Image by Anthony Carpenter, © Kenzer and Co.

[The tarantubat existed in Hackmaster 4e, but I didn’t pay much attention to it then. It’s not very mechanically distinctive in either edition. But this art! It’s definitely more than just a winged tarantula, and I feel like if these were real, some people would try to keep them as pets.]

Tarantubat Swarm CR 3 N Magical Beast This swarm of fluttering creatures contains hand-sized creatures that combine the features of a tarantula and a bat. Each has large ears, multiple eyes and eight legs, six of which serve as support structures for two leathery wings.

Tarantubats are forest dwelling chimeras combining features of spiders and bats. They are believed to be distant relatives of spiderbats, but their overall body plan is much more arachnid than chiropteran. Tarantubats are subsocial carnivores, nesting in trees covered with webbing and descending en masse to attack large prey. Creatures that are close to a ravenous swarm are dusted with the tiny, itchy hairs of the tarantubats, which form a cloud around them when in flight. Prey is incapacitated with venomous bites, wrapped in webs and slowly consumed. Tarantubat swarms have more males than females—males are smaller and shorter-lived, and females are large in order to produce lots of glistening eggs. Egg sacs are embedded inside of paralyzed prey, and the juveniles feed on the provisions granted to them by the colony.

A single tarantubat can be taken as a familiar. Treat it as a scarlet spider familiar, except that it has a fly speed of 30 feet (average maneuverability).