The spidercat was a fur-covered insect that lived on the Inner Rim planet Tasariq. It had characteristics of both spiders and cats and had a venomous bite. The creature was bred by Tasariq's Tasari species for use as temple guardians when they were worshipping the local tasar crystals in the wake of their homeworld's devastation by a meteorite bombardment.
Biology and appearance
The spidercat was a type of two-meter-long fur-covered insect that lived on the Inner Rim planet Tasariq. It had the appearance of a cross between a spider and a cat: it had eight long, segmented legs that were equipped with barbed claws, but its head also had a pair of ears and eyes, a nose, whiskers, and a toothed mouth. The latter could deliver a venomous bite that could induce paralysis between one and six hours long.[1]
History
Millennia prior to the Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance, after Tasariq was devastated by an intense meteorite bombardment, the society of the planet's native Tasari species adopted a low level of technology and began worshipping their homeworld's newly formed tasar crystals. During that time, the Tasari bred spidercats for use as guardians at temples dedicated to the crystals. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, the creatures could still be encountered on Tasariq, with those inhabiting the areas in the vicinity of the by-then-forgotten temples being particularly ferocious.[1]
Behind the scenes
Spidercats were introduced in Star Wars Adventure Journal 15.
The spidercat was introduced in "Tasariq: The Crystal Planet," a West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game source article written by Tom Moldvay and Steve Miller and published in the November 1997 fifteenth issue of the Star Wars Adventure Journal magazine. In the article, the creature was illustrated by Jeff Menges.[1]
"Tasariq: The Crystal Planet" also includes a roleplaying adventure idea in which the player characters travel the distance of 2,300 kilometers between the planet Tasariq's Tasariq City and the Roaring Crater mining settlement. The article suggests that, on each day of that journey across Tasariq's surface, the characters have a one-in-eighteen chance of encountering the planet's wildlife, which the gamemaster player can decide (or choose at random) to be either one to three spidercats, sting-snakes, or tunnel worms.[1]
Sources
"Tasariq: The Crystal Planet" — Star Wars Adventure Journal 15 (First mentioned)
