Dungeons & Dragons Swarm of Spiders Miniature

This is a highly detailed miniature of a Swarm of Spiders.

This model was created by MZ4250 who makes amazingly accurate models of the Monster Manual creatures and provided by Commercial License.

A Swarm of Spiders in Dungeons & Dragons represents a collection of many small spiders acting as a single creature. Instead of being individual monsters, these swarms are treated as one entity that moves, attacks, and behaves together. This makes them quite different from a typical spider or spider-like monster. Mechanically, swarms are usually categorized as "swarm" type creatures, which means they ignore certain conditions that affect individual creatures, like being grappled or restrained, since they aren’t a single body but a mass of many tiny ones.

In gameplay, a Swarm of Spiders typically appears as a dangerous environmental hazard or a lower to mid-level monster challenge. It often dwells in dark, damp places like caves, ruins, or dense forests. The swarm can cover a large area and moves quickly to engulf its prey, making it hard to avoid or escape. In combat, the swarm’s attack often deals piercing or poison damage to any creature within its space, representing the collective bites of countless spiders. Unlike singular creatures, swarms usually don’t make attacks with weapons but instead rely on the swarm’s overwhelming presence to damage and hinder enemies.

Another defining feature of the Swarm of Spiders is its resistance and vulnerability mechanics. Since the swarm is made of tiny creatures, it usually has resistance to damage from nonmagical weapons that aren’t silvered. This simulates how ordinary weapons struggle to effectively strike so many small targets at once. On the other hand, swarms are vulnerable to area-of-effect attacks or spells that target multiple creatures, as these can disrupt or disperse the swarm. In addition, the swarm’s ability to occupy the same space as other creatures—something most monsters cannot do—adds a tactical element to encounters, forcing players to reconsider positioning and movement.

Narratively, the presence of a Swarm of Spiders can contribute to an atmosphere of fear or unease, evoking classic horror themes involving arachnids. Encounters with swarms often require creative thinking beyond simple combat, such as using fire or area spells, avoiding confined spaces, or finding ways to scatter the swarm. Overall, the Swarm of Spiders is an iconic Dungeons & Dragons creature that blends the menace of countless tiny foes with unique mechanics that challenge players in both combat and roleplay situations.