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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardGrandmother Spider (The Weaver)

Source Divine Mysteries pg. 142
Also known as Nana Anadi, Grandmother Spider began her existence as a servant of the other gods, meant to weave fate and reality into existence. Infuriated at her position as a lackey, she made fools of the greater gods through mischief and disruption. She stole and copied Asmodeus’ keys, resulting in widespread chaos, and pilfered some of Sarenrae’s fire, leading numerous followers astray. Nimbly avoiding any retribution for her antics, Grandmother Spider rewove the strands of fate for herself, gaining her freedom. She regularly pleads with her brother Achaekek to follow her lead and rebel against the gods, and while he always refuses, seemingly indifferent, Achaekek has on one notable occasion proven vengeful toward those who harm his sister or her followers.

Grandmother Spider is more of a folk hero than a god to many of her adherents. The Weaver tumbles messily through life, tricking those who underestimate her yet being tricked by those she underestimates in turn. She is driven to meddle by her curiosity and her impetuousness, not by any grand plan—and her schemes succeed or backfire as they may. Grandmother Spider rolls with the punches, as either result is a reward fairly earned, and expects those who follow her to do the same. To Grandmother Spider, failure is just as important as success, and the Weaver holds little love for those who can’t admit their own follies.

Despite her antics, Grandmother Spider is a source of stability to most of her communities. She emphasizes the importance of family and community in a harsh world that is often unfair. She insists that people get what they deserve, whether it is kindness for kindness or vengeance for cruelty. Exploitation and predation earn her outrage. Many women and midwives are drawn to her faith, and the faith lauds their hard work and strength of character. Adherents also run a series of “Mama Schools” throughout the Mwangi Expanse, educating youths during the months between planting and harvesting.

Due to the ongoing animosity of Asmodeus, worship of Grandmother Spider is virtually unknown in Avistan. She is traditionally revered in Garund and among anadi, whose ancestors she led through the darkness and into freedom. Temples are rarely dedicated to Grandmother Spider. Her places of worship are instead typically schools and small roadside or home shrines consisting of a spider figurine, a loom, or a woven object. Woven diamond shapes, patterned after Grandmother Spider’s religious symbol, can also be found tucked inside the temples of other deities, especially those belonging to the Ascended—those gods who were once mortal.

Grandmother Spider emphasizes self-reliance, learning, cunning, and caring for family and community. The concept of unquestioning faith in a god is something Grandmother Spider sees as insufferably pretentious, though her own vanity is notorious. She is likewise intolerant of bullying and slavery and disdains inherited hierarchy and titles.

Category Other Gods
Edicts be skilled and clever, think for yourself, take due payment for your work, humiliate the powerful
Anathema abuse someone you have power over, harm someone who has given you sincere kindness, let a slight go unanswered, own a slave
Areas of Concern family, illusion, stories, twilight, weaving
Religious Symbol four-pointed hollow webbed diamond
Sacred Animal spider
Sacred Color(s) blue, orange, yellow

Devotee Benefits

Divine Attribute Intelligence or Wisdom
Divine Font harm or heal
Divine Sanctification can choose holy
Divine Skill Crafting
Favored Weapon bola
Domains creation, family, fate, trickery
Alternate Domains change, darkness

Divine Intercession

Though the Weaver often condones bad decisions so long as a lesson is learned, and is even willing to accept being fairly tricked herself, cruelty and predation upon the weak draw her outrage.
Source Gods & Magic - Web Supplement pg. 5

Minor Boon: Grandmother Spider rescues your prank from the jaws of failure. Once, when you would fail a Deception check, you critically succeed instead. Grandmother Spider typically grants this boon for deceptions that are necessary for an interesting or consequential prank.
Moderate Boon: You can feel tugs on the strands of fate. You gain a +2 status bonus to initiative rolls.
Major Boon: Grandmother Spider rejoices in freedom and tricks those who would limit it. Any time you would become grabbed, immobilized, or restrained, attempt a DC 10 flat check. On a success, you ignore the effect, and the originator of the effect becomes grabbed, immobilized, or restrained instead. If this simply causes a creature to grab itself, it can usually Escape as a free action, but it might be stuck if it tried to immobilize you in other ways.

Minor Curse: When your pranks start going wrong, they dissolve into a string of catastrophic failures. When you roll a failure on a Deception or Stealth check, you get a critical failure instead.
Moderate Curse: Grandmother Spider weaves a web to ensnare you, and you trail webs behind you wherever you go. You become permanently slowed 1 and take a –10-foot circumstance penalty to your Speeds.
Major Curse: Grandmother Spider throws all of her might behind the underdog. Any time a creature with a level lower than yours rolls a success on a check against you, it critically succeeds instead; any time you roll a failure on a check against a creature with a level lower than yours, you critically fail instead.