NEWS: Spider Web Engulfs Texas Park Trail

3rd Eye · Post by **3rd Eye** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:27 pm

True story, man.
ABC News:
Spider Web Engulfs Texas Park Trail

Sprawling Spider Web Engulfs North Texas Park Trail, Full of Captured Mosquitoes

or
FOX News:
Scientists Debate Massive Spider Web Blanketing 200 Yards of Texas Park
(Same article, same picture, but Fox has a larger picture if you click the thumbnail.)

or
Yahoo! News:
Spider web engulfs Texas park trail
(Same article again, but this one has video, which includes a moderately close shot of one of the spiders.)

Imagine the size that web would be if the thousands of cooperative, communal spiders who built it were much bigger and hostile. They wouldn't even need to be "Giant" spiders, since there are so many of them. Imagine if each of those inch-long spiders was, say just a foot long. If their collective web was proportionately larger too, it would cover 2400 yards close to a mile and a half of spiderwebs, blanketing a whole stretch of forest

Now I ask you: Is that not simply begging to be turned into an encounter location in an adventure?

gideon_thorne · Post by **gideon_thorne** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:34 pm

Ya just need da Bilbo in da hood. "It's called STING, yo!" *stab stab stab*
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SoulCatcher78 · Post by **SoulCatcher78** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:34 pm

Have to show this to the spousal unit and watch her cringe!

3rd Eye · Post by **3rd Eye** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:47 pm

The spiders of Mirkwood had crossed my mind too; but they're on a much larger scale, and would count as "Giant Spiders," no?

I think people often overdo the scale on "giant" bugs, whether they be insects or arachnids or anything else with more than four legs and an exoskeleton (which is how I define "bug"). Sure, half a dozen spiders the size of small horses is a terrifying encounter but how about being swarmed by several hundred spiders the size of cats?

Small size in massive numbers can be just as intimidating as massive size in small numbers.

Julian Grimm · Post by **Julian Grimm** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:48 pm

3rd Eye wrote:
Now I ask you: Is that not simply begging to be turned into an encounter location in an adventure?

I know my imagination is working on this. I smell Keeper article.
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moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 11:06 pm

That's just not right...

M
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Turanil · Post by **Turanil** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 5:31 am

3rd Eye wrote:
Sure, half a dozen spiders the size of small horses is a terrifying encounter but how about being swarmed by several hundred spiders the size of cats?

Time to introduct a rule for "swarm encounters" I would say.
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ssfsx17 · Post by **ssfsx17** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 6:43 am

I just take stats for the smaller spiders and give them a lot more hitpoints, then increase their experience and treasure quantities to match. The fighter's combat dominance lets him hack off an extra d6 of those hitpoints per attack.

DangerDwarf · Post by **DangerDwarf** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 11:44 am

And yet another nifty bit of Texas in the national news:
Has a Mythical Beast Turned Up in Texas?

3rd Eye · Post by **3rd Eye** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:17 pm

DangerDwarf wrote:
And yet another nifty bit of Texas in the national news:
Has a Mythical Beast Turned Up in Texas?

Holy crap, DangerDwarf did you see the freakin' pictures that go with that story?

Check out the one in the L.A. Times

or the even-more-horrifyingly-closeup shot on MSNBC

Julian Grimm · Post by **Julian Grimm** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 1:43 pm

Interesting. Looks like Texas is the place to be for strange events this year.
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DangerDwarf · Post by **DangerDwarf** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 8:58 pm

Yeah, after seeing the story I looked for pics. It is definitely weird looking. Like a mutant dog or something.

Catweazle · Post by **Catweazle** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 6:43 am

That's a dog. Looks a bit like an English bull terrier; probably some kind of cross. Think it's been dead a while.
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Omote · Post by **Omote** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:42 pm

I betcha the spiders got to the chupacabra.

..........................................Omote

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Julian Grimm · Post by **Julian Grimm** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 5:27 pm

Now that's an encounter!
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Maliki · Post by **Maliki** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:08 am

Omote wrote:
I betcha the spiders got to the chupacabra.

..........................................Omote

FPQ

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Tadhg · Post by **Tadhg** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:15 am

Hmm, all this talk and I'm getting hungry. These tasty fellows are exceptional cuisine for the natives. Roast and slice:

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NEWS: Spider Web Engulfs Texas Park Trail

NEWS: Spider Web Engulfs Texas Park Trail

Re: NEWS: Spider Web Engulfs Texas Park Trail

Re: NEWS: Spider Web Engulfs Texas Park Trail