Wolverine (man, giant)
Ocean	Angelshark • Basking shark • Blacktip reef shark • Blue shark • Bluefin tuna • Bluefish • Bull shark • Cod • Coelacanth • Common skate • Conger eel • Crab (man, giant) • Cuttlefish (man, giant) • Elephant seal (man, giant) • Frill shark • Giant grouper • Great barracuda • Great white shark • Halibut • Hammerhead shark • Harp seal (man, giant) • Horseshoe crab (man, giant) • Leopard seal (man, giant) • Longfin mako shark • Manta ray • Marlin • Milkfish • Narwhal (man, giant) • Nautilus (man, giant) • Nurse shark • Ocean sunfish • Octopus (man, giant) • Opah • Orca (man, giant) • Sea lamprey • Shortfin mako shark • Sperm whale (man, giant) • Spiny dogfish • Sponge (man, giant) • Spotted wobbegong • Squid (man, giant) • Stingray • Sturgeon • Swordfish • Tiger shark • Walrus • Whale shark • Whitetip reef shark
River/Lake	Axolotl (man, giant) • Beaver (man, giant) • Carp • Hippo • Leech (man, giant) • Longnose gar • Mink (man, giant) • Otter (river, sea, man, giant) • Pike • Platypus (man, giant) • Pond turtle (man, giant) • Snapping turtle (common, alligator, man, giant) • Tigerfish
Temperate	Adder (man, giant) • Alligator • Badger (man, giant) • Black bear • Bobcat (man, giant) • Buzzard • Capybara (man, giant) • Coati (man, giant) • Copperhead snake (man, giant) • Cougar • Coyote (man, giant) • Deer • Dingo (man, giant) • Echidna (man, giant) • Fox • Gray langur (man, giant) • Green tree frog (man, giant) • Grizzly bear • Groundhog • Hare (man, giant) • Ibex (man, giant) • Kangaroo (man, giant) • Kingsnake (man, giant) • Koala (man, giant) • Moose (man, giant) • Opossum (man, giant) • Panda (man, giant) • Porcupine (man, giant) • Raccoon • Rattlesnake (man, giant) • Red panda (man, giant) • Rhesus macaque • Skunk (man, giant) • Weasel (man, giant) • Wild boar (man, giant) • Wolf • Wombat (man, giant)
Tropical	Aardvark (man, giant) • Anaconda (man, giant) • Armadillo (man, giant) • Aye-aye (man, giant) • Bilou • Black mamba (man, giant) • Black-crested gibbon • Black-handed gibbon • Bonobo • Bushmaster (man, giant) • Capuchin (man, giant) • Cheetah (giant) • Chimpanzee • Elephant • Gazelle • Giant desert scorpion • Giant tortoise (man, giant) • Giraffe • Gorilla • Gray gibbon • Honey badger • Hyena (man, giant) • Impala (man, giant) • Jackal (man, giant) • Jaguar (giant) • King cobra (man, giant) • Leopard (giant) • Lion (giant) • Lion tamarin (man, giant) • Mandrill • Mongoose (man, giant) • Monitor lizard (man, giant) • Ocelot (man, giant) • One-humped camel • Orangutan • Pangolin (man, giant) • Pileated gibbon • Python (man, giant) • Rhinoceros • Saltwater crocodile • Siamang • Silvery gibbon • Sloth (man, giant) • Sloth bear (man, giant) • Spider monkey (man, giant) • Tapir (man, giant) • Tiger (giant, man) • Two-humped camel • Vulture • Warthog • White-browed gibbon • White-handed gibbon
Tundra	Elk • Lynx (man, giant) • Muskox • Polar bear • Stoat (man, giant)
Subterranean	Amethyst man • Blind cave bear • Blind cave ogre • Blood man • Bugbat • Cave blob • Cave crocodile • Cave dragon • Cave floater • Creeping eye • Crundle • Draltha • Drunian • Elk bird • Fire imp • Fire man • Flesh ball • Floating guts • Gabbro man • Giant bat • Giant cave spider • Giant cave swallow • Giant earthworm • Giant mole • Giant olm • Giant rat • Giant toad • Gorlak • Green devourer • Helmet snake • Hungry head • Iron man • Jabberer • Large rat • Magma crab • Magma man • Manera • Molemarian • Mud man • Naked mole dog • Plump helmet man • Pond grabber • Reacher • Rutherer • Troglodyte • Voracious cave crawler
Mammals	Flying squirrel (man, giant) • Hamster (man, giant) • Hedgehog (man, giant)
Miscellaneous	Beak dog • Blizzard man • Foul blendec • Gremlin • Grimeling • Harpy • Ice wolf • Merperson • Nightwing • Ogre • Sasquatch • Satyr • Sea monster • Sea serpent • Strangler • Troll • Unicorn • Yeti
Semi-Megabeasts	Cyclops • Ettin • Giant • Minotaur
Megabeasts	Bronze colossus • Dragon • Forgotten beast • Hydra • Roc • Titan
Nonexistent	Centaur • Chimera • Griffon