[DF] How much venom and silk should you be able to get off a giant spider?

simply Nathan · 12-25-2014, 12:31 AM

Let's say my giant spiders are SM-1, with ST/HP 7 and a few other arbitrary stats. Their venom is Monster Drool with a few extra cycles (when harvested it loses its cyclic effect - I just really like cyclic poisons because that's how it worked in the videogames that introduced me to RPGs and it gives the Neutralize Poison/Instant Neutralize Poison spells something to do).

Any guidelines on how much giant spider silk (as a raw material to sell, since it's not made into anything yet) and Monster Drool to allow PCs to extract from a spider on a successful surgery roll?

And while I'm at it, what should be the market price of a pound of raw spider silk?

Dwarf99 · 12-25-2014, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenneth Latrans

Any guidelines on how much giant spider silk (as a raw material to sell, since it's not made into anything yet) and Monster Drool to allow PCs to extract from a spider on a successful surgery roll?

How much? No, not that I'm aware of. I'd say 1 dose per injector though for the poison. For the silk, use the numbers you'd use for the hit location (the obvious candidate being Groin on a roll of 12) figure out the odds of getting that number exactly (which you can look up "3d6 probability" to find) and apply that percentage to its total weight.

Quote:

And while I'm at it, what should be the market price of a pound of raw spider silk?

About 8 bucks according to DF 8 p. 12.

Carnwennan · 12-25-2014, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenneth Latrans

About 8 bucks according to DF 8 p. 12.

I may be blind, but I can't see where you're getting that value, sorry.

On page 13 it says that giant spider silk fibres are $10/ lb, though, which matches with some quick math using production rules in basic on a piece of cloth torso armour.

E: and we both messed up quotes, haha.

Dwarf99 · 12-25-2014, 06:04 AM

Not to mention that I cited p. 12, not p. 13, a bolt is 2 lbs and 17 dollars according to column 1 last entry on p. 12. Of course that's not raw but I'd imagine you could figure labor to turn it into cloth at about 55% of that in accordance with Low Tech, making the raw strands on a spool worth 4. Or use the Fiber price of $.75

Bruno · 12-25-2014, 06:30 AM

If we're talking a real-world spider, you get no silk per ce. Silk isn't stored in a little spool of thread inside of spiders (or silkworms and other cocoon spinners). It's stored as (IIRC) a binary solution that needs to be put under pressure and tension to become silk and not glue - it's just sack(s) full of goo otherwise.

Now, you can still harvest the glands, and I don't see why an enchanter or alchemist or druid or some other arcane expert shouldn't have some wacky process to produce silk thread from the goo, but they're going to be fragile, have a distinct shelf-life, and it's going to be a fiddly expert skill to make the silk.

Harvesting webs from the lair of a giant spider is another thing entirely. An orb-web spinner won't have so much and it could be inconvenient to harvest, but the kinds that spin big sheets of webbing (much better for catching adventurers) could have prodigious amounts.

Dwarf99 · 12-25-2014, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruno

It's stored as (IIRC) a binary solution that needs to be put under pressure and tension to become silk and not glue - it's just sack(s) full of goo otherwise.

That's a fair point. Could be as little as half the weight percentage of the targetted area

Flyndaran · 12-25-2014, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruno

...

Harvesting webs from the lair of a giant spider is another thing entirely. An orb-web spinner won't have so much and it could be inconvenient to harvest, but the kinds that spin big sheets of webbing (much better for catching adventurers) could have prodigious amounts.

But the large quantities of sticky thread are nowhere near as strong as guide-wire thread. Most spiders produce quite a few different types for varying architectural purposes and features.

"Milking" ensorcelled spiders might make for an interesting industry.

DanHoward · 12-25-2014, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruno

If we're talking a real-world spider, you get no silk per ce. Silk isn't stored in a little spool of thread inside of spiders (or silkworms and other cocoon spinners). It's stored as (IIRC) a binary solution that needs to be put under pressure and tension to become silk and not glue - it's just sack(s) full of goo otherwise.

We covered this before

http://www.wired.com/2009/09/spider-silk/
http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.p...6&postcount=78

The amount of labour involved is staggering.

Crakkerjakk · 12-25-2014, 07:17 PM

Way we handle it in our DF games is a certain amount per point of MoS on the extraction roll. Generally about $100/point worth of stuff.

Flyndaran · 12-25-2014, 07:24 PM

But the labor per ounce of silk would go down fast the bigger the individual spider was.
Dealing with thousands of tiny animals that can only be "milked" once a week sounds fiddly regardless of amount harvested.

12-25-2014, 12:31 AM	#1
simply Nathan formerly known as 'Kenneth Latrans' Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Wyoming, Michigan	[DF] How much venom and silk should you be able to get off a giant spider? Let's say my giant spiders are SM-1, with ST/HP 7 and a few other arbitrary stats. Their venom is Monster Drool with a few extra cycles (when harvested it loses its cyclic effect - I just really like cyclic poisons because that's how it worked in the videogames that introduced me to RPGs and it gives the Neutralize Poison/Instant Neutralize Poison spells something to do). Any guidelines on how much giant spider silk (as a raw material to sell, since it's not made into anything yet) and Monster Drool to allow PCs to extract from a spider on a successful surgery roll? And while I'm at it, what should be the market price of a pound of raw spider silk? __________________ Ba-weep granah wheep minibon. Wubba lubba dub dub.

12-25-2014, 06:30 AM	#5
Bruno Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Canada	Re: [DF] How much venom and silk should you be able to get off a giant spider? If we're talking a real-world spider, you get no silk per ce. Silk isn't stored in a little spool of thread inside of spiders (or silkworms and other cocoon spinners). It's stored as (IIRC) a binary solution that needs to be put under pressure and tension to become silk and not glue - it's just sack(s) full of goo otherwise. Now, you can still harvest the glands, and I don't see why an enchanter or alchemist or druid or some other arcane expert shouldn't have some wacky process to produce silk thread from the goo, but they're going to be fragile, have a distinct shelf-life, and it's going to be a fiddly expert skill to make the silk. Harvesting webs from the lair of a giant spider is another thing entirely. An orb-web spinner won't have so much and it could be inconvenient to harvest, but the kinds that spin big sheets of webbing (much better for catching adventurers) could have prodigious amounts. __________________ All about Size Modifier; Unified Hit Location Table A Wiki for my F2F Group A neglected GURPS blog

12-25-2014, 07:17 PM	#9
Crakkerjakk "Gimme 18 minutes . . ." Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Albuquerque, NM	Re: [DF] How much venom and silk should you be able to get off a giant spider? Way we handle it in our DF games is a certain amount per point of MoS on the extraction roll. Generally about $100/point worth of stuff. __________________ My bare bones web page Semper Fi

12-25-2014, 07:24 PM	#10
Flyndaran Untagged Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon	Re: [DF] How much venom and silk should you be able to get off a giant spider? But the labor per ounce of silk would go down fast the bigger the individual spider was. Dealing with thousands of tiny animals that can only be "milked" once a week sounds fiddly regardless of amount harvested. __________________ Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check.