Monster Monday: Miska The Wolf Spider

[@taigerus4418]

Arcane: I hate spiders, they terrify me AJ: I'm going to do what's called, a pro gamer move

[@AJPickett]

Awesome!

[@wraithreaper22]

A crossover episode?! 😍😍

[@ArcaneForge]

That actually sounds like a tonne of fun!

[@draxthemsklonst]

You're everywhere!

[@AJPickett]

@@draxthemsklonst No, you just rolled Nat 20 on the perception check and the DM threw me in here at random :)

[@Dahaka-rd6tw]

@@AJPickett hey uh, it may be a stretch to ask this from you but do you know what happened with Jess?

[@kevingriffith6011]

Another thought for a lair effect for this creature: Dimensional Webs. Whenever I'm building a CR 18+ boss monster, I tend to look at interacting with things that high level players tend to exploit to defeat powerful monsters, in this case teleportation. I've had a couple of ideas as to how this could work, but it generally boils down to "attempting to teleport either fails outright or is incredibly risky". Perhaps they are entangled in extradimensional webs and forced to materialize where they cast the spell initially, maybe they're caught in a completely different chamber of the dungeon. Maybe there's a check to bypass it, maybe it can be dispelled, or maybe it just *is* and the party has to learn to work around it. It really lends to the idea of there being no easy escape from Miska's Lair, you're trapped in there with it, and it's hunting you.

[@ArcaneForge]

Oh man! That's such a great idea, Kevin!!! So disorienting for sure.

[@roochman]

my first thoughts when i saw this notification at 5:38 AM were "AW YEAH BABY" From what little artwork exists of Miska, this is easily my favorite interpretation. It's a lot more streamlined than most depictions of the Wolf-Spider tend to be, and that blue color is really striking. As for suggestions, how about another high-level fiend, because I can never get enough of those: the Oinoloth!

[@ArcaneForge]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Sideways! This was a really wonderful comment to read. I'll make sure that Oinoloth is on my "to draw" list for you! Cheers for your kind words and for watching!

[@steveharrison76]

It’s my birthday today and this upload is the best present I’ve had. It’s awesome, I love the result of your interpretation of the very brief description that exists, and yes, I love the mandible effect of the wolf heads. Also, Atropal - a dead, embryonic god infused with the power of entropy. It’s been a while since I’ve nominated that... I’m treating myself! (Also, I bet you still love saying the words “my wife”... 😊) Thanks boss!

[@ArcaneForge]

Awh, thank you so much, Steve! Happy Birthday! I'll definitely make sure the Atropal is on my patreon voting list as soon as I can. I really want to draw one of these gross wee creatures (well...not wee...but y'know what I mean). I do really love saying "my wife". It's still not completely real for me. It feels like being wrapped in a warm blanket every time I get an excuse to talk about her :) Cheers for watching, for your continued support and for your amazing suggestions as always. Happy Birthday!

[@steveharrison76]

@Arcane Forge: thanks man!

[@jamesdoyle6914]

Plus one for Atropal. The whole Book of Elder Evils was a ton of fun--I loved the frost-bound night creature of inescapable madness Father Llymic and Ragnorra, who just crashed into a planet like a meteor and Kronenburged whole planes of existence. I still love the signs of the end times mechanic in that book, too.

[@jonathanfoster3797]

This was an absolutely fantastic drawing. I like the splitting head part, very well done. Reminded me of "The Thing".

[@ArcaneForge]

Thanks so much Jonathan! I had so much fun with the grimness of this one I have to say! My inspiration board on pinterest for this was so full of "the thing" imagery! I'm glad that it came across! Cheers for watching and for your support as always!

[@Irdesithith]

What a horrific beast of a demon lord. I love that all the demon lords you make wear a floating, iron crown. Such a cool aesthetic

[@ArcaneForge]

Thanks so much, Azzy! I'm a big fan of a menacing crown!

[@kirkcannon4704]

Your art for the prince of demons was really refreshing So many art i find is literally a spider demon with a dog face

[@TheaterTech43]

I love hearing your process for making this creature, even though I despise it

[@ArcaneForge]

Haha! I'm glad you enjoyed it, TheaterTech! Sounds like you struggled with this beast as much as I did! I'm glad, that overall it was a positive experience though! Cheers for watching.

