Red-Banded Line Spider

These spiders are named for both the deep red swirls on their abdomens, unique to each spider, and for their peculiar hunting technique. The largest ones hunt in the dark canopy of temperate and subtropical forests.
Hand-Sized Hunters. These furry, brown spiders are not enormous monsters, but they are big enough to be alarming. A typical one is as big as a human hand with fingers spread wide, but some grow as large as small dogs.
Webbed Line. Line spiders don’t spin webs but instead perch and watch for prey. When prey wanders near, the spider launches a line of webbing to snare it, then pounces unerringly along that line to deliver a deep bite. Their potent venom can incapacitate creatures much larger than themselves, and they quickly devour flesh with their powerful jaws.
City Dwellers. Line spiders are often found in cities, and their size makes them a good replacement for a garroter crab in certain forms of divination. They’re favorites among exotic-pet dealers—usually with their venom sacs removed, sometimes not. Goblins, kobolds, and some humans use them rather than cats to control a mouse or rat infestation, and they make reasonably good pets if they’re kept well-fed. If they get hungry, line spiders may devour other small pets or even their owners.