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[wierd]

Damn strait!  Multi z-level threats in the cavern system would make them waaaaay more fun, and way more awesome stuff would happen in there.

Crundle invasion? Oh wait.... they are under the giant netcaster..... YOINK!  No more crundles!

Or.... "oh look! Delicious CANDY!"

"Oh noesz!!11! Iz giant spider ninjad on me from above! It can shot web! Aaahhh!"

[NW_Kohaku]

It would be interesting to see something like a giant cave spider actually adapted to hunting humanoid prey.

They might do something like weave a giant cave spider silk sock, leave it in the middle of the caverns, and when players breach the caverns some hauler might run out to try to claim that sock, and get tangled up in the giant cave spider web.

[wierd]

I was thinking more along the lines of a "slow x-y movement, hugely fast z movement" "flying" spider that is an analog of a netcaster. (Creates its net and sticks it to its front limbs, drops on top of prey from above, entangles, and bites all in the same motion.)

It inhabits the highest part of the natura channels in the cavern system, where things are 1 tile wide, and multiple Z levels deep, so that the player just doesn't pay attention.

They web, eat, and discard victims quickly, before zipping back up to the high roof.  Killing them with marksdwarves would be hard, because they get the "ambush" tag so they are invisible until walked under. 

Make them sufficiently plentiful, like crundles, and you have a true terror in the deep.

Seeing them interact with HFS clowns on the way to the fortress could be amusing, since clowns are trap and web immune.... but the rapid drop and bite should still land a few amusing reactions as the big spindly roof spiders try to munch the clowns....

Ordinary GCS remind me of enormous jumping spiders that web only to subdue for later snacking, and are totally terrestrial.

[Amallar]

I imagine GCS as spiders that lay out large "synapses" upon the ground to detect prey as they scurry quickly upon the point of vibration to snag the unfortunate creature.

It's important to note that these subterranean environments have virtually no flying animals or light; hunting spiders would not be very effective in such an ecosystem, as they rely upon eyesight (or vibrations in the air, for more sensitive species), and weaver spiders that possess webs spanning the depths of caverns would face similar difficulties. Netcasters rely upon light like other hunting spiders, and giant trapdoor variants would not be able to effectively establish themselves because they would not be capable of arranging soil particulates like their smaller cousins.

A variant of spider capable of laying out a large terrestrial web that acts as a synapse for vibration detection would detect prey across a large expanse that is nominally sparse in life, and would do so in the absence of light. If the web was thin enough, the prey would not even be aware that it was in danger; each footfall upon the synapse would give the creeping predator exact knowledge on how to assail its prey. In such a case, it is entirely reasonable for the spider to actually be a netcaster, too.

It makes me curious as to whether there are actually spiders that engage in such behaviour; in fact, whether it is possible that some species we are aware of make such miniscule synapses to help them in their hunting.

[wierd]

Depends on the cavern level.

L3 caverns usually have open magma pits, which emit light.

Magma also attracts dwarves, which have clearly evolved toward/been created for life in the underverse, and are distinctly attracted to magma.

The idea of a hidden ambush predator that co-evolved in the ecosystem that can conserve energy bey being motionless for long periods of time, are passively thermally regulated by inhabiting magma filled chambers, and have an actual preference for creatures like dwarves who routinely enter their shared habitat (includes draltha, elkbirds, etc. As well as dwarves) is not hard to imagine.

Gcs would inhabit the other layers where darkness reigns supreme.

[Kilroy the Grand]

I was under the assumption that the caverns have phosphorescent fungus. Most cavern creatures have eyes, it makes sense that they would have some light emitting source down there.

[Splint]

Glowing fungi, and probably some of the larger fungitrees as well.

Although some appearently have large eyes to aid in sight, I'd imagine alot of others have absolutley terrible vision.

[NW_Kohaku]

Part of Toady's old devpages mentioned things like phosphorescent or just outright magically glowing fungi and moss.

Orb-weavers, however, tend to rely upon the vibrations in their web to notice prey more than eyesight, however, so it's more common than you might think.  Fliers are too rare for cavern orb-weavers, though.

Of course, the GCS is something more like a net-weaver spider, it just spits webs out, or leaves webs on the ground that trap ambulatory prey.

[wierd]

I agree for the most part, except that GCS are terrestrial, while most net spiders have a fixed nest, and are drop ambush predators.

GCS is more like a cross between a giant wolf spider, and a net spider.  Something that sees you, sneaks up on you, jumps on you, invenomates you, and promptly spins you up into a ball faster than you can blink, and then runs off with you.

(Even though in game it sprays with webs first, then pounces. That it actively runs up to you to do it, and doesn't have a fixed "home" make it more like a wolf spider.)

[Drawde]

Nice idea.  An ambushing magma predator.  Soooo much fun when you don't realize there's anything there while building your magma smelters   

[Frogwarrior]

It makes me curious as to whether there are actually spiders that engage in such behaviour; in fact, whether it is possible that some species we are aware of make such miniscule synapses to help them in their hunting.

Scroll on down to #2.
Howzat?

[Garath]

I'm not entirely sure about this one, but I think I saw in an animal planet documentary a spider that lived on the "ceiling" of caves and has tripwires going down, sticking to anything that even brushes against it. The spider then just has to move to the correct strand and haul the catch in, either by going down to finish it, or by pulling on the thread, as if it is fishing, that part I don't remember.

So yes, webspinners in caverns is perfectly viable, you just have to put your mind past the standard web that people visualize and be a bit more creative.

And all the objections about the brown recluse also count for the ordinairy cave spider as it exists now. It's just that now it's an existing creature people feel more confident to object. You can, ofcourse, always turn automatic web gathering off.

[AWdeV]

It would be interesting to see something like a giant cave spider actually adapted to hunting humanoid prey.

They might do something like weave a giant cave spider silk sock, leave it in the middle of the caverns, and when players breach the caverns some hauler might run out to try to claim that sock, and get tangled up in the giant cave spider web.

Sock-weaving spiders? Now that's specialisation.

[Girlinhat]

That's adaptation.  Angler fish dangle little fake worms off their heads to attract prey.  Socks Spiders dangle ☼Giant Cave Spider Silk Sock☼ off a thread to attract dwarves.

Hell, I know it's a trap and I'd still go for it!

[AWdeV]

Socks dangle socks?