[@elrhunadan]

There is a *little* more information on Miska in The Age of Worms Adventure Path, but it's mostly how it was allied to the Queen of Chaos and how he was defeated by the Wind Dukes of Aaqa, disapearing into a rift, never to be seen again. Since we're talking Age of Worms, how about doing Kyuss or Dragotha?

[@ArcaneForge]

Heya, Alejandro! Thanks so much for your insight! This was a really great little nugget of info. I'll have to look further into this at some point. I love the idea of drawing Dragotha or Kyuss. I can't remember what video I mentioned them in, but I've been up for looking into them further for a while now. I'll make sure that they're on my " to draw" list for you! Cheers for watching!

[@xxGurdian]

I knew nothing about miska before this design and I must say its one of my favourites you have done. Such a terrifying character, love it so much, keep up the good work!

[@ArcaneForge]

Thanks so much, Gluttony! I have to say that I was in the same boat in regards to knowing next to nothing about them! I'm really glad you liked it though! Thanks so much for your kind words and for watching!

[@rohanlevett7322]

Check out the Empyrean it's like a giant angel titan that would be cool as hell.

[@ArcaneForge]

I definitely love the idea of getting around to an Empyrean, Rohan! I'll make sure that it's on my "to draw list" if they're not already! Cheers for watching and for your suggestion!

[@philurbaniak1811]

👍👍 Awesome work Jess! My mental image of spiders using Pack Tactics and wolves stalking along the ceiling gave me chills 👍😅!

[@0utskirtsOfNowhere]

This one was really cool, I'd never even heard of this demon lord since I didnt play the earlier editions. Something that could be really cool could be a false hydra. I don't think they're technically canon or anything but they're really interesting (and terrifying) and I bet youd have a cool take on it.

[@ArcaneForge]

Heya Megan! Thanks so much for watching. I really love the idea of the False Hydra. They crop up from time to time and I can't tell if they're originally something from D&D, Pathfinder or Zelda, but I'd be really interested in finding out, so I'll make sure that these guys are on my "to draw" list for sure.

[@luigisalvaggio2903]

Probably been said before but I love the shadar Kai. I’d love to see them in one of these videos

[@ArcaneForge]

Hey Luigi! I'm pretty desperate to talk about these guys myself! Don't worry. I'll make sure that they're on my "to draw" list for you! Thank you so much for the suggestion.

[@DrMallfatto]

Wasn’t expecting this masterpiece today, amazing! Keep the demon lords coming, both past and present! :3

[@ArcaneForge]

Thank you so much, DrMallfatto! This comment was such an ego boost!

[@gabrieladerre2862]

Th is is the second video if yours that I've seen, and again, I'm absolutely blown away! I was super thrilled to hear you acknowledge my man, AJ Pickett! He is one of my top favorite KZbinrs! In addition to being an all around great guy, and a delightful person to be acquainted with, his work is tremendous! And, like much like yourself, from what I surmise thus far, he doesn't have anywhere close to the recognition that he and his work deserve! I hope to see both of you become widely recognized, and appreciated by all of us on YT that have any level of interest in D&D, and RPGs, and fantasy in general! I was so excited to see you cover this particular Demon Lord! I too have had a lot of interest in him, ever since hearing him mentioned in AJ's video(s!) I'd have happily watched the video just to have heard you talk about Miska, sharing lore, stats, gaming ideas, etc. But you've take it from good to incredible with the drawing! Your talent is beyond impressive! And I am very much looking forward to watching the other videos that are already here on your channel! And I also look forward to seeing what things you do next. And I also hope to see you, your channel, and your work become more and more recognized, appreciated, celebrated, and successful! Which is the same thing that I want for AJ, and a few other KZbinrs that also cover D&D/Forgotten Realms material! I have to say that while there are a few other D&D channels that I also like quite a lot, you and AJ Pickett are my top two favorites in this particular area!!!

[@matthewbennett1972]

Thanks for this. I have seen no images of this monster before

[@arlopullman6836]

Love your videos! Any chance to get an archdevil next? Their official designs weren’t my favourite, maybe Dispater?

[@ArcaneForge]

OO! Good call, Arlo! I'll make sure that some Archdevils are on my list for you! Cheers for the suggestion and for watching!

[@patrickardagh-walter6609]

Dayum, I like! While I tend to be running homebrew systems these days, I'm now very tempted to adapt this for a game of my own!

