Giant Spiders¶
Spiders are aggressive predators, dwelling both above and below ground. Most are poisonous and bite prey before devouring them, because unconscious victims are easier to carry to a lair.
Spiders have eight legs and eight eyes. They usually fit into two categories: web-spinners, which have bulbous abdomens and sleek legs; and hunting spiders, which have smaller bodies, larger heads and fangs, and hairy bodies. Most giant spiders are simply much bigger versions of the web-spinning large spiders. Their poison causes severe injury, and possibly death, if the victim fails a saving throw.
An Amnian trader once shared with me a frightening tale of a spider the
size of a horse with swords for arms and a plated hide! Surely there are
varieties even fiercer still!
—Volo
Source: bgee/original_manuals/baldurs_gate_1_ee_sword_coast_survival_guide.pdf — "Some Monsters of the Sword Coast" → "Giant Spiders".