[@ArcaneForge]

Sweet! Let me know if you end up using this beast in your game! Thanks so much for watching!

[@joshuawood7954]

Fantastic piece! One of my favorite things about your art is the color pallets you choose. It gives each creature this alien yet cohesive quality. Great work. Thanks!

[@ArcaneForge]

Thanks so much Joshua!

[@meth_squirrel]

if i'm not mistaken lolth took the demon web pits from miska

[@ArcaneForge]

That's really cool! Good to know that the two could have a fierce rivalry if you chose to include both in your campaign!

[@davidk3849]

Awesome video. Thank you

[@ArcaneForge]

No worries! Thanks so much for watching!

[@doms.6701]

Thanks for this video. I have an Aarakocra player and wanted to include Miska in some way. Either stopping their followers from gaining the 7 shards or something.

[@joshuaabel6841]

This link doesn’t seem to work anymore. I’d love to see this stat block!! The art is amazing.

[@SamTheRaven]

Just wanted to say hi I just discovered you well looking for information about miska the wolf spider, just wanted to say your voice is awesome and you're drawings are awesome, and I love the entire idea you had for miska, it fits just the same way as I thought of having miska and you just put it in perfect words so thank you for that, and thank you for the stats and layer

[@SamTheRaven]

I just realised the it is deleted and I'm sad

[@ArcaneForge]

Hey! Don't fret! I've just recently updated my website, so I'm in the process of re-linking all of my homebrew stuff. I'll pop it up there soon, but keep an eye out!

[@SamTheRaven]

@@ArcaneForge thank you

[@damianarvizu1095]

I have a weird feeling that this demon prince is just a digested husk in Lolth’s lair.

[@thejurassicshow5928]

There are two monsters from 3.5 e , I think. That I would love to se you do. Death Giants or Fog Giants. BTW: that is an awesome monster design.

[@prestongarner8796]

Miska the wolf spider is trapped in pandemonium

[@freefromnuts7889]

I think I've actually read one of those books.

[@CraftyTabletop]

After doing some research, it would seem that this guy is fully described in The Rod Of the Seven Parts adventure from 1996. I found it on DT www.drivethrurpg.com/product/17108/The-Rod-of-Seven-Parts-2e Awesome work, btw. But that's implied by now 😄

[@ArcaneForge]

That's so awesome, Crafty! Thank you so much for sending that to me! Thank you for your email as well by the way! You're an unbelievably kind person. I'm sorry that I've not been very communicative recently. I've had a lot to deal with at the moment, and I sometimes get stressed out by emails and messages. You know how ADHD can be. I hope you understand. I'll be with you shortly! Thanks so much for this.

[@CraftyTabletop]

@@ArcaneForge You do remember that I made ADHD my bitch. 😉 I understand, Josh. No worries. And it's a pleasure!

[@dm-entores3119]

Amazing draw and i still say that i wanna see a Boggle

[@ArcaneForge]

Boggle!!!! I need to make sure that these guys come up soon! Thanks so much for watching and for your suggestion, DM - entores!

[@dm-entores3119]

@@ArcaneForge youre welcome, you inspire me dude, you are an amazing example to improve my art

[@Llamadangles]

Hey man I have a huge reserach document detailing nearly everything about miska and his role in the battle of pesh, the rod of seven parts, his relaitonship with the queen of chaos and appearance etc. If you want it lemme know and I can send it through!

[@ArcaneForge]

Thank you so much! That would be wonderful to sift through. Thank you so much for sharing!

[@Llamadangles]

@@ArcaneForge ill get right on it ;)

[@Llamadangles]

@@ArcaneForge here ya go! drive.google.com/drive/folders/1op02Gt3DRDx64xoPUGJVqaX-ejz5Q95F?usp=sharing

[@fidl__]

This looks great! I will for sure add it to the collection of demon lords in my campaign. Though I'll have to change its name a little because Miska means bowl in polish.

[@ArcaneForge]

Haha! I had no idea! The whole time I was thinking that the name sounded really weird like..."John the master of evil" or "Terry the invincible" but I had no idea it was a bowl! Day made!

[@spacewarsfight281]

That is bad ass and have you ever thought drawing Pathfinder gods

[@ArcaneForge]

Heya! I've not given much thought to it I'll be honest, but I'd happily add one of them to my "to draw" list for you! Which one is your favourite?

[@spacewarsfight281]

@@ArcaneForge rovugug

[@thefoxjo]

What about drawing a homebrew monster? something you completly created

[@ArcaneForge]

I like the sound of that too Jose! I'll pop that on my "to draw" list for you. It tends to be pretty popular with my patrons so I'm sure you'll see some homebrew soon! Cheers for watching!

[@nukerwolf7788]

An ancasha is a demon talked about as a creacture made by Baphomet I can't find info about and would love if you did one of those

[@ArcaneForge]

Heya Nuker Wolf! I've not heard of these guys but I'll definitely add them to my "to draw" list and see what I can find out for you! Thanks so much for the suggestion and for watching.

[@nukerwolf7788]

@@ArcaneForge thanks. Yeah I'm having the hardest time finding anything myself it was talked about on a video of Baphomet but only in a very breaf mention.

[@prestongarner8796]

Will you draw the balor demon

[@skellybones271]

Idea draco mummy with mummy rot breath attack

[@typicaltrex8524]

I get a security warning clicking the link for the stat-block. Is it no longer available?

[@maximmees5005]

pls do a carrion crawler

[@QuiteNephilim612]

Is there somewhere else we can download the stats?

[@KingCarnageIV]

💀My Dungeon Master gave me a Wish today and I waited until the end of the season to use it. I wished for a new mount named Miska the Wolf Spider because my horses kept getting eaten... Can't wait to introduce my party to Miska🤭🤌Thank you sir!

[@bennettmiller5810]

War? Like is there a demon lord of war? Because this guy certainly sounds like someone who is a warlord.

[@ahmetselimozkan]

hello I want to play rod of seven parts with my friends but I couldn't adapt miska to 5e. Could you share your homebrew version with me. The web site didn't open. thank you for your video.

[@IQAfan]

A year too late but the new dnd book that’s out next week has a stat block :)

[@ahmetselimozkan]

@@IQAfan Thank you. It's not late our campaign still continues.😊Can you share the book's name?

[@IQAfan]

@@ahmetselimozkan Eve of Ruin. Comes out on Tuesday and the Miska stat lock is really cool. Should be on 5eTools soon enough

[@almitrahopkins1873]

Miska doesn’t have a lair. Lolth stole it from him, just like the portfolio of spiders. The demonweb pits were his lair, before Lolth the Weaver turned up in his plane. Wolf spiders are hunting spiders, not web spinners or ambush spiders. Think tarantula with a wolf head as more fitting to its description, which was just its name early on in AD&D 2nd. I think it was in Planescape that both Miska and Lolth took on the appearance more like a drider, which wouldn’t fit what Lolth does to those that fail the tests of loyalty she puts the Drow through. It wouldn’t make sense to change those that fail a test of loyalty to look like herself or the demon prince she vanquished. It was excellent artwork though.

[@Jpteryx]

Ooh, that face reminds me of a solifuge. Nice! EDIT: Arachnophobia warning for anyone else who chooses to look up solifuges.

[@ArcaneForge]

I googled this and genuinely very nearly threw up. One of my worst googles.

[@Jpteryx]

@@ArcaneForge Oh no, sorry about that. Yeah in retrospect I can definitely see how they would trigger arachnophobia.

[@VincentScalia]

Can we let the poor guy draw something other than spiders pls and thank. This can't be good for his health at this point.

[@ArcaneForge]

I appreciate that James!

[@FlyingAxblade_D20]

very horrific head

[@alexiavya722]

So uhhhhhhhh.... can I get uhhhhhhh.... Maybe uhhhhh.... You could maybe do Wraith and Will-o’-wisp... Oh i’m just kidding 😅... Unless😳....

[@ArcaneForge]

So I just tallied up every time you've suggested these guys and it's now almost criminal that they've not been voted on by my patrons. Rest assured that they'll be on my next voting list for sure, and I'll even make sure that I vote on them too (which I don't usually do) to hopefully push them into my next set of monsters for you, Pig man. You've a very diligent person, and I'm glad you're here!

[@alexiavya722]

Arcane Forge love you man. I only do this because I enjoy the content!

[@gex6692]

sorry I feel bad I haven't donated yet I swear soon it shall come

[@ArcaneForge]

Don't worry Xenomorph boi. I'm just glad that you're enjoying the content!